Published online Mar 7, 2005. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v11.i9.1369
Revised: May 29, 2004
Accepted: June 24, 2004
Published online: March 7, 2005
AIM: To study the expression profiles of HBsAg, HBcAg, p21WAF1/CIP1 (p21), Rb genes in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and to investigate their roles in the hepatocar-cinogenesis.
METHODS: HCC tissue microarray containing 120-min tissues of 40 HCC cases was constructed. HBsAg, HBcAg, p21 and Rb proteins were immunohistochemically stained by streptavidin-peroxidase conjugated method (S-P). The expression loss of these genes in cancerous, para-cancerous tissues and adjacent normal liver tissues of 40 HCCs were comparatively examined.
RESULTS: The positive rate of HBsAg expression in cancerous tissues of 40 HCCs was 7.5%, which was lower than that in para-cancerous and adjacent normal liver tissues (χ2 =12.774, P<0.01; χ2 = 18.442, P<0.01). The positive rate of HBcAg expression in cancerous tissues of 40 HCCs was 20.0%, which was also lower than that in para-cancerous and adjacent normal liver tissues (χ2 = 9.482, P<0.01; χ2 = 14.645, P<0.01). p21 protein deletion rate in cancerous tissues of 40 HCCs was 27.5%, which was higher than that in para-cancerous and adjacent normal liver tissues (χ2 = 7.439, P<0.01; χ2 = 11.174, P<0.01). p21 protein deletion correlated remarkably with the pathological grade of HCC (χ2 = 0.072, P<0.05). Rb protein deletion rate in cancerous tissues of 40 HCCs was 42.5%, which was also higher than that in para-cancerous and adjacent normal liver tissues (χ2 = 10.551, P<0.01; χ2 = 18.353, P<0.01). Rb protein deletion rate did not correlate remarkably with tumor size or pathological grade of HCC (χ2 = 0.014, P>0.05; χ2 = 0.017, P>0.05).
CONCLUSION: Expression deletion of HBsAg, HBcAg, p21 and Rb proteins in HCCs may play important roles in the carcinogenesis of HCC. Tissue microarray is an effective high-throughput technique platform for cancer research.