Specific patterns of PIWI-interacting small noncoding RNA expression changes in dysplastic liver nodules and hepatocellular carcinoma. Specific patterns of PIWI-interacting small noncoding RNA expression changes in dysplastic liver nodules and hepatocellular carcinoma

We demonstrate here that piRNAs are expressed in human liver, where the expression pattern of 125 of them clearly differentiates cirrhotic from HCC tissues. Interestingly, 24 piRNAs deregulated in advanced HCC, show distinctive expression patterns also in earlier hepatic lesions, suggesting that these sncRNAs may participate to the carcinogenic process in this organ and could represent also new markers of early hepatocarcinogenic lesions.