[Minus strand of hepatitis C virus RNA in hepatocellular carcinoma and pericancerous nontumor liver tissue].

In five hepatocellular carcinoma patients with type C chronic live disease (four men and one woman), the minus strand of hepatitis C virus RNA was examined by nested polymerase chain reaction (PCR), The plus strand RNA was detected in the sera and pericancerous nontumor liver tissue, but the minus strand RNA was only detected in the liver (except 2 hepatocellular carcinoma). Because hepatitis C virus has a single-strand RNA of positive polarity, a minus-strand RNA is expected to be found in hepatitis C virus replicating tissues as a template for the synthesis of genome RNA. The detection of the minus strand of hepatitis C virus suggested that this virus may not only function as initiator of hepatocarcinogenesis, but may also as a promoter of carcinogenesis.