Abstract
In order to systematically evaluate the influence of lymph nodes (LNs) in lymph node metastases (LNM) of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), we set up a new in vitro model in which Hca-F and Hca-P cells were cultured in medium containing lymph node homogenates (LNHs). Differential protein expression was measured by two-dimensional gel electrophoresis (2-DE) combined with matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight/time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI TOF/TOF MS). Results from protein identification revealed two metastatic correlative proteins, 78-kDa glucose-regulated protein (GRP78) and galectin-3 (GAL3). Western blotting confirmed that GRP78, a protein positively correlated with metastasis, increased 2.4-fold in Hca-F cells but decreased to almost a half in Hca-P cells (P<0.05). However, GAL3, a protein negatively correlated with metastasis, was decreased by a half in Hca-F cells but slightly increased non-significantly in Hca-P cells. Thus, our results reveal that some components of LNHs may facilitate a permissive environment for cancer cells with high metastasis potential to eventually metastasize. GRP78 and GAL3 may serve as potential biomarkers for the diagnosis of LNM in HCC.