Expression of diacylglycerol kinase α mRNA in human hepatocellular carcinoma.

Objective To investigate the expression and distribution of Diacylglycerol Kinase α (DGKα) mRNA in human hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC),and to explore the function of DGKα in the metastasis of hepatocellular carcinoma.Methods Tissues from 30 cases of HCC and 5 normal liver tissues were collected immediately after surgical resection.Semi-quantitative RT-PCR and in situ hybridization were used to detect the expression levels and distribution of DGKα mRNA,respectively.Results Semi-quantitative RT-PCR showed that the expression level of DGKα mRNA in HCC (0.798±0.317) and normal tissues (0.908±0.425) was significantly higher than those in carcinoma adjacent tissue with cirrhosis (0.205±0.102,P<0.05).In situ hybridization demonstrated that the number of DGKα mRNA positive hepatocytes in HCC [(57.6±6.3)/mm2] and normal tissues [69.8±8.7)/mm2] was significantly higher than those in carcinoma adjacent tissue with cirrhosis [(26.3±4.9)/mm2,P<0.05]; DGKα mRNA was expressed in the cytoplasm of hepatocytes in HCC and carcinoma adjacent tissue with cirrhosis,and in the nuclear of hepatocytes in normal tissues.Conclusion The present study suggests that DGKa may play important roles in carcinogenesis and progressing of HCC. Key words: Liver neoplasms; Diacylglycerol Kinase; In situ hybridization