Relationship between glypican-3 and Notch1 expressions in hepatocellular carcinoma / 南方医科大学学报

ABSTRACT

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To investigate the correlation between the expressions of glypican-3 (GPC3) and Notch1 and their roles in the tumorigenesis and progression of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Immunohistochemistry and computerized image analysis were utilized to quantitatively detect the expressions of GPC3 and Notch1 in 30 HCC tissue specimens.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>In the 30 HCC specimens, GPC3 expression decreased significantly as the grade of tumor differentiation increased (P<0.05 or P<0.01), while Notch1 expression presented with a reverse pattern of changes (P<0.05 or P<0.01). An obvious negative correlation was found between the expressions of GPC3 and Notch1 in HCC tissues (rp=-0.607, P=0.000; r=-0.692, P=0.000).</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>The expressions of GPC3 and Notch1 show a negative correlation in HCC, suggesting a possible mechanism for mutual regulation between them to contribute to the tumorigenesis and progression of HCC.</p>