Cluster of differentiation 147 is a key molecule during hepatocellular carcinoma cell-hepatic stellate cell cross-talk in the rat liver.

The cross-talk between hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) cells and activated hepatic stellate cells (HSCs) is considered to be important for modulating the biological behavior of tumor cells. However, the molecular links between inflammation and cancer in the activation of HSCs remain to be elucidated. The present study demonstrated that cluster of differentiation (CD)147 is a key molecule involved in the interaction between HCC cells and HSCs. The effects of conditioned medium from human HCC cells on the activation of the human HSC line, LX-2, were assessed using a 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide assay, western blotting and reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR). Western blotting, RT-qPCR and gelatin zymography were also used to investigate the effects of CD147 on the activation of LX-2. The expression levels of α-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA) and CD147 were assessed in a co-culture system of LX-2 and FHCC-98 cells by immunofluorescence staining and immunoblotting. In hepatic tissues from a rat model of fibrosis, immunohistochemistry and immunoblotting were performed to detect the expression levels of α-SMA and CD147. Tumor-conditioned medium and CD147 promoted cell proliferation, activated LX-2 cells, increased the expression levels of α-SMA, collagen I and tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase-1 (TIMP-1), and increased the secretion of matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-2. The HSCs, which were induced in the co-culture system of HCC cells and HSCs exhibited marked expression levels of CD147. In the hepatic tissue of rat models of fibrosis induced by CCl4, marked expression levels of CD147 were observed in the activated HSCs. Therefore, CD147 promoted the activation of HSCs and was a key molecule during HCC cell-HSC cross-talk in the rat liver.