Objective: To investigate the expression of Macrophage migration-inhibitory factors (MIF) in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) tissues and its interaction with ERK1/2 signaling pathway, so as to establish a theoretical basis for further studying the molecular mechanism of MIF promoting HCC. Methods: From February 2020 to August 2021, 52 cases of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) tissues based on hepatitis B cirrhosis (HBV-LC) and 52 cases of adjacent tissues in Tianjin Medical University Cancer Hospital and 940th Hospital of Joint Logistic Support Force of PLA were collected as the experimental group, including 39 males and 13 females, aged 35-65 years. And 20 cases of normal liver tissue were selected as the control group. Immunohistochemistry was used to detect the expression of MIF, ERK1/2 and p-ERK1/2 proteins in liver tissues of the two groups, and in situ hybridization was used to detect the expression of ERK1/2 nucleic acid in liver tissues of the two groups.HepG2 HCC cells and L-02 normal hepatocytes were co-cultured with different concentrations of rMIF, the expression and phosphorylation levels of ERK1/2 and JNK1 proteins in the two kinds of liver cells were detected by Western-blot, and the expression levels of ERK1/2 nucleic acids in the two kinds of liver cells were detected by RT-PCR. One-way ANOVA was used for measurement data and χ2 test was used for counting data. Results: The expressions of MIF, ERK1/2, p-ERK1/2 and ERK1/2 mRNA were significantly increased in HCC and para-cancer tissues (the expression of MIF in HCC group was 78.8%, and that in adjacent group was 75.0%; ERK1/2 80.8% in HCC group and ERK1/2 71.8% in paracancerous group. The expression of p-ERK1/2 75.0 % in HCC group and 46.2% in paracancerous group were respectively detected. ERK1/2 mRNA was expressed in HCC group 76.9%, ERK1/2 mRNA expression in paracancerous group 78.8%), and the differences were statistically significant compared with normal liver tissues (P<0.05), but there was no significant difference between HCC and para-cancer tissues (P>0.05). The expressions of ERK1/2, p-ERK1/2 and ERK1/2 mRNA in HepG2 HCC cells were significantly increased with the increase of rMIF concentration, and the increase was most obvious when rMIF concentration was 200 ng/ml, and the difference was statistically significant compared with L-02 normal hepatocytes (P<0.05). Conclusion: MIF, ERK1/2 and p-ERK1/2 are highly expressed in HCC tissues and HepG2 HCC cells, suggesting that MIF promotes the occurrence and development of hepatocellular carcinoma through ERK1/2 signaling pathway.
目的： 探讨巨噬细胞游走抑制因子（MIF）在肝细胞癌（HCC）组织中的表达及其与ERK1/2信号通路之间相关性，为深入研究MIF促进HCC的分子机制建立理论依据。 方法： 2020年2月至2021年8月，收集天津医科大学肿瘤医院及解放军联勤保障部队第九四〇医院有乙肝肝硬化（HBV-LC）基础的HCC癌组织和癌旁组织各52例作为试验组，其中男39例，女13例，年龄35~65岁。选择20例正常肝组织作为对照组，采用免疫组化检测2组肝组织中MIF、ERK1/2及p-ERK1/2蛋白的表达，采用原位杂交检测2组肝组织中ERK1/2 mRNA表达；选择HepG2肝癌细胞和L-02正常肝细胞与不同浓度rMIF共培养，通过Western 印迹法检测2种肝细胞ERK1/2蛋白的表达及其磷酸化水平，通过RT-PCR检测2种肝细胞ERK1/2 mRNA的表达水平，计量资料采用单因素方差分析，计数资料采用χ2检验。 结果： MIF、ERK1/2、p-ERK1/2和ERK1/2 mRNA在HCC和癌旁组织中表达均明显增强（HCC组表达MIF为78.8%，癌旁组表达MIF为75.0%；HCC组表达ERK1/2为80.8%，癌旁组表达ERK1/2为71.8%；HCC组表达p-ERK1/2为75.0%，癌旁组表达p-ERK1/2为46.2%；HCC组表达ERK1/2 mRNA为76.9%，癌旁组表达ERK1/2 mRNA为78.8%），与正常肝组织比较，差异有统计学意义（P<0.05），HCC与癌旁组织比较差异无统计学意义（P>0.05）。HepG2肝癌细胞ERK1/2、p-ERK1/2和ERK1/2 mRNA表达明显升高，且随rMIF浓度的递增而增加，当rMIF浓度为200 ng/ml时升高最明显，与L-02正常肝细胞比较，差异有统计学意义（P<0.05）。 结论： MIF、ERK1/2和p-ERK1/2在HCC组织和HepG2肝癌细胞中高表达，提示MIF可能通过ERK1/2信号通路促进肝细胞癌的发生与发展。.