title: MicroRNA expression in hepatocellular carcinoma after the eradication of chronic hepatitis virus C infection using interferon therapy.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) develops in up to 5% of patients after the successful treatment of chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection using interferon therapy. The aim of this study was to characterize miRNA expression in liver tissues from patients who achieved a sustained viral response (SVR).
  
  
  METHODS
  Seventy-one patients with resected HCC were enrolled into the present study: 61 HCC from patients with continuously infected HCV (HCV-HCC) and 10 from patients who had achieved SVR (SVR-HCC). We also included non-tumor tissues (SVR-NT) from four patients with SVR-HCC, and liver tissue (SVR-CH) from four SVR patients without HCC. Total RNA was extracted from liver samples. The miRNA expression patterns were analyzed using microarrays. In addition, target gene expression was quantified after miRNA overexpression in HEK293 cells.
  
  
  RESULTS
  We could discriminate between SVR-HCC and HCV-HCC with 75.36% accuracy using the expression pattern of six specific miRNA. The expression levels of 37 miRNA were significantly lower in HCV-HCC than in SVR-HCC, whereas the expression of 25 miRNA was significantly higher in HCV-HCC than SVR-HCC (P < 1.0E-05). The expression of thrombospondin 1 was regulated in an opposing manner by miR-30a-3p in SVR-HCC and HCV-HCC. In non-tumor tissues, the expression pattern of seven miRNA could distinguish between SVR-CH and SVR-NT with 87.50% accuracy.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Comprehensive miRNA expression analyses could not only differentiate between SVR-HCC and HCV-HCC but also forecast hepatocarcinogenesis after achieving SVR.
authors: Department of Hepatology, Osaka City University Graduate School of Medicine.
authors: Akihiro
authors: A
authors: Tamori
authors: Department of Hepatology, Osaka City University Graduate School of Medicine.
authors: Yoshiki
authors: Y
authors: Murakami
authors: Department of Hepatobiliary Surgery, Osaka City University Graduate School of Medicine, Osaka.
authors: Shoji
authors: S
authors: Kubo
authors: Department of Hepatology, Osaka City University Graduate School of Medicine.
authors: Saori
authors: S
authors: Itami
authors: Department of Hepatology, Osaka City University Graduate School of Medicine.
authors: Sawako
authors: S
authors: Uchida-Kobayashi
authors: Department of Hepatology, Osaka City University Graduate School of Medicine.
authors: Hiroyasu
authors: H
authors: Morikawa
authors: Department of Hepatology, Osaka City University Graduate School of Medicine.
authors: Masaru
authors: M
authors: Enomoto
authors: Department of Hepatobiliary Surgery, Osaka City University Graduate School of Medicine, Osaka.
authors: Shigekazu
authors: S
authors: Takemura
authors: Department of Medical Pharmaceutics, Kobe Pharmaceutical University, Kobe.
authors: Toshihito
authors: T
authors: Tanahashi
authors: Department of Physics, Chuo University, Tokyo, Japan.
authors: Y-H
authors: YH
authors: Taguchi
authors: Department of Hepatology, Osaka City University Graduate School of Medicine.
authors: Norifumi
authors: N
authors: Kawada
keywords: hepatitis C virus; hepatocellular carcinoma; interferon; miRNA; sustained viral response