Journal of viral hepatitis
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Exportin 4 (XPO4) is a novel identified candidate tumour-suppressor gene involved in the pathogenesis of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). This study was aimed to determine the clinical features of XPO4 mRNA expression and promoter methylation status in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) of patients with chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection. PBMCs were isolated from 44 HCC, 38 liver cirrhosis (LC), 34 chronic hepatitis B (CHB) patients and 17 healthy controls (HCs). ⋯ Furthermore, AFP level was significantly higher in HCC patients with XPO4 methylation than in those without methylation ((8702 ± 15635) μm vs (1052 ± 5370) μm, P < 0.05). In conclusion, transcription of XPO4 gene was gradually decreased and methylation rate of XPO4 promoter was increased with the progression of HBV infection. Methylation status of XPO4 in PBMCs tended to be a noninvasive biomarker to predict HCC and the progression of HBV infection.