Measurement of immunoreactive prothrombin, des-gamma-carboxy prothrombin, and vitamin K in human liver tissues: overproduction of immunoreactive prothrombin in hepatocellular carcinoma.
Des-gamma-carboxy prothrombin is an abnormal prothrombin which increases in the plasma of patients with hepatocellular carcinoma. To clarify the process of des-gamma-carboxy prothrombin synthesis, immunoreactive prothrombin, des-gamma-carboxy prothrombin, and vitamin K (phylloquinone and menaquinone) concentrations were determined in human liver tissue, including hepatocellular carcinoma. In the patients with elevated plasma des-gamma-carboxy prothrombin levels, both immunoreactive prothrombin and des-gamma-carboxy prothrombin significantly increased in hepatoma tissues compared with non-cancerous liver tissue. On the other hand, no significant difference was observed in the endogenous vitamin K (K1, MK-4, MK7) concentrations between hepatoma and noncancerous portions, in either the cases with or without increase of plasma des-gamma-carboxy prothrombin. These data strongly suggested that in the patients with an increase of plasma des-gamma-carboxy prothrombin, overproduction of prothrombin in hepatoma plays in important role in the synthesis of des-gamma-carboxy prothrombin.
Third Department of Internal Medicine, Asahikawa Medical College, Japan.
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M
Ono
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H
Ohta
M
M
Ohhira
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C
Sekiya
M
M
Namiki
D000704:Analysis of Variance; D015415:Biomarkers; D006528:Carcinoma, Hepatocellular / Q000378:metabolism*; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D006801:Humans; D008107:Liver Diseases / Q000378:metabolism*; D008113:Liver Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism*; D011498:Protein Precursors; D011516:Prothrombin / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000378:metabolism*; D014812:Vitamin K / Q000378:metabolism*; D000509:alpha-Fetoproteins / Q000378:metabolism
D015415:Biomarkers; D011498:Protein Precursors; D000509:alpha-Fetoproteins; D014812:Vitamin K; C008208:acarboxyprothrombin; D011516:Prothrombin