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Oncogene expression in the liver tissue of patients with nonneoplastic liver disease
Author(s) -
Haritani Hideaki,
Esumi Mariko,
Uchida Toshikazu,
Shikata Toshio
Publication year - 1991
Publication title -
cancer
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 3.052
H-Index - 304
eISSN - 1097-0142
pISSN - 0008-543X
DOI - 10.1002/1097-0142(19910515)67:10<2594::aid-cncr2820671032>3.0.co;2-o
Subject(s) - oncogene , cirrhosis , carcinogenesis , pathology , northern blot , biology , liver disease , proto oncogenes , gene expression , rna , liver regeneration , human liver , cancer research , gene , medicine , regeneration (biology) , cell cycle , microbiology and biotechnology , genetics , in vitro , biochemistry
The expression of cellular oncogenes in nonneoplastic human liver tissue was examined to determine if there was a correlation between oncogene expression and physiologic regeneration in liver disease. Human liver tissue specimens from 70 patients with various histologic findings from almost normal to cirrhosis were examined (using northern blot analysis) for the expression of nine cellular oncogenes. With c‐ K‐ras , four RNA bands (5.6‐kilobase [kb], 2.1‐kb, 1.5‐kb, and 1.2‐kb RNA species) were detected in all liver tissue examined. Expression of c‐ fos was also detected in a few samples examined when 50‐μg samples of total RNA were applied. Other oncogenes such as H‐ ras, myc, erb B, raf, fms, fes , and myb were not detected. These results indicate that particular oncogene(s) may not be highly expressed during liver regeneration in human liver disease, or that populations of regenerating hepatocytes may be too small to show significant elevations of oncogene expression. The new finding of a constant expression of c‐K‐ ras in human liver tissue suggests that it is linked to essential hepatocellular function rather than carcinogenesis.