[Differentially expressed proteins in the precancerous stage of rat hepatocarcinogenesis induced by diethylnitrosamine].
OBJECTIVE
To screen the differentially expressed proteins especially at the precancerous stage of diethylnitrosamine (DEN) induced hepatocarcinogenesis by comparative proteome research.


METHODS
Rats were divided into normal and DEN groups and sacrificed periodically. The liver samples were stained with gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase (GGT) and HE to distinguish the preneoplastic lesion (pre-HCC) from the normal and HCC tissues. The two-dimensional electrophoresis (2-DE) and mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF-MS/MS) were then applied to analyze the differentially expressed protein between pre-HCC and normal tissues, pre-HCC and HCC, as well as HCC and normal tissues. A few of the candidate proteins such as laminin receptor 1 (67LR) and agmatinase were validated by Western blot and RT-PCR.


RESULTS
Totally, there were 82 proteins that differentially expressed two fold or more in one kind of tissues sample than the other, 47 of which occurred in the pre-HCC tissues. Eight proteins including 67LR were consistently up-regulated from normal tissue to pre-HCC and then to HCC tissues, while 22 proteins including agmatinase showed progressively down-regulated in these tissues samples.


CONCLUSIONS
The protein expression profiles are different during the process of hepatocarcinogenesis. Further study on the differentially expressed protein, especially these upregulated in the precancerous stage such as 67LR and agmatinase, might contribute to prevention and early diagnosis of human HCC.
Liang
Hong-jie
HJ
Department of Laboratory Medicine, the First Hospital Affiliated to Guangxi Medical University, Nanning 530021, China.
Wei
Wei
W
Kang
Xiao-nan
XN
Guo
Kun
K
Cao
Ji
J
Su
Jian-jia
JJ
Yang
Chun
C
Ou
Chao
C
Li
Yuan
Y
Liu
Yin-kun
YK
D000818:Animals; D015153:Blotting, Western; D006528:Carcinoma, Hepatocellular / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D004052:Diethylnitrosamine; D008099:Liver / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D008114:Liver Neoplasms, Experimental / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D009363:Neoplasm Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D011230:Precancerous Conditions / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D011506:Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D020543:Proteome; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D017474:Receptors, Laminin / Q000378:metabolism; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; D019032:Spectrometry, Mass, Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption-Ionization; D014512:Ureohydrolases / Q000378:metabolism; D005723:gamma-Glutamyltransferase
D009363:Neoplasm Proteins; D011506:Proteins; D020543:Proteome; D017474:Receptors, Laminin; D004052:Diethylnitrosamine; D005723:gamma-Glutamyltransferase; D014512:Ureohydrolases; C019625:agmatinase