Evidence for heightened hexokinase II immunoexpression in hepatocyte dysplasia and hepatocellular carcinoma.
BACKGROUND
Normal hepatocytes exhibit low-affinity hexokinase (glucokinase [HKIV]), but during oncogenesis, there is a switch from HKIV to HKII expression. The aims of this study were to compare the immunoexpression of HKII in non-dysplastic cirrhosis (NDC), liver cell change/dysplasia in cirrhosis (LCD), HCC, and normal liver control tissues, and to correlate HKII expression with clinical and histopathological parameters.


METHODS
Immunohistochemistry was performed on a liver cancer progression tissue array consisting of specimens from explants with cirrhosis, including 45 tissue samples with HCC, 108 without HCC, 143 with LCD, and 8 normal liver control tissues. HKII expression was quantified as positive pixel counts/square millimeter (ppc/mm(2)) by image analysis.


RESULTS
There was a stepwise increase in HKII level from normal liver tissue to NDC, to LCD, and to HCC (p = 0.001). HKII levels were significantly higher in areas of LCD versus NDC (p ≤ 0.001), and in LCD and HCC versus NDC (p = 0.007). HKII levels were similar in LCD and HCC (p = 0.124). HKII levels were higher in grade 2-4 versus grade 1 HCCs (p = 0.044), and in pleomorphic versus non-pleomorphic HCC variants (p = 0.041). Higher levels of HKII expression in LCD and HCC versus NDC and in higher tumor grade remained significant in multivariate analysis.


CONCLUSIONS
Higher levels of HKII immunoexpression in LDC and HCC compared with NDC suggest that upregulation of HKII occurs during the process of hepatocarcinogenesis in humans. In HCC, higher levels of HKII are associated with more aggressive histological features.
Pathology, College of Medicine, Cancer Center, University of Illinois Hospital and Health Science System, 840 South Wood Street Room 130M/C 847, Chicago, IL, 60612, USA, grace.guzman.md@gmail.com.
Grace
G
Guzman
Rohini
R
Chennuri
Alexander
A
Chan
Bryan
B
Rea
Ada
A
Quintana
Roshan
R
Patel
Pei-Zhang
PZ
Xu
Hui
H
Xie
Nissim
N
Hay
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000032:analysis*; D006528:Carcinoma, Hepatocellular / Q000201:enzymology* / Q000473:pathology; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D018450:Disease Progression; D005260:Female; D006593:Hexokinase / Q000032:analysis*; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D016014:Linear Models; D008103:Liver Cirrhosis / Q000201:enzymology* / Q000473:pathology; D008113:Liver Neoplasms / Q000201:enzymology* / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D060787:Neoplasm Grading; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D046888:Tissue Array Analysis; D015854:Up-Regulation
D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; D006593:Hexokinase