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)

During a search for trans-acting factors associating with insulin-like growth factor II (IGF-II) mRNAs, we recently identified a family of three IGF-II mRNA-binding Proteins (IMP1, IMP2 and IMP3) that exhibit multiple attachments to IGF-II leader 3 mRNA and the reciprocally imprinted H19 RNA. IMPs contain the unique combination of two RNA recognition motifs (RRMs) and four hnRNP K homology (KH) domains. IMP1 is orthologous to the chicken zipcode-binding protein (ZBP-1), and the mouse c-myc coding region determinant-binding protein (CRD-BP) that associates with beta-actin and c-myc mRNA, respectively. Moreover, the p62 protein identified in hepatocellular carcinoma represents a splice variant of IMP2, and IMP3 is orthologous to the Xenopus Vegetal 1 RNA-binding protein (Vgl-RBP/Vera). IMPs are produced in a biphasic fashion--initially during the early stages of embryogenesis and subsequently later in development. IMPs and their orthologues are predominantly cytoplasmic and are implicated in the transport of their RNA targets towards the leading edge in somatic cells and to the vegetal pole in Xenopus oocytes, respectively. RNA localization is a conserved mechanism of polarizing genetic information in the establishment of asymmetries during both embryogenesis and adult life, enabling local protein synthesis at final destinations within the cell. The identification of developmentally expressed zipcode-binding proteins indicates that RNA trafficking participates in processes such as cell-growth and migration during embryogenesis.
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PMID:A family of IGF-II mRNA binding proteins (IMP) involved in RNA trafficking. 1171 86

We studied the fundamental instrumental issues relevant to a capillary-based integrated system to measure expression of a specific gene directly from cells. Samples were introduced into a capillary by use of a syringe pump. All reactions were carried out in a microthermocycler, where a part of the capillary having 1 microL inner volume was used as a reaction vessel. First, cells were lysed by heating to release RNA, followed by deoxyribonuclease (DNase) treatment. Then, reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) was performed to obtain amplified products from the targeted mRNA. Finally, the product was verified by capillary electrophoresis (CE) with laser-induced fluorescence detection. The whole protocol was completed in the system in 3 h. PCR product from beta-actin mRNA in 16 human lymphoblast cells was obtained with a signal-to-noise ratio (S/N) of 3400 +/- 730 (n = 3). Therefore, the system is reproducible and sensitive enough to measure gene expression from a single cell. We show that the amplified fragment from breast cancer-specific mRNA was obtained from cells of breast cancer cell line, but was not obtained from cells of hepatoma cell line. These results therefore lay the foundations for future CE or microchip instrumentation for high-throughput automated gene-expression analysis.
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PMID:Integrated on-capillary instrumentation for gene expression measurement directly from cells. 1256 37

The heterogeneous nuclear ribonucleoprotein K protein is an RNA- and DNA-binding protein implicated in the regulation of multiple processes that comprise gene expression. We used chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) assays to explore K protein interactions with serum-inducible, constitutively expressed and untranscribed gene loci in vivo. In the rat HTC-IR hepatoma cell line, serum treatment induced transient increases in the mRNA levels of two immediate-early genes, egr-1 and c-myc. ChIP analysis showed that the induction of egr-1 and c-myc genes was associated with a transient recruitment of K protein to multiple sites within each of these loci, including the promoter and transcribed regions. In contrast, recruitment of K protein to the constitutively transcribed beta-actin locus and to randomly chosen non-transcribed loci was far weaker. In rat mesangial cells, c-myc was constitutively expressed while egr-1 remained serum responsive. In these cells, ChIP analysis showed serum-induced recruitment to the inducible egr-1 but not to the c-myc locus. Pre-treatment with the transcription inhibitor actinomycin D blocked the inducible but not the constitutive binding of K protein to these loci. Taken together, the results of this study suggest that the transient recruitment of K protein to serum-responsive loci depends on the inducible transcription of these immediate-early genes.
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PMID:Transient recruitment of the hnRNP K protein to inducibly transcribed gene loci. 1285 11

Mallory body (MB) experimental induction takes 10 weeks of drug ingestion. Therefore, it is difficult to study the dynamics and mechanisms involved in vivo. Consequently, an in vitro study was done using primary tissue culture of hepatocytes from drug-primed mice livers in which MBs had already formed. The hypothesis to be tested was that MBs are cytokeratin aggresomes, which form when hepatocytes have a defective ubiquitin-proteasome pathway by which turnover of cytokeratin proteins is prevented. To test this hypothesis, primary tissue cultures of the hepatocytes from normal and MB-forming livers were incubated with the proteasome inhibitor PS-341 and then the cytokeratin filaments and the filament connecting proteins, that is, beta-actin, and ZO1, were visualized by immunofluorescence microscopy. PS-341 caused detachment of the cytokeratins from the cell surface plasma membrane. The cytokeratin filaments retracted toward the nucleus and cytokeratin aggresomes formed. In human livers, MBs showed colocalization of cytokeratin-8 (CK-8) with ubiquitin but not with beta-actin or ZO1. Mouse hepatoma cell lines were studied using PS-341 to induce cytokeratin aggresome formation. In these cell lines, the cytokeratin filaments first retracted toward the nucleus then formed cytokeratin-ubiquitin aggresomes polarized at one side of the nucleus. At the same time, the cells became dissociated from each other, however. The results simulated MB formation. MBs differ from cytokeratin aggresomes both morphologically and in ultrastructure.
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PMID:The proteasome inhibitor, PS-341, causes cytokeratin aggresome formation. 1473 63

The effect of dietary polyunsaturated fatty acids on the expression of differentiation and proliferation markers in Morris 3924A hepatoma cells was investigated. ACT/I rats were conditioned 10 days with diets enriched with linoleic acid or alpha-linolenic acid before subcutaneous hepatoma cell transplantation. After 19 days from the inoculum, the mRNA levels of liver-enriched transcription factors and of their target genes were quantified. Both linoleic acid- and linolenic acid-enriched diets induced a decrease of beta-actin, AFP, PCNA, c-myc and of hepatocyte nuclear factors HNF-1alpha and HNF-4alpha mRNA levels in tumor tissue whereas HNF-3beta expression was induced by both dietary treatments. Only the alpha-linolenic acid-enriched diet was effective in reducing c-jun and increasing albumin mRNA levels. Since albumin is a C/EBPalpha target gene, C/EBPalpha gene transcription was evaluated at both protein and mRNA levels. It was found that alpha-linolenic acid-enriched diet did not enhance the C/EBPalpha mRNA content in hepatoma tissue while inducing C/EBPalpha protein expression with an isoform pattern similar to the hepatic phenotype. This evidence implies that alpha-linolenic acid or one of its metabolic products induce albumin synthesis in hepatoma cells by modulating C/EBPalpha gene expression at post-transcriptional level.
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PMID:Dietary PUFA modulate the expression of proliferation and differentiation markers in Morris 3924A hepatoma cells. 1629 Jan 14

The pituitary tumor transforming gene 1 (PTTG1) protein is cell-cycle regulated and is identified as a human securin that inhibits sister chromatid separation and is involved in transformation and tumorigenesis. PTTG1 has very low or undetectable expression in most normal human tissues, but it is abundantly expressed in malignant cell lines and pituitary tumors. In this study, we investigated human PTTG1 expression in 62 hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) specimens using quantitative real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction analysis. We found that, compared with corresponding noncancerous liver tissues, PTTG1 was remarkably overexpressed in HCCs (PTTG1/beta-actin; 0.443 +/- 0.073 vs. 0.068 +/- 0.007; P < .0001). Furthermore, we found a significant correlation between PTTG1 expression and serum alpha-fetoprotein level (P < .001). Univariate and multivariate analyses revealed that the PTTG1 messenger RNA (mRNA) expression was an independent prognostic factor for disease-free (odds ratio 2.70; P = .037) and overall (odds ratio 5.35; P = .007) survival. Moreover, we discovered a significant relationship between PTTG1 expression and intratumoral microvessel density. Our data supported an important role for PTTG1-mediated upregulation of fibroblast growth factor (FGF)-2, one of angiogenesis and modulation of tumor progression, in hepatocarcinogenesis. In conclusion, PTTG1 might be critically involved in the development of HCCs through the promotion of angiogenesis. PTTG1 is overexpressed in HCC and our results suggest that PTTG1 mRNA expression has prognostic significance for the survival of postoperative patients with HCC.
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PMID:Overexpression of pituitary tumor transforming gene 1 in HCC is associated with angiogenesis and poor prognosis. 1713 95

Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) is involved in both development and progression of several epithelial tumours, but its role in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is unclear. Assessment of liver and blood levels of VEGF may provide further insights on angiogenesis in HCC. Tissue mRNA of VEGF-165, VEGF-189 and their receptor KDR was assessed by a semi-quantitative retro-transcriptase polymerase chain reaction, and expressed as target transcript/beta-actin ratio, in 29 patients with HCC, 26 with cirrhosis and 15 with chronic hepatitis. VEGF-165 was also measured by ELISA in plasma samples obtained from both hepatic and femoral veins in additional 58 patients, including 15 with HCC. The liver expression of mRNA of VEGF-165, VEGF-189 and KDR was higher in HCC than in chronic liver diseases (1.54 +/- 0.89 vs 0.62 +/- 0.47, P < 0.0001; 1.09 +/- 0.65 vs 0.64 +/- 0.54, P = 0.003; 1.30 +/- 1.09 vs 0.69 +/- 0.72, P = 0.014). VEGF-165 was higher in HCC tissue than in extra-tumoural tissues (1.44 +/- 0.31 vs 1.03 +/- 0.21, P = 0.0009) and in the cirrhotic tissue of HCC patients than in HCC-free cirrhosis (1.03 +/- 0.23 vs 0.45 +/- 0.45, P = 0.0002). Tissue VEGF-189 mRNA inversely correlated with tumour size and degree of tumour cell proliferation. The hepatic and femoral vein levels of VEGF-165 protein were significantly higher in HCC patients than in cirrhotic patients (66.7 +/- 57.1 vs 24.2 +/- 16.4 pg/mL, P = 0.0001 and 37.1 +/- 42.2 vs 13.5 +/- 9.6 pg/mL, P = 0.001). There was a gradient of VEGF-165 between hepatic and femoral veins in both HCC and cirrhosis. In conclusion, VEGF appears to be involved in the development of HCC and it could be a predictor of HCC development in patients with cirrhosis.
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PMID:Increased expression of vascular endothelial growth factor in small hepatocellular carcinoma. 1724 53

The investigation of antigenic diversion of tumor cells resulting from the expression of heteroorganic antigens has been continued. Tumor-associated heteroorganic antigens with mol. weight 200-210 kDa (identified before as laminin), 105-130, 75-80 and 43 kDa were detected by anti-kidney serum in fractions of plasmatic membranes of cells of rat ascitic Zajdela hepatoma and cultured HTC hepatoma; the antigen 43 kDa was isolated on immunosorbent and identified by mass spectrometry as beta-actin. Anti-kidney serum revealed laminin in fractions of plasmatic membranes of cultured L8 and L6J1 myoblasts, and L6J1 myotubes; apparently, synthesis of laminin by hepatoma and myogenic cells is not connected with their proliferative activity. Besides, anti-kidney serum detected components 38, 42, 44, 48, 62, 78 and 120 kDa, expression of which on myogenic cells surface might be consequence of active cell proliferation and (or) differentiation.
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PMID:[Comparative investigation of antigens associated with plasmatic membranes of rat hepatoma and myogenic cells using anti-kidney serum]. 1821 62

Mice lacking hepatocyte IKKbeta (Ikkbeta(Delta hep)) are defective in TNFalpha-activation of hepatocellular transcription factor NF-kappaB, and highly susceptible to hepatotoxicity. Following diethylnitrosamine (DEN) exposure, Ikkbeta(Delta hep) mice develop more hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) than control mice due partly to enhanced DEN-induced hepatocyte death. Here we show that Ikkbeta(Delta hep) hepatocytes display growth advantages over normal hepatocytes consisting of precocious PCNA and cyclin D1 expression during liver regeneration (shortened hepatocyte G(0)-->G(1) transitions), and enhanced recovery efficiency, cyclin D1 expression and cell proliferation after plating. Ex vivo deletion of Ikkbeta also accelerates hepatocyte growth. Ikkbeta(Delta hep) hepatocyte proliferative responses show heightened sensitivity to TGFalpha and TNFalpha, and heightened expression of fibronectin, collagens I/III, nidogen, beta-actin and integrin beta1 mRNAs. These findings suggest that altered mitogen signaling and expression of extracellular matrix and its associated components underlie growth advantages. Increased HCC development in Ikkbeta(Delta hep) mice may also be caused by growth advantages of surviving Ikkbeta-deleted hepatocytes.
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PMID:Targeted deletion of hepatocyte Ikkbeta confers growth advantages. 1917 Nov 22

Identification and characterization of novel genes involved in derangement of metabolisms of glucose and triglycerides are important in understanding the development of metabolic syndrome (MS) and atherosclerosis. Model rats with certain phenotypes of MS were fed a high-carbohydrate diet. The rat hepatic subtracted cDNA libraries were constructed and screened. A novel cDNA of full length was identified by screening of a human hepatic cDNA library with a mixture of probes of the differentially expressed fragments from the rat hepatic subtracted cDNA libraries. The corresponding gene of the cDNA was temporarily named metabolic syndrome-associated gene (MSAG). The predicted protein encoded by MSAG contains 110 amino acids and has a theoretical molecular weight of 11667.04 and an isoelectric point of 4.91. Compared with the housekeeping gene of beta-actin, MSAG had low transcription activity. However, the mRNA level of MSAG in HepG2 cells, a human hepatoma cell line, was significantly increased by glucose and decreased by insulin concentrations higher than physiological levels. These results suggest that MSAG may be involved in the metabolism and/or its regulation of glucose, the functioning of insulin under non-physiological conditions, and further in the development of metabolic syndrome.
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PMID:Identification of a novel gene, MSAG, regulated by high levels of glucose and insulin. 1923 44


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