Águeda González‐Rodriguez, Javier Alba, Valeri Zimmerman, Sara C. Kozma, Ángela M. Valverde – 23 June 2009 – The mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR)/S6K1 signaling pathway controls cell growth and proliferation. To assess the importance of S6K1 in the balance between death and survival in the liver, we have generated immortalized hepatocyte cell lines from wild‐type and S6K1‐deficient (S6K1−/−) mice. In S6K1−/− hepatocytes, caspase‐8 and the pro‐apoptotic protein Bid were constitutively down‐regulated as compared with wild‐type.

Patrick Labonté, Syntia Begley, Carl Guévin, Marie‐Claude Asselin, Nasha Nassoury, Gaétan Mayer, Annik Prat, Nabil G. Seidah – 23 June 2009 – Human PCSK9 is known to enhance the degradation of membrane‐bound receptors such as the hepatocyte low‐density lipoprotein receptor (LDLR), ApoER2, and very low‐density lipoprotein receptor. Because the LDLR is suspected to be involved in hepatitis C virus (HCV) entry, we also tested whether PCSK9 can affect the levels of CD81, a major HCV receptor.

Leonard B. Seeff, Marc G. Ghany, Doris B. Strader, David L. Thomas – 23 June 2009

Nan Su, Michelle M. Thiaville, Keytam Awad, Altin Gjymishka, Jason O. Brant, Thomas P. Yang, Michael S. Kilberg – 23 June 2009 – The FOXA (forkhead box A) proteins (FOXA1, FOXA2, and FOXA3) play a critical role in the development of the liver, and they also regulate metabolism in adult hepatic tissue. The liver responds to changes in nutrient availability by initiating a number of stress signaling pathways. The present studies demonstrated that in mouse dams fed a low‐protein diet hepatic expression of FOXA2 and FOXA3 messenger RNA, but not FOXA1, was induced.

Pantxika Bellecave, Jérôme Gouttenoire, Markus Gajer, Volker Brass, George Koutsoudakis, Hubert E. Blum, Ralf Bartenschlager, Michael Nassal, Darius Moradpour – 23 June 2009 – Coinfection with hepatitis B virus (HBV) and hepatitis C virus (HCV) has been associated with severe liver disease and frequent progression to cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma. Clinical evidence suggests reciprocal replicative suppression of the two viruses, or viral interference. However, interactions between HBV and HCV have been difficult to study due to the lack of appropriate model systems.

Marco Breinig, Eloisi Caldas‐Lopes, Benjamin Goeppert, Mona Malz, Ralf Rieker, Frank Bergmann, Peter Schirmacher, Matthias Mayer, Gabriela Chiosis, Michael André Kern – 23 June 2009 – The inhibition of heat shock protein 90 (Hsp90) has emerged as a promising antineoplastic strategy in diverse human malignancies. Hsp90 has been predicted to be involved in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) development; however, its role in hepatocarcinogenesis remains elusive.

Giuliano Ramadori, Tümen Mansuroglu – 23 June 2009

Elina Zorde‐Khvalevsky, Rinat Abramovitch, Hila Barash, Irit Spivak‐Pohis, Ludmila Rivkin, Jacob Rachmilewitz, Eithan Galun, Hilla Giladi – 23 June 2009 – The current model for liver regeneration suggests that cell damage triggers Toll‐like receptor (TLR) signaling via MyD88, leading to the induction of nuclear factor κB (NF‐κB) and secretion of inflammatory cytokines that in turn prime liver regeneration.

Hongmei Zhao, Malgorzata Przybylska, I‐Huan Wu, Jinhua Zhang, Panagiotis Maniatis, Joshua Pacheco, Peter Piepenhagen, Diane Copeland, Cynthia Arbeeny, James A. Shayman, Johannes M. Aerts, Canwen Jiang, Seng H. Cheng, Nelson S. Yew – 23 June 2009 – Steatosis in the liver is a common feature of obesity and type 2 diabetes and the precursor to the development of nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), cirrhosis, and liver failure. It has been shown previously that inhibiting glycosphingolipid (GSL) synthesis increases insulin sensitivity and lowers glucose levels in diabetic rodent models.

Keith D. Lindor, M. Eric Gershwin, Raoul Poupon, Marshall Kaplan, Nora V. Bergasa, E. Jenny Heathcote – 23 June 2009