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)

We have recently demonstrated by Northern blot and RT-PCR that the mRNA expression of the alpha-chemokine hIRH/SDF-1alpha is reduced in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), several digestive tract cancers and premalignant colon adenomas, and that its receptor CXCR4 mRNA expression is reduced in HCC. Here we investigate the expression of CXCR4 mRNA expression in several digestive tract cancers and hepatitis C viral (HCV) infected liver, a premalignant condition. There was no difference in the CXCR4 mRNA expression in colon, esophageal or gastric cancers compared to non-cancerous tissues. This is significantly different from the reduced expression we have seen with hepatocellular carcinoma (p<0.05). To better refine regional tumor or hepatic cytokine mRNA analysis within a biopsy sample we describe a micro-isolation technique for RNA extraction from portal and triad areas of liver biopsies or other small malignant or non-malignant biopsy samples suitable for use in RT-PCR and differential display reactions. In HCV liver biopsies, the expression of hIRH and its receptor CXCR4 mRNA, corrected for G3PDH, was not significantly different from that of control non-HCV (steatosis) biopsies. CXCR4 is expressed on leukocytes and its expression was predicted to correlate with hepatic inflammation. CXCR4 receptor mRNA expression did correlate significantly with that of its ligand hIRH/SDF-1alpha (p=0.001), and with the severity of fibrosis (p<0.05), but not with portal inflammation (p<0.10), piecemeal necrosis (p<0.10), lobular inflammation (p>0.10), the presence of lymphoid aggregates (p>0.10), or the total histological activity index (p=0.07). There was no difference in expression of hIRH or CXCR4 between responders and non-responders to interferon (IFN) treatment, while as a control, the responder group of patients did show a higher expression of IFNalpha receptor than the non-responder group (p=0.05).
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PMID:CXCR4 mRNA expression in colon, esophageal and gastric cancers and hepatitis C infected liver. 1020 Mar 42

Differential cDNA displays between hepatocellular carcinoma and adjacent non-malignant tissues have previously detected a PCR product, hIRH (human intercrine reduced in hepatomas), equivalent to SDF1alpha/PBSF whose mRNA was lost from human hepatocellular carcinoma and other malignant and pre-malignant samples and malignant cell lines. There are no reports to date of the mRNA status of the receptor for hIRH/SDF1alpha/PBSF, CXCR4 in malignant tissues. We report here that there is a reduction in the mRNA expression of CXCR4 in hepatocellular carcinoma as estimated by Northern blot and RT-PCR and compared to the adjacent non-malignant tissue. The average (mean SD) tumor/normal ratio for CXCR4 mRNA expression, determined by RT-PCR, was 0.65 0.36 in 10 pairs of hepatocellular carcinomas. There was no consistent loss of CXCR4 mRNA expression in a range of malignant cell lines. The 3'-non-coding region of hIRH, had typical early response gene element sequences. Despite the presence of these 3'-elements there was no induction of hIRH gene expression in human lung carcinoma A549 cells by tumor necrosis factor alpha, interleukin-2, lipopolysaccharide or phorbol myristic acetate, nor in human melanoma cell line SB-2 by uv irradiation, under conditions which induced the homologue CXC intercrine IL-8 expression. Furthermore, there was no induction of hIRH gene expression, but rather a suppression, upon serum or cytokine addition to serum-deprived fibroblast cell lines, to an in vitro mouse bone marrow preparation, and to monocytic cell line THP-1.
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PMID:Reduced expression of the CXCR4 receptor mRNA in hepatocellular carcinoma and lack of inducibility of its ligand alpha-chemokine hIRH/SDF1alpha/PBSF in vitro. 1020 Mar 43

Expression of the chemokine stromal cell-derived factor-1alpha (SDF-1alpha) is absent from many carcinomas, including hepatomas. We note an early signalling defect in the hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) cell line HepG2 that expresses the CXCR4 receptor and binds biotin-labelled SDF, but fails to stimulate downstream signalling events after engagement with SDF. In HepG2, the SDF/CXCR4 interaction did not result in calcium influx, phosphorylation and internalization of CXCR4, nor in a rapid phosphorylation of p44/42 MAP kinase. There were no CXCR4 mutations in the second chemokine binding loop or C terminal phosphorylation and internalization domains. The downstream signalling machinery in HepG2 appears to be intact since transfection of wild-type CXCR4 restored functional responsiveness. We conclude that HepG2 is unresponsive to SDF stimulation because of a defect located after receptor binding but before the activation of the signalling cascade. A hypothetical blocking molecule could hinder receptor internalization or CXCR4 signalling.
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PMID:Loss of chemokine SDF-1alpha-mediated CXCR4 signalling and receptor internalization in human hepatoma cell line HepG2. 1136 12

The CXCL12 / CXCR4 system may be important in carcinoma. Expression of the alpha-chemokine SDF-1alpha (stromal cell derived factor-1alpha) / CXCL12 mRNA is reduced in many carcinomas, yet its tissue protein expression may guide metastasis. Here we first compare the mRNA and protein expression of CXCL12 and its receptor CXCR4 in human liver, hepatocellular carcinoma, and malignant cell lines, and then assess cell cycle variation in CXCR4 expression. CXCR4 mRNA was present in most normal human tissues and malignant cell lines; it was only marginally reduced in hepatomas, while CXCL12 was markedly reduced, P < 0.0001. Immuno-histochemical staining of adjacent non-malignant liver showed regional CXCR4 cytoplasmic and cell-surface staining, limited to those hepatocytes around the central vein, a distribution resembling that of CXCL12. CXCL12 protein was not present in hepatocellular carcinoma cells in vivo, nor was cytoplasmic CXCR4 staining; nuclear CXCR4 protein expression in some malignant hepatocytes and CXCR4 staining of capillary endothelial cells around tumor cells were noted. In some malignant cell lines that had no CXCL12 on northern blots CXCL12 was weakly detectable by RT-PCR or protein staining in the cytoplasm of a few cells. With a view to future manipulation of CXCL12 / CXCR4 expression and growth we noted that in HT-29 cells CXCR4 protein expression was less on confluent than on non-confluent cells and varied during the cell cycle. Higher expression was associated most closely with the percentage of cells in the S-phase and inversely with the percentage of cells in the G1-phase. Treatment of HT-29 cells with butyrate reduced CXCR4 cell surface expression and reduced the percentage of cells in S-phase. In summary, CXCL12 protein expression parallels its mRNA, being markedly reduced in malignant cell lines and hepatomas; in liver, the regional distributions of CXCL12 and cytoplasmic CXCR4 are similar; finally, in HT-29, CXCR4 expression correlates with the S-phase of the cell cycle and is reduced during butyrate-induced differentiation.
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PMID:Regional expression of CXCL12/CXCR4 in liver and hepatocellular carcinoma and cell-cycle variation during in vitro differentiation. 1214 45

Chemokines represent a large family of polypeptide signaling molecules that are notable for their role in chemotaxis, leukocyte homing, and directional migration. Recent observations have indicated that the expression of chemokine receptors on cancer cells may play a role in tumor progression and metastasis. In this study, the expression of mRNA for chemokine receptors in various human tumor cell lines was analyzed by multiplex-polymerase chain reaction (M-PCR). Strong expression of CCR6 mRNA in 3 of 3 hepatoma cell lines was observed. In the 3 pancreatic cancer cell lines, no specific expression of chemokine receptors was observed. Raji (lymphoma cell line) strongly expressed CCR7 and CXCR4. We further investigated CCR6 mRNA expression in these cell lines by real-time quantitative-PCR. Similar results were obtained by both the PCR methods. Because human liver constitutively express liver and activation-regulated chemokine (specific ligand for CCR6), hepatoma cells may selectively root and spread in the liver. Strong CCR7 and CXCR4 expressions in the lymphoma cell may explain the organ specificity of lymphoma for lymphoid organs as well. These findings probably indicate that some cancer cells have organ specificity via expression of chemokine receptors.
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PMID:[mRNA expression of chemokine receptors in hepatic and pancreatic tumor cell lines]. 1533 56

The molecular mechanisms of acute hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection, end-stage hepatitis (cirrhosis), and hepatocellular carcinoma have been extensively studied, but little is known of the changes in liver gene expression during the early stages of liver fibrosis associated with chronic HCV infection, that is, the transition from normal liver (NL) of uninfected patients to the first stage of liver fibrosis (F1-CH-C). To obtain insight into the molecular pathogenesis of F1-CH-C, we used real-time quantitative reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) to study the mRNA expression of 240 selected genes in liver tissue with F1-CH-C, in comparison with NL. The expression of 54 (22.5%) of the 240 genes was significantly different between F1-CH-C and NL; 46 genes were upregulated and 8 were downregulated in F1-CH-C. The most noteworthy changes in gene expression mainly affected the transcriptional network regulated by interferons (IFNs), including both IFN-alpha/beta-inducible genes (STAT1, STAT2, ISGF3G/IRF9, IFI27, G1P3, G1P2, OAS2, MX1) and IFN-gamma-inducible genes (CXCL9, CXCL10, CXCL11). Interesting, upregulation of IFN-alpha/beta-inducible genes (but not IFN-gamma-inducible genes) was independent of histological scores (grade and stage of fibrosis) and HCV characteristics (hepatic HCV mRNA levels and the HCV genotype), and was specific to HCV (as compared to hepatitis B virus (HBV)). Other genes dysregulated in F1-CH-C, albeit less markedly than IFN-alpha/beta- and IFN-gamma-inducible genes, were mainly involved in the activation of lymphocytes infiltrating the liver (IFNG, TNF, CXCL6, IL6, CCL8, CXCR3, CXCR4, CCR2), cell proliferation (p16/CDKN2A, MKI67, p14/ARF), extracellular matrix remodeling (MMP9, ITGA2), lymphangiogenesis (XLKD1/LYVE), oxidative stress (CYP2E1), and cytoskeleton microtubule organization (STMN2/SCG10). Thus, a limited number of signaling pathways, and particularly the transcriptional network regulated by interferons, are dysregulated in the first stage of HCV-induced liver fibrosis. Some of the genes identified here could form the basis for new approaches aimed at refining IFN-based therapies for chronic HCV infection.
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PMID:Molecular profiling of early stage liver fibrosis in patients with chronic hepatitis C virus infection. 1566 Nov 46

In different tumour entities, expression of the chemokine receptor 4 (CXCR4) has been linked to tumour dissemination and poor prognosis. Therefore, we evaluated, if the expression of CXCR4 exerts similar effects in human hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Expression analysis and functional assays were performed in vitro to elucidate the impact of CXCL12 on human hepatoma cells lines. In addition, expression of CXCR4 was evaluated in 39 patients with HCC semiquantitatively and correlated with both, tumour and patients characteristics. Human HCC and hepatoma cell lines displayed variable intensities of CXCR4 expression. Loss of p53 function did not impact on CXCR4 expression. Exposure to CXCL12 mediated a perinuclear translocation of CXCR4 in Huh7/Hep3B cells and increased the invasive potential of Huh7 cells. In HCC patients, CXCR4 expression significantly correlated with progressed local tumours (T-status; P=0.006), lymphatic metastasis (N-status; P=0.005) and distant dissemination (M-status; P=0.009), as well as with a decreased 3-year-survival rate (P=0.01). In summary, strong expression of CXCR4 is significantly associated with progressed hepatocellular cancer.
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PMID:Dissemination of hepatocellular carcinoma is mediated via chemokine receptor CXCR4. 1681 41

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the most common malignant cancers closely associated with chronic infection by the hepatitis B virus (HBV) or the hepatitis C virus (HCV) throughout the world. In this study, the genetic associations of 20 known polymorphisms in eight candidate genes, including angiotensinogen (AGT), cadherin 1 (CDH1), cyclooxygenase 2 (COX2), monocyte chemotactic protein-1 (MCP1), multidrug resistance 1 (MDR1), chemokine ligand 5 (RANTES), thrombospondin 2 (THBS2), and thrombospondin 4 (THBS4), were analyzed in a large chronic hepatitis B cohort (n=1,095) recruited from the Korean population. In addition, three polymorphisms in chemokine receptor 4 (CXCR4) and vimentin (VIM) identified in this study were also genotyped. Using logistic regression analysis controlling possible confounding factors, one common (freq.=0.367) promoter polymorphism of MCP1 (MCP1-2518G>A) among analyzed polymorphisms was significantly associated with clearance of HBV infection. The frequency of homozygotes for the MCP1-2518A allele (MCP1-2518A/A) among chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) carrier patients was significantly higher than that among spontaneously recovered (SR) subjects (17.7% vs. 10.4%)(OR=1.78, P=0.004). Our findings imply a plausible explanation for the contribution of host genetic determinants to the variable outcome of HBV infection, which might provide valuable information for future genetic study in this area.
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PMID:Association of common promoter polymorphisms of MCP1 with hepatitis B virus clearance. 1720 46

In addition to their physiologic effects in inflammation and angiogenesis, chemokines are involved in cancer pathology. The aim of this study was to determine whether the chemokine stromal cell-derived factor 1 (SDF-1) induces the growth, migration, and invasion of human hepatoma cells. We show that SDF-1 G protein-coupled receptor, chemokine (C-X-C motif) receptor 4 (CXCR4), and SDF-1 mRNA are expressed in human hepatoma Huh7 cells, which secrete and bind SDF-1. This binding depends on CXCR4 and glycosaminoglycans. SDF-1 associates with CXCR4, and syndecan-4 (SDC-4), a heparan sulfate proteoglycan at the plasma membrane of Huh7 cells, induces the growth of Huh7 cells by promoting their entry into the cell cycle, and inhibits the tumor necrosis factor-alpha-mediated apoptosis of the cells. SDF-1 also reorganizes Huh7 cytoskeleton and induces tyrosine phosphorylation of focal adhesion kinase. Finally, SDF-1 activates matrix metalloproteinase-9, resulting in increased migration and invasion of Huh7 cells. These biological effects of SDF-1 were strongly inhibited by the CXCR4 antagonist AMD3100, by a glycosaminoglycan, heparin, as well as by beta-D-xyloside treatment of the cells, or by c-jun NH(2)-terminal kinase/stress-activated protein kinase inhibitor. Therefore, the CXCR4, glycosaminoglycans, and the mitogen-activated protein kinase signaling pathways are involved in these events. The fact that reducing SDC-4 expression by RNA interference decreased SDF-1-induced Huh7 hepatoma cell migration and invasion strongly indicates that SDC-4 may be an auxiliary receptor for SDF-1. Finally, the fact that CXCR4 is expressed in hepatocellular carcinoma cells from liver biopsies indicates that the in vitro results reported here could be extended to in vivo conditions.
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PMID:Stromal cell-derived factor-1/chemokine (C-X-C motif) ligand 12 stimulates human hepatoma cell growth, migration, and invasion. 1725 44

Angiogenesis is an essential process for progression of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). The alpha-chemokine stromal cell-derived factor-1 (SDF-1) and its receptor CXCR4 have been recognized for their roles in regulating neoangiogenesis. The role of SDF-1 and CXCR4 in HCC progression has been little analyzed. The study aims to evaluate immunohistochemical expression of the SDF-land CXCR4 in HCC tissue and non-HCC tissue. Formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded tissue sections of 28 HCC, 7 hepatocellular adenoma (HA), 26 cirrotic nodules (CN) and 16 normal liver tissues (NLT) were immunostained for SDF-1 and CXCR4. SDF-1 and CXCR4 are detected in sinusoidal endothelial cells in HCC tissue, and their expressions are significantly higher than in non-HCC tissues. There was no significant correlation between SDF-1 expression and CXCR4 protein and the grade and stage of HCC. Overexpressions of SDF-1 and CXCR4 in sinusoidal endothelial cells in HCC suggest that the SDF-1/CXCR4 pathway plays a possible role in HCC progression through neoangiogenesis. Our data suggest that molecular strategies aimed at inhibiting the CXCR4/SDF-1 pathway might be of therapeutic use for the treatment of HCC.
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PMID:Immunohistochemical expression of stromal cell-derived factor-1 (SDF-1) and CXCR4 ligand receptor system in hepatocellular carcinoma. 1836 49


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