Expression and significance of suppressor of cytokine signaling 2 and signal transducers and activators of transcription 5 in hepatocellular carcinoma

Abstract

Objective To investigate the expression of suppressor of cytokine signaling 2 (SOCS2) and signal transducers and activators of transcription 5 (STAT5) in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and their correlation to clinicopathologial features.Methods The mRNA and protein expression levels of SOCS2 and STAT5 in 84 cases of HCC and corresponding paracarninoma tissues were detected by using reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and immunohisochemistry (IHC),respectively.The semiquantitative analysis results and clinical data were statistically analyzed.Results The expression of SOCS2 mRNA in hepatoma tissue and adjacent hepatic tissue to carcinoma respectively was 0.089 ± 0.034 and 0.340 ± 0.083 (P ＜ 0.05).The expression of STAT5 mRNA in hepatoma tissue and adjacent hepatic tissue to carcinoma respectively was 0.532 ± 0.094 and 0.276 ± 0.065 (P ＜ 0.05).The expression of SOCS2 was lower in hepatoma tissue,and that of STAT5 was higher in hepatoma.There was a negative correlation between them in HCC.(r =-0.612,P ＜ 0.01 for mRNA ; r =-0.574,P ＜ 0.01 for protein,respectively).Conclusion There is low expression of SOCS2,and overexpression of STAT5 in HCC.SOCS2 and STAT5 both or alone may participate in the occurrence and development of HCC. Key words: Carcinoma, hepatocellular; Suppressor of cytokine signaling 2 ; Signal transducers and activators of transcription 5