Comprehensive evaluation of hepatitis B virus reverse transcriptase substitutions associated with entecavir resistance

Carl J. Baldick, Daniel J. Tenney, Charles E. Mazzucco, Betsy J. Eggers, Ronald E. Rose, Kevin A. Pokornowski, Cheng F. Yu, Richard J. Colonno – 14 January 2008 – Virologic resistance emerging during entecavir (ETV) therapy for hepatitis B virus (HBV) requires three substitutions in the viral reverse transcriptase (RT), signifying a high barrier to resistance.

TRAIL mediates liver injury by the innate immune system in the bile duct–ligated mouse

Alisan Kahraman, Fernando J. Barreyro, Steven F. Bronk, Nathan W. Werneburg, Justin L. Mott, Yuko Akazawa, Howard C. Masuoka, Charles L. Howe, Gregory J. Gores – 10 January 2008 – The contribution of tumor necrosis factor–related apoptosis‐inducing ligand (TRAIL), a death ligand expressed by cells of the innate immune system, to cholestatic liver injury has not been explored. Our aim was to ascertain if TRAIL contributes to liver injury in the bile duct–ligated (BDL) mouse.

A facile method for somatic, lifelong manipulation of multiple genes in the mouse liver

Kirk J. Wangensteen, Andrew Wilber, Vincent W. Keng, Zhiying He, Ilze Matise, Laura Wangensteen, Corey M. Carson, Yixin Chen, Clifford J. Steer, R. Scott McIvor, David A. Largaespada, Xin Wang, Stephen C. Ekker – 7 January 2008 – Current techniques for the alteration of gene expression in the liver have a number of limitations, including the lack of stable somatic gene transfer and the technical challenges of germline transgenesis. Rapid and stable genetic engineering of the liver would allow systematic, in vivo testing of contributions by many genes to disease.

The role of matrix stiffness in regulating cell behavior

Rebecca G. Wells – 7 January 2008 – Matrix stiffness (resistance to deformation), one of the many mechanical forces acting on cells, is increasingly appreciated as an important mediator of cell behavior. It regulates cell signaling broadly, with effects on growth, survival, and motility. Although the stiffness optima for different kinds of adherent cells vary widely, it is generally true that cell proliferation and differentiation increase with the stiffness of the matrix.

Coordinate regulation of gallbladder motor function in the gut‐liver axis

Piero Portincasa, Agostino Di Ciaula, Helen H. Wang, Giuseppe Palasciano, Karel J. van Erpecum, Antonio Moschetta, David Q.‐H. Wang – 7 January 2008 – Gallstones are one of the most common digestive diseases with an estimated prevalence of 10%‐15% in adults living in the western world, where cholesterol‐enriched gallstones represent 75%‐80% of all gallstones. In cholesterol gallstone disease, the gallbladder becomes the target organ of a complex metabolic disease.

Vascular biology and pathobiology of the liver: Report of a single‐topic symposium

Yasuko Iwakiri, Matthew Grisham, Vijay Shah – 7 January 2008 – Portal hypertension and its complications account for the majority of morbidity and mortality that occurs in patients with cirrhosis. In addition to portal hypertension, a number of other vascular syndromes are also of great importance, especially the ischemia‐reperfusion (IR) injury. With the identification of major vascular defects that could account for many of the clinical sequelae of these syndromes, the liver vasculature field has now integrated very closely with the broader vascular biology discipline.

Defective DNA strand break repair causes chromosomal instability and accelerates liver carcinogenesis in mice

Narci C. Teoh, Yock Young Dan, Karen Swisshelm, Stacey Lehman, Jocelyn H. Wright, Jamil Haque, Yansong Gu, Nelson Fausto – 7 January 2008 – Chromosomal instability is a characteristic feature of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) but its origin and role in liver carcinogenesis are undefined. We tested whether a defect in the nonhomologous end‐joining (NHEJ) DNA repair gene Ku70 was associated with chromosomal abnormalities and enhanced liver carcinogenesis.

Sulfatase 2 up‐regulates glypican 3, promotes fibroblast growth factor signaling, and decreases survival in hepatocellular carcinoma

Jin‐Ping Lai, Dalbir S. Sandhu, Chunrong Yu, Tao Han, Catherine D. Moser, Kenard K. Jackson, Ruben Bonilla Guerrero, Ileana Aderca, Hajime Isomoto, Megan M. Garrity‐Park, Hongzhi Zou, Abdirashid M. Shire, David M. Nagorney, Schuyler O. Sanderson, Alex A. Adjei, Ju‐Seog Lee, Snorri S. Thorgeirsson, Lewis R. Roberts – 7 January 2008 – It has been shown that the heparin‐degrading endosulfatase, sulfatase 1 (SULF1), functions as a liver tumor suppressor, but the role of the related sulfatase, sulfatase 2 (SULF2), in liver carcinogenesis remains to be elucidated.

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