title: DEC1 nuclear expression: a marker of differentiation grade in hepatocellular carcinoma.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate the expression patterns of human differentiated embryo chondrocyte 1 (DEC1) in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and corresponding adjacent non-tumor and the normal liver tissues, the association between DEC1 expression and histopathological variables and the role of DEC1 in hepatocarcinogenesis.
  
  
  METHODS
  The expression of DEC1 was detected immunohistochemically in 176 paraffin-embedded sections from 63 patients with HCC and 50 subjects with normal liver tissues.
  
  
  RESULTS
  DEC1 protein was persistently expressed in the cytoplasm of hepatocytes in normal liver and HCC tissues. Compared with adjacent non-tumor liver tissues, HCC tissues showed high nuclear expression of DEC1 protein. However, high DEC1 nuclear expression was more frequently detected in well-differentiated (83.3%) than in moderately (27.3%) and poorly differentiated HCC (16.7%). Low DEC1 expression was associated with poor histological differentiation and malignancy progression. A correlation was found between the nuclear expression of DEC1 protein and histological differentiation (r = 0.376, P = 0.024).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  DEC1 is expressed in the cytoplasm of hepatocytes and because nuclear DEC1 expression is decreased with decreasing differentiation status of HCC, nuclear DEC1 might be a marker of HCC differentiation.
authors.affiliation: Department of Laboratory Medicine, Shandong Provincial Qianfoshan Hospital, Shandong University, Jinan 250014, Shandong Province, China.
authors.forename: Xiao-Hong
authors.initials: XH
authors.lastname: Shi
authors.forename: Yan
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Zheng
authors.forename: Qing
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Sun
authors.forename: Jing
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Cui
authors.forename: Qing-Hua
authors.initials: QH
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Fei
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Qü
authors.forename: Yun-Shan
authors.initials: YS
authors.lastname: Wang
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D051792:Basic Helix-Loop-Helix Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D006528:Carcinoma, Hepatocellular / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology*; D002467:Cell Nucleus / Q000378:metabolism*; D005260:Female; D018398:Homeodomain Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D008099:Liver / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D008113:Liver Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged
chemical_list: D051792:Basic Helix-Loop-Helix Proteins; D018398:Homeodomain Proteins; C107989:BHLHE40 protein, human