[Correlation between interleukin-28B genetic polymorphisms and primary hepatocellular carcinoma].

Objective: To explore the correlation between single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of interleukin-28B (IL-28B) gene and the susceptibility to primary hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).

Methods: A total of 300 histologically confirmed HCC cases (from November 2001 to April 2010) and 310 healthy controls with no history of chronic hepatitis B or hepatocellular carcinoma (2009-2010) were selected from a hospital in Guilin and a hospital in Beijing for this case-control study.139 HCC patients in the case group had complete clinical tracking data.

[The inhibitory effect of RNA interference on STAT3 expression in liver cancer cell line SMMC7721].

Aim: To investigate the chemosensitivity small interfering RNA (siRNA) on liver cancer cell line SMMC7721.

Methods: The siRNA sequences design based on signal transducers and activators of transcription 3 (STAT3) gene, siRNA were transfected into SMMC7721 cells through liposome lipofectamine(TM); 2000. The expression inhibition of STAT3 gene in SMMC7721 cells was measured by real-time relative quantitative PCR.

Regulatory T cell depletion enhances tumor specific CD8 T-cell responses, elicited by tumor antigen NY-ESO-1b in hepatocellular carcinoma patients, in vitro.

Immunotherapy in hepatocellular carcinoma based on one or a few tumor specific antigens have shown limited antitumor efficacy. As a major suppressive factor in tumor immune response, better understanding of the role of regulatory T cells (Tregs) in hepatocellular carcinoma might be important for design of future immunotherapy-based clinical protocols. Tregs from 49 HCC patients and 40 controls were identified by flow cytometric analysis for the phenotype.

Expression of CIITA-related MHCII molecules in tumors linked to prognosis in hepatocellular carcinoma.

The prognosis of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) after surgery is poor due to its high recurrence rate. In order to unfold the mechanism of different recurrent-free survival (RFS) times following resection, expression profiling of tumor tissues from 32 HCC patients with different RFS time were used to identify differential expression of individual genes and signaling pathway components correlated with RFS time. Quantitative RT-PCR, Western blotting, and immunohistochemistry were used to validate the expression of selected genes.

Specific CD8(+ )T cell responses to HLA-A2 restricted MAGE-A3 p271-279 peptide in hepatocellular carcinoma patients without vaccination.

The MAGE-A3 protein, one of the promising tumor antigens for immunotherapy, is highly expressed in human hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). In this study, we estimated the specific CD8(+) T cell immune response to MAGE-A3 p271-279 peptide (M3(271)) in the peripheral blood of HCC patients without antigen vaccination in order to evaluate its immunotherapeutic potential in these patients. After expansion in vitro, the functional IFN-gamma producing M3(271) specific CD8(+) T cells were detected in 30.

[The frequency, phenotypes and functions of CD4+ CD25+ regulatory T cells in hepatocellular carcinoma patients].

Objectives: (1) To evaluate the prevalence, phenotypes and suppressive function of CD4+CD25+ regulatory T cells (Tregs) among the in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) and tumor-infiltration lymphocytes (TILs) from hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients and patients with chronic hepatitis B. (2) To investigate the correlation between the frequency of CD4+CD25+ Tregs and clinical characteristics of HCC patients.

Methods: PBMCs and TILs in 18 HCC patients, 10 chronic hepatitis B (CHB) patients and 15 healthy donors were evaluated for the phenotypes of CD4+CD25+ Tregs and the proportion of CD4+CD25+ Tregs as a percentage of the total CD4+ cells, by flow cytometric analysis with three or four color staining.

The spontaneous CD8+ T-cell response to HLA-A2-restricted NY-ESO-1b peptide in hepatocellular carcinoma patients.

Purpose: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) can express various cancer-testis antigens including NY-ESO-1, members of the SSX family, members of the MAGE family, SCP-1, and CTP11. Immunotherapy directed against these antigens is a potential alternative treatment for HCC. To date, it remains unclear whether HCC patients have spontaneous immune responses to these tumor antigens.

[The genetic polymorphism of melanoma-associated antigen 1 in Chinese normal donors and hepatoma patients].

Objectives: To investigate the expression of melanoma-associated antigen 1 (MAGE-1) in Chinese hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients and to determine the existence and distribution of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) of MAGE-1 gene.

Methods: Total RNA was extracted from cancer tissues and adjacent tissues from 19 HCC patients and the expression of MAGE-1 mRNA was examined by using RT-PCR. The PCR products were sequenced to analysis the gene variation.