title: Identification of circulating protein biomarkers in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma concomitantly infected with chronic hepatitis C virus.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The incidence rate of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is higher in developing countries, and most cases are associated with chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate the circulating proteins as liver biomarkers for the identification of HCC associated with HCV infection in Egyptian patients using LC-MS/MS analysis.
  
  
  METHODS
  Blood sera were collected from 31 HCC patients and the fractionated proteins were subjected to LC-MS/MS analysis. Protein candidates were validated by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Thirty-three proteins were significantly identified in the sera of HCC patients with persistent HCV infection. These proteins are involved in several biological processes including acute phase response, complement activation, hemostasis process and lipid metabolism. The level of lectin galactoside-binding soluble 3 binding protein (LGALS3BP), Kininogen-1 (KNG1), serum amyloid A2 (SAA2) and paraoxonase 1 (PON1) and alpha-fetoprtoein (AFP) were elevated in serum.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In HCC patients with chronic HCV infection, we identified a group of differentially expressed circulating proteins involved in regulating different cellular mechanisms.
authors: a Department of Cancer Biology , National Cancer Institute, Cairo University , Cairo , Egypt.
authors: Abdel Hady A
authors: AHA
authors: Abdel Wahab
authors: b Department of Zoology, Faculty of Science , Cairo University , Cairo , Egypt.
authors: Medhat S
authors: MS
authors: El-Halawany
authors: a Department of Cancer Biology , National Cancer Institute, Cairo University , Cairo , Egypt.
authors: Ahmad A
authors: AA
authors: Emam
authors: a Department of Cancer Biology , National Cancer Institute, Cairo University , Cairo , Egypt.
authors: Ammar
authors: A
authors: Elfiky
authors: c Department of Surgery , Tulane University School of Medicine , New Orleans , LA , USA.
authors: Zakaria Y
authors: ZY
authors: Abd Elmageed
mesh_terms: D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000097:blood*; D006528:Carcinoma, Hepatocellular / Q000097:blood* / Q000150:complications; D004534:Egypt; D019698:Hepatitis C, Chronic / Q000097:blood* / Q000150:complications; D006801:Humans; D008113:Liver Neoplasms / Q000097:blood*; D011506:Proteins / Q000032:analysis; D040901:Proteomics / Q000379:methods
chemical_list: D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; D011506:Proteins
keywords: AFP; HCC; LC-MS/MS; protein biomarkers; specificity and sensitivity