[Expression and clinical significance of Ephrin-A1 in primary hepatocellular carcinoma].
OBJECTIVE
To investigate the expression and clinical significance of Ephrin-A1 mRNA and protein expression level in hepatocellular carcinoma.


METHODS
Reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and immunohistochemistry technique were used to detect the expression of the Ephrin-A1 mRNA and protein of 40 cases of hepatocellular carcinoma and their corresponding para-cancerous tissues and 10 cases of normal liver tissues. The relationships with its clinical pathology characters were analyzed.


RESULTS
The mRNA of Ephrin-A1 was expressed in all of the 40 cases of hepatocellular carcinoma and their corresponding para-cancerous tissues and 10 cases of normal liver tissues. Semiquantitative analysis showed that the mRNA expression level of Ephrin-A1 in hepatocellular carcinoma (0.5413 +/- 0.1527) was greater than that in corresponding para-cancerous tissues (0.3895 +/- 0.0549, P < 0.05) and normal liver tissues (0.3770 +/- 0.1055, P < 0.05); but between corresponding para-cancerous tissues (0.3895 +/- 0.0549) and normal liver tissues (0.3770 +/- 0.1055), the mRNA expression level had no significant difference (P > 0.05). The positive rates of Ephrin-A1 protein were 20% (2/10) in normal tissues, 35% (14/40) in para-cancerous tissues and 62% (25/40) in hepatocellular carcinoma tissues, respectively; the protein expression level of Ephrin-A1 was gradually rising (chi(2) = 14.762, P < 0.05). The overexpression of Ephrin-A1 protein was correlated with histological differentiation, tumor thrombi in portal vein and lymph node metastasis (P < 0.05).


CONCLUSIONS
The overexpression of Ephrin-A1 protein is correlated with histological differentiation, the lymph node metastasis and tumor thrombi in portal vein. It indicates that Ephrin-A1 may play an important role in the malignancy transformation, invasion progression and metastasis of hepatocellular carcinoma.
Department of General Surgery, First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou 450052, China.
Gong
G
Zhang
Shui-Jun
SJ
Zhang
Yong-Fu
YF
Zhao
Yang
Y
Wu
Zhen
Z
Li
Jun-Xia
JX
Wang
D006528:Carcinoma, Hepatocellular / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology*; D002454:Cell Differentiation; D036382:Ephrin-A1 / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D015972:Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D008113:Liver Neoplasms / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology*; D009362:Neoplasm Metastasis; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction
D036382:Ephrin-A1; D012333:RNA, Messenger