BACKGROUND: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a common malignancy worldwide with poor outcomes. Therefore, it is important to identify a valuable prognostic biomarker for HCC. The present study aimed to identify novel prognostic biomarkers for HCC and evaluate the potential role of hub genes in HCC. METHODS: Weighted gene co-expression network analysis and protein–protein interaction analysis were performed to identify important potential prognostic genes. The expression of hub genes was confirmed by the GEPIA, Oncomine, UALCAN, and HPA database. Furthermore, survival analysis of hub genes was performed using the Kaplan–Meier plotter database. Finally, we investigated the association between hub genes and immune factors in HCC through GSEA, the TIMER, and TISIDB database. RESULTS: HSD17B6 expression was significantly lower in HCC than in normal tissues. Low HSD17B6 expression is associated with poorer overall survival and progression-free survival in HCC patients, particularly at medium disease stages (stage II and III or grade III). HSD17B6 showed a strong correlation with tumor-infiltrating B cells, CD4 + and CD8 + T cells, macrophages, neutrophils, and dendritic cells. Somatic copy number alteration might be the main cause of the negative correlation between HSD17B6 expression and immune infiltration. HSD17B6 expression in HCC negatively correlated with the expression of several immune cell markers, including exhausted T cell markers, PD-1 and CTLA-4, suggesting its role in regulating tumor immunity. CONCLUSIONS: HSD17B6 is a potential prognostic biomarker that determines cancer progression and is correlated with tumor immune cells infiltration in HCC. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version of this article (10.1007/s10620-021-06832-7) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
Hydroxysteroid 17-Beta Dehydrogenase 6 Is a Prognostic Biomarker and Correlates with Immune Infiltrates in Hepatocellular Carcinoma