PTEN and hTERT gene expression and the correlation with human hepatocellular carcinoma

The aim of this study was to investigate the correlation between tumor suppressor gene phosphatase and tensin homolog (PTEN) expression levels and telomerase activity that mainly depends on telomerase reverse transcriptase (hTERT) in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and paracancerous tissues. Immunohistochemistry and reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) were used to detect the expression of PTEN and hTERT in 58 cases with HCC and the corresponding paracancerous tissues. The correlation between PTEN and hTERT was analyzed. The PTEN mRNA and protein expression was significantly lower in HCC, as compared with the paracancerous tissues (P<0.01), while those of hTERT demonstrated the opposite expression pattern (P<0.01). Additionally, both the PTEN and hTERT protein and mRNA levels demonstrated a significantly negative correlation with one another (P<0.05). In conclusion, PTEN and hTERT have different roles in the development of HCC. A significantly negative correlation between PTEN and hTERT gene expression indicates that hTERT activation and upregulation may be conferred by the loss of PTEN gene expression in HCC. The combined detection of PTEN and hTERT may provide critical clinical evidence for the diagnosis and biological behavior of HCC.