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)

Statins are inhibitors of the rate-limiting enzyme in cholesterol synthesis, 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A (HMG-CoA) reductase. In addition to reducing LDL cholesterol, statin treatment increases the levels of the antiatherogenic HDL and its major apolipoprotein apoA-I. Here, we investigated the molecular mechanisms of apoA-I regulation by statins. Treatment with statins increased apoA-I mRNA levels in human HepG2 hepatoma cells, and this effect was reversed by the addition of mevalonate, implicating HMG-CoA reductase as the relevant target of these drugs. Pretreatment with Actinomycin D abolished the increase of apoA-I mRNA, indicating that statins act at the transcriptional level. Indeed, statins increased the human apoA-I promoter activity in transfected cells, and we have identified a statin response element that coincides with a PPARalpha response element known to confer fibrate responsiveness to this gene. The statin effect could be abolished not only by mevalonate, but also by geranylgeranyl pyrophosphate, whereas inhibition of geranylgeranyl transferase activity or treatment with an inhibitor of the Rho GTP-binding protein family increased PPARalpha activity. Using dominant negative forms of these proteins, we found that Rho A itself mediates this response. Because cotreatment with statins and fibrates activated PPARalpha in a synergistic manner, these observations provide a molecular basis for combination treatment with statins and fibrates in coronary heart disease.
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PMID:Statin-induced inhibition of the Rho-signaling pathway activates PPARalpha and induces HDL apoA-I. 1139 Apr 24

Autocrine motility factor/phosphohexose isomerase (AMF/PHI) is a cytokine that is linked to tumor invasion and metastasis. In hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) tissues, hepatoma cells produce AMF/PHI and its receptor, Mr 78,000 glycoprotein (gp78), is strongly detected in hepatoma cells invading into the stroma and tumor thrombi in the portal vein. Here, we investigated the mechanism of hepatoma cell invasion through Matrigel induced by AMF/PHI using 3 hepatoma cell lines. Production of AMF/PHI, phosphorylation of MEK1/2, and Rho activity were investigated by immunoblotting. Expression of AMF/PHI and gp78 was observed by confocal fluorescence microscopy. The influence of AMF/PHI on activated integrin beta1 subunit expression was evaluated by flow cytometry. Changes in invasion, adhesion, and motility induced by AMF/PHI were evaluated using chemoinvasion, adhesion, and phagokinetic track motility assays. The effect of AMF/PHI on matrix metalloproteinase (MMP) secretion was evaluated by gelatin zymography. Hepatoma cells produced AMF/PHI and expressed gp78. Although AMF/PHI was ubiquitously detected, gp78 was strongly expressed in migrating cells. AMF/PHI induced up-regulation of activated integrin beta1 subunit expression. AMF/PHI stimulated hepatoma cell invasion through Matrigel, and stimulated the adhesion, motility, and MMP-2 secretion of hepatoma cells. The latter effects were suppressed by the function-blocking antibody for integrin beta1 subunit. AMF/PHI also enhanced Rho activity and the phosphorylation of MEK1 and MEK 2. Our results indicate that AMF/PHI enhances hepatoma cell invasion through Matrigel in an autocrine manner by stimulating the adhesion, motility, and MMP-2 secretion of these cells through activation of beta1 integrins.
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PMID:Autocrine motility factor enhances hepatoma cell invasion across the basement membrane through activation of beta1 integrins. 1143 35

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a major malignancy in many parts of the world, especially in Asia and Africa. Loss of heterozygosity (LOH) on the long arm of chromosome 13 has been reported in HCC. In search of tumor suppressor genes in this region, here we have identified DLC2 (for deleted in liver cancer 2) at 13q12.3 encoding a novel Rho family GTPase-activating protein (GAP). DLC2 mRNA is ubiquitously expressed in normal tissues but was significantly underexpressed in 18% (8/45) of human HCCs. DLC2 is homologous to DLC1, a previously identified tumor suppressor gene at 8p22-p21.3 frequently deleted in HCC. DLC2 encodes a novel protein with a RhoGAP domain, a SAM (sterile alpha motif) domain related to p73/p63, and a lipid-binding StAR-related lipid transfer (START) domain. Biochemical analysis indicates that DLC2 protein has GAP activity specific for small GTPases RhoA and Cdc42. Expression of the GAP domain of DLC2 sufficiently inhibits the Rho-mediated formation of actin stress fibers. Introduction of human DLC2 into mouse fibroblasts suppresses Ras signaling and Ras-induced cellular transformation in a GAP-dependent manner. Taken together, our findings suggest a role for DLC2 in growth suppression and hepatocarcinogenesis.
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PMID:Deleted in liver cancer (DLC) 2 encodes a RhoGAP protein with growth suppressor function and is underexpressed in hepatocellular carcinoma. 1253 87

We demonstrated previously that rat ascites hepatoma MM1 cells require both lysophosphatidic acid (LPA) and fibronectin (FN) for phagokinetic motility and transcellular migration and that these events are regulated through the RhoA-ROCK pathway and tyrosine phosphorylation of proteins including focal adhesion kinase (FAK). Moreover, we reported that palmitoyl-cyclic phosphatidic acid (Pal-cPA), a structural analogue of LPA, inhibits LPA-induced migration of MM1 cells and experimental metastasis of B16 murine melanoma cells. However, the molecular mechanisms of action of Pal-cPA remains to be clarified. To examine this, total cellular lysates after stimulation with LPA or FN were subjected to time-course immunoblot analysis with anti-phophotyrosine and anti-pY397-FAK antibodies. Tyrosine-phosphorylation of FAK especially at Tyr-397 was obviously persistent after stimulation with LPA + FN compared to after stimulation with LPA alone. This persistent phosphorylation was necessary for MM1 cell migration and inhibited by Pal-cPA as by C3 exoenzyme Rho inhibitor. RhoA activity (GTP-bound RhoA) was also measured by the pull down assay using the Rho binding domain of Rhotekin. LPA-induced RhoA-activation of MM1 cells was completely inhibited by Pal-cPA. Moreover, we demonstrated that autophosphorylation of FAK at Tyr-397, downstream of RhoA, contributed to formation of focal adhesions and was critical in LPA-induced MM1 cell migration by developing autophosphorylation-deficient (Y397F) FAK-transfectants. Collectively, Pal-cPA hampered LPA-induced morphological changes and transcellular migration of MM1 cells through downregulating active RhoA and inhibiting its downstream events including autophosphorylation of FAK. Pal-cPA also inhibited endogenous (LPA-independent) activation of RhoA in human fibrosarcoma HT-1080 cells. Pal-cPA may potentially provide a new therapy for the treatment of cancer invasion and metastasis.
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PMID:Cyclic phosphatidic acid inhibits RhoA-mediated autophosphorylation of FAK at Tyr-397 and subsequent tumor-cell invasion. 1273 90

The DLC-1 gene encoding a regulator of the Rho family of small GTPases is altered in breast, prostate, colon, and liver cancer and has several characteristics of a tumor suppressor gene. DLC-1 overexpression causes inhibition of in vitro growth of liver tumor cells and complete suppression of in vivo tumorigenicity of breast tumor cells. Inactivation and aberrant expression of DLC-1 in human hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is frequently associated with hemizygous and homozygous genomic deletion and promoter methylation. Since inactivation of tumor suppressor genes in cancer cells is also commonly associated with point mutation, we evaluated the incidence of mutation of the DLC-1 gene by PCR-SSCP in 17 primary HCC and 18 HCC cell lines. One missense mutation was detected at codon 991 of exon 12 (C-->T transition, Val-->Ile) in an HCC cell line. In addition, two types of polymorphisms were identified: a G-->T at codon 745 of exon 9, a T-->C at 17 bp downstream of exon 2. While the pathogenic relevance of the intronic polymorphism is not known, the low rate of mutation of the DLC-1 gene in HCC implies that genomic deletion and promoter methylation primarily account for the altered expression and tumor suppressive inactivation of the DLC-1 gene.
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PMID:DNA variants of DLC-1, a candidate tumor suppressor gene in human hepatocellular carcinoma. 1279 85

The mevalonate metabolic pathway is necessary for the isoprenylation of a number of small GTPases. We have previously presented that Rho plays a pivotal role in 1-oleoyl-lysophosphatidic acid (LPA)-induced invasion of rat ascites hepatoma MM1 cells. Herein we report the effect of HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors, fluvastatin and lovastatin, on the in vitro invasion of MM1 cells. Fluvastatin and lovastatin inhibited LPA-induced MM1 cell invasion in a dose-dependent manner. Fluvastatin inhibited LPA-induced translocation of RhoA protein from the cytosol to the membrane and RhoA activation which was measured by pull-down assay for GTP-bound RhoA. Fluvastatin also inhibited the translocation of both endogenous and dominant-active RhoA from the cytosol to the membrane, actin stress fiber assembly and in vitro invasion of the cells expressing dominant-active RhoA (Val14-RhoA). These results indicate that HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors have the potential to reduce RhoA activation and cancer cell invasion by targeting the Rho protein isoprenylation.
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PMID:Inhibition of lysophosphatidic acid-induced RhoA activation and tumor cell invasion by 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-coenzyme A reductase inhibitors. 1296 1

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a common human malignancy. Its high mortality rate is mainly a result of high intrahepatic recurrence and portal venous invasion (PVI). We previously reported that the development of PVI is related to levels of des-gamma-carboxy prothrombin (DCP), a serum protein that increases at a notably higher rate in patients with HCC. Because DCP is produced by a vitamin K shortage, we examined the biological effects of extrinsic supplementation of vitamin K(2) in HCC cells in vitro and in vivo. Consequently, vitamin K(2) inhibits the growth and invasion of HCC cells through the activation of protein kinase A, which modulates the activities of several transcriptional factors and inhibits the small GTPase Rho, independent of suppression of DCP. In addition, administration of vitamin K(2) to nude mice inoculated with liver tumor cells reduced both tumor growth and body weight loss. In conclusion, similar to an acyclic retinoid--which was previously reported to prevent the recurrence of HCC--vitamin K(2), another lipid-soluble vitamin, may be a promising therapeutic means for the management of HCC.
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PMID:Vitamin K2 inhibits the growth and invasiveness of hepatocellular carcinoma cells via protein kinase A activation. 1523 8

Previous studies have demonstrated in hepatocytes that deoxycholic acid (DCA) promotes inactivation of protein tyrosine phosphatases (PTPases) and activation of ERBB1 and the extracellular-regulated kinase (ERK) 1/2 pathway. The present studies have determined the biochemical mechanism(s) through which these events occur. DCA and taurodeoxycholic acid (TDCA) (100 micromol/L) caused activation of ERBB1, insulin receptor, and the ERK1/2 and AKT pathways in primary rodent hepatocytes. DCA- and TDCA-induced receptor and signaling pathway activations were blocked by the reactive oxygen species (ROS) scavengers N-acetyl cysteine (NAC) and Trolox (TX), as well as by cyclosporin A (CsA) and bongkrekic acid (BKA). DCA activated the ERK1/2 pathway in HuH7 human hepatoma cells that was blocked by the incubation of cells with an ERBB1 inhibitor, NAC, TX, CsA, or BKA. DCA did not activate the ERK1/2 pathway in mitochondria-defective HuH7 Rho 0 cells. In HuH7 cells and primary hepatocytes, DCA enhanced the production of ROS, an effect that was abolished in Rho 0 cells and by prior incubation of cells with CsA or BKA. In hepatocytes and HuH7 cells, DCA inhibited PTPase activity. Incubation of hepatocytes with either CsA or BKA prevented DCA-induced inhibition of PTPase activity. Loss of mitochondrial function in Rho 0 cells also abolished the inhibitory effects of DCA on PTPase activity. In conclusion, DCA and TDCA cause ROS generation in hepatocytes that is dependent on metabolically active mitochondria. The generation of ROS is essential for PTPase inactivation, receptor tyrosine kinase activation, and enhanced signaling down the ERK1/2 and AKT pathways.
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PMID:Bile acids induce mitochondrial ROS, which promote activation of receptor tyrosine kinases and signaling pathways in rat hepatocytes. 1538 21

It was determined that the myosin phosphatase (MP) activity and content of myosin phosphatase target subunit 1 (MYPT1) were correlated in subcellular fractions of human hepatocarcinoma (HepG2) cells. In control cells MYPT1 was localized in the cytoplasm and in the nucleus, as determined by confocal microscopy. Treatment of HepG2 cells with 50 nM okadaic acid (OA), a cell-permeable phosphatase inhibitor, induced several changes: 1) a marked redistribution of MYPT1 to the plasma membrane associated with an increased level of phosphorylation of MYPT1 at Thr695. Both effects showed only a slight influence with the Rho-kinase inhibitor, Y-27632; 2) an increase in phosphorylation of MYPT1 at Thr850 associated with its accumulation in the perinuclear region and nucleus. These effects were markedly reduced by Y-27632; 3) an increased phosphorylation of the 20 kDa myosin II light chain at Ser19 associated with an increased location of myosin II at the cell center. These effects were partially counteracted by Y-27632; 4) an increase in stress fiber formation and a decrease in cell migration, both OA-induced effects were blocked by Y-27632. In HepG2 lysates, OA (5-100 nM) did not affect MP activity but inhibited PP2A activity. These results indicate that OA induces differential phosphorylation and translocation of MYPT1, dependent on PP2A and, to varying extents, on ROK. These changes are associated with an increased level of myosin II phosphorylation and attenuation of hepatic cell migration.
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PMID:Okadaic acid induces phosphorylation and translocation of myosin phosphatase target subunit 1 influencing myosin phosphorylation, stress fiber assembly and cell migration in HepG2 cells. 1603 1

Deleted in liver cancer (DLC1) is a candidate tumor suppressor gene recently isolated from human hepatocellular carcinoma. Structurally, DLC1 protein contains a conserved GTPase-activating protein for Rho family protein (RhoGAP) domain, which has been thought to regulate the activity of Rho family proteins. Previous studies indicated that DLC1 was frequently inactivated in cancer cells. In the present study, we aimed to characterize the tumor suppressor roles of DLC1 in hepatocellular carcinoma. We showed that DLC1 significantly inhibited cell proliferation, anchorage-independent growth, and in vivo tumorigenicity when stably expressed in hepatocellular carcinoma cells. Moreover, DLC1 expression greatly reduced the motility and invasiveness of hepatocellular carcinoma cells. With RhoGAP-deficient DLC1 mutant (DLC1-K714E), we showed that the RhoGAP activity was essential for DLC1-mediated tumor suppressor function. Furthermore, the 292- to 648-amino acid region and the steroidogenic acute regulatory related lipid transfer domain played an auxiliary role to RhoGAP and tumor suppressor function of DLC1. Taken together, our findings showed that DLC1 functions as a tumor suppressor in hepatocellular carcinoma and provide the first evidence to support the hypothesis that DLC1 suppresses cancer cell growth by negatively regulating the activity of Rho proteins.
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PMID:Rho GTPase-activating protein deleted in liver cancer suppresses cell proliferation and invasion in hepatocellular carcinoma. 1620 57


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