Functional Expression Of A Proliferation-related And In Hepatocellular Carcinoma And Its Association With Loss Of Heterozygosity

Background:We previously reported that the chromosome17p13.1, on which a proliferation-related ligand(APRIL) gene exists, has high frequent Loss of Heterozygosity(LOH) in hepatocellular carcinoma(HCC). We aimed to validate LOH on the specific region of chromosome17p13.1and to measure the expression of APRIL.Methods:Protein and mRNA expression of APRIL gene were investigated in HCC cell line. We further studied the clinicopathological correlation with the state of LOH in40HCCs. Results:The mRNA expression of ARPIL gene was reduced in HCC cell line. The expression of APRIL protein was reduced in HepG2, Hep3B and PLC, while was increased in HCCLM3and MHCC97. LOH on APRIL was associated with portal vein tumor thrombi (PVTT), AFP level and tumor size in HCC.Conclusions:APRIL might play a role in HCC development, especially in migration and invasion. LOH is likely to be a critical, but not the unique mechanism for regulating APRIL expression.