UMLS:C0019204 - FACTA Search

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Query: UMLS:C0019204 (hepatocellular carcinoma)
71,386 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Cytokeratin 8 (K8) is a member of the intermediate filament (IF) gene family expressed by simple epithelial cells and by some carcinoma cells. The majority of the cellular K8 is assembled with its partner, K18, into highly insoluble 10 nm filaments that extend from the nucleus to the internal leaflet of the plasma membrane. At desmosomes and hemidesmosomes, K8, K18, and other IF proteins are bridged to proteins with transmembrane domains by a family of proteins called plakins. K8 does not have a signal peptide or a well-defined transmembrane domain; however, there is substantial evidence that this protein is available to bind plasminogen and K8-specific antibodies on the surfaces of certain epithelial cells in culture, including hepatocytes, hepatocellular carcinoma cells, and various breast cancer cell lines. This may reflect a novel mechanism of protein penetration through the plasma membrane or binding of secreted K8 to other cell-surface molecules. Cancer cells are known to secrete K8-containing protein complexes in vitro and in vivo. These complexes bind plasminogen as well. The plasminogen-binding activity of K8 is unique amongst IF proteins, probably because its sequence includes a carboxyl-terminal Lys residue. However, a K8 mutant that lacks the C-terminal Lys still binds plasminogen, albeit with decreased affinity. K18 does not bind plasminogen; however, K8 and K18 bind tissue-type plasminogen activator (tPA) equivalently. tPA-binding to K18 may be important in the mechanism whereby K8-K18 complexes promote plasminogen activation by tPA. Numerous studies have demonstrated correlations between high levels of K8 expression and increased migration and invasion of certain cancer cells. These correlations are most easily explained by the function of IF proteins in determining the rigidity of the cytoskeleton; however, the function of cell-surface K8 as a plasminogen receptor merits consideration. We have demonstrated that certain aggressive breast cancer cell lines, which have highly activated endogenous urokinase type-plasminogen activator (uPA)-uPA receptor (uPAR) systems, do not express high levels of cell-surface K8. The membrane macromolecule that is responsible for plasminogen-binding and for supporting activation of plasminogen by uPA on the surfaces of these cell types remains to be determined. This review focuses on the function of K8 as a plasminogen receptor and its potential role in cancer.
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PMID:Cytokeratin 8 functions as a major plasminogen receptor in select epithelial and carcinoma cells. 1168 50

The prognosis of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) still remains dismal, although many advances in its clinical study have been made. It is important for tumor control to identify the factors that predispose patients to death. With new discoveries in cancer biology, the pathological and biological prognostic factors of HCC have been studied quite extensively. Analyzing molecular markers (biomarkers) with prognostic significance is a complementary method. A large number of molecular factors have been shown to associate with the invasiveness of HCC, and have potential prognostic significance. One important aspect is the analysis of molecular markers for the cellular malignancy phenotype. These include alterations in DNA ploidy, cellular proliferation markers (PCNA, Ki-67, Mcm2, MIB1, MIA, and CSE1L/CAS protein), nuclear morphology, the p53 gene and its related molecule MD M2, other cell cycle regulators (cyclin A, cyclin D, cyclin E, cdc2, p27, p73), oncogenes and their receptors (such as ras, c-myc, c-fms, HGF, c-met, and erb-B receptor family members), apoptosis related factors (Fas and FasL), as well as telomerase activity. Another important aspect is the analysis of molecular markers involved in the process of cancer invasion and metastasis. Adhesion molecules (E-cadherin, catenins, serum intercellular adhesion molecule-1, CD44 variants), proteinases involved in the degradation of extracellular matrix (MMP-2, MMP-9, uPA, uPAR, PAI), as well as other molecules have been regarded as biomarkers for the malignant phenotype of HCC, and are related to prognosis and therapeutic outcomes. Tumor angiogenesis is critical to both the growth and metastasis of cancers including HCC, and has drawn much attention in recent years. Many angiogenesis-related markers, such as vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF), platelet-derived endothelial cell growth factor (PD-ECGF), thrombospondin (TSP), angiogenin, pleiotrophin, and endostatin (ES) levels, as well as intratumor microvessel density (MVD) have been evaluated and found to be of prognostic significance. Body fluid (particularly blood and urinary) testing for biomarkers is easily accessible and useful in clinical patients. The prognostic significance of circulating DNA in plasma or serum, and its genetic alterations in HCC are other important trends. More attention should be paid to these two areas in future. As the progress of the human genome project advances, so does a clearer understanding of tumor biology, and more and more new prognostic markers with high sensitivity and specificity will be found and used in clinical assays. However, the combination of some items, i.e., the pathological features and some biomarkers mentioned above, seems to be more practical for now.
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PMID:The prognostic molecular markers in hepatocellular carcinoma. 1204 56

Fibrolamellar variant is an uncommon subcategory of hepatocellular carcinoma with a better prognostic outcome. Proteinases and growth factors that are involved in the remodeling of extracellular matrix may influence the behavior of cancers. To determine whether these factors contribute to the distinct etiologies of fibrolamellar hepatocellular carcinoma and traditional hepatocellular carcinoma, we assayed hepatocyte growth factor, the hepatocyte growth factor receptor, and two hepatocyte growth factor activators, hepatocyte growth factor activator and urokinase-type plasminogen activator, in hepatocellular carcinoma, fibrolamellar hepatocellular carcinoma, cirrhotic liver and normal liver. In addition, we examined the urokinase-type plasminogen activator receptor, the type 1 plasminogen activator inhibitor, plasmin, fibrinogen, and the type IV matrix metalloproteinases. Eighteen hepatocellular carcinomas and 11 fibrolamellar hepatocellular carcinomas were obtained as paraffin embedded sections from the University of Pittsburgh Department of Pathology. Frozen tissues from a subset of cases (9 hepatocellular carcinomas, 4 fibrolamellar hepatocellular carcinomas, 12 cirrhotic livers and 2 normal livers) were also available for analysis. Antibodies against urokinase-type plasminogen activator, urokinase-type plasminogen activator receptor, hepatocyte growth factor and hepatocyte growth factor receptor were used to analyze immunoperoxidase stained slides from the paraffin blocks. Western blot analyses using antibodies against hepatocyte growth factor, hepatocyte growth factor receptor, phosphotyrosine, hepatocyte growth factor activator, urokinase-type plasminogen activator receptor, urokinase-type plasminogen activator, plasminogen activator inhibitor-1, fibrinogen and plasmin were performed on membrane-enriched fractions from the frozen tissue, as was collagen zymography for matrix metalloproteinase-2 and matrix metalloproteinase-9. The most notable findings are as follows: hepatocyte growth factor activator was only detected in malignant tissue but not cirrhotic liver or normal liver. Although hepatocyte growth factor was detected in most samples, it was significantly elevated in 5/9 hepatocellular carcinomas. Furthermore, 8/9 fibrolamellar hepatocellular carcinomas demonstrated hepatocyte growth factor receptor levels similar to normal, whereas 8/9 hepatocellular carcinomas and 11/12 cirrhotic livers exhibited either an increase or decrease. In contrast, active matrix metalloproteinase-2, which was absent in normal liver, was elevated in fibrolamellar hepatocellular carcinoma as compared to cirrhotic liver and conventional hepatocellular carcinoma. Surprisingly, 10/12 cirrhotic livers and 2/4 fibrolamellar hepatocellular carcinomas but only 1/9 hepatocellular carcinomas were enriched for plasmin. The combined data suggest that the hepatocyte growth factor and plasmin systems tend to be operative in hepatocellular carcinoma and cirrhotic liver, more than fibrolamellar hepatocellular carcinoma. Furthermore, matrix turnover appears to be a more prominent feature of fibrolamellar hepatocellular carcinoma. These findings provide insight into the behavioral differences between hepatocellular carcinoma and the fibrolamellar variant.
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PMID:HGF, MET, and matrix-related proteases in hepatocellular carcinoma, fibrolamellar variant, cirrhotic and normal liver. 1252 8

A 57-year-old man, who had undergone hepatic arterial infusion chemotherapy with right portal occlusion for hepatocellular carcinoma was admitted to our hospital because of severe abdominal pain. Contrast-enhanced computed tomograms revealed that most areas of the liver were not enhanced, a finding suspicious for perfusion disturbance in the liver. Angiography revealed an interrupted right hepatic artery. Arterial portograms revealed complete obstruction of the right portal vein and a small left branch of the portal vein. Despite anticoagulant therapy with urokinase for portal vein thrombosis, the patient died from hepatorenal failure. Autopsy revealed that cholangiocarcinoma occupied almost the entire parenchyma of the right lobe, although the treated hepatocellular carcinoma lesion was completely necrotic. The right hepatic artery was obstructed due to direct invasion of tumor. There were diffuse thrombi in the left portal branches surrounded by tumor infiltrating along Glisson's sheath to the peripheral portion of the left lobe.
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PMID:Portal thrombosis due to intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma following successful treatment for hepatocellular carcinoma. 1284 99

Telomere maintenance and telomerase reactivation are near universal features of human hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), yet the shorter telomeres and highly abnormal cytogenetic profiles of HCC suggest that telomere erosion and dysfunction may be operative during the formative stages of tumorigenesis. Previous studies have established that the cancer-enhancing or suppressing impact of telomere dysfunction is highly dependent on several parameters including cell type, tumor stage, and p53 status. Here, to understand better the pathogenetic role of telomere dysfunction in the initiation and progression in human HCC, we have used three mechanistically distinct liver cancer-prone model systems (urokinase plasminogen activator transgenic mice, carbon tetrachloride exposure, and diethylnistrosamine treatment) in the context of successive generations of telomerase-deficient mice null for the telomerase RNA component, mTERC. Across all of the HCC model systems, telomere dysfunction suppressed both the incidence and growth of HCC lesions, a trend that mirrored the level of intratumoral proliferative arrest and apoptosis. On the histological level, telomere dysfunction was associated with a significant increase in the number of early stage neoplastic lesions and a reciprocal decline in the occurrence of high-grade malignancies. These genetic data in the mouse indicate that telomere dysfunction exerts an opposing role in the initiation versus progression of HCC and provide a framework for understanding the intimate link among chronic liver disease, chromosomal instability, and increased HCC in humans.
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PMID:Differential impact of telomere dysfunction on initiation and progression of hepatocellular carcinoma. 1294 29

The anti-metastatic effect of 4-[3,5-bis(trimethylsilyl)benzamido]benzoic acid (TAC-101) was investigated using our established intrahepatic metastasis model. Orthotopic implantation of a fragment of CBO140C12 hepatoma into the liver resulted in the formation of a solitary tumor nodule and its intrahepatic metastasis. Daily oral administration of TAC-101 at a dose of 8 mg/kg resulted in a significant inhibition of intrahepatic metastasis, but did not affect the growth of the tumor at the implanted site. The down-regulation of transcriptional anti-activator protein-1 (AP-1) activity by TAC-101 paralleled the inhibition of cell invasion and migration through the repression of expression of the mRNAs for urokinase-type plasminogen activator (u-PA) and its receptor (u-PAR). These findings suggest that TAC-101 may improve therapeutic efficacy for liver cancer patients to prevent intrahepatic metastasis.
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PMID:TAC-101 inhibits intrahepatic metastasis of orthotopically implanted murine hepatocellular carcinoma. 1295 55

Engineered retroviruses are widely used vectors for cancer gene therapy approaches. However, the ability to target cells of therapeutic interest while controlling the expression of the transferred genes would improve both the efficiency and the safety of viral vectors. In this study, we investigated the ability of a retroviral amphotropic envelope displaying single-chain variable-fragment (scFv) directed against the c-Met receptor, to target the entry of recombinant retroviruses to human hepatocarcinoma cells. Four single-chain antibody fragments directed against the c-Met receptor were generated and inserted into the viral envelope protein as an N-terminal fusion. The modified envelopes were incorporated into virus particles and one of the chimeric viruses, 3D6-Env, transduced preferentially human hepatoma cells rather than proliferating human hepatocytes. In another construct, the urokinase cleavage site was inserted between the scFv moiety and the envelope. Chimeric scFv-urokinase-Env viruses transduced hepatoma cells with a similar efficiency to that of the control virus and their infectivity in human hepatocytes remained low. These results indicate that amphotropic retroviruses with engineered envelopes to display scFv directed against the c-Met receptor can efficiently and selectively deliver genes into hepatoma cells.
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PMID:Improved gene transfer selectivity to hepatocarcinoma cells by retrovirus vector displaying single-chain variable fragment antibody against c-Met. 1460 70

Vimentin is a growth-related gene and often expressed when epithelial cells are stimulated to proliferate by growth factors. In cancer, vimentin expression is associated with a dedifferentiated malignant phenotype, increased motility, invasive ability and poor prognosis. We studied the regulation of vimentin mRNA and multistep invasion processes following treatment of 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol 13-acetate (TPA) and all-trans-retinoic acid (RA) in Hep 3B hepatocellular carcinoma cells. TPA showed marked induction of vimentin mRNA, while RA decreased the mRNA level. TPA or RA did not affect cell proliferation, cell-matrix protein adhesion, and matrix metalloproteinases and urokinase plasminogen activator activities. In vitro invasion ability was significantly increased or decreased with TPA or RA treatment, paralleled to the in vitro motile activity, respectively. These findings suggest that TPA and RA could modulate the invasive potential of Hep 3B cells by altering cellular motility related to differential regulation of vimentin mRNA.
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PMID:Differential regulation of vimentin mRNA by 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol 13-acetate and all-trans-retinoic acid correlates with motility of Hep 3B human hepatocellular carcinoma cells. 1467 Jun 23

Molecular markers (biomarkers) for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) metastasis and recurrence could provide additional information to that gained from traditional histopathological features. A large number of biomarkers have been shown to have potential predictive significance. One important aspect of this is to detect the transcripts of tumor-associated antigens (such as AFP, MAGEs, and CK19), which are proposed as predictive markers of HCC cells disseminated into the circulation and for metastatic recurrence. Another important aspect is to analyze the molecular markers for cellular malignancy phenotype, including DNA ploidy, cellular proliferation index, cell cycle regulators, oncogenes, and tumor suppressors (especially p53 gene), as well as telomerase activity. Molecular factors involved in the process of HCC invasion and metastasis, including adhesion molecules (E-cadherin, catenins, ICAM-1, laminin-5, CD44 variants, osteopontin), proteinases responsible for the degradation of extracellular matrix (MMPs, uPA system), as well as angiogenesis regulators (such as VEGF, intratumor MVD), have also been shown to be potential predictors for HCC metastatic recurrence and clinical outcomes. One important new trend is to widely delineate biomarkers with genomic and proteomic expression with reference to predicting metastatic recurrence, molecular diagnosis, and classification, which has been drawing more attention recently. Body fluid (particularly blood and urine) testing for biomarkers is easily accessible and more useful in clinical patients. The prognostic significance of circulating DNA in plasma or serum and its genetic alterations is another important direction. More attention should be paid to these areas in the future. As understanding of tumor biology deepens, more and more new biomarkers with high sensitivity and specificity for HCC metastatic recurrence could be found and routinely used in clinical assays. However, the combination of the pathological features and some of the biomarkers mentioned above seems to be more practical up to now.
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PMID:Recent progress in predictive biomarkers for metastatic recurrence of human hepatocellular carcinoma: a review of the literature. 1520 47

The serine protease urokinase-type plasminogen activator (u-PA) is involved in a variety of physiologic and pathological processes; in particular, u-PA mRNA is up-regulated in human hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) biopsies and its level of expression is inversely correlated with patients' survival. To determine the role of u-PA in the invasiveness properties of HCC, we successfully down-regulated u-PA by RNA interference (RNAi) technology, in an HCC-derived cell line at high level of u-PA expression. RNAi is a multistep process involving generation of small interfering RNAs (siRNA) that cause specific inhibition of the target gene. SKHep1C3 cells were transfected with a U6 promoter plasmid coding for an RNA composed of two identical 19-nucleotide sequence motifs in an inverted orientation, separated by a 9-bp spacer to form a hairpin dsRNA capable of mediating target u-PA inhibition. Stable transfectant cells showed a consistently decreased level of u-PA protein. In biological assays, siRNA u-PA-transfected cells showed a reduction of migration, invasion, and proliferation. In conclusion, u-PA down-regulation by RNAi technology decreases the invasive capability of HCC cells, demonstrating that stable expression of siRNA u-PA could potentially be an experimental approach for HCC gene therapy.
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PMID:Small interfering RNA urokinase silencing inhibits invasion and migration of human hepatocellular carcinoma cells. 1521 Aug 52

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