Hepatitis C virus infection in hepatocellular carcinoma. Detection of plus-strand and minus-strand viral RNA.
BACKGROUND
Although serum antibody to hepatitis C virus (anti-HCV) is found in many patients with hepatocellular carcinoma, the actual roles of HCV in carcinogenesis are unknown.


METHODS
With reverse transcription followed by the polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), HCV RNA was examined in the sera and liver tissues of 16 patients with hepatocellular carcinoma who did not have hepatitis B virus markers, 13 of whom had anti-HCV.


RESULTS
In the 13 patients with anti-HCV, the HCV genomic plus-strand RNA was detected more frequently in noncancerous tissues (8 patients, 61.5%) and in sera (6 patients, 46.2%) than in cancerous tissues (3 patients, 23.1%). No viral RNA was found in either sera or tissues in the three patients without anti-HCV. By using a sense primer for the RT in the RT-PCR assay, amplification was attempted of a putative complementary minus-strand RNA that is believed to reflect viral replication in the eight patients with the plus-strand RNA. The minus-strand RNA was found in the noncancerous tissues of six patients; it was not detected in the cancerous tissues.


CONCLUSIONS
These results suggest that HCV can infect and replicate predominantly in noncancerous cells but rarely in tumor cells.
Takeda
S
S
Department of Second Surgery, Nagoya University School of Medicine, Japan.
Shibata
M
M
Morishima
T
T
Harada
A
A
Nakao
A
A
Takagi
H
H
Nagai
Y
Y
D000368:Aged; D006528:Carcinoma, Hepatocellular / Q000382:microbiology*; D005260:Female; D005784:Gene Amplification; D016679:Genome, Viral; D016174:Hepacivirus / Q000235:genetics* / Q000276:immunology; D006508:Hepatitis Antibodies / Q000032:analysis; D006526:Hepatitis C / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000276:immunology; D006521:Hepatitis, Chronic / Q000382:microbiology; D006801:Humans; D008099:Liver / Q000382:microbiology; D008103:Liver Cirrhosis / Q000382:microbiology; D008113:Liver Neoplasms / Q000382:microbiology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D012367:RNA, Viral / Q000032:analysis*; D014158:Transcription, Genetic; D014779:Virus Replication / Q000235:genetics
D006508:Hepatitis Antibodies; D012367:RNA, Viral