Imprinted H19 oncofetal RNA is a candidate tumour marker for hepatocellular carcinoma

Abstract

Aims/Background-To study the expression of the H19 gene in hepatocellular carcinoma. H19 is an imprinted, maternally expressed gene, which is tightly linked, both physically and functionally, to the paternally expressed insulin-like growth factor 2 (IGF II). IGF II is known to be involved in liver carcinogenesis. H19 was first discovered in the fetal mouse liver to be under the same regulatory genes as a fetoprotein (αFP), a widely used tumour marker for hepatocellular carcinoma. Methods-Using both radioactive and non-radioactive in situ hybridisation, the expression of the H19 gene was compared with the presence of αFP, as demonstrated by immunohistochemistry, in 18 cases of hepatocellular carcinoma. Results-H19 expression was present in 13 of 18 cases, whereas staining for αFP was positive in only nine of 18 cases. Concordance was found in 12 of 18 tumours (66.7%). In general, the staining pattern for H19 was more diffuse than the immunohistochemical staining for αFP. Conclusions-The addition of a nonradioactive in situ hybridisation assay for H19 RNA to the panel of tumour markers used for the histopathological and cytological diagnosis of hepatocellular carcinoma might be useful.