| خلاصه مقاله | Background and Aim: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a common malignant tumor with high
morbidity and mortality. The appropriate prediction of diagnosis and prognosis is of great emphasis
to improve the survival rate of patients. This study aims to evaluate gene expression levels of
previously identified transcripts for chronic hepatitis B (CHB) and HCC patients.
Methods: To evaluate previously analyzed transcriptome array data, we selected seven differentially
expressed genes (DEGs) that were common in normal vs CHB and CHB vs HCC patients (CD44,
SP3, USP8, E2F2, UFM1, IRF2BP2, and TIA1). To this goal, the study included individuals with
treatment naïve CHB (n=30), primary HCC (n=25), and healthy control (n=15). Subsequently, the
expression of genes was assayed using qRT-PCR. Phylogenetic analysis was applied using direct
sequencing on HBsAg.
Results: In HCC patients, 60 % (n = 15) were positive for HBeAg. None of the CHB patients were
positive for HBeAg, but all were positive for anti-HBe. HBV load was significantly higher in HCC
patients than CHB subjects. All patients were ethnically Iranian and HBV genotype D. There was a
higher expression of five transcriptional signatures (CD44, SP3, USP8, E2F2, and UFM1) in patients
with HCC than CHB and healthy subjects, which was more approximately consistent with the results
of the initial microarray data analysis.
Conclusion: The findings indicate that transcriptional signatures may be associated with HCC
pathogenesis and serve as diagnostic biomarkers for monitoring and early diagnosis of HCC. |