ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: To investigate the expression of RUNX3 protein in hepatic cell carcinoma (HCC) and its relationship with the clinicopathological factors of HCC. METHODS: Immunohistochemistry was performed to detect the expression of RUNX3 protein in HCC and the surrounding normal tissues, and the relation of RUNX3 with the clinicopathological factors of HCC was analyzed. RESULTS: The positivity rate of RUNX3 protein expression was 49.02% (25/51) in HCC tissues, significantly lower than that in the surrounding normal tissues [82.35% (42/51), Χ(2)=12.5706, P<0.01). RUNX3 protein expression varied significantly with such pathological factors as the differentiation degree, cancer-associated thrombosis in the portal vein and intrahepatic metastasis (P<0.05), but not with tumor diameter, location, tumoral hemorrhage, necrosis or histotypes of the tumor (P>0.05). CONCLUSION: RUNX3 protein expression is lowered in HCC as compared with that in the surrounding normal tissue, suggesting an important role of RUNX3 in the tumorigenesis and development of HCC and the possible identity of RUNX3 gene as an anti-oncogene of HCC.
Subject(s)
Carcinoma, Hepatocellular/genetics , Core Binding Factor Alpha 3 Subunit/metabolism , Liver Neoplasms/genetics , Tumor Suppressor Proteins/metabolism , Carcinoma, Hepatocellular/metabolism , Carcinoma, Hepatocellular/pathology , Core Binding Factor Alpha 3 Subunit/genetics , Down-Regulation , Female , Genes, Tumor Suppressor , Humans , Liver Neoplasms/metabolism , Liver Neoplasms/pathology , Male , Tumor Suppressor Proteins/geneticsSubject(s)
Carcinoma, Hepatocellular/metabolism , Core Binding Factor Alpha 3 Subunit/metabolism , Liver Neoplasms/metabolism , Liver/metabolism , Carcinoma, Hepatocellular/pathology , Female , Hepatocytes/metabolism , Humans , Liver/pathology , Liver Neoplasms/pathology , Male , RNA, Messenger/geneticsABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: To investigate the expression of RUNX3 mRNA and protein in hepatic cell carcinoma (HCC) and surrounding normal tissue, to analyze the relationship between RUNX3 expression and clinical pathological parameters. METHODS: Reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and immunohistochemistry (IHC) were performed to detect the expression of RUNX3 mRNA and protein in HCC and surrounding normal tissue respectively, and their relationship with clinical pathological parameters were analyzed. RESULTS: The relative expression value of RUNX3 mRNA found in 51 cases HCC was 0.4509 +/- 0.0963, and that did in 51 cases surrounding normal tissue was 0.9147 +/- 0.0222. The difference of RUNX3 mRNA expression between two kinds of samples was statistically significant (t = 33.6087, P < 0.001). The positives rate of RUNX3 protein expression found in 51 cases HCC tissue was 49.02% (25/51) and that did in 51 cases surrounding normal tissue was 82.35% (42/51). The difference of RUNX3 protein expression between two kinds of samples was statistically significant (chi2 = 12.5706, P < 0.005). The difference of RUNX3 mRNA and protein expression in some clinical pathological parameters involving differentiation degree, invasion, cancer thrombus and diversion in liver were statistically significant (P < 0.05). However that were not in another clinical pathological parameters involving gender, cancer diameter, cancer location as well as hemorrhage and necrosis of cancer, histotype (P > 0.05). CONCLUSION: The expression of RUNX3 mRNA and protein in HCC were significantly lower than that in surrounding normal tissue. The lower expression of runx3 protein in the HCC probably plays an important role in the tumorigenesis and development of HCC. The RUNX3 gene may be an anti-oncogene of HCC.
