Involvement of Annexins I an II in human liver cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma

Annexin (AX) is the name of a new family of Ca²⁺-dependent membrane binding proteins of which 13 members have been reported to date. Among these, AXI and AXII have been reported to possess many biological functions in vitro. Their actual roles in vivo, however, are as yet unknown. There have been no reports previously demonstrating the direct involvement of AXI and AXII in chronic hepatitis (CH), liver cirrhosis (LC) or hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). The involvement of AXI and AXII in the etiological processes of CH, LC and HCC was investigated by Western blot and/or immunohistochemistry using anti-AXI and AXII antibodies. AXI and AXII were rarely detected in CH liver tissues, while they were found to be expressed at high levels in LC and HCC. AXI and AXII were present in the hepatocytes of LC and HCC and their subcellular localization was mainly cytoplasmic. These results indicate that AXI and AXII may act together in the occurrence and development of LC and HCC.