title: [WISP-1: a novel mediator of hepatitis B virus-related hepatocellular carcinoma].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To explore the effect of hepatitis B virus (HBV) X protein (HBX) on expression of the host gene Wnt induced secreted protein-1 (WISP-1) that is related to the pathogenic process of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).
  
  
  METHODS
  Tumor and paratumor tissues were collected from HCC patients, and normal liver tissues were collected from healthy controls. Immunohistochemistry was used to evaluate the in vivo presence and expression levels of HBX and WISP-1 in the three tissue types. HepG2 cells stably transfected with pc-DNA3.1(+)-HBX or with pc-DNA3.1(+) only (G0, control) were generated and used to examine in vitro the HBX-induced changes in WISP-1 expression at the mRNA and protein levels by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction and western blotting, respectively.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The HCC tissues showed significantly higher rates of positivity for WISP-1 expression than the non-tumor controls (76.6% vs. paratumor: 23.4% or normal tissues: 0%, x2= 35.967, P less than 0.01). HBX increased WISP-1 expression in HepG2 cells at both the mRNA (1170.33 +/- 41.26 vs. G0: 265.34 +/- 27.47, t = 31.63, P less than 0.01) and protein (240.33 +/- 11.37 vs. G0: 40.33 +/- 7.09, F = 600.57, P less than 0.01) levels.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  HBV may up-regulate expression of the host gene WISP-1 through its X protein and thus promote the development of HCC.
authors.affiliation: Gastro-intestinal Department, Zhongnan Hospital, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430071, China.
authors.forename: Xiang
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Jiang
authors.forename: Zhi-Jun
authors.initials: ZJ
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Qiong-Hui
authors.initials: QH
authors.lastname: Xie
authors.forename: Qing
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Jiu-Sheng
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Lin
mesh_terms: D006528:Carcinoma, Hepatocellular; D006509:Hepatitis B; D006515:Hepatitis B virus / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D008113:Liver Neoplasms; D051155:Wnt1 Protein
chemical_list: D051155:Wnt1 Protein