OBJECTIVETo investigate the differentially expressed genes of proliferating and involuting hemangiomas by cDNA microarray analysis of gene-expression profiles in an effort to identify the key disease-related genes.

METHODSSamples were processed from total RNA and purified to mRNA, which was reverse-transcripted and hybridized onto Biodoor Genechip expression microarrays. Analyses were performed to determine the consensus pattern of gene expression in the proliferating and involuting stages of the same hemangioma and the changes in the expression level.

RESULTSIn proliferating hemangioma, 79 genes were overexpressed, and 115 genes were underexpressed in comparison with the involuting hemangioma. Some cytokines and growth factors such as neurotensin, Nov, CYR6, keratinocyte growth factor, interleukin-10 were overexpressed in proliferative hemangioma. In involuting hemangioma, apoptotic factors such as bcl-2 binding component, cytochrome C were overexpressed. The overexpression of Nov, CYR6, c-myc implied that angiogenesis and oncogenes might participate in the pathogenesis of hemangiomas. Mitochondria activated apoptotic passage (cytokines, bcl-2, cytochrome C) and Wnt/beta-catenin passage(Frizzled, beta-catenin, c-myc) were involved.

CONCLUSIONThe development of hemangiomas may be the results of imbalance of cell proliferation and apoptosis.