Liver transplantationExamination of Claudin-1 Expression in Patients Undergoing Liver Transplantation Owing to Hepatitis C Virus Cirrhosis

The cell adhesion molecule claudin-1 (CLDN-1) is a well known co-factor for the cell entry of hepatitis C virus (HCV). We examined 24 hepatic biopsies from liver transplant patients. Reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and immunohistochemistry were performed according to standard procedures. RT-PCR results were shown as relative expression (ΔCT) with beta-actin as the reference gene. Immunohistochemistry results are shown by morphometry. The CLDN-1 mRNS expression rate was significantly lower when the patient displayed favorably with an unsatisfactory to antiviral therapy 0.756 ± 0.249 versus 1.304 ± 0.28 (P = .012). There was also a strong positive correlation between CLDN-1 protein expression and liver fibrosis (Pearson correlation coefficients: r = 0.476; P = .034).