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)

The transthyretin (TTR) gene is regulated by two DNA regions which elicit hepatocyte-specific expression: a proximal promoter and distal enhancer. The TTR promoter and enhancer are composed of at least eight DNA binding sites for three different hepatocyte nuclear factors (HNF), CCAAT/enhancer binding protein (C/EBP), and AP-1/cJun. Site directed mutations within each of the HNF binding sites in the TTR promoter were introduced to evaluate their contribution to transcriptional activity in hepatoma cells. The data indicate that the strong affinity HNF-3-S binding site (-106 to -94) is absolutely required for TTR promoter activity since several mutations in this site eliminate TTR expression in the context of its enhancer. Conversion of a second weak affinity HNF3-W site (-140 to -131) in the TTR promoter to a high affinity site resulted in higher levels of expression. TTR mutations that disrupted several weak affinity sites (HNF1, HNF3-W, and HNF4) only slightly diminished expression levels in the presence of the TTR enhancer. In contrast, when we deleted the TTR enhancer from these HNF mutant constructs, TTR expression decreased to undetectable levels. This result suggests cooperation between the factors binding to the TTR promoter and enhancer regions. These results also demonstrate that the HNF3-S site alone is not sufficient to activate TTR transcription, but rather requires the participation of three cell-specific factors to elicit minimal promoter activity. The complexity of this promoter design and the requirement for a minimal number of cell-specific factors to achieve transcription allows us to propose a model which may explain the maintenance of tissue-specific expression of TTR.
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PMID:Site-directed mutagenesis of hepatocyte nuclear factor (HNF) binding sites in the mouse transthyretin (TTR) promoter reveal synergistic interactions with its enhancer region. 187 Sep 69

To investigate the regulation of genes whose expression is enriched in liver we studied expression of the albumin and transthyretin (TTR) genes in a series of rat hepatoma cell lines (FaO, C2, C2rev7, and H5) that express these genes at different rates. The level of expression of albumin and TTR was compared to the expression and DNA-binding activity of four transcription factors, HNF1/LFB1, C/EBP, HNF3, and HNF4, that are found at high concentrations in liver. We conclude that the levels of these factors are controlled both transcriptionally (HNF-3, HNF-4, and C/EBP) and post-transcriptionally (HNF-1/LFB1), and that the cellular concentration of these DNA-binding proteins helps explain the level of transcriptional activity observed for the genes they regulate.
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PMID:Differential regulation of hepatocyte-enriched transcription factors explains changes in albumin and transthyretin gene expression among hepatoma cells. 187 51

Transcription of hepatocyte-specific genes requires the interaction of their regulatory regions with several nuclear factors. Among them is the hepatocyte nuclear factor 3 (HNF3) family, composed of the HNF3 alpha, HNF3 beta, and HNF3 gamma proteins, which are expressed in the liver and have very similar fork head DNA binding domains. The regulatory regions of numerous hepatocyte-specific genes contain HNF3 binding sites. We examined the role of HNF3 proteins in the liver-specific phenotype by turning off the HNF3 activity in well-differentiated mhAT3F hepatoma cells. Cells were stably transfected with a vector allowing the synthesis of an HNF3 beta fragment consisting of the fork head DNA binding domain without the transactivating amino- and carboxy-terminal domains. The truncated protein was located in the nuclei of cultured hepatoma cells and competed with endogenous HNF3 proteins for binding to cognate DNA sites. Overproduction of this truncated protein, lacking any transactivating activity, induced a dramatic decrease in the expression of liver-specific genes, including those for albumin, transthyretin, transferrin, phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase, and aldolase B, whereas the expression of the L-type pyruvate kinase gene, containing no HNF3 binding sites, was unaltered. Neither were the concentrations of various liver-specific transcription factors (HNF3, HNF1, HNF4, and C/EBP alpha) affected. In partial revertants, with a lower ratio of truncated to full-length endogenous HNF3 proteins, previously extinguished genes were re-expressed. Thus, the transactivating domains of HNF3 proteins are needed for the proper expression of a set of liver-specific genes but not for expression of the genes encoding transcription factors found in differentiated hepatocytes.
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PMID:Overproduction of a truncated hepatocyte nuclear factor 3 protein inhibits expression of liver-specific genes in hepatoma cells. 756 96

The phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase (PEPCK) gene is regulated at the transcriptional level by a variety of effectors in a tissue-specific fashion. In order to study the parameters involved in the tissue-specific hormonal regulation of the PEPCK gene, we have used a transient expression test in well-differentiated rat hepatoma cells as well as in dedifferentiated variants. In this test, the PEPCK promoter is induced by glucocorticoids in well-differentiated FGC4 cells, but not in H5 dedifferentiated variants, in spite of the presence in H5 cells of the glucocorticoid receptor. Study of the PEPCK promoter using electrophoretic mobility shift assays reveals binding sites for the liver-enriched transcription factors HNF1, vHNF1, HNF3, HNF4, and CAAT/enhancer binding protein members. Overexpression of the liver-enriched transcription factors absent in the dedifferentiated variants, such as HNF1 and HNF4, is not sufficient to restore glucocorticoid response of the PEPCK promoter in the variants. Moreover, systematic analysis of the PEPCK promoter reveals that the presence of a region covering a cAMP-responsive element (CRE1 at -80) and a CAAT box is necessary for full response of the PEPCK promoter to glucocorticoids in well-differentiated rat hepatoma cells. In a cotransfection test, overexpression of the regulatory subunit of protein kinase A (PKA), causing sequestering of PKA, abolishes the glucocorticoid response of the promoter in well-differentiated cells. On the other hand, in dedifferentiated variants, overexpression of the catalytic subunit of PKA restores the response to glucocorticoids. The action of PKA on the glucocorticoid response requires the presence of the CRE1 element and is promoter specific because it does not concern nonhepatic promoters such as the long terminal repeats of the mouse mammary tumor virus. These results suggest that the full response of the PEPCK promoter to glucocorticoids requires activation of another signal transduction pathway, the cAMP-mediated pathway.
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PMID:Response of the phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase gene to glucocorticoids depends on the integrity of the cAMP pathway. 781 33

Extinction is defined as the loss of cell type-specific gene expression that occurs in somatic cell hybrids derived by fusion of cells with dissimilar phenotypes. To explore the basis of this dominant-negative regulation, we have studied the activities of the control elements of the liver-specific gene encoding tyrosine aminotransferase (TAT) in hepatoma/fibroblast hybrid crosses. We show that extinction in complete somatic cell hybrids is accompanied by the loss of activity of all known cell type-specific control elements of the TAT gene. This inactivity is the result of first, lack of expression of genes coding for the transcriptional activators HNF4 and HNF3 beta and HNF3 gamma, which bind to essential elements of the enhancers; and second, loss of in vivo binding and activity of ubiquitous factors to these enhancers, including CREB, which is the target for repression by the tissue-specific extinguisher locus TSE1. Complete extinction of TAT gene activity is therefore a multifactorial process affecting all three enhancers controlling liver-specific and hormone-inducible expression. It results from lack of activation, rather than active repression, and involves both post-translational modification and loss of essential transcriptional activators.
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PMID:Extinction of tyrosine aminotransferase gene activity in somatic cell hybrids involves modification and loss of several essential transcriptional activators. 809 1

In somatic hybrids between fibroblast microcells and rat hepatoma cells, tissue-specific extinguisher 1 (TSE1), localized to mouse chromosome 11, extinguishes the expression of tyrosine aminotransferase and phospho(enol)pyruvate carboxykinase. Recently, it was demonstrated that TSE1 corresponds to R1 alpha, a regulatory subunit of protein kinase A. Here, we have analyzed whether R1 alpha could play a role in differentiation of the hepatocyte. It is known that the TSE1/R1 alpha target genes belong to the group of neonatal functions that are repressed until birth. High expression of R1 alpha characterizes fetal-type BW1J hepatoma cells in which the neonatal target genes are silent. This R1 alpha is active in trans to extinguish these genes in hybrids between BW1J and Fao adult-type rat hepatoma cells. Reexpression of the target genes is correlated with loss of R1 alpha and/or overexpression of the mRNA for the hepatocyte-enriched transcription factors HNF4 and HNF3 alpha. Phenylalanine hydroxylase is shown to be another function negatively regulated by R1 alpha. In BW cells in which expression of phenylalanine hydroxylase has been activated (after either 5-aza-cytidine treatment or transfection with genomic DNA from adult-type hepatoma cells), no down-regulation of R1 alpha expression occurs: an independent mechanism overcomes R1 alpha repression. Finally, dedifferentiated derivatives of the adult-type rat hepatoma cells express neither the R1 alpha target genes nor the R1 alpha gene itself. Thus, in three different situations in which modulation of R1 alpha expression could be anticipated, it fails to occur.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
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PMID:Constancy of expression of the protein kinase A regulatory subunit R1 alpha in hepatoma cell lines of different phenotypes. 812 92

Hepatocyte nuclear factor (HNF) 1 is a key transcription factor involved in the expression of many liver-specific genes. We have isolated and characterized the promoter region of the rat HNF1 gene. Transfection experiments revealed that a short region between -118 and -8 is crucial for cell type-specific expression of the HNF1 gene in the hepatoma cell line, HepG2 cells. This region contains two positive cis-elements: site A, to which the transcription factor HNF4 protein can bind, and site B, to which the HNF1 protein can bind. Mutational analyses of these sites and cotransfection assays suggested that the HNF4 protein and HNF1 protein can transactivate the HNF1 gene.
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PMID:Analysis of the rat hepatocyte nuclear factor (HNF) 1 gene promoter: synergistic activation by HNF4 and HNF1 proteins. 836 88

Rat hepatoma-human fibroblast hybrids of two independent lineages containing only 8-11 human chromosomes show pleiotropic extinction of thirteen out of fifteen hepatic functions examined. Reexpression of the entire group of functions most often occurs in a block, and except for one discordant subclone, correlates with loss of human chromosome 2. The extinguished cells and their reexpressing derivatives have been examined for the expression of seven liver-enriched transcription factors. C/EBP, LAP, DBP, HNF3, and vHNF1 expression are not systematically extinguished in parallel with the hepatic functions. However, HNF1 and HNF4 show a perfect correlation with phenotype: these factors are expressed only in the cells showing pleiotropic reexpression. Since recent evidence indicates that HNF4 controls HNF1 expression, it can be proposed that the HNF4 gene is the primary target of the pleiotropic extinguisher.
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PMID:HNF4 and HNF1 as well as a panel of hepatic functions are extinguished and reexpressed in parallel in chromosomally reduced rat hepatoma-human fibroblast hybrids. 849 80

The Hepatitis B virus core promoter regulates the expression of the core protein, the precore protein, and the viral DNA polymerase. This promoter is transactivated by HNF4, a liver-enriched transcription factor, through an HNF4 binding site located upstream of the core promoter. The transactivation activity of HNF4 on the core promoter is antagonized by a negative regulatory element (NRE) located upstream of the HNF4 binding site. While the NRE can effectively antagonize HNF4 to suppress the core promoter in HeLa cervical carcinoma cells, it has only a marginal suppressing activity on the core promoter in Huh7 hepatoma cells. By performing deletion-mapping experiments, we have found that the NRE contains at least three independent subregions named NRE alpha, NRE beta, and NRE gamma. Each of these three subregions possesses a weak suppressing activity, but together they generate a strong synergistic suppressing effect on the core promoter. The NRE gamma subregion is active in both HeLa and Huh7 cells and is bound by a protein factor slightly less than 130 kDa in molecular mass. The NRE alpha and NRE beta subregions are active in HeLa cells but not in Huh7 cells. Thus, the marginal suppressing effect of the NRE observed in Huh7 cells was mostly due to the activity of the NRE gamma subregion. No clear protein factor binding sites could be identified in the NRE alpha and NRE beta subregions when the HeLa nuclear extract was used for the DNaseI-footprinting analysis, indicating weak or no protein association with these two subregions in this cell type. However, extensive protein factor binding sites could be identified throughout the sequences of these two subregions when the Huh7 nuclear extract was used for the analysis. These results indicate that a different set of protein factors binds to the NRE alpha and NRE beta subregions in Huh7 cells and may account for the inactivity of these two subregions in this cell type. Thus, our results indicate that the cell type-dependent activity of the NRE is due to differential regulation of the activities of the NRE alpha and NRE beta subregions by the cell types. This regulation is most likely mediated by cell type-dependent protein factors.
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PMID:Cell type-dependent regulation of the activity of the negative regulatory element of the hepatitis B virus core promoter. 852 15

Woodchuck hepatitis virus (WHV) efficiently induces hepatocellular carcinoma in chronically infected hosts. A key step in hepatocarcinogenesis by WHV is insertional activation of the cellular N-myc gene by integrated viral DNA. WHV enhancer II (En II) is the major cis-acting element involved in this activation. Here we characterize this viral enhancer element and define the cellular factors involved in its activity. WHV En II activity is strongly liver specific and maps to an 88-nucleotide DNA segment (nucleotides 1772 to 1859) located 5' to the pregenomic RNA start site. Genetic analyses and electrophoretic mobility shift assays indicate that the enhancer contains three subregions important to its activity. The core elements of the enhancer are recognition sites for the liver-enriched factors HNF1 and HNF4; together, these signals account for the bulk of En II activity as well as its strong liver specificity. Multimerization of either recognition site produced strong activity even in the absence of other En II sequences. 5' to these elements is a binding site for the ubiquitous Oct-1 transcription factor, which further augments enhancer activity ca. twofold.
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PMID:Cellular factors controlling the activity of woodchuck hepatitis virus enhancer II. 867 98


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