Chronic viral hepatitis and its association with liver cancer

2017 ◽  
Vol 398 (8) ◽  
pp. 817-837 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thomas Tu ◽  
Sandra Bühler ◽  
Ralf Bartenschlager
Keyword(s):  
Liver Cancer ◽  
Molecular Mechanisms ◽  
Hepatitis Virus ◽  
Primary Liver Cancer ◽  
Causative Factor ◽  
Metabolic Reprogramming ◽  
Model Systems ◽  
Cellular Stress Response ◽  
Viral Gene ◽  
Hepatitis Viruses

AbstractChronic infection with hepatitis viruses represents the major causative factor for end-stage liver diseases, including liver cirrhosis and primary liver cancer (hepatocellular carcinoma, HCC). In this review, we highlight the current understanding of the molecular mechanisms that drive the hepatocarcinogenesis associated with chronic hepatitis virus infections. While chronic inflammation (associated with a persistent, but impaired anti-viral immune response) plays a major role in HCC initiation and progression, hepatitis viruses can also directly drive liver cancer. The mechanisms by which hepatitis viruses induce HCC include: hepatitis B virus DNA integration into the host cell genome; metabolic reprogramming by virus infection; induction of the cellular stress response pathway by viral gene products; and interference with tumour suppressors. Finally, we summarise the limitations of hepatitis virus-associated HCC model systems and the development of new techniques to circumvent these shortcomings.

scholarly journals Hypoxia, Metabolic Reprogramming, and Drug Resistance in Liver Cancer

Cells ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (7) ◽  
pp. 1715
Author(s):  
Macus Hao-Ran Bao ◽  
Carmen Chak-Lui Wong
Keyword(s):  
Hepatocellular Carcinoma ◽  
Drug Resistance ◽  
Liver Cancer ◽  
Effective Treatment ◽  
Molecular Mechanisms ◽  
Hypoxia Inducible Factor ◽  
Metabolic Reprogramming ◽  
Combination Therapies ◽  
Low Oxygen ◽  
Treatment Regimens

Hypoxia, low oxygen (O2) level, is a hallmark of solid cancers, especially hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), one of the most common and fatal cancers worldwide. Hypoxia contributes to drug resistance in cancer through various molecular mechanisms. In this review, we particularly focus on the roles of hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF)-mediated metabolic reprogramming in drug resistance in HCC. Combination therapies targeting hypoxia-induced metabolic enzymes to overcome drug resistance will also be summarized. Acquisition of drug resistance is the major cause of unsatisfactory clinical outcomes of existing HCC treatments. Extra efforts to identify novel mechanisms to combat refractory hypoxic HCC are warranted for the development of more effective treatment regimens for HCC patients.

scholarly journals Contextual Regulation of TGF-β Signaling in Liver Cancer

Cells ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 8 (10) ◽  
pp. 1235 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tu ◽  
Huang ◽  
Huang ◽  
Luo ◽  
Yan
Keyword(s):  
Liver Cancer ◽  
Cancer Progression ◽  
Transforming Growth Factor Beta ◽  
Molecular Mechanisms ◽  
Transforming Growth Factor ◽  
Early Stage ◽  
Primary Liver Cancer ◽  
Receptor Activation ◽  
Membrane Receptors ◽  
Cancer Cell Survival

Primary liver cancer is one of the leading causes for cancer-related death worldwide. Transforming growth factor beta (TGF-β) is a pleiotropic cytokine that signals through membrane receptors and intracellular Smad proteins, which enter the nucleus upon receptor activation and act as transcription factors. TGF-β inhibits liver tumorigenesis in the early stage by inducing cytostasis and apoptosis, but promotes malignant progression in more advanced stages by enhancing cancer cell survival, EMT, migration, invasion and finally metastasis. Understanding the molecular mechanisms underpinning the multi-faceted roles of TGF-β in liver cancer has become a persistent pursuit during the last two decades. Contextual regulation fine-tunes the robustness, duration and plasticity of TGF-β signaling, yielding versatile albeit specific responses. This involves multiple feedback and feed-forward regulatory loops and also the interplay between Smad signaling and non-Smad pathways. This review summarizes the known regulatory mechanisms of TGF-β signaling in liver cancer, and how they channel, skew and even switch the actions of TGF-β during cancer progression.

scholarly journals Exosomal MiR-1290 Promotes Angiogenesis of Hepatocellular Carcinoma via Targeting SMEK1

2021 ◽  
Vol 2021 ◽  
pp. 1-13
Author(s):  
Qiong Wang ◽  
Guanwen Wang ◽  
Lianjie Niu ◽  
Shaorong Zhao ◽  
Jianjun Li ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Hepatocellular Carcinoma ◽  
Endothelial Cells ◽  
Liver Cancer ◽  
Blood Vessel ◽  
Tumor Angiogenesis ◽  
Molecular Mechanisms ◽  
Potential Role ◽  
Primary Liver Cancer ◽  
Human Endothelial Cells ◽  
Direct Target

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), the most common primary liver cancer, relies on the formation of new blood vessel for growth and frequent intrahepatic and extrahepatic metastasis. Therefore, it is important to explore the underlying molecular mechanisms of tumor angiogenesis of HCC. Recently, microRNAs have been shown to modulate angiogenic processes by modulating the expression of critical angiogenic factors. However, the potential roles of tumor-derived exosomal microRNAs in regulating tumor angiogenesis remain to be elucidated. In this study, our miRNome sequencing demonstrated that miR-1290 was overexpressed in HCC patient serum-derived exosomes, and we found that delivery of miR-1290 into human endothelial cells enhanced their angiogenic ability. Our results further revealed that SMEK1 is a direct target of miR-1290 in endothelial cells. MiR-1290 exerted its proangiogenic function, at least in part, by alleviating the inhibition of VEGFR2 phosphorylation done by SMEK1. Collectively, our findings provide evidence that miR-1290 is overexpressed in HCC and promotes tumor angiogenesis via exosomal secretion, implicating its potential role as a therapeutic target for HCC.

scholarly journals Anticancer Activities and Underlying Molecular Mechanisms of Novel Mangostin Glycosides in Human Hepatocellular Carcinoma Hep3B Cells

Proceedings ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 22 (1) ◽  
pp. 5
Author(s):  
Kim ◽  
Han ◽  
Jung
Keyword(s):  
Hepatocellular Carcinoma ◽  
Liver Cancer ◽  
Anticancer Agents ◽  
Molecular Mechanisms ◽  
Primary Liver Cancer ◽  
Critical Role ◽  
Single Agent ◽  
Anticancer Activities ◽  
Parent Molecule ◽  
Hep3b Cells

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the most common type of primary liver cancer and is a leading cause of cancer-related death worldwide. Therefore, exploring effective anticancer agents and their modes of action is essential for the prevention and treatment of HCC. Glycosylation can significantly improve the physicochemical and biological properties of small molecules, such as high solubility, stability increase, and lower toxicity. In this study, for the first time, we evaluated the anticancer activities of mangostin-3-O-β-d-2-deoxyglucopyranoside (Man-3DG) and mangostin 6-O-β-d-2-deoxyglucopyranoside (Man-6DG), glycosides of mangostin, against human hepatoma Hep3B cells. Our results demonstrated that Man-3DG and Man-6DG significantly suppressed growth and migration of Hep3B cells. In addition, they induced apoptosis of Hep3B cells by regulating apoptosis-related proteins of mitochondria. Noticeably, Man-3DG and Man-6DG also caused autophage, while cotreatment of the mangostin glycosides with an autophage inhibitor 3MA enhanced the inhibitory effect on Hep3B cell growth, compared to single agent treatment. Moreover, Man-3DG and Man-6DG inhibited the c-Met signaling pathway, which plays a critical role in the pathogenesis of liver cancer. Furthermore, the mangostin glycosides decreased tumor cell-induced angiogenesis in vitro through downregulation of hypoxia-inducible factor-1α (HIF-1α) and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF). These findings suggest that Man-3DG and Man-6DG might be promising anticancer agents for HCC treatment with superior pharmacological properties than parent molecule mangostin.

scholarly journals Remodelling and Improvements in Organoid Technology to Study Liver Carcinogenesis in a Dish

2019 ◽  
Vol 2019 ◽  
pp. 1-8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Umesh Tharehalli ◽  
Michael Svinarenko ◽  
André Lechel
Keyword(s):  
Liver Cancer ◽  
Current Knowledge ◽  
Primary Liver Cancer ◽  
Gene Mutations ◽  
Model Systems ◽  
Suitable Model ◽  
Preclinical Drug Development ◽  
Cancer Modelling ◽  
Organoid Cultures

Primary liver cancer (PLC) is the sixth most common tumour disease and one of the leading causes of cancer-related death worldwide. The two most common types of PLC are hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (iCCA). Diverse subgroups are described and a manifold number of gene mutations are known. Asymptomatic disease progression and limited therapeutic options are the reasons for the high mortality rate in PLC. Up to date, the multikinase inhibitors sorafenib and lenvatinib are the only FDA-approved first-line treatments for advanced HCC. One of the major drawbacks in the preclinical drug development is the lack of suitable model systems. In recent years, 3D organoid cultures were established from several organs and tumour subtypes, thereby opening new avenues in tumour research. 3D organoid cultures are used to describe the tumour diversity, for cancer modelling in a dish and for therapy responsiveness. The establishment of living biobanks and the development of next-generation matrices are promising approaches to overcome drug resistance and to improve the quality of personalised anticancer strategies for patients with PLC. In this review, we summarise the current knowledge of 3D cultures generated from healthy liver and primary liver cancer.

scholarly journals Tumorigenesis, diagnosis, and therapeutic potential of exosomes in liver cancer

2019 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Hongbo Wang ◽  
Zaiming Lu ◽  
Xiangxuan Zhao
Keyword(s):  
Liver Cancer ◽  
Molecular Mechanisms ◽  
Therapeutic Potential ◽  
Primary Liver Cancer ◽  
Signal Transmission ◽  
Clinical Applications ◽  
Research Progress ◽  
Treatment Regimens ◽  
Average Survival ◽  
Average Survival Rate

AbstractHepatocellular carcinoma (HCC, also called primary liver cancer) is one of the most fatal cancers in the world. Due to the insidiousness of the onset of HCC and the lack of effective treatment methods, the prognosis of HCC is extremely poor, and the 5-year average survival rate is less than 10%. Exosomes are nano-sized microvesicle and contain various components such as nucleic acids, proteins, and lipids. Exosomes are important carriers for signal transmission or transportation of material from cell to cell or between cells and tissues. In recent years, exosomes have been considered as potential therapeutic targets of HCC. A large number of reports indicate that exosomes play a key role in the establishment of an HCC microenvironment, as well as the development, progression, invasion, metastasis, and even the diagnosis, treatment, and prognosis of HCC. However, the exact molecular mechanisms and roles of exosomes in these processes remain unclear. We believe that elucidation of the regulatory mechanism of HCC-related exosomes and its signaling pathway and analysis of its clinical applications in the diagnosis and treatment of HCC can provide useful clues for future treatment regimens for HCC. This article discusses and summarizes the research progress of HCC-related exosomes and their potential clinical applications.

scholarly journals Metabolic reprogramming associated with aggressiveness occurs in the G-CIMP-high molecular subtypes of IDH1mut lower grade gliomas

2019 ◽  
Vol 22 (4) ◽  
pp. 480-492 ◽  
Author(s):  
Victor Ruiz-Rodado ◽  
Tathiane M Malta ◽  
Tomohiro Seki ◽  
Adrian Lita ◽  
Tyrone Dowdy ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Molecular Mechanisms ◽  
Molecular Subtype ◽  
Tumor Biology ◽  
Metabolic Reprogramming ◽  
The Cancer Genome Atlas ◽  
Model Systems ◽  
Lower Grade ◽  
Molecular Features

Abstract Background Early detection of increased aggressiveness of brain tumors is a major challenge in the field of neuro-oncology because of the inability of traditional imaging to uncover it. Isocitrate dehydrogenase (IDH)-mutant gliomas represent an ideal model system to study the molecular mechanisms associated with tumorigenicity because they appear indolent and non-glycolytic initially, but eventually a subset progresses toward secondary glioblastoma with a Warburg-like phenotype. The mechanisms and molecular features associated with this transformation are poorly understood. Methods We employed model systems for IDH1 mutant (IDH1mut) gliomas with different growth and proliferation rates in vivo and in vitro. We described the metabolome, transcriptome, and epigenome of these models in order to understand the link between their metabolism and the tumor biology. To verify whether this metabolic reprogramming occurs in the clinic, we analyzed data from The Cancer Genome Atlas. Results We reveal that the aggressive glioma models have lost DNA methylation in the promoters of glycolytic enzymes, especially lactate dehydrogenase A (LDHA), and have increased mRNA and metabolite levels compared with the indolent model. We find that the acquisition of the high glycolytic phenotype occurs at the glioma cytosine-phosphate-guanine island methylator phenotype (G-CIMP)-high molecular subtype in patients and is associated with the worst outcome. Conclusion We propose very early monitoring of lactate levels as a biomarker of metabolic reprogramming and tumor aggressiveness.

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