Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
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Query: UMLS:C0023890 (cirrhosis)
42,195 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Liver biopsy samples from 40 chronic alcoholic patients, including 9 with minimal changes of the liver, 6 with mild hepatic fibrosis, 14 with moderate fibrosis, and 11 with severe fibrosis (cirrhosis) were studied by electron microscopy to assess fibrogenesis in the Disse space and the role of fat-storing cells in this process. In the Disse space of normal liver, collagen fibers are few, and while lipid droplets containing fat-storing cells exist, their rough endoplasmic reticulum (RER) is inconspicuous. In the course of progressive hepatic fibrosis, collagen in the Disse space increased. This was significantly associated with gradual development of RER in fat-storing cells, confirmed by morphometric analysis. It is likely, therefore, that the development of RER in the fat-storing cells is a morphological correlative of their activated fibrogenesis and transformation into fibroblasts. To further clarify this, the rate of collagen synthesis was measured by the method of in vitro incorporation of [3H]proline into collagen in 17 liver biopsy samples from alcoholic patients and compared with the degree of morphological changes of RER in fat-storing cells. In liver samples with well-developed RER in fat-storing cells, a significantly higher rate of collagen synthesis was observed. These results suggest that in alcoholic liver injury, fat-storing cells may play an important role in Disse space fibrogenesis.
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PMID:The role of fat-storing cells in Disse space fibrogenesis in alcoholic liver disease. 686 68

A close correlation between the presence of hepatitis B surface antigen and albumin in the cytoplasm of hepatocytes infected with hepatitis B virus was established by immunofluorescence and immunoelectron microscopy in 52 liver biopsy specimens of various forms of hepatitis and liver cirrhosis. Albumin deposits usually accompanied cytoplasmic content of hepatitis B surface antigen, but were less frequently observed together with hepatitis B antigen localized in or on the membranes. Ultrastructural observations demonstrated albumin on the tubular and spherical forms of hepatitis B surface antigen in the endoplasmic reticulum. The hepatocytes with the content of hepatitis B surface antigen and albumin showed the ability of binding with the fluorescein-labeled preparation of polymerized human serum albumin. The affinity of polymerized albumin to hepatitis B surface antigen was considerably increased after preincubuation of liver sections with 2-mercaptoethanol that removed most of the originally present albumin. This may be indicative for the role of disulfide bonds in the formation of hepatitis B surface antigen-albumin complexes. These results justify the hypothesis that albumin may be incorporated into the viral coat protein during its synthesis in the cytoplasm of infected hepatocytes.
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PMID:Hepatitis B surface antigen and albumin in human hepatocytes. An immunofluorescent and immunoelectron microscopic study. 700 3

Cytotoxic effect of excessive copper in the liver of the dogs with longstanding obstructive jaundice were investigated. Common bile duct was ligated in adult mongrel dogs for a period of 21 to 93 days. Copper (0.5 mg/kg weight, every other day) was administered intravenously. Copper content and morphologic changes of the liver was compared with those of the common bile duct ligated dogs without copper administration and of the normal control. Liver copper content was quantitated by atomic absorption spectrophotometry and morphologic investigation was carried out ultrastructurally and histochemically (dimethylaminobenzylidine rhodanine stain for copper and orcein stain for copper associated protein). The copper content of the liver was 57 +/- 8.75 microgram/g wet weight (mean +/- S.E.) in the normal control, 80.84 +/- 15.76 in the common bile duct ligated dogs and 463.46 +/- 76.42 in the common bile duct ligated dogs with copper administration. There was a significant increase (p less than 0.01) of the liver copper content in the common bile duct ligated dogs with copper administration but not in the common bile duct ligated dogs without it. Histologically, the liver showed changes of longstanding cholestasis and of early biliary cirrhosis in the dogs over three months after ligation. Ultrastructurally, both groups showed dilatation of bile canaliculi with decreased and swollen microvilli protruding into their lumina, expanded pericanalicular ectoplasm with increased microfibrils and various forms of intracanalicular and intracytoplasmic bile assuming myelin-figure, crystalloid and dense-amorphous appearances. Also present were increased and dilated smooth-surfaced endoplasmic reticulum, mitochondria showing curled cristae with electron dense ground substance and decreased microvillous projections of hepatocyte cell membranes into Disse's space. Only significant morphologic difference between two groups was the presence of copper-protein complex demonstrated by rhodanine and orcein stains as intracytoplasmic coarse granules in the common bile duct ligated dogs with copper administration. These copper-protein complex granules correspond to partially membrane-bound dense bodies seen ultrastructurally, which probably represent autophagic vacuoles or lysosomal residual bodies. Above result suggests that excessive copper accumulated in the liver as lysosomal bodies in longstanding extrahepatic biliary obstruction with copper loading does not produce significant liver cell injury despite eight fold increase of the liver copper content.
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PMID:Copper and liver injury--experimental studies on the dogs with biliary obstruction and copper loading. 712 50

Hepatitis C virus is a positive single-strand RNA virus distantly related to flaviviruses. Therefore RNA replicase, an RNA-dependent RNA polymerase, may be essential for the replication of hepatitis C virus, as well as other RNA viruses. In this study we synthesized the recombinant polypeptide (HCV-NS5 antigen) with a 576 bp cDNA encoding a part of the NS5 region of the HCV genome that has the Gly-Asp-Asp motif. The antibody against this polypeptide was obtained from rabbit serum. In Western-blot analysis with NS5 IgG HCV antibody, an 84-kD protein was clearly detected as a single band in the microsomal fraction but not in the nuclear and mitochondrial fractions or in the cytosol fraction. Immunohistochemically, HCV-NS5 antigen was clearly stained in the cytoplasm of hepatocytes but not in the nucleus or cell membrane. Moreover, as determined on immunoelectron microscopy, HCV-NS5 antigen was demonstrated with fine granular distribution along the endoplasmic reticulum but not in other organelles, including the nucleus and mitochondria. Immunoreaction in other cell types was negative. These results indicate that replication of HCV may occur only in hepatocytes and that HCV-NS5 may be produced in the endoplasmic reticulum of these cells. HCV-NS5 antigen was stained only in the livers of hepatitis C virus-positive patients but not in sections from patients with chronic type B hepatitis or alcoholic fibrosis. In chronic type C liver disease, the overall detection rate of HCV-NS5 antigen was 56% (33% in chronic persistent hepatitis, 52% in chronic active hepatitis and 86% in cirrhosis).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
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PMID:Detection of antigens related to hepatitis C virus RNA encoding the NS5 region in the livers of patients with chronic type C hepatitis. 750 61

Alpha-1-antitrypsin deficiency has long been known to cause liver cirrhosis in man, but whether it does so in the dog is uncertain. To investigate this point 57 dogs with clinically and histopathologically diagnosed chronic liver disease were examined. Isoelectric focusing of blood serum from these dogs and from 25 clinically healthy dogs revealed three different types of alpha-1 antitrypsin, designated F(fast), I(intermediate) and S(slow). They appeared in both homozygous and heterozygous forms, the F type being seen most frequently. The I type was more common in cocker spaniels than in other breeds. Immunostaining for alpha-1 antitrypsin revealed that 37 diseased dogs had alpha-1 antitrypsin in the cytoplasm of their hepatocytes. Of these, 21 dogs had globular alpha-1 antitrypsin inclusions in the endoplasmic reticulum, indicating aggregated protein. Accumulated alpha-1 antitrypsin was found most frequently in dogs having the I and S types of alpha-1 antitrypsin, either homozygously or heterozygously. With a few exceptions, F-homozygotic dogs had no hepatocellular alpha-1 antitrypsin accumulation. As alpha-1 antitrypsin aggregation is lethal to hepatocytes and as cell death attracts mononuclear blood cells whose cytokines induce continued alpha-1 antitrypsin synthesis with subsequent risk of further alpha-1 antitrypsin accumulation, liver disease may thus be maintained. Whether alpha-1 antitrypsin aggregates actually initiate liver disease in dogs, as in man, remains to be elucidated by further biochemical investigation of the three canine alpha-1 antitrypsin types found.
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PMID:Hepatic accumulation of alpha-1-antitrypsin in chronic liver disease in the dog. 788 57

In recent years, identifying the hepatic cell type responsible for collagen synthesis in experimental models of postnecrotic or inflammatory fibrosis has been the subject of active investigation. In primary iron overload states, however, hepatic fibrosis and cirrhosis occur without accompanying necroinflammatory phenomena. In this study, we combined morphological, immunological, cell isolation and purification and molecular biological techniques to identify the hepatic cell responsible for enhanced collagen type I gene expression during chronic enteral iron overload in the rat. Ultrastructural analysis of liver tissue sections from iron-loaded rats specifically revealed an altered appearance of fat-storing cells, which showed few if any fat droplets left and increased rough endoplasmic reticulum. In situ hybridization analysis with specific complementary RNA probes identified enhanced signal for collagen type I into nonparenchymal cells in zones 1 and 2, without signal over the background onto iron-laden hepatocytes. Immunocytochemistry with desmin antibodies combined with in situ hybridization on the same tissue sections identified the cells expressing high level of collagen type I transcripts as fat-storing cells. Northern-blot analysis on RNA extracted from various purified cell isolates, confirmed the presence of collagen type I mRNA signal only into the fat-storing cells isolate. Our study shows that in an experimental model of metabolic fibrosis in which the hepatotoxin selectively accumulates into parenchymal cells, fat-storing cells are the main source of enhanced collagen type I gene expression.
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PMID:Enhanced hepatic collagen type I mRNA expression into fat-storing cells in a rodent model of hemochromatosis. 811 98

alpha 1-Antitrypsin is a circulating serine proteinase inhibitor that protects the lungs against proteolysis by the enzyme neutrophil elastase. Most northern Europeans have only the normal M form, but some 4% are heterozygotes for the Z deficiency mutant. This mutant is characterized by the substitution of a positively charged lysine residue for a negatively charged glutamic acid at position 342 and results in normal gene translation but reduced protein secretion into the plasma. The plasma levels of antitrypsin in homozygotes are only 15% of normal, the other 85% being retained in the endoplasmic reticulum of the hepatocyte. This review describes the effect of the Z mutation on the structure and function of antitrypsin and illustrates the importance of understanding protein structure in solving the mechanism of Z antitrypsin retention within the liver. We demonstrate that antitrypsin accumulation in the liver results from a unique interaction between antitrypsin molecules. The Z mutation perturbs the gap between the third and fifth strands of the A sheet, allowing the reactive center loop of one molecule to insert into the A sheet of a second. This loop-sheet polymerization results in the formation of chains of protein which form insoluble inclusions in the endoplasmic reticulum, resulting in hepatocellular damage and cirrhosis. In addition, the Z mutation results in a distortion of the circular dichroic spectrum, a rearrangement of the reactive center loop with respect to the A sheet, and a reduction in association rate constant with the cognate proteinase neutrophil elastase.
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PMID:A protein structural approach to the solution of biological problems: alpha 1-antitrypsin as a recent example. 821 81

Altered expression of asialoglycoprotein (ASGP) receptors on hepatocytes has been reported during hepatic neoplasia mostly in animal models. In this study, we examined immunohistochemically the distribution of the ASGP receptor in humans with various liver diseases, including ten cases of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). In livers of acute hepatitis, chronic hepatitis, cirrhosis and the non-cancerous tissues (mostly cirrhosis) adjacent to HCC, the receptor was present in its normal distribution, i.e. mostly along the sinusoidal margin and partly on the lateral surface of hepatocytes. In four of six well-differentiated HCCs, the receptor was also normally distributed on the plasma membrane; by immunoelectron microscopy, it was seen in the endoplasmic reticulum and in pits in the plasma membrane but not on bile canaliculus-like structures, suggesting that it was synthesized, transported, and integrated into the plasma membrane in a polar manner. In contrast, there was no surface expression of the ASGP receptor in the remaining six HCCs (two well-differentiated and four poorly differentiated). In two of the poorly differentiated HCCs, the receptor, although absent from the cell surface, was prominent in the endoplasmic reticulum, suggesting disturbed transport of the ASGP receptor to the cell surface. When we examined proliferative activity of HCCs by immunohistochemical labeling of DNA polymerase alpha, HCCs with high percentages (above 30%) of DNA polymerase alpha-positive cells had lost the cell-surface expression of the receptor. Thus, the expression of the ASGP receptor in human HCC appears to be closely related to differentiation and proliferative activity of the tumor cells.
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PMID:Distribution of asialoglycoprotein receptor in human hepatocellular carcinoma. 838 55

1. alpha 1-antitrypsin is an antiprotease that inhibits the neutrophil elastase enzyme, and belongs to a family of structurally related serine proteinase inhibitors (serpins). Its methionine358 residue determines the specificity for elastase. 2. The normal M-type alpha 1-antitrypsin is mainly synthesized in the liver parenchymal cells and transported to the plasma. Abnormal Z-mutant alpha 1-antitrypsin is retained in the endoplasmic reticulum, which leads to its intracellular accumulation and to markedly decreased plasma levels. 3. In normal conditions, alpha 1-antitrypsin protects the lungs from destruction by the proteolytic neutrophil elastase. A protease/antiprotease imbalance in the lung is responsible for the development of emphysema in severe alpha 1-antitrypsin deficiency and in cigarette smokers, and accounts for the marked acceleration of the lung disease in smoking alpha 1-antitrypsin deficient patients. Smoking has to be avoided in alpha 1-antitrypsin deficient patients. Replacement therapy with plasma-derived alpha 1-antitrypsin seems indicated in alpha 1-antitrypsin deficient patients with emphysema. 4. Intracellular accumulation of abnormal Z-alpha 1-antitrypsin molecules in liver parenchymal cells may lead to liver disease, ranging from neonatal cholestasis to adulthood cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma. End-stage liver disease can be treated by liver transplantation, which is followed by a phenotypic conversion. 5. Diagnosis of alpha 1-antitrypsin deficiency related disease relies on the presence of a low serum concentration of alpha 1-antitrypsin, and of periodic-acid Schiff positive globules in the liver parenchymal cells. Isoelectric focusing of the serum identifies the protease inhibitor phenotype. The protease inhibitor phenotype is determined by the independent expression of the two parental alpha 1-antitrypsin alleles. It is determinant of the serum level and of the risk for development of lung or liver disease.
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PMID:Alpha 1-antitrypsin deficiency: an overview. 839 99

Secondary biliary cirrhosis in the rat is an attractive model since unlike other models it does not rely on exogenous toxic compounds to induce cirrhosis. However, because little is known about the microcirculatory abnormalities of this model, this study investigated hemodynamics in rats with predefined functional impairment and related them to different aspects of stereologically quantified structure. All animals with at least 50% reduction in microsomal function, assessed by the aminopyrine breath test, had portal hypertension. The sinusoidal space, as assessed by multiple indicator dilution in the perfused liver, was reduced whereas large vessel space was increased. This reduction in sinusoidal space could contribute to increased portal resistance. The degree of intrahepatic shunting varied as assessed by a microsphere technique (13.9 vs. 0.5% in controls). These alterations were confirmed by stereological analysis. Numerically, there was excellent agreement between functional indicator dilution data and anatomic quantitation. Microvascular exchange was impaired as in other models of cirrhosis as shown by a reduced extravascular albumin space (4.5 vs. 2.2%, p < 0.01). In contrast to alterations in vascular space, this functional impairment was not reflected in the stereologically assessed space of Disse which averaged 5% of liver volume in both groups. Finally, in spite of reduced microsomal function in vivo (aminopyrine breath test) and in vitro (aminopyrine N-demethylase activity), the smooth endoplasmic reticulum was maintained (4.3 vs. 3.5 m2/ml cytosol, n.s.), which demonstrates that microsomal function in this model is reduced per unit hepatocyte. This suggests that the sick-cell hypothesis applies to secondary biliary cirrhosis in the rat.
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PMID:Structure-function relationship in secondary biliary cirrhosis in the rat. Stereologic and hemodynamic characterization of a model. 844 30


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