The expression of thymosin beta 4 in the liver tissues and its clinical significance in children with hepatoblastoma / 安徽医科大学学报

ABSTRACT

Objective To investigate the expression of thymosin beta4 ( Tβ4 ) in the liver tissues of children with hepatoblastoma ( HB) , and further study the function of Tβ4 in HB metastasis in vitro. Methods Immunohisto-chemistry (IHC) was used to determine expression of Tβ4, E-cadherin andβ-catenin in liver tissues from 19 chil-dren with HB,and further to analyze its function in metastasis of HB cells. Results The positive rate of Tβ4 ( P<0.01 ) in HB liver tissues was significantly higher than it in the adjacent tissues. The positive rates of Tβ4 and nu-clearβ-catenin in HB with lymphnode metastasis were significantly higher than in HB without lymphnode metastasis ( P <0.01 ) . While expression of E-cadherin in HB with lymphnode metastasis was lower than in HB without lymphnode metastasis ( P<0.01 ) . Scratch-wound assay showed that HepG2 cells with Tβ4 knockdown had signifi-cantly lower metastatic ability (P<0.05). Conclusion Tβ4 plays an important role in HB metastasis, suggesting it is a potential target for HB metastasis.