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ORIGINAL RESEARCH ARTICLE

Coiled-coil domain-containing protein 51 as an independent prognostic marker in hepatocellular carcinoma: Implications for tumor progression and immune infiltration

Siqi Huang1 ,  Zhang Chen1 ,  Wei Yu1 ,  Xiaoyan Huang1*
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1 Department of Ultrasound, The Second Affiliated Hospital and Yuying Children’s Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, Zhejiang, China
CP, 025480084 https://doi.org/10.36922/CP025480084
Received: 27 November 2025 | Revised: 7 January 2026 | Accepted: 12 January 2026 | Published online: 10 February 2026
© 2026 by the Author(s). This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License ( https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ )
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Abstract

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a leading cause of cancer-related mortality worldwide. Although the coiled-coil domain-containing protein 51 (CCDC51) has been implicated in retinal pathologies, its function in HCC remains poorly defined. Here, we report that reduced CCDC51 expression is associated with favorable clinical outcomes in HCC patients. Bioinformatic analyses revealed significant correlations between CCDC51 levels and multiple tumor characteristics, including immune cell infiltration, the tumor microenvironment, and microsatellite instability status. Notably, multivariate Cox regression and nomogram analyses established CCDC51 as an independent prognostic biomarker for HCC. Pathway enrichment studies further linked elevated CCDC51 expression to dysregulation of RNA transport and Wnt signaling. Functionally, genetic silencing of CCDC51 in HCC cell lines resulted in significant suppression of proliferation, migration, and invasion. Collectively, these findings identify CCDC51 as a novel prognostic marker and a potential therapeutic target in HCC.

Graphical abstract
Keywords
Coiled-coil domain-containing protein 51
Biomarker
Hepatocellular carcinoma
Immune cell infiltration
Proliferation
Funding
This study was supported by the Wenzhou Science and Technology Bureau Research Project of China (Y2023912).
Conflict of interest
The authors declare they have no competing interests.
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Cancer Plus, Electronic ISSN: 2661-3840 Print ISSN: 2661-3832, Published by AccScience Publishing
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