Marina Núñez – 22 October 2009

Takahiro Negishi, Yoko Nagai, Yoichi Asaoka, Mami Ohno, Misako Namae, Hiroshi Mitani, Takashi Sasaki, Nobuyoshi Shimizu, Shuji Terai, Isao Sakaida, Hisato Kondoh, Toshiaki Katada, Makoto Furutani‐Seiki, Hiroshi Nishina – 22 October 2009 – During vertebrate embryogenesis, the liver develops at a precise location along the endodermal primitive gut tube because of signaling delivered by adjacent mesodermal tissues. Although several signaling molecules have been associated with liver formation, the molecular mechanism that regulates liver specification is still unclear.

Wei‐Dong Chen, Yan‐Dong Wang, Lisheng Zhang, Steven Shiah, Meihua Wang, Fan Yang, Donna Yu, Barry M. Forman, Wendong Huang – 22 October 2009 – Elucidating the mechanism of liver regeneration could lead to life‐saving therapy for a large number of patients, especially elderly patients, after segmental liver transplantation or resection of liver tumors. The forkhead box m1b (Foxm1b) transcription factor is required for normal liver regeneration.

Masao Shinohara, Cheng Ji, Neil Kaplowitz – 22 October 2009 – Chronic ethanol infusion resulted in greater serum alanine aminotransferase elevation, lipid accumulation, necroinflammation, and focal hepatic cell death in mice than rats. Mice exhibited a remarkable hyperhomocysteinemia but no increase was seen in rats. Similarly, a high‐methionine low‐folate diet (HMLF) induced less steatosis, serum alanine aminotransferase increase, and hyperhomocysteinemia in rats than in mice.

Xingshun Qi, Guohong Han, Jianhong Wang, Kaichun Wu, Daiming Fan – 22 October 2009

Francois H. T. Duong, Verena Christen, Shanshan Lin, Markus H. Heim – 22 October 2009 – The molecular mechanisms underlying hepatocarcinogenesis in chronic viral hepatitis are poorly understood. A potential tumorigenic pathway could involve protein phosphatase 2A (PP2A) and protein arginine methyltransferase 1 (PRMT1), because both enzymes are dysregulated in chronic hepatitis C, and both enzymes have been involved in chromatin remodeling and DNA damage repair.

Yujuan Xiong, Jian‐Hong Fang, Jing‐Ping Yun, Jine Yang, Ying Zhang, Wei‐Hua Jia, Shi‐Mei Zhuang – 19 October 2009 – Based on microarray data, we have previously shown a significant down‐regulation of miR‐29 in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) tissues. To date, the role of miR‐29 deregulation in hepatocarcinogenesis and the signaling pathways by which miR‐29 exerts its function and modulates the malignant phenotypes of HCC cells remain largely unknown.

William J. H. Griffiths, Roman Mayr, Ian McFarlane, Martin Hermann, David J. Halsall, Heinz Zoller, Timothy M. Cox – 19 October 2009 – Mutations in the SLC40A1 gene, which encodes ferroportin, are associated with autosomal dominant hemochromatosis. Ferroportin is inhibited directly by hepcidin, a key iron‐regulatory peptide, and functional consequences of SLC40A1 mutations account for observed phenotypic differences in patients with ferroportin disease.

Kumiko Isse, Susan M. Specht, John G. Lunz, Liang‐I Kang, Yoshiaki Mizuguchi, Anthony J. Demetris – 19 October 2009 – Females are more susceptible than males to several biliary tract diseases. Interleukin‐6 (IL‐6) is critical to triggering autoimmune reactions and contributes substantially to biliary epithelial cell (BEC) barrier function and wound repair, and estrogen differentially regulates IL‐6 expression in various cell types. We hypothesized that estrogen might stimulate BEC IL‐6 production.

Roben G. Gieling, Ahmed M. Elsharkawy, Jorge H. Caamaño, David E. Cowie, Matthew C. Wright, Mohammad R. Ebrahimkhani, Alastair D. Burt, Jelena Mann, Pradip Raychaudhuri, Hsiou‐Chi Liou, Fiona Oakley, Derek A. Mann – 19 October 2009 – In this study, we determined the role of the nuclear factor‐kappaB (NF‐κB) subunit c‐Rel in liver injury and regeneration.