title: Expression of autotaxin mRNA in human hepatocellular carcinoma.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate the expression of autotaxin (ATX) mRNA existed in the human hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), and whether there is relation between the level of ATX expression and clinicopathological features of HCC.
  
  
  METHODS
  Five normal liver tissues and 32 histologically verified HCC specimens were obtained. Semi-quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction was used to detect mRNA expression of ATX.
  
  
  RESULTS
  ATX was expressed in all 32 HCC and 5 normal liver tissues. The mean expression level of ATX gene in HCC samples was higher than that in normal liver tissues (68.23% +/- 15.31% vs. 31.97% +/- 8.05%, P < 0.001). Patients were divided into two groups: low ATX HCC (15 cases) and high ATX HCC (17 cases) by the cutoff point of median value. Intrahepatic metastasis, vascular invasion and poor differentiation were more frequently noted in HCC patients with high ATX expression than in patients with low ATX expression.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  ATX gene was found to be overexpressed in some HCC and correlated with HCC development and metastases.
authors.affiliation: Department of Gastroenterology, First Affiliated Hospital, Nanjing Medical University, 300 Guang-Zhou-Road, Nanjing 210029, Jiangsu Province, China.
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Z
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Zhao
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Ni
authors.forename: X
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Wang
mesh_terms: D006528:Carcinoma, Hepatocellular / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D005260:Female; D005956:Glucose-6-Phosphate Isomerase / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000235:genetics; D006023:Glycoproteins / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000235:genetics; D006801:Humans; D008113:Liver Neoplasms / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009097:Multienzyme Complexes; D009362:Neoplasm Metastasis; D043264:Phosphodiesterase I; D010727:Phosphoric Diester Hydrolases; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D011755:Pyrophosphatases; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000235:genetics; D000099189:Lysophospholipase D
chemical_list: D005956:Glucose-6-Phosphate Isomerase; D006023:Glycoproteins; D009097:Multienzyme Complexes; D043264:Phosphodiesterase I; D010727:Phosphoric Diester Hydrolases; D011755:Pyrophosphatases; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D000099189:Lysophospholipase D