title: Human collagen XV is a prominent histopathological component of sinusoidal capillarization in hepatocellular carcinogenesis.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Increased expression of collagen XV has been reported in hepatocellular carcinogenesis in mice. The aim of this study was to confirm the previous murine findings in human hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) specimens, along with the histopathological distribution of collagen XV in tumoral tissues.
  
  
  METHODS
  Sixty-three primary HCC specimens were examined. Immunostaining of collagen XV and quantitative reverse transcriptional PCR of COL15A1, which encodes collagen XV, were performed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Positive staining of collagen XV was observed in all tumoral regions, regardless of differentiation level or pathological type of HCC, along the sinusoid-like endothelium, whereas collagen XV was not expressed in any non-tumoral region. The intensity score of collagen XV immunostaining and the mRNA value of COL15A1 were significantly correlated. COL15A1 expression in tumors was 3.24-fold higher than in non-tumoral regions. Multivariate analysis showed that COL15A1 expression was significantly higher in the absence of hepatitis virus and moderately differentiated HCC.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  COL15A1 mRNA was up-regulated in HCC and collagen XV was expressed along the sinusoid-like endothelium of HCC but not in non-tumoral regions, which implies that collagen XV contributes to the capillarization of HCC.
authors: Department of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, Okayama University Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, 2-5-1 Shikata-cho, Kita-ku, Okayama, 700-8558, Japan.|Department of General Thoracic Surgery and Breast and Endocrinological Surgery, Okayama University Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, 2-5-1 Shikata-cho, Kita-ku, Okayama, 700-8558, Japan.
authors: Kouji
authors: K
authors: Kimura
authors: Department of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, Okayama University Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, 2-5-1 Shikata-cho, Kita-ku, Okayama, 700-8558, Japan.
authors: Masaru
authors: M
authors: Nakayama
authors: Department of Human Morphology, Okayama University Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, 2-5-1 Shikata-cho, Kita-ku, Okayama, 700-8558, Japan.
authors: Ichiro
authors: I
authors: Naito
authors: Department of Human Morphology, Okayama University Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, 2-5-1 Shikata-cho, Kita-ku, Okayama, 700-8558, Japan.
authors: Takaaki
authors: T
authors: Komiyama
authors: Department of Pathology, Okayama University Hospital, 2-5-1 Shikata-cho, Kita-ku, Okayama, 700-8558, Japan.
authors: Kouichi
authors: K
authors: Ichimura
authors: Department of General Thoracic Surgery and Breast and Endocrinological Surgery, Okayama University Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, 2-5-1 Shikata-cho, Kita-ku, Okayama, 700-8558, Japan.|Department of Gastrointestinal Surgery, Okayama University Hospital, 2-5-1 Shikata-cho, Kita-ku, Okayama, 700-8558, Japan.
authors: Hiroaki
authors: H
authors: Asano
authors: Department of General Thoracic Surgery and Breast and Endocrinological Surgery, Okayama University Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, 2-5-1 Shikata-cho, Kita-ku, Okayama, 700-8558, Japan.|Department of Gastrointestinal Surgery, Okayama University Hospital, 2-5-1 Shikata-cho, Kita-ku, Okayama, 700-8558, Japan.
authors: Kazunori
authors: K
authors: Tsukuda
authors: Department of Human Morphology, Okayama University Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, 2-5-1 Shikata-cho, Kita-ku, Okayama, 700-8558, Japan.
authors: Aiji
authors: A
authors: Ohtsuka
authors: Department of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, Okayama University Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, 2-5-1 Shikata-cho, Kita-ku, Okayama, 700-8558, Japan. oohashi@cc.okayama-u.ac.jp.
authors: Toshitaka
authors: T
authors: Oohashi
authors: Department of General Thoracic Surgery and Breast and Endocrinological Surgery, Okayama University Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, 2-5-1 Shikata-cho, Kita-ku, Okayama, 700-8558, Japan.
authors: Shinichiro
authors: S
authors: Miyoshi
authors: Department of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, Okayama University Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, 2-5-1 Shikata-cho, Kita-ku, Okayama, 700-8558, Japan.
authors: Yoshifumi
authors: Y
authors: Ninomiya
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D063646:Carcinogenesis; D006528:Carcinoma, Hepatocellular / Q000098:blood supply / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000473:pathology*; D002454:Cell Differentiation; D003094:Collagen / Q000235:genetics*; D004727:Endothelium / Q000737:chemistry; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008099:Liver / Q000737:chemistry; D008113:Liver Neoplasms / Q000098:blood supply / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000473:pathology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009389:Neovascularization, Pathologic; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000032:analysis
chemical_list: C085811:COL15A1 protein, human; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D003094:Collagen
keywords: Basement membrane; Capillarization; Collagen XV; Fenestrated capillary endothelium; Hepatocellular carcinoma; Liver sinusoid