title: Attenuated phosphorylation of heat shock protein 27 correlates with tumor progression in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma.
abstract: Heat shock protein 27 (HSP27) is expressed at high levels in human hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). We examined correlations of total HSP27 and serine phosphorylated (Ser-15, Ser-78, and Ser-82) HSP27 levels in HCC tissues with clinical and pathologic characteristics in 48 resected HCC specimens. The levels of total and Ser-phosphorylated HSP27 were evaluated by Western blot analysis. Immunohistochemical analysis of HSP27 expression was also performed on some samples. Phosphorylation of HSP27 was detected in all 48 HCC tissues. Levels of phosphorylated HSP27 were correlated inversely with tumor size, microvascular invasion of HCC, and tumor stage by TNM classification. In contrast, only microvascular invasion showed an inverse correlation with total HSP27 levels. The decrease in phosphorylated HSP27 in progressed HCC was also observed by immunohistochemistry. Levels of phosphorylated HSP27 gradually decreased in parallel with HCC progression. Our findings suggest that phosphorylated HSP27 may have a suppressive role in progression of human HCC.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacology, Gifu University Graduate School of Medicine, Gifu 501-1194, Japan.
authors.forename: Eisuke
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Yasuda
authors.forename: Takashi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kumada
authors.forename: Shinji
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Takai
authors.forename: Akira
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ishisaki
authors.forename: Takahiro
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Noda
authors.forename: Rie
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Matsushima-Nishiwaki
authors.forename: Naoki
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Yoshimi
authors.forename: Kanefusa
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kato
authors.forename: Hidenori
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Toyoda
authors.forename: Yuji
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Kaneoka
authors.forename: Akihiro
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Yamaguchi
authors.forename: Osamu
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Kozawa
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism*; D006528:Carcinoma, Hepatocellular / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000378:metabolism; D018450:Disease Progression; D005260:Female; D006360:Heat-Shock Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D008113:Liver Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000378:metabolism; D008297:Male; D010766:Phosphorylation; D010768:Phosphoserine / Q000032:analysis
chemical_list: D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; D006360:Heat-Shock Proteins; D010768:Phosphoserine