These results suggest that at the telomere level, the development Linsitinib of HBV-associated cirrhosis includes strong hTERT overexpression and considerable repression of hTR, shelterin, and non-shelterin telomere factors. Similar results were obtained when the 8 HBV+ cirrhotic samples were compared with the 9 non-cirrhotic liver samples derived from patients with idiopathic

HCC (data not shown). Table 2 Cause-specific differences in telomeric gene expression between cirrhotic and non-cirrhotic liver samples   Non-cirrhotic Cirrhotic p   (n = 12) HBV (n = 8) HCV (n = 9) Alcohol (n = 10) For HBV For HCV For alcohol Shelterin POT1 0.0021 0.0000 0.0125 0.0090 0.0480 0.0100 0.0050 PTOP 0.0094 0.0000 0.0037 0.0055 0.0200 ns ns RAP1 0.1570 0.0016 0.4210 0.4091 0.0070 0.0080 0.0060 TIN2 0.3510 0.0018 0.0510 0.0804 0.0010 ns <10-4 TRF1 0.5585 0.0117 0.2271 0.2488 <10-4 ns ns TRF2 0.0016 0.0000 0.0016 XMU-MP-1 0.0012 0.0050 ns ns Non-Shelterin HMRE11A 0.0187 0.0006 0.0627 0.0764 ns ns 0.0070 HMRE11B 0.0359 0.0008 0.0492 0.0886 0.0030 ns 0.0020 Ku70 0.0955 0.0045 0.1704

0.1825 <10-4 ns 0.0440 Ku80 0.0408 0.0033 0.1209 0.1316 0.0200 0.0290 0.0120 NBS1 0.0266 0.0002 0.0304 0.0403 0.0030 ns ns RAD50 0.0030 0.0002 0.0091 0.0108 ns 0.0180 0.0500 TANK1 0.0468 0.0005 0.0788 0.0945 <10-4 ns 0.0030 TANK2 0.0129 0.0000 0.0188 0.0127 0.0200 ns ns Pinx1 0.0131 0.0001 0.0083 0.0219 nearly 0.0020 ns 0.0210 Telomere deregulation at the early stage of HCV-associated hepatocarcinogenesis Expression of the Ki67 proliferation marker was not significantly different between the 9 HCV positive cirrhotic samples and the 12 non-cirrhotic liver samples deriving from patients with HCC. There was no significant difference in the expression level of TA, hTERT and hTR between the two sample categories (Figure 1A). Western-blot analysis of hTERT expression confirmed the qRTPCR results for hTERT expression (Figure 2B). Shelterin, POT1 and repressor-activator protein 1 (RAP1) were demonstrated

to be significantly overexpressed in HCV positive cirrhotic samples when compared with non-cirrhotic liver samples. The MK-8776 price remaining factors displayed an identical (TRF2) or a non-significant reduced expression level (Table 2). In contrast to HBV, all telomere factors except Pinx1 non-shelterin were overexpressed in cirrhotic peritumoral HCV positive samples, as compared to non-cirrhotic liver samples (Figure 1C, Table 2). Indeed, the expression of Ku80 (p = 0.029) and RAD50 (p = 0.018) was approximately 3 times higher than that of the control samples. Western-blots confirmed that POT1, HMRE11A/B, and KU80 were more expressed in HCV positive cirrhotic samples than in non-cirrhotic liver samples (Figure 2D).