Effect of hepatocellular carcinoma cells on changes of gene expression profiles in immature dendritic cells

Abstract:

Objectives：To detect the influence of hepatocellular carcinoma cells micro-environment on the gene expression profiles in immature dendritic cells （imDCs）. Methods：CD 14+ monocytes were collected by immunomagnetic beads from fresh harvested whole blood via negative selection. ImDCs were obtained by recombinant human granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor（rhGM-CSF） and recombinant human inerleukins-4（rhIL-4） induction for 5 d in vitro. The collected imDCs were co-cultured with hep－atoma cells Bel 7402. After 48 h，total RNA of the cells was collected，and human dendritic cells gene array was used to detect and analyze the changes of functional genes in imDCs. Results：After co-cultured with hepatoma cells，a total of 1 531 genes were changed（fold changes≥ 2 compared with that of control group），of which 598 up-regulated and 933 down-regulated. These genes were involved in signal transduction，immune response，cell adhesion，etc. Conclusion：The micro-environment of hepatocellular carcinoma can affect many genes regulation and expression of imDCs. These genes have influence on the differentiation，maturation and functions of imDCs. It is of significance to further understand the molecular mechanism of the hepatoma cells’ influence on the immune func－tion of imDCs．