Wilms' tumour 1 gene expression is increased in hepatocellular carcinoma and associated with poor prognosis.
OBJECTIVE
Wilms' tumour 1 gene (WT1) was originally isolated as a tumour-suppressor gene. We investigated the expression of WT1 in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC; T) and in non-cancerous hepatic tissues (non-tumour: NT) from patients with chronic liver diseases, and then examined the role of WT1 in the carcinogenesis or prognosis of HCC.


METHODS
The expression of WT1 in T and NT from 50 patients with HCC was investigated using Western blotting, immunohistochemistry and real-time reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). We also examined whether WT1 expression was related to clinicopathological factors in individual patients in addition to prognostic factors in 50 patients with HCC and in 26 without HCC.


RESULTS
Western blotting and immunohistochemical staining showed that WT1 was overexpressed in T compared with NT (P<0.001) and real-time reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) showed that WT1 mRNA expression was similarly increased. Overexpressed WT1 in HCC was significantly associated with T factors at the TNM stage, and short doubling time of HCC. Univariate and multivariate analyses revealed that WT1 overexpression was an independent prognostic factor for HCC. The disease-free survival period in patients with overexpressed WT1 in NT tissues was significantly reduced.


CONCLUSIONS
The expression of WT1 is increased more in HCC than in non-tumour tissues. Moreover, overexpressed WT1 was associated with tumour growth, and resulted in a worsening prognosis of HCC. Our findings from NT tissues revealed that WT1 overexpression might contribute to oncogenic potential.
Sera
Toshiki
T
Department of Gastroenterology and Metabology, Ehime University Graduate School of Medicine, Sitsukawa, Toon, Ehime 791-0295, Japan.
Hiasa
Yoichi
Y
Mashiba
Toshie
T
Tokumoto
Yoshio
Y
Hirooka
Masashi
M
Konishi
Ichiro
I
Matsuura
Bunzo
B
Michitaka
Kojiro
K
Udaka
Keiko
K
Onji
Morikazu
M
D000199:Actins / Q000378:metabolism; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D015153:Blotting, Western; D006528:Carcinoma, Hepatocellular / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000401:mortality; D018797:Cell Cycle Proteins; D018572:Disease-Free Survival; D005260:Female; D016162:Genes, Wilms Tumor; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D008103:Liver Cirrhosis / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism / Q000401:mortality; D008113:Liver Neoplasms / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000401:mortality; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009687:Nuclear Proteins / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D011379:Prognosis; D000072260:RNA Splicing Factors; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction
D000199:Actins; D018797:Cell Cycle Proteins; D009687:Nuclear Proteins; D000072260:RNA Splicing Factors; C419554:WTAP protein, human