HBV DNA integration and expression of HBx messages in HCC

在日本，肝癌发生与肝炎病毒感染密切相关。本研究应用HBV-PCR方法和常规HBV PCR方法检测了B型和C型肝癌组织中HBV DNA的存在和状态，探讨了HBV在肝癌组织中的存在与整合及HBx信息表达的关系。在B型病例中，发现存在整合型和附加型HBV，而在C型病例中，在大约一半的病例中主要发现附加型HBV。在B型和C型肝癌中，HBV DNA整合的B型肝癌中，检测到多种形式的HBx信息，包括HBV与白蛋白基因的融合信息。我们目前正在研究这些信息在各种信号转导系统中的作用，在目前的研究中，我们发现HCV和HBV感染的肝癌发生模式是不同的，HBx蛋白的表达可能在B型肝癌的发生中起重要作用。

Hepatocarcinogenesis was closely associated with hepatitis virus infection in Japan. In the current study, we examined the involvement of HBV in type B and type C hepatocellularcarcinoma in relation to the viral integration and the expression of HBx message.We analyzed the presence and status of HBV DNA in hepatocelluar carcinoma with Alu-HBV PCR method and conventional HBV PCR method. In type B cases, both integrated and episomal form of HBV were found to be present, whereas in type C cases, episomal form of HBV was mainly found in approximately half of the cases. Thus, involvement of HBV in hepatocarcinogenesis was considered to be different between type B and type C cases.In type B ceses with HBV DNA integration, various forms of HBx messages were detected including a fusion message of HBV and albumine gene. We are now examining the role of these messages in various signal transduction systems.In the current study, we have shown the mode of hepatocarcinogesis is different between HCV and HBV infection and that the expression of HBx protein might be important in the carcinogenasis of type B ceses.