Liver Cancer
Copyright ©The Author(s) 2005. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.
World J Gastroenterol. Sep 14, 2005; 11(34): 5266-5272
Published online Sep 14, 2005. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v11.i34.5266
Over-expression of fibroblast growth factor receptor 3 in human hepatocellular carcinoma
Wei-Hua Qiu, Bing-Sen Zhou, Peiguo G. Chu, Wen-Gang Chen, Christopher Chung, Jennifer Shih, Paul Hwu, Christopher Yeh, Richard Lopez, Yun Yen
Wei-Hua Qiu, Bing-Sen Zhou, Christopher Chung, Jennifer Shih, Paul Hwu, Christopher Yeh, Yun Yen, Department of Medical Oncology and Therapeutic Research, City of Hope National Medical Center, Duarte, CA 91010, United States
Peiguo G. Chu, Wen-Gang Chen, Department of Pathology, City of Hope National Medical Center, Duarte, CA 91010, United States Richard Lopez, Department of Surgery, St. Vincent Hospital, LA, CA 90057, United States
Author contributions: All authors contributed equally to the work.
Supported by Ralph M. Parsons Foundation and Shanghai Educational Commission Grant, No. 04BC32, and Sino American Cancer Foundation
Correspondence to: Yun Yen, MD, PhD, FACP, City of Hope National Medical Center, 1500 E. Duarte Road, Duarte, CA 91010, United States. yyen@coh.org
Telephone: +1-626-359-8111-62307 Fax: +1-626-301-8233
Received: October 16, 2004
Revised: December 23, 2004
Accepted: December 26, 2004
Published online: September 14, 2005
Abstract

AIM: To describe the significant over-expression of fibroblast growth factor receptor 3 (FGFR3), which is a signal transduction and cell proliferation related gene in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).

METHODS: Following DNA microarray, Northern blot and quantitative real-time PCR were employed to confirm FGFR3 expression difference in HCC tissues and surrounding non-neoplastic liver tissue. FGFR3 expression levels were further determined by immunohistochemical study in 43 cases of HCC.

RESULTS: Northern blot results showed the significant over-expression of FGFR3 in HCC tissues, which was consistent with that from DNA microarray. Quantitative real-time PCR demonstrated that the mean ratio of FGFR3 mRNA to glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GADPH) mRNA in HCC tissue was 0.250, whereas the ratio in non-neoplastic liver tissue was 0.014. Statistical analyses of 43 cases of HCC revealed that HCC scored higher than the matched non-neoplastic liver tissues. Examination of clinicopathological features revealed a strong correlation of over-expression of FGFR3 with poor tumor differentiation and high nuclear grade.

CONCLUSION: Over-expression of FGFR3 may play an important role in liver carcinogenesis. FGFR3 may be an ideal candidate as a molecular marker in the diagnosis of HCC and a potential therapeutic target.

Keywords: Fibroblast growth factor receptor 3; Human hepatocellular carcinoma; Microarray