The detection of HBV antigens and HBx-transcripts in an Indian fibrolamellar carcinoma patient: a case study.
Fibrolamellar carcinoma (FLC) of the liver is a rare variant of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Here we report the case of a 12-year-old Indian male with typical FLC with no apparent hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection and a non-cirrhotic liver. The patient, though seronegative for HBsAg, showed expression of HBcAg in both the liver and tumour tissue. RT-PCR analysis revealed the presence of full-length HBx-transcripts in both liver/tumour tissue, along with truncated HBx-transcripts only in the tumour tissue. The lymphocytes in both peripheral and liver/tumour compartments showed a proliferative response to either/or HBcAg and HBxAg, which could be further augmented on addition of rIL-2. This is the first study to show not only the presence of HBcAg in the liver/tumour tissue but also prior exposure of the FLC patient's lymphocytes to HBV antigens. Also, the presence of the full-length and truncated HBx-transcripts in the tumour tissue, a proposed tumorigenic marker for hepatocarcinogenesis in chronic HBV patients, suggests an oncogenic role of HBV in this rare variant of HCC.
Dadke
Disha
D
Immunology Division, Cancer Research Institute, Parel, Mumbai 400012, India. d_dadke@fccc.edu
Jaganath
P
P
Krishnamurthy
Shanta
S
Chiplunkar
Shubhada
S
D048868:Adaptor Proteins, Signal Transducing; D006528:Carcinoma, Hepatocellular / Q000145:classification / Q000473:pathology / Q000821:virology*; D002352:Carrier Proteins / Q000032:analysis* / Q000276:immunology; D002648:Child; D006509:Hepatitis B / Q000473:pathology / Q000821:virology*; D006514:Hepatitis B Surface Antigens / Q000032:analysis* / Q000276:immunology; D006515:Hepatitis B virus / Q000276:immunology / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D006801:Humans; D007124:Immunoenzyme Techniques; D008113:Liver Neoplasms / Q000145:classification / Q000473:pathology / Q000821:virology*; D008213:Lymphocyte Activation / Q000276:immunology; D008297:Male; D012334:RNA, Neoplasm / Q000032:analysis; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; D017361:Viral Nonstructural Proteins / Q000032:analysis* / Q000276:immunology
D048868:Adaptor Proteins, Signal Transducing; D002352:Carrier Proteins; D006514:Hepatitis B Surface Antigens; C110719:LAMTOR5 protein, human; D012334:RNA, Neoplasm; D017361:Viral Nonstructural Proteins