Roles of Cx43 and AKAP95 in ovarian cancer tissues in G1/S phase

Objective: The purpose of this study was to investigate the expression of A-kinase anchor protein 95 (AKAP95), cell cycle protein E1 (cyclinE1) and D1 (cyclinD1), and gap junction protein connexin 43 (Cx43) in ovarian cancer tissues, the relationship between four proteins and clinicopathologic parameters, and the correlation between these proteins. Methods: The expression of proteins in 54 cases of ovarian cancer tissues was detected by immunohistochemical method. Results: The positive expression rates of AKAP95, cyclinD1 and cyclinE1 in ovarian cancer tissues were 72.22%, 66.67% and 79.63%, respectively, which were higher than that of ovarian pericarcinoma tissues expressing as 33.33%, 25% and 8.30% (P<0.05). The positive expression rate of Cx43 in ovarian cancer tissues was 40.74%, which was lower than that of ovarian pericarcinoma tissues expressing as 75%; respectively, and the difference was statistically significant between groups (P<0.05). The expression of cyclinD1 in ovarian cancer tissues was related to the histologic type (P<0.05) while it showed no correlation with the degree of differentiation (P>0.05). Additionally, the expression of AKAP95, Cx43 and cyclinE1 in ovarian cancer tissues showed no correlation with the degree of differentiation or the histologic type (P>0.05). Protein expressions of AKAP95, Cx43 and cyclinE1 were correlated with each other (P<0.05), and the expressions of cyclinD1, cyclinE1 and Cx43 were also correlated with each other (P<0.05). However, AKAP95 and cyclinD1 showed no correlation (P>0.05). Conclusion: AKAP95, cyclinD1 and cyclinE1 play an important role in promoting the process of ovarian cancer formation. The tumor inhibitory effects of Cx43 protein on the pathogenesis of ovarian cancer were weakened. The expression of cyclinD1 in ovarian cancer tissues is related to the histologic type while it shows no correlation with the degree of differentiation. Additionally, the expression of AKAP95, Cx43 and cyclinE1 in ovarian cancer tissues shows no correlation with the degree of differentiation or the histologic type. AKAP95 expression is correlated with Cx43 and cyclinE1 expression; Cx43 expression is correlated with AKAP95, cyclinD1 and cyclinE1 expression; cyclinE1 expression is correlated with AKAP95, Cx43, cyclinD1 expression; cyclinD1 expression is correlated with Cx43 and cyclinE1 expression, while AKAP95 and cyclinD1 show no correlation.     

Synergistic effects of AKAP95, Cyclin D1, Cyclin E1, and Cx43 in the development of rectal cancer

Objective: To explore the expression of A-kinase anchor protein 95 (AKAP95), Cyclin D1, Cyclin E1, and Connexin43 (Cx43) in rectal cancer tissues and assess the associations between each of the proteins and pathological parameters, as well as their inter-relationships. Methods: AKAP95, Cyclin D1, Cyclin E1, and Cx43 protein expression rates were evaluated by immunohistochemistry in 50 rectal cancer specimens and 16 pericarcinoma tissues. Results: The positive rates of AKAP95, Cyclin E1, and Cyclin D1 proteins were 54.00 vs. 18.75%, 62.00 vs. 6.25%, and 72.00 vs. 31.25% in rectal cancer specimens and pericarcinoma tissues, respectively, representing statistically significant differences (P < 0.05). The positive rate of Cx43 protein expression in rectal cancer tissues was 44.00% and 62.50% in pericarcinoma tissues, and the difference between them was not significant (P > 0.05). No significant associations were found between protein expression of AKAP95, Cyclin E1, Cyclin D1, and Cx43, and the degree of differentiation, histological type, and lymph node metastasis of rectal cancer (P > 0.05). However, significant correlations were obtained between the expression rates of AKAP95 and Cyclin E1, Cyclin E1 and Cyclin D1, Cyclin E1 and Cx43 protein, and Cyclin D1 and Cx43, respectively (P < 0.05). Conclusion: AKAP95, Cyclin E1, and Cyclin D1 protein expression rates were significantly higher in rectal cancer tissues compared with pericarcinoma samples, suggesting an association between these proteins and the development and progression of rectal cancer. In addition, the significant correlations between the proteins (AKAP95 and Cyclin E1, Cyclin E1 and Cyclin D1, Cyclin E1 and Cx43 protein, and Cyclin D1 and Cx43) indicate the possible synergistic effects of these factors in the development and progression of rectal cancer.     

Silencing of PCDH10 in hepatocellular carcinoma via de novo DNA methylation independent of HBV infection or HBX expression

PCDH10 is a key tumor suppressive gene for nasopharyngeal, esophageal, and other carcinomas with frequent methylation. In this study, we investigated the potential epigenetic modification of the PCDH10 gene by hepatitis B virus × protein (HBx), a pivotal factor in the progression of HBV replication and potential carcinogenesis. PCDH10 expression was found to be down-regulated in 9/13 (69.2 %) of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) cell lines. Decreased PCDH10 expression was correlated with the methylation status of the PCDH10 promoter. Treatment with the DNA methyltransferase inhibitor 5-aza-2′-deoxycytidine (Aza) was sufficient to restore PCDH10 mRNA expression by suppressing PCDH10 promoter methylation in HepG2 cells. Treatment with Trichostatin A alone had no significant effect on PCDH10 expression but enhanced the effect of Aza. PCDH10 methylation was further detected in 76 % (38 of 50) of HCC tissues compared with 40 % (20 of 50) of paired adjacent tissues, with no methylation detected in normal human liver tissues. There were significant correlations between methylation status of PCDH10 and tumor size, serum AFP levels, metastasis or TNM staging (P < 0.05). Moreover, PCDH10 promoter methylation status was not associated with HBV infection in our panel of 50 primary HCC tumors, and transfection with HBX could not alter the status of PCDH10 promoter methylation. Collectively, these observations suggested that the expression of PCDH10 was silenced in HCC via de novo DNA methylation independent of HBV infection or HBX expression, and PCDH10 might form a potentially useful therapeutic target for HCC.     

AFP启动子驱动的yCD/TK双自杀基因靶向杀伤肝癌细胞的体内外研究

目的： 研究携带甲胎蛋白（AFP）启动子的酵母菌胞嘧啶脱氨酶/胸苷激酶（yCDglyTK）双自杀基因体内外靶向性杀伤肝癌细胞的效果和机制。方法: 构建携带AFP启动子的yCD/TK双自杀基因表达质粒。通过阳离子脂质体将携带AFP启动子的yCD/TK双自杀基因转染HepG2和SMMC7721细胞,用MTT法测定不同浓度氟胞嘧啶（5-FC）、更昔洛韦（GCV）及联合治疗的杀伤作用,用流式细胞仪检测细胞周期。建立裸鼠肝癌皮下种植瘤模型,观察自杀基因体内杀瘤效果以及细胞凋亡的情况。结果: 成功构建的携带AFP启动子的yCD/TK双自杀基因靶向性地在AFP阳性的HepG2细胞上表达,而AFP阴性的SMMC7721细胞无表达,GCV、5-FC及两者联合可有效抑制HepG2细胞生长,随药物浓度的增高而杀伤作用增强,药物间抑瘤效果比较是GCV＋5-FC＞5-FC＞GCV,而SMMC7721细胞的生长未受影响。体内实验可见GCV、5-FC及两药联合对转染后的HepG2细胞种植瘤有明显的抑制效果,并检测到明显的细胞凋亡,而对SMMC7721细胞种植瘤的生长无影响,种植瘤内极少凋亡细胞。结论: 携带AFP启动子的yCD/TK双自杀基因能有效地靶向性地杀伤AFP阳性的肝癌细胞,细胞凋亡可能是其杀伤的重要机制之一。     

Concurrent evaluation of p53, beta-catenin, and alpha-fetoprotein expression in human hepatocellular carcinoma

Recent models suggest that hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) develops through several independent pathways marked by key mutations in the beta-catenin or p53 gene. An additional pathway potentially is marked by aberrant expression of a-fetoprotein (AFP). To see whether these potential markers are expressed independently, we immunostained sequential sections from 55 HCCs. Of the cases, 30 (55%) were positive for 1 or more proteins: AFP, 19 cases (35%); p53, 12 cases (22%); and beta-catenin, 9 cases (16%). Seven tumors (13%) were positive for more than 1 protein, with 4 of 7 positive in the same area of tumor and 3 of 7 positive in different areas of the carcinomas. By statistical analysis, expression of the markers was independent of one another and of tumor size. Concurrent evaluation of p53, beta-catenin, and AFP protein expression showed no associations, supporting models in which these proteins might serve as markers of independent pathways in the development of HCC.     

The expression and clinical significance of TPM4 in hepatocellular carcinoma

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is known as the fifth most common cancer in the world for its poor prognosis. New diagnostic markers and treatments are urgent to discover. To evaluate the protein expression of Tropomyosin4 (TPM4) and investigate its prognostic value in HCC, we collected 110 patients with different degrees of HCC and 10 patients with normal hepatic tissues and performed immunohistochemistry. Western bot was used to evaluate the expression of TPM4 in three HCC cell lines (HepG2, Huh7, SMMC-7721) and normal liver cell line LO2, as well as 7 HCC tissues and 7 normal hepatic tissues. The results of TPM4 staining revealed that TPM4 expression in HCC was higher than that in normal hepatic tissues, which was positive in 51.8% (n=57) and negative in 48.2% (n=53) while in normal hepatic tissues positive staining was in 10% (n=1) and negative staining was in 90% (n=9) (P=0.011). And the expression of TPM4 was related to pT status, grade and stage (P<0.001, P=0.015 and P<0.001, respectively). Western blot results indicated that TPM4 was high expressed in HCC cell line and HCC tissues. In conclusion, we believe that TPM4 can be applied as a diagnostic and prognostic marker to assist the management of HCC.     

Expression of Girdin in primary hepatocellular carcinoma and its effect on cell proliferation and invasion

Girdin has been proven to play a vital role in the process of proliferation, apoptosis, and invasion in various cancer cells, yet the underlying molecular mechanism in primary hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) has not yet been clarified. Thereafter, we performed immunohistochemistry to detect the expression of Girdin in 40 primary HCC tissues and 30 matched adjacent tissues using hepatic carcinoma tissue microarray. Our data showed that the positive expression rate of Girdin in hepatocellular carcinoma tissues was 67.5%, higher than that found in adjacent tissues of 16.7% (P < 0.05). It closely correlates to tumor size, T stage, TNM stage and Edmondson-Steiner stage (P < 0.05) of HCC patients. After specific small interfering RNA of Girdin was transfected into HepG2 and Huh7.5.1 cells, the proliferation and invasion ability of tumor cells were significantly inhibited. In summary, we suggest that the oncogenic role of Girdin could provide new molecular target for the treatment of HCC.     

Association of Notch1 with vasculogenic mimicry in human hepatocellular carcinoma cell lines

Background and aims: According to recent findings, some tumor cells function as endothelial progenitor cells to initiate tumor vasculogenesis, known as “vasculogenic mimicry” (VM). Notch1, the key regulator of vasculogenesis and embryonic differentiation, has shown a correlation with a poor prognosis in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). We attempted to elucidate the relationship between Notch1 and the vascularization of HCC. Materials and methods: HCC cell lines were assayed for tube formation and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) absorption. The translation level of targets of interest was verified using western blot. Notch1 was silenced in HepG2, BEL-7402 and HCCLM6 using lentivirus shRNA. A hypoxic culture was conducted in an anaerobic culture chamber to induce VM in HepG2. Samples from 53 patients with HCC, i.e., 5 with metastasis and 48 without were tested for Notch1⁺ cells and CD34 negative plus Periodic Acid-Schiff (PAS) positive structures, respectively. Results: BEL-7402 and HCCLM6 were capable of tube formation and LDL absorption in vitro, while HepG2 was negative for both. Notch1 down-regulation suppressed endothelial marker expression and greatly impaired tube formation. After hypoxic culture, the tube formation capacity of HepG2 was significantly enhanced, along with an increase in Notch1 expression. Notch1 was strongly and profusely expressed in all 5 cases of distant metastasis, while 19 of the 48 cases without metastasis were sparsely positive (P < 0.05). Notch1 positivity was mainly seen in the cytoplasm and nuclei. VM structures were only found in 2 cases from the metastasis group (P < 0.05). Conclusions: HCC is capable of VM. Notch1 might serve as a potential target for VM development in HCC.     

Combined cancer testis antigens enhanced prediction accuracy for prognosis of patients with hepatocellular carcinoma

Cancer testis antigens (CTAs) are selectively expressed in malignant cells and can serve as ideal targets for immunotherapy. We investigated the expressions of MAGE-A3, MAGE-A4, MAGE-C2 and NY-ESO-1 to determine if combinatorial expressions of CTAs might be as potential prognostic markers for patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). In tumor tissues of 142 HCC patients, the mRNA expressions of MAGE-A3, MAGE-A4, MAGE-C2 and NY-ESO-1 were 78.9%, 33.8%, 74.6% and 14.1% respectively. Furthermore, the expressions of MAGE-A3, MAGE-A4 and combination of MAGE-A3, MAGE-A4 and NY-ESO-1 (CTAs-A3/A4/NY) showed positive correlations with serum AFP, tumor stages and Ki-67 (P < 0.05). In addition, mRNA expressions of CTAs were significantly consistent with protein expressions of CTAs by immunohistochemistry (P > 0.05). Receiver operating characteristic curves (ROC) analysis showed that CTAs-A3/A4/NY had larger areas under ROC curve (0.768), specificity (99.1%), Youden’s index (44.6), positive predictive value (90.9%) and negative predictive value (89.9%) for predicting HCC recurrence than other CTAs. Moreover, the combinatorial expression of CTAs-A3/A4/NY was significantly associated with HCC recurrence by Kaplan-Meier analysis (HR = 69.36, P < 0.01) and multivariate Cox analysis (RR = 17.11, P < 0.01). The combinatorial expression of CTAs-A3/A4/NY mRNA promotes the predictive accuracy of HCC recurrence and itself may be a potential target for immunotherapy of HCC as well.     

High-level expression of HOXB13 is closely associated with tumor angiogenesis and poor prognosis of hepatocellular carcinoma

Homeobox B13 (HOXB13) is generally considered as a crucial regulator of terminal cellular differentiation. More recently, the absent or aberrant expression of HOXB13 has been increasingly implicated in cancer development and metastasis. However, the expression of HOXB13 in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and its correlation with tumor angiogenesis and prognosis still remain unclear. The aim of the study was to evaluate the expression of HOXB13 in patients with HCC and explore the relationship of HOXB13 expression with clinicopathologic factors, tumor angiogenesis and prognosis. Immunohistochemistry was performed to determine the expression of HOXB13 in HCC and corresponding paracarcinomatous tissues from 72 patients. Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and CD31 were only examined in tissues of HCC patients mentioned above. The results showed that HOXB13 expression was significantly (P <0.001) higher in HCC (69.4%) than that in surrounding non-tumor tissues (26.4%), positively correlated with tumor VEGF (P <0.001) and microvessel density (MVD) (P = 0.013). Besides, it was associated with tumor capsula (P <0.001), vascular invasion (P <0.001), Edmondson grade (P <0.001), AFP (P = 0.007) and TNM stage (P <0.001). Univariate analysis showed poorer overall survival (OS) rate and disease free survival (DFS) rate in patients expressing higher levels of HOXB13. HOXB13 was also found to be an independent poor prognostic factor of OS and DFS in multivariate analysis. Taken together, our results suggest that increased HOXB13 expression is associated with tumor angiogenesis and progression in HCC and may function as a promising biomarker for unfavorable prognosis of HCC.     

ras癌基因产物P21与肿瘤胚胎蛋白AFP、CEA在人肝癌中表达的对比研究

应用同一组织连续石蜡切片免疫组化染色技术，检测了ＡＦＰ、ＣＥＡ与Ｐ２１￣（ｒａｓ）在人肝细胞癌及其癌旁肝组织中的免疫定位关系，并探讨了ＡＦＰ与Ｐ２１￣（ｒａｓ）在肝癌辅助诊断中的意义。结果显示（１）ＡＦＰ及Ｐ２１￣（ｒａｓ）较ＣＥＡ与肝细胞癌的关系更为密切，半数以上肝癌可同时表达ＡＦＰ与Ｐ２１￣（ｒａｓ）两种抗原，且二者在组织中的阳性分布极相似；（２）癌组织ＡＦＰ的阳性率显著高于癌旁，而Ｐ２１￣（ｒａｓ）与之相反。由此可见，ＡＦＰ作为肝细胞癌相对特异的标志物用于肝癌的辅助诊断优于Ｐ２１￣（ｒａｓ）；癌旁同时表达ＡＦＰ与Ｐ２１￣（ｒａｓ）的肝细胞很可能是已经启动的、尚未产生表型转化的、已具备肿瘤性增殖能力的癌前细胞群。     

Reduction of double-stranded RNA-activated protein kinase in hepatocellular carcinoma associated with hepatitis B virus

Chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is a major cause of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in Asia. Double-stranded RNA (dsRNA)-activated protein kinase (PKR) is an interferon-induced, serine/threonine protein kinase. Recent studies have suggested that PKR is involved in the pathogenesis of HCC with hepatitis virus C infection by inhibiting viral and cellular proteins related to cell growth and proliferation. In the present study, PKR was examined in both tumor and non-tumor tissues from HCC livers infected with HBV. The expression of PKR was determined by TaqMan real-time PCR and immunohistochemical methods. The level of PKR was also analyzed in relation to pathological changes observed in HCC. The result showed that PKR was reduced in tumor tissues of HCC from HBV carriers with low serum viral load (<0.7 x 10(6) copies/ml) compared to those with higher serum viral load. However, the overall PKR level was much lower in tumor tissues than that in non-tumor tissues, irrespective of HBV carrier status or serum viral load. PKR level tended to be lower in HCC samples with alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) more than 500 ng/ml (mean: 4024.2 ng/ml) than those with AFP less than 500 ng/ml (mean: 50.6 ng/ml). There was no significant difference in the expression of PKR between tumor tissues with well differentiation and those with poor or moderate differentiation. In conclusion, the level of PKR was reduced in HCC tumor tissues, suggesting a possible role of PKR in promoting the growth of tumor. HBV may participate in altering the level of PKR, but factors other than HBV should play a more determining role in the regulation of PKR in HCC. The association between PKR and AFP levels may offer an alternative tumor marker for HCC.     

Relationship between the expression of MDR1 in hepatocellular cancer and its biological behaviors

Objective: By the detection of HBV infection, AFP and AST, the targets of biological behavior and the gene expression of multi-drug resistance gene 1 (MDR1) in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), we investigate characteristics of the expression of MDR1 in HCC and its relationship with HCC biological behavior. Methods: Using real-time fluorescence quantitative PCR (FQ-PCR) to detect the expressions of MDR1 in 102 samples of HCC tissue and 20 samples of non-cancerous tissue, we analyze the relationship between expressions of MDR1 and biological characteristics of HCC. Results: The expression of MDR1 in HCC is 0.55±0.27, and in normal liver tissues is 0.23±0.10, respectively. The expression in HCC is higher than it in normal liver tissue, the difference is statistically significant (P<0.05) and the difference between the expression and the HCC envelopes is statistically significant, and the expression increases along with the increase of Edmondson classification (P<0.05). HBV infection, AFP positive, the rise of AST, all these factors have positive correlations with the expression (r=0.463, 0.473, 0.299). In MDR1 expressions of HCC patients, the survival curve of the negative is higher than that of the positive, but the difference is not statistically significant. Conclusion: There are drug resistance phenomena in HCC, MDR1 expression may play an important role in primary HCC drug resistance. HBV infection can be detected as a reference indicator of HCC chemotherapy resistance, plasma levels of AFP, AST can be used as a reference index change dynamic monitoring of MDR1 expression.     

Expression of A-kinase anchor protein 13 and Rho-associated coiled-coil containing protein kinase in restituted and regenerated mucosal epithelial cells following mucosal injury and colorectal cancer cells in mouse models

We demonstrate the expression patterns of A-kinase anchor protein 13 (AKAP13), a scaffold protein that acts upstream of Rho signaling, and Rho-associated coiled-coil containing protein kinase (ROCK) 1/2 in mouse colorectal cancer and during the healing stage of mouse colitis. BALB/c mice received an intraperitoneal injection of azoxymethane at 10 mg/kg, followed by two 7-day cycles of 3% dextran sulfate sodium (DSS) administered through their drinking water to induce colon cancer, or a 7-day administration of 4% DSS to induce colitis. The colorectal tissue was then analyzed for gene expression, histopathology, and immunohistochemistry. In the colorectal cancer, AKAP13 and ROCK1/2 were highly expressed in adenocarcinoma compared to the control tissue and low-grade dysplasia. In colitis, AKAP13 and ROCK1 were highly expressed in the restituted and regenerated mucosa but were only moderately expressed in the injured mucosal epithelium, compared to the normal epithelium that exhibited weak expression levels. ROCK2 was weakly expressed in these cells, consistent with the expression of AKAP13 and ROCK1. Furthermore, we found several clumps of epithelial cells expressing AKAP13 and ROCK1/2 in the lamina propria during the mucosal healing process, and these cells also expressed interleukin-6, which is a multipotential cytokine for both inflammation and healing. These data suggest that AKAP13 was expressed in relation with ROCK1/2, which probably play an overall role in both mucosal healing and tumorigenesis.     

FGFR4 and TGF-β1 Expression in Hepatocellular Carcinoma: Correlation with Clinicopathological Features and Prognosis

Objective: To investigate the expression and correlation of transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1) and fibroblast growth factor receptor 4 (FGFR4) in human hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and the relationship with clinicopathological features and prognosis.Materials and methods: The expression of TGF-β1 and FGFR4 in 126 HCC samples was detected immunohistochemically. Combined with clinical postoperative follow-up data, the expression of TGF-β1 and FGFR4 in HCC and the relationship with the prognosis of patients were analyzed by statistically.Results: The positive expression rate of TGF-β1 was 84.1% (106/126) in tumors, and that in peritumoral liver tissues was 64.3% (81/126); the positive expression rate of FGFR4 in tumors was 74.6% (94/126) and that in peritumoral liver tissues was 57.1% (72/126). The expression of TGF-β1 and FGFR4 in the carcinoma tissues was significantly higher than that in peritumoral liver tissues (p < 0.05). Intratumoral TGF-β1 and FGFR4 expression was associated with TNM stage (p < 0.05). TGF-β1 and FGFR4 expression levels didn''t significantly correlate with other clinicopathological parameters, including age, sex, tumor size, serum AFP level, tumor differentiation, lymph node metastasis, etc. (p > 0.05). TGF-β1 expression was positively correlated with FGFR4 expression (r = 0.595, p < 0.05). Patients with positive FGFR4 or TGF-β1 expression had shorter overall survival compared with negative expression (p < 0.05).Conclusions: The expression of TGF-β1 and FGFR4 could make synergy on the occurrence and progression of HCC, and may be used as prognosis indicators for HCC patients.     

转录因子EGR-3在肝细胞肝癌中的表达及意义

目的研究早期生长反应基因(EGR-3)在肝癌组织中的表达,并探讨其在肝癌发生发展中的作用。方法选取125例肝癌及癌旁组织、5例正常肝组织标本,采用免疫组织化学方法检测标本中EGR-3的表达分布,并分析其与肝癌临床病理因素的关系。另提取15例新鲜肝癌及相应癌旁组织标本和人肝癌HepG2、HepG2.2.15、SMMC7721、FHCC98细胞的总蛋白,采用蛋白质印迹法检测EGR-3的表达水平。结果①免疫组织化学检测结果显示,EGR-3在肝癌组织中的表达阳性率(30/125,24%)明显低于癌旁组织(100/125,80%)(χ2=72.5,P0.001);EGR-3主要表达于肝癌组织的细胞质中,而在癌旁组织的细胞质和细胞核均有表达;此外,EGR-3在肝癌组织中的表达强弱与患者年龄、性别以及肿瘤大小、肿瘤分化程度等均无明显相关性(P0.05);②蛋白质印迹技术检测结果也显示EGR-3在肝癌组织中的表达水平均明显低于相应癌旁组织(P0.05);EGR-3在4种肝癌细胞系中都有表达,并在HepG2.2.15细胞中表达水平最高。结论 EGR-3在肝癌组织中的表达明显低于癌旁组织,推测其与肝癌的发生密切相关,为肝癌的临床诊断提供了线索。     

CUEDC2在肝细胞癌组织中的表达及其临床预后的意义

目的:检测含CUE结构域蛋白2(CUEDC2)在肝细胞癌组织中的表达,探讨其与临床预后的关系。方法:选取具有完整临床及预后资料的186例手术切除肝细胞癌组织的石蜡组织标本,采用免疫组化技术检测CUEDC2的表达,并结合肝癌临床病理因素及预后进行分析。结果:CUEDC2在85.5%(159/186)的肝癌组织中有表达,其中低表达为52.2%(97/186),高表达为47.8%(89/186);CUEDC2的表达状态与血清甲胎蛋白(AFP)水平、肿瘤大小、肿瘤数目、肝癌分化程度和TNM分期有关(P0.05)。Kaplan-Meier生存分析显示CUEDC2高表达的患者术后总生存及无复发生存期较低表达者显著缩短;多因素Cox回归分析显示CUEDC2的表达状态、血清AFP和肿瘤数目是影响肝癌患者术后无复发生存(RFS)及总生存期(OS)的独立危险因素。结论:CUEDC2在多数肝癌组织中有表达,与肿瘤的生长、分化及预后有关;CUEDC2可以作为一个有价值的肝癌预后预测的新指标。     

CXCR4 expression affects overall survival of HCC patients whereas CXCR7 expression does not

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a heterogeneous disease with a poor prognosis and limited markers for predicting patient survival. Because chemokines and chemokine receptors play numerous and integral roles in HCC disease progression, the CXCR4–CXCL12–CXCR7 axis was studied in HCC patients. CXCR4 and CXCR7 expression was analyzed by immunohistochemistry in 86 HCC patients (training cohort) and validated in 42 unrelated HCC patients (validation cohort). CXCR4 levels were low in 22.1% of patients, intermediate in 30.2%, and high in 47.7%, whereas CXCR7 levels were low in 9.3% of patients, intermediate in 44.2% and high in 46.5% of the patients in the training cohort. When correlated to patient outcome, only CXCR4 affected overall survival (P=0.03). CXCR4–CXCL12–CXCR7 mRNA levels were examined in 33/86 patients. Interestingly, the common CXCR4–CXCR7 ligand CXCL12 was expressed at significantly lower levels in tumor tissues compared to adjacent normal liver (P=0.032). The expression and function of CXCR4 and CXCR7 was also analyzed in several human HCC cell lines. CXCR4 was expressed in Huh7, Hep3B, SNU398, SNU449 and SNU475 cells, whereas CXCR7 was expressed in HepG2, Huh7, SNU449 and SNU475 cells. Huh7, SNU449 and SNU475 cells migrated toward CXCL12, and this migration was inhibited by AMD3100/anti-CXCR4 and by CCX771/anti-CXCR7. Moreover, SNU449 and Huh7 cells exhibited matrix invasion in the presence of CXCL12 and CXCL11, a ligand exclusive to CXCR7. In conclusion, CXCR4 affects the prognosis of HCC patients but CXCR7 does not. Therefore, the CXCR4–CXCL12–CXCR7 axis plays a role in the interaction of HCC with the surrounding normal tissue and represents a suitable therapeutic target.