Objective To investigate the expression of migration-inducing gene 7 (MIG7) in different HCC lines and its relationship with vasculogenic mimicry (VM) formation and metastatic potentiality. Methods Employing immunostaining to detect MIG7 protein expression and VM formation in 40 matched pairs of primary and metastatic HCC specimens from 40 patients, and investigating the correlation of VM formation with MIG7 protein expression. Detecting VM formation in HCC lines with different metastatic ability (MHCC-97H, MHCC-97L, Huh-7) and human normal hepatocyte line (L-02) through three-dimensional culture, and detecting MIG7 mRNA expression with RT-PCR, investigating the correlation of MIG7 protein expression with VM formation and HCC metastatic potentiality with Western blot assay; screening the HCC cell line with high MIG7 expression. Results In 40 matched pairs of HCC tissue, there was a significant positive correlation between MIG7 protein expression and VM formation ( rs=0.595, P
