Liver Cancer
Copyright ©The Author(s) 2004. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.
World J Gastroenterol. Mar 15, 2004; 10(6): 819-824
Published online Mar 15, 2004. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v10.i6.819
Alpha-fetoprotein stimulated the expression of some oncogenes in human hepatocellular carcinoma Bel 7402 cells
Meng-Sen Li, Ping-Feng Li, Qian Chen, Guo-Guang Du, Gang Li
Meng-Sen Li, Qian Chen, Department of Biochemistry, Hainan Medical College, Haikou 571101, China
Ping-Feng Li, Guo-Guang Du, Gang Li, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Health Science Center, Peking University, Beijing 100083, China
Author contributions: All authors contributed equally to the work.
Supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China, No. 30260117, Natural Science Foundation of Hainan Province, No. 30315 and the Nursery Foundation of Hainan Medical College, No. 200202
Correspondence to: Dr. Meng-Sen Li, Department of Biochemistry, Hainan Medical College, Haikou 571101, China. mengsenli@163.com
Telephone: +86-898-66893779
Received: September 18, 2003
Revised: September 23, 2003
Accepted: November 15, 2003
Published online: March 15, 2004
Abstract

AIM: To investigate the molecular mechanism of alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) on regulating the proliferation of human hepatocellular carcinoma cells.

METHODS: Alpha-fetoprotein purified from human umbilical blood was added to cultured human hepatocellular carcinoma Bel 7402 cells in vitro for various treatment periods. The expression of c-fos, c-jun, and N-ras mRNA involved in proliferation and differentiation of cells was analyzed by Northern blot, and the expression of mutative p53 and p21ras proteins was determined by Western blot.

RESULTS: The results showed that AFP (20 mg/L) stimulated mRNA expression of these oncogenes in Bel 7402 cells. The expression of c-fos mRNA increased by 51.1%, 60.9%, 96.0%, and 25.5% at 2, 6, 12, and 24 h, respectively. The expression of c-jun and N-ras mRNA reached to the maximum which increased by 81.3% and 59.9% as compared with the control after 6 h and 24 h incubation with AFP, respectively. Western blot assay also demonstrated that AFP promoted the expression of mutative p53 and p21ras proteins, and the increased rate of those proteins was 13.0%, 39.9%, and 70.9%, as well as 35.2%, 102.6%, and 46.8% at 6, 12, and 24 h, respectively, as compared with the control. Both human serum albumin (the same dosage as AFP) and monoclonal anti-AFP antibody failed to stimulate the expression of these oncogenes, but anti-AFP antibody could block the functions of AFP.

CONCLUSION: The data indicate that AFP can stimulate the expression of some oncogenes to enhance the proliferation of human hepatocellular carcinoma Bel 7402 cells.

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