Expression of Cdc25a in cross-species hepatocellular carcinoma tissues and its significance

AIM：To study the expression of cell division cycle 25a protein (Cdc25a) in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) tissues of different species, including human, rat and tree shrew, and to verify the feasibility of the strategy of cross-species oncogenomics screening. METHODS：Real-time fluorescence quantitative PCR and Western blotting were applied to detect the expression of Cdc25a at mRNA and protein levels in the HCC tissues, corresponding HCC-adjacent liver tissues and normal liver tissues collected from humans, rats and tree shrews. RESULTS：The mRNA expression of Cdc25a in the HCC tissues of humans, rats and tree shrews was higher than that in normal liver tissues (P<0.05). The mRNA levels of Cdc25a in the HCC tissues of humans and rats were higher than those in the corresponding HCC-adjacent liver tissues (P<0.05). The mRNA expression of Cdc25a in the HCC tissues was significantly correlated with the portal vein tumor thrombus, the extrahepatic metastasis and the clinical stage, but was not correlated with the recurrence of tumor, the diameter of tumor, the number of tumor, the level of serum alpha-fetoprotein and the differentiation of tumor. The protein levels of Cdc25a in the HCC tissues of humans, rats and tree shrews were higher than those in the corresponding HCC-adjacent liver tissues and the normal liver tissues. CONCLUSION：Cdc25a may be a particularly crucial molecule for hepatocarcinogenesis. The cross-species oncogenomics screening may represent a feasible and convenient way for identifying key molecules of human HCC.