Expression of Transforming Growth Factor‐β1 mRNA in Human Hepatocellular Carcinoma

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Abstract
We investigated the expression of transforming growth factor β1 (TGF‐β1) mRNA in tumor tissues surgically removed from ten patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). All HCC tissues expressed TGF‐β1 mRNA at different levels, indicating the presence of activated transcription of TGF‐β1 gene in human HCC tissues in vivo. The level of TGF‐β1 mRNA expression showed no relationship to main tumor size or plasma α‐fetoprotein level. Some HCC tissues presenting a relatively low grade of histological differentiation showed the highest levels of TGF‐β1 mRNA expression.