Objective: To explore the relationship between the alteration in GGT mRNA expression and the development of HCC.
Methods: Three GGT mRNA types (F, H, and P) in normal liver tissues, diseased liver tissues without HCC, cancerous and noncancerous tissues from livers with HCC, and noncancerous tissues from livers with metastatic tumor were tested by RT-PCR.
Results: In normal livers, the main type of GGT mRNA was type F. In liver diseases but not HCC, the distribution of the type GGT mRNA was nearly the same as in normal livers. The prevalence of type H was significantly higher in both cancerous and noncancerous tissues of livers with HCC than in livers without HCC (P<0.05). The prevalence of type F in cancerous tissues was significantly lower than that in livers without HCC (P<0.05).
Conclusions: The GGT mRNA expression in the human liver will shift from type F to type H during the development of HCC. The fragment analysis of GGT genes may be a sensitive assay to detect hepatic cell canceration.