Original Research
Copyright ©The Author(s) 1997. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.
World J Gastroenterol. Jun 15, 1997; 3(2): 117-118
Published online Jun 15, 1997. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v3.i2.117
Expression of insulin-like growth factor II and its receptor in liver cells from patients with chronic liver diseases
Dong-Hua Yang, Chong Xiu, Bo Yang, Jian-Ren Gu, Lian-Fang Qian, Shu-Ming Qu
Dong-Hua Yang, Chong Xiu, Bo Yang, Department of Gastroenterology, Zhujiang Hospital, The First Military Medical University, Guangzhou 510282, Guangdong Province, China
Jian-Ren Gu, Lian-Fang Qian, Shu-Ming Qu, National Research Center for Oncogenes and Related Genes, Shanghai Cancer Institute, Shanghai 200032, China
Dong-Hua Yang, Professor of Internal Medicine, MD, Director of Department of Gastroenterology, Zhujiang Hospital, The First Military Medical University, having 45 papers and 2 books published.
Author contributions: All authors contributed equally to the work.
Supported by The National Science Foundation of China, No. 39470774.
Correspondence to: Dong-Hua Yang, MD, Professor, Department of Gastroenterology, Zhujiang Hospital, The First Military Medical University, Guangzhou 510282, Guangdong Province, China
Telephone: +86-20-84339888-88174
Telephone: +86-21-4047029
Received: August 8, 1996
Revised: January 31, 1997
Accepted: March 1, 1997
Published online: June 15, 1997
Abstract

AIM: To study the relationship between insulin-like growth factor II (IGF-II), IGF-II receptor, and chronic liver diseases and to investigate the clinical mechanisms of human hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) development.

METHODS: We analyzed IGF-II and IGF-II receptor poly (A)+ mRNA in dysplasia liver cell (DLC; n = 10), liver cirrhosis (LC; n = 9), and chronic active hepatitis (CAH; n = 9) specimens by Northern blot using human IGF-II and IGF-II receptor DNA probes labeled with 32P through nick translation.

RESULTS: Expression of IGF-II in DLC samples (10/10, 100%) was higher than in CAH (3/9, 33%) and LC samples (3/9, 33%) (P < 0.01). Expression of IGF-II receptor in DLC samples (7/10, 70%) was significantly higher than in CAH (2/9, 22%) and LC samples (3/9, 33%). Data on hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection status from different chronic liver disease samples were also analyzed.

CONCLUSION: Overexpression of IGF-II and IGF-II receptor in DLC samples was associated with a preceding step to malignant phenotype hepatocyte transformation and may be of diagnostic value for early detection of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Persistent HBV infection was strongly associated with abnormal IGF-II and IGF-II receptor mRNA expression, suggesting that an autocrine or paracrine mechanism is involved in the regulation of growth in liver cell carcinogenesis.

Keywords: Insulin like growth factor II; Receptors; Carcinoma; Hepatocellular; Hepatitis; Liver neoplasms; Liver cirrhosis; Liver diseases