Expression of ubiquitin-like with PHD and ring finger domains 1 and its clinical significance in hepatocellular carcinoma

Abstract

Objective To investigate the expression of ubiquitin-like with PHD and ring finger domains 1 (UHRF1) in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and its relationship with the prognosis of patients with HCC. Methods Immunohistochemical staining and reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) were used to detect the expression of UHRF1 in 50 HCC tissues, and the relationship between the level of UHRF1 expression and the prognosis of patients with HCC was analyzed. Results The expression of UHRF1 mRNA in cancerous tissues was upregulated in 33 patients with HCC compared with para-cancerous tissues (P=0.001), the positive expression rate of UHRF1 protein in cancerous tissues was also higher than that in para-cancerous tissues of 32 patients with HCC (64% vs. 22%, P=0.000), the expression level of UHRF1 were correlated with tumor size, TNM stage, tumor metastasis and relapse, and patients with HCC tended to have a worse prognosis. Conclusion Up-regulated expression of UHRF1 predicts poor prognosis of patients with HCC, and UHRF1 may be a good biomarker for evaluating the prognosis of patients with HCC. Key words: Hepatocellular carcinoma; Ubiquitin-like with PHD and ring finger domains 1; Expression; Prognosis