MicroRNA‐dependent regulation of DNA methyltransferase‐1 and tumor suppressor gene expression by interleukin‐6 in human malignant cholangiocytes

Chiara Braconi, Nianyuan Huang, Tushar Patel – 19 October 2009 – Although the inflammation‐associated cytokine interleukin‐6 (IL‐6) has been implicated in cholangiocarcinoma growth, the relationship between IL‐6 and oncogenic changes is unknown. IL‐6 can increase expression of DNA methyltransferase‐1 (DNMT‐1) and epigenetically regulate the expression of several genes, including microRNAs (miRNAs). DNMT‐1 up‐regulation occurs in hepatobiliary cancers and is associated with a poor prognosis.

Epigenetic regulation of hepatic endoplasmic reticulum stress pathways in the ethanol‐fed cystathionine beta synthase–deficient mouse

Farah Esfandiari, Valentina Medici, Donna H. Wong, Soumia Jose, Maryam Dolatshahi, Eoin Quinlivan, Sanjana Dayal, Steven R. Lentz, Hidekazu Tsukamoto, Yue Hua Zhang, Samuel W. French, Charles H. Halsted – 19 October 2009 – We tested the hypothesis that the pathogenesis of alcoholic liver injury is mediated by epigenetic changes in regulatory genes that result from the induction of aberrant methionine metabolism by ethanol feeding.

Ammonia and the neutrophil in the pathogenesis of hepatic encephalopathy in cirrhosis

Debbie L. Shawcross, Shabnam S. Shabbir, Nicholas J. Taylor, Robin D. Hughes – 13 October 2009 – Hepatic encephalopathy (HE) constitutes a neuropsychiatric syndrome which remains a major clinical problem in patients with cirrhosis. In the severest form of HE, cirrhotic patients may develop varying degrees of confusion and coma. Ammonia has been regarded as the key precipitating factor in HE, and astrocytes have been the most commonly affected cells neuropathologically.

Emergency adult‐to‐adult living‐donor liver transplantation for acute liver failure in a hepatitis B virus endemic area

Soo Jung Park, Young‐Suk Lim, Shin Hwang, Nae Yun Heo, Han Chu Lee, Dong Jin Suh, Eunsil Yu, Sung Gyu Lee – 13 October 2009 – The outcomes of patients with acute liver failure (ALF) vary greatly according to etiology. Emergency adult‐to‐adult living‐donor liver transplantation (adult LDLT) would help address the shortage of available organs for patients with ALF, especially in hepatitis B virus (HBV)‐endemic areas. We analyzed a prospective database of 110 consecutive adult patients with ALF.

Hepatocytes do not undergo epithelial‐mesenchymal transition in liver fibrosis in mice

Kojiro Taura, Kouichi Miura, Keiko Iwaisako, Christoph H. Österreicher, Yuzo Kodama, Melitta Penz‐Österreicher, David A. Brenner – 13 October 2009 – The origin of fibrogenic cells in liver fibrosis remains controversial. We assessed the emerging concept that hepatocytes contribute to production of extracellular matrix (ECM) in liver fibrosis through epithelial‐mesenchymal transition (EMT).

Rapamycin inhibits hepatic fibrosis in rats by attenuating multiple profibrogenic pathways

Kim R. Bridle, Claudia Popa, Maelle L. Morgan, Amy L. Sobbe, Andrew D. Clouston, Linda M. Fletcher, Darrell H. G. Crawford – 29 September 2009 – Hepatic stellate cell transdifferentiation, epithelial‐mesenchymal cell transition, and the ductular reaction each contribute to the development of hepatic fibrosis in cholestatic liver diseases. Inhibitors of mammalian target of rapamycin have antifibrotic properties.

Subscribe to