RESUMEN
Objective@#To study the relationship between the expressions of tuftelin 1 (TUFT1) and the clinicopathological features of hepatocellular carcinoma and its effect on proliferation and apoptosis, and to explore the relationship between TUFT1 with the development of hepatocellular carcinoma.@*Methods@#Immunohistochemistry was used to detect the expression of TUFT1 in 98 cases of hepatocellular carcinoma and 30 cases of adjacent normal tissues. Quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) was used to detect the expression of TUFT1 in HCC cell line. The expression of TUFT1 in SMMC-7221 cell lines was down-regulated by lentiviral vector. Cell proliferation assay, clonogenic assay, cell apoptosis assay and cell cycle assay were used to detect proliferation, apoptosis, and cell cycle changes of hepatocarcinoma cells after TUFT1-down-regulation. Statistics were performed using the χ2 test and the t-test.@*Results@#Among the 98 cases of hepatocellular carcinoma, 65 cases (66.33%) were positive for TUFT1, and in 30 cases of adjacent normal tissues, 6 cases (16.67%) were positive for TUFT1, and the difference was statistically significant (χ 2 = 19.956, P < 0.05). The expression of TUFT1 in HCC tissues was related to tumor size, tumor stage, recurrence and metastasis (χ2 = 6.214, 8.066, 14.400, P < 0.05). After lentiviral vector mediated downregulation of TUFT1 expression in SMMC -7221 cells, the cell proliferation rate [(18.62% ± 0.15%) vs. (67.91% ± 0.62%), P < 0.05], clonality [(8.10% ± 0.80%) vs. (50.80% ± 1.60%), P < 0.05] and G1 phase cells [(36.71% ± 0.69%) vs. (44.65% ± 0.73%), P < 0.05] were significantly decreased, whereas the G2 phase cells [ (15.44% ± 0.53%) vs. (22.31% ± 0.20%), P < 0.05] and the rate of apoptosis [(3.45% ± 0.18%) vs. (5.45% ± 0.06%), P < 0.05] was significantly increased compared with the control group of HCC cells, and the differences were statistically significant.@*Conclusion@#The expression of TUFT1 is highly expressed in hepatocellular carcinoma tissues. Furthermore, the expression of TUFT1 promotes HCC cell proliferation, inhibits the apoptosis, and is poor prognostic factor of hepatocellular carcinoma.
RESUMEN
La tuftelina es una proteína secretada en la matriz adamantina en desarrollo durante la formación del esmalte. Su función continúa sin esclarecerse, aunque se presume que juega un papel importante en la biomineralización de esmalte y dentina, así como en el desarrollo del órgano dental. Con el presente estudio se identificó su localización en las diferentes estructuras de gérmenes dentales de fetos humanos, conforme a los resultados se observó su expresión en el estadio pre-secretor observándose en el citoplasma de los ameloblastos, retículo estrellado, papila dental, así como en el estrato intermedio; en el secretor se identificó principalmente en la unión amelodentinaria, y en la superficie externa del esmalte, observando una marcada expresión de la proteína en la porción basal del proceso odontoblástico, pero no en la matriz extracelular de la dentina. De acuerdo a los resultados obtenidos se puede considerar que su expresión se presenta tanto en la amelogénesis, como en la odontogénesis en tejidos sin mineralizar.
The tuftelin is a secreted protein in the adamantine matrix in developing during the enamel formation. Its function continues unclarified, although it plays a role in the biomineralization of the dental organ. With the present studio the location was identified in the different structures of dental germs from human fetuses, according to the results it was observed the expression in the pre-secretor stage being observed in the cytoplasm of ameloblasts, stellate reticulum, dental papilla, also in the intermediate stratum; in the secretor it was mainly identified in the amelodentinal junction and in the outer surface of enamel, observing a marked expression of the protein in the basal portion of the odontoblastic process, but not in the extracellular matrix of the dentine. According to the results obtained it can be considered that its expression occurs in both amelogenesis and odontegenesis in unmineralized tissues.