Serum
autoantibodies against
tumor-associated
antigen have important value in the early diagnosis of
hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), but the mechanism of
autoantibody production is poorly understood. We previously showed that
autoantibodies against the
centromere protein F (CENPF) may be useful as an early diagnostic marker for HCC. Here we explored the mechanism of cell apoptosis-based CENPF
autoantibody production and verified the correlation of CENPF
autoantibody level with HCC development. We demonstrated that CENPF was overexpressed and aberrantly localized throughout the nuclei and cytoplasm in human HCC cells compared with hepatic cells. CENPF overexpression promoted the production of CENPF
autoantibodies in a manner that correlated with
tumor growth of mouse HCC model. During apoptosis of HCC cells, CENPF
protein translocated to apoptotic vesicles and relocalized at the cell surface. Through isolating apoptotic components, we found apoptotic body and
blebs with lower CD31 and CD47 expression more effectively induced DC phagocytosis and maturation compared with apoptotic intact cells in vitro, and this DC response was independent of CENPF expression. Moreover, injection of mice with apoptotic bodies and
blebs effectively induced an immune response and the production of CENPF-specific
antibodies. Our findings provide a first elucidation of mechanisms underlying the CENPF
autoantibody production via cell apoptosis-induced CENPF translocation, and demonstrate a direct correlation between CENPF
autoantibody levels and HCC progression, suggesting the potential of CENPF
autoantibody as an HCC diagnostic marker.