Expressions of hepatocyte nuclear factor -1α and hepatocyte nuclear factor -4α in human hepatocellular carcinoma / 解剖学报

ABSTRACT

Objective To investigate the expression of hepatocyte nuclear factor-1α (HNF-1α) and hepatocyte nuclear factor-4α (HNF-4α) in human hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and explore the function of HNF-1α and HNF-4α during HCC carcinogenesis and development. Methods Twenty-six specimens of hepatocellular carcinoma were collected. The expressions of HNF-1α and HNF-4α in HCC tissues and adjacent non-cancerous tissues were detected by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and immunohistochemistry staining. Results The mRNA levels of HNF-1α and HNF-4α were significantly lower in HCC tissues than that in adjacent non-cancerous tissues (0.818±0.371 vs. 0.383±0.102 for HNF-1α, P＜0.05;0.846±0.384 vs. 0.397±0.105 for HNF-4α, P＜0.05).The positive rates of HNF-1α and HNF-4α protein were significantly lower in HCC tissues than in adjacent non-cancerous tissues (92.3% vs. 42.3% for HNF-1α, P＜0.05;96.2% vs. 50.0% for HNF-4α, P＜0.05). The mRNA and protein expressions of HNF-1α and HNF-4α were correlated with tumor differentiation (P＜0.05). There was a negative correlation between HNF-1α and HNF-4α mRNA expressions in HCC tissues.Conclusion The expressions of HNF-1α and HNF-4α are down-regulated in HCC, which might be related to carcinogenesis and development of HCC.