A specific gene-expression signature quantifies the degree of hepatic fibrosis in patients with chronic liver disease.

ABSTRACT:

Aim

To study a more accurate quantification of hepatic fibrosis which would provide clinically useful information for monitoring the progression of chronic liver disease.

Methods

Using a cDNA microarray containing over 22000 clones, we analyzed the gene-expression profiles of non-cancerous liver in 74 patients who underwent hepatic resection. We calculated the ratio of azan-stained: total area, and determined the morphologic fibrosis index (MFI), as a mean of 9 section-images. We used the MFI as a reference standard to evaluate our method for assessing liver fibrosis.

Results

We identified 39 genes that collectively showed a good correlation (r > 0.50) between gene-expression and the severity of liver fibrosis. Many of the identified genes were involved in immune resp

SUBMITTER: Utsunomiya T 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4065892 | biostudies-literature | 2007 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature