title: Significant down-regulation of alpha-albumin in human hepatoma and its implication.
abstract: The potential association of alpha-albumin (ALF) with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) was investigated. Expression of ALF was significantly reduced in HCC tumor tissue as compared with the paired peritumor tissue from 16 patients and in four HCC cell lines as compared with normal hepatocytes. ALF mRNA was also down-expressed in circulating HCC cells compared to circulating normal hepatocytes. The proliferation of Hep3B cells was inhibited by over-expression of ALF. Taken together, ALF is significantly down-regulated in HCC, and this might facilitate the proliferation of HCC. Thus, detection of ALF mRNA, in addition to that of alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) mRNA, might help to distinguish normal or malignant hepatocytes in peripheral blood.
authors.affiliation: Shanghai Institute of Cell Biology, Shanghai Institutes for Biological Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 320 Yue Yang Road, 200031, Shanghai, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: G X
authors.initials: GX
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.forename: Y M
authors.initials: YM
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.forename: T H
authors.initials: TH
authors.lastname: Zhou
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Gao
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Pei
mesh_terms: D000418:Albumins / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000235:genetics*; D015153:Blotting, Western; D006528:Carcinoma, Hepatocellular / Q000097:blood / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D002455:Cell Division / Q000235:genetics; D018076:DNA, Complementary / Q000235:genetics; D004273:DNA, Neoplasm / Q000235:genetics; D015536:Down-Regulation / Q000502:physiology; D005260:Female; D015972:Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic; D022781:Hepatocytes / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D008113:Liver Neoplasms / Q000097:blood / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D008297:Male; D009360:Neoplastic Cells, Circulating / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000097:blood / Q000235:genetics; D014162:Transfection; D014407:Tumor Cells, Cultured
chemical_list: D000418:Albumins; D018076:DNA, Complementary; D004273:DNA, Neoplasm; D012333:RNA, Messenger; C023442:alpha-albumin