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)

In order to elucidate collagen metabolism in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) tissue, we compared levels of different potential markers of collagen metabolism and plasma transforming growth factor-beta 1 in patients with HCC and in patients with liver cirrhosis. Serum levels of prolyl hydroxylase and the tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase-1 in patients with HCC were significantly higher than those in patients with liver cirrhosis and increased with the size of the HCC tumour, whereas the serum levels of procollagen type III propeptide and type IV collagen 7S domain were similar in the two groups. In HCC, the increased plasma transforming growth factor-beta 1 levels were closely correlated with serum levels of prolyl hydroxylase and the tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase-1. These findings suggest that, in HCC tissue, the intracellular biosynthesis of collagen is enhanced, whereas the secretion of procollagen is disturbed and the degradation of collagen is suppressed by the excess production of the tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase-1. The results also suggest that plasma transforming growth factor-beta 1 plays an important role in the altered metabolism of collagen in HCC.
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PMID:Serum markers for fibrosis and plasma transforming growth factor-beta 1 in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma in comparison with patients with liver cirrhosis. 874 16

The need for an alternative treatment to orthotopic liver transplantation for acute liver failure is a major issue, and systems capable of temporarily providing liver functions are being actively tested. Liver assist devices based on detoxication by dialysis or hemoperfusion through various membranes or cartridges proved to be inefficient because of their lack of metabolic function. An extracorporeal hybrid bioartificial liver might be an appropriate treatment, since it can provide liver-specific functions, maintain the patient alive, and allow spontaneous recovery of the patient's own liver or act as a bridge toward liver transplantation. Many devices have been proposed, including flat culture substrates, hollow-fiber bioreactors, or microcarriers, using xenogenic hepatocytes or hepatoma cell lines. Various drawbacks of these devices led us to attempt to develop a reliable extracorporeal bioartificial liver based on alginate bead-entrapped hepatocytes. This system was used successfully for the correction of the Gunn rat genetic defect, which results in lack of bilirubin conjugation. The development of this system for clinical purposes requires large yields of functional hepatocytes. We have isolated normal porcine hepatocytes by collagenase perfusion of the liver. Cells were immobilized in membrane-coated alginate gel beads, which were subsequently inoculated into a bioreactor. Porcine hepatocytes expressed liver-specific functions at high levels, particularly protein neosynthesis and enzymatic activities involved in detoxication and biotransformation processes. In addition, hepatocytes entrapped in coated alginate beads were isolated from immunoglobulins. This system represents a promising tool for the design of an extracorporeal bioartificial liver in human beings.
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PMID:Cell-based therapy of acute liver failure: the extracorporeal bioartificial liver. 903 28

The histological observation that well-differentiated cancer cells in early hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) invade portal tracts and/or fibrous bands and that these fibrous tissues then disappear suggests the participation of matrix metalloproteinase-1 (MMP-1) in the degradation of fibrous tissue. To confirm this hypothesis, the authors investigated the localization of both the MMP-1 protein and its messenger RNA (mRNA) in early HCC immunohistochemically and by in situ hybridization using complementary DNA (cDNA) and synthetic antisense probe of MMP-1; they then compared the results with those in advanced HCC. MMP-1 gene transcripts and protein were observed in well-differentiated cancer cells of early HCC but not in moderately or poorly differentiated cancer cells. Thus, cancer cells producing MMP-1 in early HCC may destroy the portal tract tissue adjacent to the cancer lesion and/or the fibrous band of cirrhosis. These results seem to have demonstrated a difference in the mechanism of cancer growth and invasion between early and advanced HCCs.
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PMID:Difference in gene expression for matrix metalloproteinase-1 between early and advanced hepatocellular carcinomas. 904 2

In liver, insulin stimulates the transcription of the gene encoding the cytosolic form of malic enzyme (ME) and modulates protein binding to two putative insulin response sequences (IRSs) in the ME promoter. One of these IRSs resembles that identified in the phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase (PEPCK) gene, whereas the other resembles that defined in the glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH) gene. To assess the functional significance of these changes in protein binding, a series of truncated ME-chloramphenicol acetyl-transferase (CAT) fusion genes were transiently transfected into rat H4IIE hepatoma cells. Deletion of the PEPCK-like IRS motif had no effect on the stimulation of CAT expression by insulin. Instead, the stimulatory effect of insulin was mediated through an AP-1 motif and an Egr-1 binding site that overlaps the GAPDH-like IRS motif. Both the ME AP-1 motif and the AP-1 motif identified in the collagenase-1 gene promoter were able to confer a stimulatory effect of insulin on the expression of a heterologous fusion gene, but surprisingly only the latter was able to confer a stimulatory effect of phorbol esters. Instead, the data suggest that AP-1 binds the ME AP-1 motif in an activated state such that phorbol ester treatment has no additional effect. The collagenase and ME AP-1 motifs were both shown to bind mainly Jun D and Fra-2, with similar affinities. However, the results of a proteolytic clipping bandshift assay suggest that these proteins bind the collagenase and ME AP-1 motifs in distinct conformations, which potentially explain the differences in phorbol ester signaling through these elements.
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PMID:A phorbol ester-insensitive AP-1 motif mediates the stimulatory effect of insulin on rat malic enzyme gene transcription. 981 2

Matrix metalloproteinases (MMP) play an important role in tumor cell invasion and metastasis. We examined the expression of MMPs in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) to determine whether they may help indicate the progression of HCC and patient outcome. The expression of MMP-1, -2, -7, -9, and MT1-MMP were determined in 37 pairs of HCC and adjacent non-tumor tissue specimens by semiquantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). The tumor to non-tumor (T/N) ratios for mRNA expression of each MMP were compared with the clinicopathological findings and two-year disease-free survival rates. Immunohistochemical analysis for MMP-1 and -9 was performed in 30 specimens. MMP-1 and -9 expression was significantly higher in tumor tissue than in non-tumor tissue (p=0.001 and 0.0078, respectively). By contrast, the expression of MMP-2 and -7 was significantly lower in tumor tissue than in non-tumor tissue (p=0. 003 and 0.03, respectively). A higher MMP-9 T/N ratio was significantly associated with small HCCs (</=2 cm) and higher serum AFP values (>/=20 ng/ml) (p=0.013 and 0.028, respectively). Immunohistochemical analysis suggested that well differentiated HCC showed stronger immunoreactivity for MMP-9 than moderately differentiated HCC. MMP T/N ratio was not significantly associated with the disease-free survival rates. Overexpression of MMP-9 mRNA (T/N ratio >/=2) may be associated with the progression of small HCC (</=2 cm).
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PMID:Overexpression of MMP-9 correlates with growth of small hepatocellular carcinoma. 1089 30

The question 'Why hepatocellular carcinoma cells are unlikely to metastasize although they have a high proliferative activity?' is a major point of interest from a cancer physiopathological viewpoint. Recent articles about the roles and relationships of some cytokines with matrix degrading enzymes and their inhibitors in various types of normal tissues and malignancies give rise to another question: 'Does tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase-1 prevent the extrahepatic metastasis of hepatocellular carcinoma cells?' On the basis of many evidences, it is highly probable that under the effect of a possible inducing mechanism of the cytokines interleukin-6, -1 beta and transforming growth factor beta, the increase in concentration of tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase-1 in hepatocellular carcinoma cause increased type I collagen accumulation and consequent prevention of cellular detachment, which explains why highly proliferative malignant hepatocytes have less metastatic ability.
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PMID:Why hepatocellular carcinoma cells are unlikely to metastasize: is there a role for tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase-1? 1146 Nov 77

To understand the mechanism of invasion and metastasis of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), the expression of c-met and Ets-1, and the effect of HGF on these cell's motility and invasion ability were examined in four hepatoma cell lines. The analysis revealed that the overexpression of c-met and Ets-1 is closely connected with the motility and invasion ability of the HCC cell lines. Invasion activity of HepG2 and HLE cells were enhanced by the addition of HGF to medium. HGF regulated c-met transcription in HepG2 and Bel-7402 cells, HGF also induced Ets-1 transcription in Bel-7402 cell. Bel-7402 cells stably transduced with the human Ets-1 gene showed significantly increased invasion potentials compared to parental and mock-transfected cells. The expression level of c-met, MMP1, MMP9, and u-PA in Bel-7402 cells transfected with Ets-1 were markedly increased, and as a consequence of c-met expression increase. Bel-7402 cells transfected with Ets-1 were more responsive to exogenous HGF stimulation in invasiveness and motility ability. In addition, conditioned by antisense Ets-1 oligonucleotide-treat-Bel-7402 cells transfected with Ets-1 gene and HLE hepatoma cells showed markedly reduced invasion activity, and down-regulated the transcription of Ets-1, c-met, u-PA, MMP-1, and MMP-9. These results strongly suggest that Ets-1 has a crucial role in the invasive property in hepatoma cell lines, and there may exist a loop to enhance the invasive ability of hepatoma cell lines.
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PMID:Invasiveness of hepatocellular carcinoma cell lines: contribution of hepatocyte growth factor, c-met, and transcription factor Ets-1. 1152 16

To analyze matrix metalloproteinase (MMP) mRNAs that are expressed in hepatocellular carcinoma cell lines, the kinds of MMP mRNAs were surveyed in HepG2 and Hep3B cells and normal liver by a reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction using two degenerate primer pairs, derived from conserved domains of known MMPs. The level for each MMP mRNA was examined by Northern blot analysis in HepG2 and Hep3B cells, as well as in normal tissues. It was also examined by a reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction analysis in 8 different hepatocellular carcinoma cell lines. MMP-2, MMP-14, and MMP-15 mRNAs were expressed at elevated levels in most of the cell lines studied, reflecting that these MMPs would play an important role in the invasion and metastasis of hepatocellular carcinoma. MMP-1, MMP-3, MMP-8, MMP-10, MMP-11, and MMP-13 mRNAs were also expressed in some or most of the cell lines. Interestingly, MMP-9 mRNA, as well as its polypeptide, was undetected in all of the cell lines studied. This implies that MMP-9, which was suggested as a tumor marker for hepatocellular carcinoma, would be expressed in stromal cells, rather than tumor cells. These results provide information for the basal levels of MMP mRNAs in various hepatocellular carcinoma cell lines. It will also facilitate study on the transcriptional regulation of each MMP mRNA by oncogenes.
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PMID:Analysis of matrix metalloproteinase mRNAs expressed in hepatocellular carcinoma cell lines. 1156 28

The activator protein 1 (AP-1) transcription factor is composed of heterodimers of the Fos/activating transcription factor (ATF) and Jun subfamilies of basic-region leucine-zipper (B-ZIP) proteins. In order to determine the identities of individual B-ZIP proteins in various AP-1 complexes we tested the effect of dominant-negative mutants to the B-ZIP proteins c-Fos, ATF2, ATF4 and CCAAT-enhancer-binding protein (C/EBP) on the activities of the collagenase and c-Jun promoters. These dominant-negative mutants inhibit DNA binding of wild-type B-ZIP proteins in a leucine-zipper-dependent fashion. Transcription of a collagenase promoter/reporter gene was induced in HepG2 hepatoma cells by expression of c-Fos and c-Jun, administration of PMA ("TPA") or by expression of a truncated form of MEK (mitogen-activated/extracellular-signal-regulated kinase kinase) kinase-1, MEKK1Delta. In all cases, the dominant-negative mutants A-Fos and A-ATF2 decreased collagenase promoter activity. However, A-ATF4 and A-C/EBP had no effect. A-Fos and A-ATF2 also reduced MEKK1Delta-induced stimulation of the c-Jun promoter. In contrast, constitutive c-Jun promoter activity was blocked solely by A-ATF2, strongly suggesting that ATF2 and/or an ATF2-dimerizing protein are of major importance for c-Jun transcription in unstimulated cells. These results demonstrate that AP-1 transcription factors of different compositions control c-jun gene transcription in resting or stimulated cells.
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PMID:Regulation and composition of activator protein 1 (AP-1) transcription factors controlling collagenase and c-Jun promoter activities. 1173 49

In the liver, the multidrug resistance (MDR) protein P-glycoprotein (P-gp) is physiologically expressed at the bile canalicular membrane, where it participates in the biliary excretion of various lipophilic drugs and xenobiotics. Previous studies showed that the immunosuppressive agent cyclosporine A (CsA) modulates P-gp and exerts a hepatotrophic influence in the regenerating liver. Hepatocytes isolated from regenerating rat liver, after 2/3 partial hepatectomy (PH 2/3), were used as an in vivo experimental model of cells with high proliferating activity in order to investigate whether CsA influences cellular levels of P-gp in those cells. Male Wistar rats were treated with CsA (20 mg/kg body weight) for 4 d preoperatively and 1 d postoperatively, and regenerating hepatocytes were isolated by collagenase perfusion 12, 24 and 48 h after PH 2/3. Flow cytometry and Western blotting studies with the monoclonal antibodies C494 and C219 showed that after PH 2/3, cellular levels of P-gp were initially suppressed, 12 h after PH 2/3, by 23%, but were significantly elevated thereafter, 24 and 48 h after PH 2/3 by 28% and 73%, respectively. In CsA pretreated animals, P-gp levels were increased even in normal hepatocytes by 34%, and an additional augmentation was seen in hepatocytes from 24 and 48 h regenerating livers (60% and 56%, respectively). In summary, we demonstrate for the first time that CsA has an additive effect on the expression of P-glycoprotein during liver regeneration in the rat. Therefore, induction of P-gp might also be considered in patients receiving CsA after liver transplantation for hepatocellular carcinoma and chemotherapy as an adjuvant treatment for the prevention of tumor recurrence.
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PMID:Cyclosporine a augments P-glycoprotein expression in the regenerating rat liver. 1261 37


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