1995 Fiscal Year Final Research Report Summary
Biomolecular analysis of liver carcinogenesis in hepatitis C virus infection.
| Project/Area Number |
06670546
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| Research Category |
Grant-in-Aid for General Scientific Research (C)
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| Allocation Type | Single-year Grants |
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| Research Field |
Gastroenterology
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| Research Institution | Osaka University |
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Principal Investigator |
KASAHARA Akinori Osaka University, School of Medicine, Assistant professor, 医学部, 助手 (70214286)
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| Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha) |
MITA Eiji Osaka University Hospital, Medical staff, 医学部付属病院, 医員
KATAYAMA Kazuhiro Osaka University Hospital, Medical staff, 医学部付属病院, 医員
SASAKI Yutaka Osaka University, School of Medicine, Assistant professor, 医学部, 助手 (70235282)
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| Project Period (FY) |
1994 – 1995
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| Keywords | Hepatitis C / hepatocellular carcinoma / Fas antigen / Fas ligand / c-met / VPF-VEDF / VEDF |
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| Research Abstract |
The replicative level of hepatitis C virus (HCV) is higher in advanced liver disease. HCV RNA-positive cells were frequently detected in specimens with advanced periportal, bridging and intralobular necrosis but showed no correlation with the extent of inflammatory cell infiltration. The histological activity index showed inflammation of both portal and periportal areas to be more severe in the Fas antigen-positive cells than the Fas antigen-negative ones. The prevalence of Fas antigen expression in the HCV antigen-positive group was higher than in the HCV antigen-negative group. When the expression of Fas ligand transcripts was tested by RT-PCR,the amplified signal was detected in liver-infiltrating mononuclear cells and peripheral blood mononuclear cells, whereas only a weak signal or none at all was detected in liver tissues. These results suggest that the Fas ligand-Fas system may play an important role in liver cell injury by HCV infection. The overexpression of c-met mRNA was found in cancerous lesion but not in non cancerous lesion, and its prevalence was higher in the undifferentiated type of hepatocellular carcinoma than in the differentiated type. Moreover, VPF/VEDF mRNA was overexpressed in cancer cells, suggesting that its expression may play a role in the intrahepatic metastasis.
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