title: Circulating microRNA-101 as a potential biomarker for hepatitis B virus-related hepatocellular carcinoma.
abstract: Circulating microRNAs (miRNAs) are emerging as promising biomarkers for cancer; however, the significance of circulating miRNAs in hepatitis B virus (HBV)-related hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) remains largely unknown. Based on our prior observations that miRNA-101 (miR-101) is downregulated by HBV and induces epigenetic modification, we sought to test whether circulating miR-101 may serve as a potential biomarker for HCC. The expression of miR-101 in HCCs and serum was evaluated by real-time polymerase chain reaction. Tissue and serum miR-101 levels were assessed in samples from patients with HBV-related HCC and healthy controls. A potential correlation was also evaluated between miR-101 expression and the clinicopathological features and prognosis of HCC patients. miR-101 was downregulated in HBV-related HCC tissues compared with adjacent noncancerous tissues. Furthermore, the miR-101 levels in these tissues from HCC patients were significantly lower than those in tissues from control subjects. Notably, serum miR-101 levels were found to have an inverse correlation with tissue miR-101 expression levels. The expression of serum miR-101 in patients with HBV-related HCC was significantly higher than that in the healthy controls, and this increase correlated with hepatitis B surface antigen positivity, HBV DNA levels and tumor size. These results indicate that different factors govern the levels of miR-101 in the tissue and serum of HCC patients. Given the marked and consistent increase in serum miR-101 levels in HCC patients, circulating miR-101 may serve as a promising biochemical marker for monitoring the progression of tumor development in HBV-related HCC.
authors.affiliation: Department of Hepatobiliary Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Yuzhong, Chongqing 400016, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Yu
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Fu
authors.forename: Xufu
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Wei
authors.forename: Chengyong
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Tang
authors.forename: Jianping
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Rui
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Ai
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Shen
authors.forename: Zhongjun
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Wu
keywords: HBV-related HCC; miR-101; monitor; serum