Fig. 1

USP40 is elevated in HCC and predicts poor prognosis. A–B Compared to liver normal tissues, USP40 expression was drastically elevated in HCC tissues and correlated with tumor stage. C Kaplan–Meier plotter analysis showed that increased USP40 expression was associated with worse survival rate in HCC patients. Data were generated from the TCGA and UALCAN databases. D IHC images of USP40 expression in liver normal tissues and HCC samples were gained from the Human Protein Atlas (HPA) database. Scale bar, 200 μm. E Representative IHC staining pictures of USP40 were displayed in HCC specimens and normal tissues. Scale bar, 200 μm. F RT-qPCR and G western blotting results showed that USP40 was overexpressed in HCC cell lines (Huh7, MHCC97H, Hep3B, SNU387, and HepG2) compared to LO2 in mRNA and protein levels. LIHC: liver hepatocellular carcinoma. Data were displayed with typical pictures of three independent experiments. *P < 0.05, **P < 0.01, ***P < 0.001