Brief Reports
Copyright ©2005 Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.
World J Gastroenterol. Apr 7, 2005; 11(13): 1995-1999
Published online Apr 7, 2005. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v11.i13.1995
Hepatic gene expression profiles associated with fibrosis progression and hepatocarcinogenesis in hepatitis C patients
Run-Xuan Shao, Yujin Hoshida, Motoyuki Otsuka, Naoya Kato, Ryosuke Tateishi, Takuma Teratani, Shuichiro Shiina, Hiroyoshi Taniguchi, Masaru Moriyama, Takao Kawabe, Masao Omata
Run-Xuan Shao, Yujin Hoshida, Motoyuki Otsuka, Naoya Kato, Ryosuke Tateishi, Takuma Teratani, Shuichiro Shiina, Hiroyoshi Taniguchi, Masaru Moriyama, Takao Kawabe, Masao Omata, Department of Gastroenterology, Graduate School of Medicine, University of Tokyo, Tokyo 113-8655, Japan
Author contributions: All authors contributed equally to the work.
Supported by the Nishi Cancer Research Fund and by grants-in-aid for Scientific Research from the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology of Japan, and Research Grants for Research on Hepatitis from the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, Japan
Correspondence to: Naoya Kato, MD., Department of Gastroenterology, Graduate School of Medicine, University of Tokyo, 7-3-1, Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-8655, Japan. kato-2im@h.u-tokyo.ac.jp
Telephone: +81-3-3815-5411-33056 Fax: +81-3-3814-0021
Received: September 10, 2004
Revised: September 11, 2004
Accepted: October 6, 2004
Published online: April 7, 2005
Abstract

AIM: To determine fibrosis progression and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), using simultaneous gene expression analysis.

METHODS: Total RNA samples were extracted from liver biopsies from 19 patients with hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection and 3 patients without HCV infection. Among the 19 HCV-infected patients, 7 and 12 patients had grade F1-2 and F3-4 fibrosis, respectively. Of the 12 patients with F3-4 fibrosis, 8 had HCC. Gene expression in the liver samples was determined using an oligonucleotide microarray. The following comparisons were performed: normal livers vs HCV-infected livers; F1-2 vs F3-4; and F3-4 with HCC vs F3-4 without HCC. Genes that were differentially expressed between these groups were identified based on signal-to-noise ratios.

RESULTS: In the HCV-infected livers, genes involved in immune responses were highly expressed. Expression levels of genes for plasma proteins and drug-metabolizing enzymes were decreased and those of genes involved in the cell cycle and oncogenesis were increased in the F3-4 cases as compared to the F1-2 cases. Among the F3-4 cases, genes involved in carbohydrate metabolism tended to be more highly expressed in patients with HCC than in patients without HCC.

CONCLUSION: We identified genes that are associated with fibrosis progression and hepatocarcinogenesis. This information may be used to detect increased carcinogenic potential in the livers of patients with HCV infection.

Keywords: Hepatitis C; Hepatocellular carcinoma; Oligonucleotide microarray