Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
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Query: UMLS:C0019204 (hepatocellular carcinoma)
 71,386 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Gluconeogenesis in the chicken has unique features due in part to the presence of two isozymes of PEPCK, a cytosolic form, PEPCK-C, and a mitochondrial form, PEPCK-M, which have novel patterns of expression. Here we show that, in contrast to mammals, in which PEPCK-C is not present in liver until after birth, avian PEPCK-C is expressed throughout embryonic life with mRNA levels gradually decreasing as development proceeds and becoming negligible at time of hatching. In addition two distinct mRNAs for PEPCK-M are expressed during development with specific patterns that vary among individual birds. These differences are likely to be genetic, as hormonal treatment of a chicken hepatoma cell line indicates that whereas the mRNA levels for PEPCK-C are hormonally regulated, the expression of PEPCK-M mRNA is unresponsive.
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PMID:Expression of the genes for the mitochondrial and cytosolic forms of phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase in avian liver during development. 839 1

5-Amino-4-imidazolecarboxamide riboside (AICAR) is known to stimulate rat liver 5'-AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK). AMPK is the mammalian homologue of Snf1p in yeast, involved in derepression of glucose-repressed genes. We used AICAR to test if AMPK could also play a role in the regulation of glucose-dependent genes in mammalian cells. At a concentration which induces phosphorylation-dependent inactivation of HMG-CoA reductase, AICAR blocked glucose activation of three glucose responsive genes, namely L-type pyruvate kinase (L-PK), Spot 14 and fatty acid synthase genes in primary cultured hepatocytes, but was without any action on glucose phosphorylation to glucose 6-phosphate and on expression of PEPCK, albumin and beta-actin genes. AICAR was also found to inhibit activation of the L-PK gene promoter by glucose in transiently transfected hepatoma cells. Therefore our results suggest that AMPK is probably involved in the glucose signal pathway regulating gene expression in the liver.
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PMID:The 5'-AMP-activated protein kinase inhibits the transcriptional stimulation by glucose in liver cells, acting through the glucose response complex. 970 98

Several protein-nucleic acid complexes are observed when nuclear extracts from hepatoma cells are assayed for binding to the cAMP response element found in the phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase-cytosolic (PEPCK-C) promoter. Although cAMP response element-binding protein and CCAAT/enhancer binding proteins alpha and beta have been identified as liver factors that bind this motif, an uncharacterized, slower migrating complex was also observed. We identify activating transcription factor-2 (ATF-2) as the factor in this complex and show that ATF-2 stimulates expression from the PEPCK-C promoter. ATF-2 is a basic-leucine zipper transcription factor and a target for stress-activated protein kinases. We demonstrate that p38beta mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinase augments ATF-2 transactivation activity on the PEPCK-C promoter, which is consistent with the interpretation that PEPCK-C promoter activity is maintained under stress through a p38 MAP kinase dependent pathway. In this regard, we show that treatment with sodium arsenite, a known activator of p38 MAP kinases, also stimulates expression from the PEPCK promoter. These results show that ATF-2 can stimulate transcription of the PEPCK-C promoter and support a role for stress inducible kinases in the maintenance of PEPCK-C expression.
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PMID:Activating transcription factor-2 regulates phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase transcription through a stress-inducible mitogen-activated protein kinase pathway. 971 2

The insulin response element (IRE) in the IGFBP-1 promoter, and in other gene promoters, contains a T(A/G)TTT motif essential for insulin inhibition of transcription. Studies presented here test whether FKHR may be the transcription factor that confers insulin inhibition through this IRE motif. Immunoblots using antiserum to the synthetic peptide FKHR413-430, RNase protection, and Northerns blots show that FKHR is expressed in HEP G2 human hepatoma cells. Southwestern blots, electromobility shift assays, and DNase I protection assays show that Escherichia coli-expressed GST-FKHR binds specifically to IREs from the IGFBP-1, PEPCK and TAT genes; however, unlike HNF3beta, another protein proposed to be the insulin regulated factor, GST-FKHR does not bind the insulin unresponsive G/C-A/C mutation of the IGFBP-1 IRE. When HEP G2 cells were cotransfected with FKHR expression vectors and with IGFBP-1 promoter plasmids containing either native or mutant IREs, FKHR expression induced a 5-fold increase in activity of the native IGFBP-1 promoter but no increase in activity of promoter constructs containing insulin unresponsive IRE mutants. These data suggest that FKHR, and/or a related family member, is the important T(G/A)TTT binding protein that confers the inhibitory effect of insulin on gene transcription.
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PMID:FKHR binds the insulin response element in the insulin-like growth factor binding protein-1 promoter. 1038 7

Insulin regulates the rate of expression of many hepatic genes, including PEPCK, glucose-6-phosphatase (G6Pase), and glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PDHase). The expression of these genes is also abnormally regulated in type 2 diabetes. We demonstrate here that treatment of hepatoma cells with 5-aminoimidazole-4-carboxamide riboside (AICAR), an agent that activates AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK), mimics the ability of insulin to repress PEPCK gene transcription. It also partially represses G6Pase gene transcription and yet has no effect on the expression of G6PDHase or the constitutively expressed genes cyclophilin or beta-actin. Several lines of evidence suggest that the insulin-mimetic effects of AICAR are mediated by activation of AMPK. Also, insulin does not activate AMPK in H4IIE cells, suggesting that this protein kinase does not link the insulin receptor to the PEPCK and G6Pase gene promoters. Instead, AMPK and insulin may lie on distinct pathways that converge at a point upstream of these 2 gene promoters. Investigation of the pathway by which AMPK acts may therefore give insight into the mechanism of action of insulin. Our results also suggest that activation of AMPK would inhibit hepatic gluconeogenesis in an insulin-independent manner and thus help to reverse the hyperglycemia associated with type 2 diabetes.
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PMID:5-aminoimidazole-4-carboxamide riboside mimics the effects of insulin on the expression of the 2 key gluconeogenic genes PEPCK and glucose-6-phosphatase. 1086 40

A major action of insulin is to regulate the transcription rate of specific genes. The expression of these genes is dramatically altered in type 2 diabetes. For example, the expression of two hepatic genes, glucose-6-phosphatase and PEPCK, is normally inhibited by insulin, but in type 2 diabetes, their expression is insensitive to insulin. An agent that mimics the effect of insulin on the expression of these genes would reduce gluconeogenesis and hepatic glucose output, even in the presence of insulin resistance. The repressive actions of insulin on these genes are dependent on phosphatidylinositol (PI) 3-kinase. However, the molecules that lie between this lipid kinase and the two gene promoters are unknown. Glycogen synthase kinase-3 (GSK-3) is inhibited following activation of PI 3-kinase and protein kinase B. In hepatoma cells, we find that selectively reducing GSK-3 activity strongly reduces the expression of both gluconeogenic genes. The effect is at the level of transcription and is observed with induced or basal gene expression. In addition, GSK-3 inhibition does not result in the subsequent activation of protein kinase B or inhibition of the transcription factor FKHR, which are candidate regulatory molecules for these promoters. Thus, GSK-3 activity is required for basal activity of each promoter. Inhibitors of GSK-3 should therefore reduce hepatic glucose output, as well as increase the synthesis of glycogen from L-glucose. These findings indicate that GSK-3 inhibitors may have greater therapeutic potential for lowering blood glucose levels and treating type 2 diabetes than previously realized.
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PMID:Inhibition of GSK-3 selectively reduces glucose-6-phosphatase and phosphatase and phosphoenolypyruvate carboxykinase gene expression. 1133 36

The glucocorticoid receptor (GR) and the tumor suppressor p53 mediate different stress responses. We have studied the mechanism of their mutual inhibition in normal endothelial cells (HUVEC) in response to hypoxia, a physiological stress, and mitomycin C, which damages DNA. Dexamethasone (Dex) stimulates the degradation of endogenous GR and p53 by the proteasome pathway in HUVEC under hypoxia and mitomycin C treatments, and also in hepatoma cells (HepG2) under normoxia. Dex inhibits the functions of p53 (apoptosis, Bax, and p21(WAF1/CIP1) expression) and GR (PEPCK and G-6-Pase expression). Endogenous p53 and GR form a ligand-dependent trimeric complex with Hdm2 in the cytoplasm. Disruption of the p53-HDM2 interaction prevents Dex-induced ubiquitylation of GR and p53. The ubiquitylation of GR requires p53, the interaction of p53 with Hdm2, and E3 ligase activity of Hdm2. These results provide a mechanistic basis for GR and p53 acting as opposing forces in the decision between cell death and survival.
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PMID:Ligand-dependent interaction of the glucocorticoid receptor with p53 enhances their degradation by Hdm2. 1156 47

Increased hepatic glucose output and decreased glucose utilization are implicated in the development of type 2 diabetes. We previously reported that the expression of a novel gene, Tanis, was upregulated in the liver during fasting in the obese/diabetic animal model Psammomys obesus. Here, we have further studied the protein and its function. Cell fractionation indicated that Tanis was localized in the plasma membrane and microsomes but not in the nucleus, mitochondria, or soluble protein fraction. Consistent with previous gene expression data, hepatic Tanis protein levels increased more significantly in diabetic P. obesus than in nondiabetic controls after fasting. We used a recombinant adenovirus to increase Tanis expression in hepatoma H4IIE cells and investigated its role in metabolism. Tanis overexpression reduced glucose uptake, basal and insulin-stimulated glycogen synthesis, and glycogen content and attenuated the suppression of PEPCK gene expression by insulin, but it did not affect insulin-stimulated insulin receptor phosphorylation or triglyceride synthesis. These results suggest that Tanis may be involved in the regulation of glucose metabolism, and increased expression of Tanis could contribute to insulin resistance in the liver.
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PMID:Elevation in Tanis expression alters glucose metabolism and insulin sensitivity in H4IIE cells. 1266 63

Acute hyperglycemia normally suppresses hepatic glucose production (HGP) and gluconeogenic gene expression. Conversely, chronic hyperglycemia is accompanied by progressive increases in basal HGP and is a major contributor to hyperglycemia in both type 1 and type 2 diabetes by mechanisms that are poorly understood. The aim of this study was to investigate the molecular mechanisms whereby hyperglycemia contributes to excessive gluconeogenesis in Fao hepatoma cells. Increasing glucose from 5 to 20 mmol/l resulted in loss of glucose inhibition of PEPCK gene expression after 12 h. Furthermore, 24 h of incubation with 20 mmol/l glucose increased cAMP-stimulated PEPCK mRNA by approximately 40% (P < 0.05) and similarly increased glucose production. Although total CCAAT/enhancer-binding protein beta (C/EBPbeta) protein levels were suppressed, 20 mmol/l glucose increased the liver activating protein (LAP; an active isoform of C/EBPbeta)/liver inhibitory protein (LIP; an inhibitory isoform of C/EBPbeta) ratio significantly. Chromatin immunoprecipitation studies of the endogenous PEPCK gene demonstrated an increased association of LAP with the cAMP response element of the promoter. Using transient transfection to manipulate the LAP/LIP ratio, we also demonstrate a direct relationship between this ratio and PEPCK promoter activity. An increased LAP/LIP ratio not only enhanced cAMP- and dexamethasone-induced PEPCK gene expression but also impaired the repressive effect of insulin. These results demonstrate that sustained hyperglycemia diminishes the inhibitory effect of glucose and insulin on PEPCK expression and enhances hormone-stimulated PEPCK gene expression and hepatocellular glucose production. Because prolonged hyperglycemia increases the LAP/LIP ratio and can potentiate hormone induction of PEPCK transcription, our results suggest that a hyperglycemia-driven increased LAP/LIP ratio may be a critical molecular event in the pathogenesis of increased HGP in diabetes.
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PMID:Chronic hyperglycemia enhances PEPCK gene expression and hepatocellular glucose production via elevated liver activating protein/liver inhibitory protein ratio. 1579 35

Insulin is a key hormone that controls glucose homeostasis. In liver, insulin suppresses gluconeogenesis by inhibiting the transcriptions of phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase (PEPCK) and glucose-6-phosphatase (G6Pase) genes. In insulin resistance and type II diabetes there is an elevation of hepatic gluconeogenesis, which contributes to hyperglycemia. To search for novel genes that negatively regulate insulin signaling in controlling metabolic pathways, we screened a cDNA library derived from the white adipose tissue of ob/ob mice using a reporter system comprised of the PEPCK promoter placed upstream of the alkaline phosphatase gene. The mitogen-activated dual specificity protein kinase phosphatase 3 (MKP-3) was identified as a candidate gene that antagonized insulin suppression on PEPCK gene transcription from this screen. In this study, we showed that MKP-3 was expressed in insulin-responsive tissues and that its expression was markedly elevated in the livers of insulin-resistant obese mice. In addition, MKP-3 can activate PEPCK promoter in synergy with dexamethasone in hepatoma cells. Furthermore, ectopic expression of MKP-3 in hepatoma cells by adenoviral infection increased the expression of PEPCK and G6Pase genes and led to elevated glucose production. Taken together, our data strongly suggests that MKP-3 plays a role in regulating gluconeogenic gene expression and hepatic gluconeogenesis. Therefore, dysregulation of MKP-3 expression and/or function in liver may contribute to the pathogenesis of insulin resistance and type II diabetes.
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PMID:Dual specificity MAPK phosphatase 3 activates PEPCK gene transcription and increases gluconeogenesis in rat hepatoma cells. 1612 24


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