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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 examined the growth inhibitory effects of human lymphoblastoid interferon (IFN) on the human hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) cell line PLC/PRF/5. In vitro, PLC/PRF/5 cells were sensitive to the antiproliferative effects of IFN, growth inhibition being noted at concentrations as low as 1.25 i.u. ml-1. Athymic mice with xenografted tumours derived from the PLC/PRF/5 cell line were treated daily with IFN or a saline control. An IFN dose of 2 X 10(5) i.u./day was found capable of significantly slowing tumour growth rate and prolonging mouse survival. Further studies to examine the mechanisms involved in growth inhibition in vivo demonstrated that IFN was capable of inducing the activity of the enzyme 2,5-oligoadenylic acid (2,5 A) synthetase, a potent inhibitor of protein synthesis, in tumour xenografts but not in mouse tissue, and that IFN significantly enhanced the membrane display of HLA class I glycoproteins on tumour cells, though histology did not reveal any increase in tumour infiltration by host lymphocytes. We conclude that IFN exerts potent growth inhibitory effects on the HCC cell line PLC/PRF/5 both in vitro and in vivo and its mode of action in this animal model system appears to be predominantly mediated by a direct antiproliferative effect on tumour cells.
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PMID:Human lymphoblastoid interferon. In vitro and in vivo studies in hepatocellular carcinoma. 301 85

Naturally processed self-peptides bound to human histocompatibility leukocyte antigens (HLA) class I molecules of human hepatocellular carcinoma tissues (HLA-A2.1, -B44, -B13) in vivo were isolated for sequence analysis. Acid-eluted peptides were subjected to reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatographic separation and single-fraction sequencing was performed by Edman degradation. The peptides were found to be octamers or nonamers and they were derived from the processing of intracellular proteins. Three independent sequences were obtained from HLA-A2.1 molecules. One of the peptides showed sequence homology to the hepatitis B virus (HBV) pre-S protein, one to aldehyde dehydrogenase, and the other to no known protein. Two independent sequences were obtained from HLA-B44, B13 molecules: one showed sequence homology to the human c-abl protein, the other showed no homology to any known protein. A synthetic biotinylated peptide based on the HBV pre-S peptide sequence was confirmed to bind to HLA-A2.1 gene-transfected L cells. These data suggested that peptides potentially recognized by cytotoxic T cells can bind to HLA class I molecules on tumor cells in vivo.
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PMID:Analysis of naturally processed human histocompatibility leukocyte antigen class I-bound peptides from hepatocellular carcinoma tissues in vivo. 749 16

Despite the extensive molecular information on serum-derived human hepatitis B viruses (HBV), liver-derived replicative HBV genomes have remained largely uninvestigated. We have examined the sequences of the entire core antigen (nucleocapsid) of liver-derived HBVs in 15 different hepatoma patients. Bona fide mutations, rather than subtype polymorphism, have been identified based on the high-frequency occurrence of structural differences from wild type at the highly evolutionarily conserved positions, instead of at the positions known to contain genetic heterogeneity among different isolates from different geographic locations. The distribution of these naturally occurring mutations of HBV core gene appears to be nonrandom and is found predominantly within three major (I, IV, and V) and four minor domains (II, III, VI, and VII). In general, domain IV mutations correlate with domain V mutations. The replicative HBV DNAs tend to accumulate a higher number of mutated core domains than the integrated HBV DNAs. At the domain level, there is no significant difference in HBV core mutation frequencies between the liver tumors and the adjacent nontumorous livers. Strikingly, domains I, III, and V coincide with three major known T cell epitopes within the core protein in acute and chronic hepatitis B patients. Furthermore, these domains coincide with HLA class II-restricted T cell epitopes, rather than with the conventional HLA class I-restricted epitopes of cytotoxic T lymphocytes. Our results support the hypothesis that HBV core antigen variants can accomplish immunoevasion via accumulated escape mutations. In addition, they also provide a potential molecular explanation for the maintenance of persistent infection of human hepatitis B virus in chronic carriers.
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PMID:Core antigen mutations of human hepatitis B virus in hepatomas accumulate in MHC class II-restricted T cell epitopes. 754 53

In the present study, we investigated the ability of major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class-I+ human hepatoma cell lines to induce primary proliferative responses of purified allogeneic CD8+ T lymphocytes. We found that HA22T/VGH and Li7A, but not HepG2 cells induced significant proliferation of CD8+ T cells and that these responses were dependent on class I molecule expression. In blocking experiments carried out to identify the costimulatory signals involved, we found that anti-ICAM1 monoclonal antibodies drastically inhibited CD8+ T-cell proliferative responses. These findings suggest that transformed hepatocytes expressing HLA class I molecules may participate in anti-tumour immunosurveillance by the direct induction of cytotoxic T-cell responses through ICAM1-mediated adhesive interaction.
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PMID:Human hepatoma cells expressing HLA class I molecules stimulate primary responses of purified CD8+ T lymphocytes. 810 23

Haemochromatosis is an inherited disorder of iron metabolism characterized by a general iron over loading. Without diagnosis and early treatment, it is a serous and potentially fatal disease by cardiac failure or hepatocellular carcinoma in particular. Gene prevalence was estimated at 0.06 in Brittany, so that haemochromatosis may be the most common genetic disease in this area. The biochemical defect of the disease is unknown; only one fact is well established: the iron absorption through duodenal mucosa is excessive. However, we don't know if it is a primary event. The gene is also unknown but in 1975 it was located on the short arm of chromosome 6, closely linked to the HLA class I region, less than 1 cM from HLA-A. None of the genes coding for the known iron proteins could be the haemochromatosis gene because of their chromosomal localization. In order to locate this gene with precision, we have used a reverse genetic approach now called positional cloning. Characterization of new polymorphic markers and linkage disequilibrium analysis have led us to locate the gene within a 350 kb region around HLA-A. We have then searched for all the structural genes in this region. Seven new genes have been so identified and located with precision. A structural analysis of these genes was undertaken to find an eventual abnormality in patients.
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PMID:[Molecular genetics of hemochromatosis]. 811 56

Haemochromatosis is an inherited disorder of iron metabolism characterized by a general iron over loading. Without diagnosis and early treatment, it is a serious and potentially fatal disease by cardiac failure or hepatocellular carcinoma in particular. Gene prevalence was estimated at 0.06 in Brittany, so that haemochromatosis may be the most common genetic disease in this area. The biochemical defect of the disease is unknown; only one fact is well established: the iron absorption through duodenal mucosa is excessive. However we don't know if it is a primary event. The gene is also unknown but in 1975 it was located on the short arm of chromosome 6, closely linked to the HLA class I region, less than 1 cM from HLA-A. None of the genes coding for the known iron proteins could be the haemochromatosis gene because of their chromosomal localization. In order to locate this gene with precision, we have used a reverse genetic approach now called positional cloning. Characterization of new polymorphic markers and linkage disequilibrium analysis, have led us to locate the gene within a 350 kb region around HLA-A. We have then searched for all the structural genes in this region. Seven new genes have been so identified and located with precision. A structural analysis of these genes was undertaken to find an eventual abnormality in patients.
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PMID:[Molecular genetics of hemochromatosis]. 835 73

We have evaluated the frequency of HLA class I and II antigens in 205 Italian patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and 749 blood donors (controls). Moreover, we have looked for correlations between HLA antigen frequencies and HBV and/or HCV infections in HCC patients. We found great differences in HLA antigen frequencies considering only two groups: HCC patients and controls. The polymorphism is smaller when we consider the different groups of HCC patients in regard to the previous viral infections (HBV and/or HCV). The most interesting finding is the higher frequency of Cw7, B8 and DR3 in almost all groups of HCC patients. It is well known, that the HLA A1, Cw7, B8, DR3 antigen haplotype is associated with a rapid decline of CD4 cells, and HLA B8, DR3 positive subjects may display some changes in immune parameters and are prone to develop several immunological diseases. Thus HCC might be the result of a lower sensitivity (genetically given) to mitogenic stimuli of HBV and HCV.
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PMID:HLA-A, B, C, DR and DQ expression and hepatocellular carcinoma: study of 205 Italian subjects. 852

The expression of the HLA class I molecules on the cell surface was investigated in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) cell lines using complement-mediated cytotoxicity (CMC) and flow cytometric analysis. Although HLA-A antigens were detected by CMC in all cell lines tested, HLA-B and -C antigens were not detectable in six of seven HCC cell lines. These results were also confirmed by flow cytometric analysis focusing on HLA-Bw4 and Bw6 public antigens. Furthermore, complementary DNA (cDNA) from each cell line was tested for the expression of HLA-A, -B, -C and the transporter associated with antigen processing genes (TAP1 and TAP2). Two cell lines showed a reduced level of one or both of the TAP messenger RNAs (mRNAs), and one of these showed a reduction of HLA-B and -C gene expression as well, but the others had detectable mRNA levels. These results demonstrate that hepatocellular carcinoma cell lines tested in the current study lose or decrease the expression of HLA-B and -C alleles on the cell surface, even though mRNA encoding these alleles is present, suggesting that the loss of the HLA molecules might be caused by posttranscriptional events or failure to transport and load peptides necessary for HLA expression. The selective loss of HLA-B and -C, but not -A, molecules (which also excludes a beta 2-microglobulin defect) is intriguing, and may be attributable to the ability of some of the HLA-A molecules to load signal peptides not requiring TAP transport, or to natural selection of HLA-B or -C locus-specific immune surveillance.
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PMID:Expression of HLA class I molecules and the transporter associated with antigen processing in hepatocellular carcinoma. 862 Nov 52

HLA class I antigens of the human major histocompatibility complex play an important role in immune response. These molecules present foreign antigenic peptides to cytotoxic T lymphocytes and thereby play a role in the immune surveillance of cells infected with virus or other intracellular pathogens or altered by malignant transformation. A marked deficiency or lack of expression of these antigens has been reported in a variety of human neoplasms. In the present study, we examined the expression of class I alpha chain, beta 2-microglobulin, TAP (TAP1 and TAP2) and LMP (LMP2 and LMP7) genes in a number of human tumor cell lines including small-cell lung carcinoma, hepatocellular carcinoma, colon adenocarcinoma and basophilic leukaemia. These cell lines were deficient in expression of both class I alpha chain and beta 2-microglobulin gene products. In addition, these cell lines lacked the products of MHC-encoded proteasome subunit LMP2 as well as the putative peptide transporter TAP1 genes. In contrast, TAP2 and LMP7 genes were expressed in these cell lines. Treatment of cells with gamma-IFN markedly enhanced the expression of class I alpha chain, beta 2-microglobulin, TAP1 and LMP2 genes with a concomitant increase in cell-surface expression of class I molecules. The upregulation of TAP1 and LMP2 expression is associated with increased class I expression, suggesting that endogenous antigens, e.g. tumor antigens, could be presented by class I molecules following treatment of tumor cells with gamma-IFN.
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PMID:Markedly decreased expression of TAP1 and LMP2 genes in HLA class I-deficient human tumor cell lines. 880 12

In this study, the effects of IFN gamma, TNF alpha and EGF on the expression of HLA class I antigen and the proliferation of human hepatocellular carcinoma-HepG2 cells were investigated. In response to IFN gamma or TNF alpha stimulation, the expression of HLA class I mRNA in HepG2 cells was increased by 2-4 fold. Cell surface HLA class I antigen was also increased, but in comparison, the increase was not as high as HLA class I mRNA expression. This is probably due to the limitation of protein translational and post-translational processing. The enhancing effect of EGF on cell surface HLA class I antigen could be noted but was not very significant. IFN gamma and TNF alpha could also inhibit the proliferation of HepG2 cells. Interestingly, the effect of EGF on the proliferation of HepG2 cells depended on its concentration. At low concentrations, EGF increased cell proliferation in terms of thymidine incorporation. However, if the concentration of EGF was relatively high, it could also exert an inhibitory effect on thymidine incorporation into HepG2 cells. The remarkable morphological alteration was observed when HepG2 cells were exposed to EGF at concentrations higher than 5 ng/ml. This morphological alteration might be associated with the inhibitory effect of EGF at high concentrations on the proliferation of HepG2 cells.
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PMID:Effects of IFN-gamma, TNF-alpha and EGF on the expression of HLA class I antigen and the proliferation of human hepatocellular carcinoma HepG2 cells. 906 49


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