title: Increased DJ-1 and its prognostic significance in hepatocellular carcinoma.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate the expression profile of DJ-1 gene and its clinical relevance and prognostic value in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).
  
  
  METHODS
  Specimens from 149 HCC patients were applied for DJ-1 expression through immunohistochemistry. The correlation of DJ-1 levels with clinicopathologic variables and prognosis was analyzed. 32 paired HCC and para-carcinomatous liver tissue (PCLT) specimens from 149 HCC patients plus 10 hepatic cirrhosis specimens and 10 normal liver specimens were detected by semi-quantitative polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and Western blot.
  
  
  RESULTS
  DJ-1 was up-regulated significantly in HCC by semi-quantitative PCR and Western blot. DJ-1 expression closely correlated with preoperative AFP, liver cirrhosis, vein invasion, differentiation and Edmondson grade in HCCs by Pearson Chi-square test. Both of tumor-free survival time and overall survival time in the DJ-1 high expression group were shorter than those in the low expression group. DJ-1 was adopted as an independent prognostic factor for overall survival of HCC patients through multivariate Cox proportional hazard model analysis (HR, 2.568; p = 0.003). Additionally, immunohistochemistry analysis revealed that expression of DJ-1 negatively correlated with expression of tumor suppressor gene phosphatase and tensin homolog deleted on chromosome ten (PTEN) in HCC (r = -0.836; p < 0.001).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  DJ-1 expression is significantly upregulated in HCC, and its expression level correlates with clinicopathological variables and prognosis of HCC patients, which suggests that DJ-1 maybe a candidate prognostic biomarker of HCC.
authors.affiliation: Department of General Surgery, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei 430030, China.
authors.forename: Shunfang
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Zhifang
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.forename: Honglan
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Wei
authors.forename: Wenzhuang
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Shen
authors.forename: Jinwen
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Qian
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Yin
authors.forename: Xingrui
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Jilin
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Yi
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D006528:Carcinoma, Hepatocellular / Q000737:chemistry / Q000401:mortality* / Q000473:pathology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D047908:Intracellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins / Q000032:analysis* / Q000235:genetics; D008113:Liver Neoplasms / Q000737:chemistry / Q000401:mortality* / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015513:Oncogene Proteins / Q000032:analysis* / Q000235:genetics; D051059:PTEN Phosphohydrolase / Q000032:analysis / Q000235:genetics; D000071617:Protein Deglycase DJ-1; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000032:analysis
chemical_list: D047908:Intracellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins; D015513:Oncogene Proteins; D012333:RNA, Messenger; C105131:PARK7 protein, human; D000071617:Protein Deglycase DJ-1; D051059:PTEN Phosphohydrolase; C494929:PTEN protein, human