title: Hepatitis B X-gene expression in hepatocellular carcinoma.
abstract: A RNA-PCR method and different sets of primers were used to investigate the expression of different hepatitis B (HB) virus genes at the RNA level. We tested paired samples (tumor and non-tumor) from the liver tissues of 48 Taiwanese patients with primary hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). By using a set of primers which spanned the sequences of the S-gene, we found expression in only 2 patients. In one HBs-RNA was only detected in the tumor tissue and in the other only in the surrounding non-tumor tissue. Using primers covering the C-gene, expression was found in 7 patients. In 2 of these RNA was detected in both the tumor and the surrounding tissue, in 2 in the tumor tissue, and in 3 in the surrounding tissue only. Finally, when primers spanning the X-gene sequences were used, RNA was detected in 40/48 patients. In 33 of these cases HBx-RNA was detected in both tumor and non-tumor tissue, in 3 patients in tumor tissue only, and in 4 in the surrounding tissue. Among the cases in which HBc and HBs-RNA was expressed, all showed HBx expression also. These data indicate that the expression of the HBx gene in HCC may play an important role in hepatocarcinogenesis.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Pathology, University of Basel, Switzerland.
authors.forename: I D
authors.initials: ID
authors.lastname: Diamantis
authors.forename: C E
authors.initials: CE
authors.lastname: McGandy
authors.forename: T J
authors.initials: TJ
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Y F
authors.initials: YF
authors.lastname: Liaw
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Gudat
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Bianchi
mesh_terms: D001483:Base Sequence; D006528:Carcinoma, Hepatocellular / Q000209:etiology / Q000235:genetics*; D015967:Gene Expression Regulation, Viral / Q000235:genetics*; D006521:Hepatitis, Chronic / Q000235:genetics; D006801:Humans; D008113:Liver Neoplasms / Q000209:etiology / Q000235:genetics*; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D012367:RNA, Viral / Q000032:analysis / Q000235:genetics; D015534:Trans-Activators / Q000235:genetics*; D014158:Transcription, Genetic; D054334:Viral Regulatory and Accessory Proteins
chemical_list: D012367:RNA, Viral; D015534:Trans-Activators; D054334:Viral Regulatory and Accessory Proteins; C057628:hepatitis B virus X protein