Significance of DEPDC5 and MICA Variants in Hepatocellular Carcinoma risk related Hepatitis C Virus patients in Egypt

Objectives: Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is one of the major causes of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in Egypt. Recently, genetic polymorphisms of DEPDC5 and MICA have been reported to correlate with the progression of HCC in hepatitis C patients. The aim of this study was to determine the relationship between DEPDC5 (rs1012068)T/G, MICA (rs2596542) C/T and the risk of HCC development in patients with HCV infection. Methods: One hundred HCV infected patients suffering from HCC and one hundred healthy controls were enrolled in the current study. Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) have been studied for DEPDC5 and MICA using real-time PCR. Results: Out of the two genes polymorphisms analyzed, the DEPDC5 and MICA variants were significantly related to the development of HCC (p<0.0001). Only the DEPDC5 variants showed a high (p<0.0001) significant difference in patients with cirrhosis. Moreover, the DEPDC5 variants were significantly correlated with low platelets count (p<0.045). Conclusion: DEPDC5 (rs1012068) and MICA (rs2596542) could be a valuable indicator in diagnosing the progression of liver disease to HCC risk related Hepatitis C Virus patients in Egypt.