A distinct repertoire of autoantibodies in hepatocellular carcinoma identified by proteomic analysis. Mol Cell Proteomics 2002;1(3):197–203

Chronic infections with hepatitis B (HBV) and hepatitis C (HCV) viruses are major risk factors for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). We have utilized a proteomic approach to determine whether a distinct repertoire of autoantibod-ies can be identified in HCC. Sera from 37 patients with HCC and 31 subjects chronically infected with HBV or HCV without HCC were investigated. Sera from 116 pa-tients with other cancers, three patients with systemic lupus erythematosus, and 24 healthy subjects were uti-lized as controls. We report the identification of eight proteins, for each of which autoantibodies were detected in sera from more than 10 % of patients with HCC but not in sera from healthy individuals (p < 0.05). Autoantibodies to four of these proteins were detected at a comparable frequency in sera from patients with chronic hepatitis. The other four proteins, which consisted of calreticulin iso-forms, cytokeratin 8, nucleoside diphosphate kinase A, and F1-ATP synthase -subunit, induced autoantibodies among patients with HCC, independently of their HBV/ HCV status. Calreticulin, and a novel truncated form of calreticulin (Crt32) we have identified, most commonly elicited autoantibodies among patients with HCC (27%). We conclude that a distinct repertoire of autoantibodies is associated with HCC that may have utility in early diag-nosis of HCC among high risk subjects with chroni