Overexpression of sterol carrier protein-2 mRNA in patients with cholesterol gallstones

BACKGROUND: Hypersecretion of biliary cholesterol is believed to be one of the important causes of lithogenic bile. Sterol carrier protein-2 ( SCP2 ) participates in choles- terol trafficking and metabolism and may play a key role in cholesterol gallstone formation. This study was undertaken to investigate the expression of liver SCP2 mRNA in pa- tients with cholesterol gallstone and those patients with non-cholesterol gallstone. METHODS: The expression of liver SCP2 mRNA was studi- ed in 36 patients with cholesterol gallstone and 30 patients with non-cholesterol gallstone by reverse transcription-poly- merase chain reaction (RT-PCR). RESULT: The expression of SCP2 mRNA was increased more significantly in patients with cholesterol gallstone than in patients with non-cholesterol gallstone. CONCLUSION: The SCP2 gene was overexpressed in pa- tients with cholesterol gallstone, indicating that SCP2 may be one of the important causes of cholesterol gallstone.