[Gene expression profiling of nasopharyngeal carcinoma cell line 5-8F-EGFP and the liver metastatic 5-8F-H3B-EGFP cells].

Objective: To compare the gene expression profiles of nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) cell line 5-8F-EGFP and the liver metastatic 5-8F-H3B-EGFP cells.

Methods: The fluorescence-labeled cDNA were prepared separately from the total RNA extracted from the two cell lines and hybridized with Human_U133A2.0 Genechip (Affymetrix, USA) containing approximately 18 400 known gene. The gene expression profiles were analyzed with special software and cluster analysis.

Results: A total of 3767 genes were identified to have significant differential expressions between these two cell lines (P<0.05), among which 281 genes showed twofold or higher differential expressions. Using MILANO software, we found 16 genes with probable close relation with liver metastasis of NPC.

Conclusion: The 16 genes differentially expressed between the two cell lines can be of importance in the investigation of the molecular mechanism of NPC liver metastasis and identification of molecular markers for prognostic evaluation.