ENHANCED COEXPRESSION OF THIOREDOXIN AND HIGH-MOBILITY GROUP PROTEIN-1 GENES IN HUMAN HEPATOCELLULAR-CARCINOMA AND THE POSSIBLE ASSOCIATIONWITH DECREASED SENSITIVITY TO CISPLATIN

Thioredoxin (TRS), a disulfide-reducing intracellular protein, functio ns as a cellular defense mechanism against oxidative stress. In this s tudy, we asked whether expression of TRY, glutathione-thiol transferas e pi, and high mobility group protein 1 (HMG-1) genes is enhanced in h uman hepatocellular carcinoma and whether expression of these genes is associated with sensitivity to cisplatin. Both TRX and HMG-1 were co- overexpressed in almost all cancerous lesions in comparison to normal tissue in surgically resected hepatocellular carcinomas of 20 patients . Tumor sensitivity to cisplatin [cis-diamminedichloroplatinum (II)], but not to mitomycin C or doxorubicin, correlated with mRNA levels of TRS in cancer tissue. TRX and HMG-1 may be useful tumor markers, and T RY might be also a useful marker for sensitivity to cisplatin in human hepatocellular carcinomas.