BACKGROUND:Human leukocyte antigen G(HLA-G)is a non-classical major histocompatibility complex class I molecule that has multiple immune regulatory functions including the induction of immune tolerance.The detection o...BACKGROUND:Human leukocyte antigen G(HLA-G)is a non-classical major histocompatibility complex class I molecule that has multiple immune regulatory functions including the induction of immune tolerance.The detection of HLA-G expression might serve as a clinical marker in the prediction of clinical outcomes for certain types of carcinoma.Currently, we investigated whether or not HLA-G is also expressed in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma(HCC),and whether the expression has clinical value. METHODS:Serum levels of secreted HLA-G(sHLA-G)were measured by ELISA in 36 patients with HCC,25 patients with liver cirrhosis(LC)and 25 healthy individuals.The expression of HLA-G in liver tissue was further studied using Western blotting in 36 patients with HCC and 25 with LC.The correlations between HLA-G status and various clinicopathological parameters including survival were analyzed. RESULTS:The ELISA assay showed that the serum levels of sHLA-G in the HCC,LC and healthy groups were 132.6± 31.4,63.5±22.1,and 47.0±15.5 U/ml,respectively.Analysis of variance was used for inter-group comparison and differences were found between the HCC group and the other two groups (both P<0.01),while no difference was found between the LC group and the healthy group(P=0.112).HLA-G protein expression in liver tissue was found in 66.7%(24/36)of the primary sites of HCC,but not in benign lesions(LC). Further,the HLA-G expression in tumors had no significant correlation with the parameters of age,gender,histological grade and alpha-fetoprotein level.However,patients with HLA-G-positive tumors had a shorter postoperative survival time than those with HLA-G-negative tumors(P=0.014).Also, univariate analysis showed that HLA-G was an independent prognostic factor.CONCLUSION:Our results indicated that the expression of HLA-G was a characteristic feature of HCC and patients with positive expression of HLA-G in malignant liver tissue had a poor prognosis.展开更多
基金supported by a grant from the MajorProgram of the Science and Technology Bureau of Zhejiang Province(2008F70056)
文摘BACKGROUND:Human leukocyte antigen G(HLA-G)is a non-classical major histocompatibility complex class I molecule that has multiple immune regulatory functions including the induction of immune tolerance.The detection of HLA-G expression might serve as a clinical marker in the prediction of clinical outcomes for certain types of carcinoma.Currently, we investigated whether or not HLA-G is also expressed in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma(HCC),and whether the expression has clinical value. METHODS:Serum levels of secreted HLA-G(sHLA-G)were measured by ELISA in 36 patients with HCC,25 patients with liver cirrhosis(LC)and 25 healthy individuals.The expression of HLA-G in liver tissue was further studied using Western blotting in 36 patients with HCC and 25 with LC.The correlations between HLA-G status and various clinicopathological parameters including survival were analyzed. RESULTS:The ELISA assay showed that the serum levels of sHLA-G in the HCC,LC and healthy groups were 132.6± 31.4,63.5±22.1,and 47.0±15.5 U/ml,respectively.Analysis of variance was used for inter-group comparison and differences were found between the HCC group and the other two groups (both P<0.01),while no difference was found between the LC group and the healthy group(P=0.112).HLA-G protein expression in liver tissue was found in 66.7%(24/36)of the primary sites of HCC,but not in benign lesions(LC). Further,the HLA-G expression in tumors had no significant correlation with the parameters of age,gender,histological grade and alpha-fetoprotein level.However,patients with HLA-G-positive tumors had a shorter postoperative survival time than those with HLA-G-negative tumors(P=0.014).Also, univariate analysis showed that HLA-G was an independent prognostic factor.CONCLUSION:Our results indicated that the expression of HLA-G was a characteristic feature of HCC and patients with positive expression of HLA-G in malignant liver tissue had a poor prognosis.
