Abstract:

Objective To investigate differences in CD90 and CD44 expression between human hepatoma and distal liver. Method Expression of CD90 and CD44 was measured using quantitative real-time PCR in human hepatoma and distal liver tissue，and the expression of both proteins was detected by immunohistochemistry. Results Expression of CD90 and CD44 mRNA was significantly higher in human hepatoma than in distal liver （P<0.05）. CD90 and CD44 proteins localized to the membrane and cytoplasm of cancer cells. In human hepatoma，the CD90-positive rate was 82.5% （33/40） and the CD44-positive rate was 77.5%（31/40）；the correspond-ing values in distal liver tissue were significantly lower：17.5%（7/40） and 12.5%（5/40）（P<0.05）. Conclusion  Human liver cancer tissue shows high expression of CD90 and CD44，while distal liver tissue shows low expression. CD90 and CD44 may correlate signif-icantly with the incidence and development of liver cancer.

Key words: Liver neoplasms, Stem cell markers, CD90, CD44