TBX5 Variants are Associated with Susceptibility to and the Incidence of Liver Cirrhosis and Hepatocellular Carcinoma in the Chinese Population: A Multicenter and Follow-Up Study.

Purpose: Liver cirrhosis (LC) and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) are progressions affected by genetic predispositions, and persistent hepatitis B virus infection also demonstrates genetic susceptibility. All HBV-related outcomes have been compared in parallel to identify risk polymorphism in HBV progression.

Methods: The multiple-stage association study filtered and validated the risk SNPs for HBV progression and explored their association with persistent infection, with a total of 8906 subjects in China from three sites.

miR-30a-3p inhibits the proliferation of liver cancer cells by targeting DNMT3a through the PI3K/AKT signaling pathway.

MicroRNAs (miRNAs or miRs) are crucial for normal development and maintenance of homeostasis. Dysregulated miRNA expression contributes to numerous pathological conditions, including cancer tumorigenesis. However, a limited number of studies have examined the regulatory effects of miR-30a-3p in tumorigenesis.

The ASH1-miR-375-YWHAZ Signaling Axis Regulates Tumor Properties in Hepatocellular Carcinoma.

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a worldwide malignance, and the underlying mechanisms of this disease are not fully elucidated. In this study, the existence and function of achaete-scute homolog-1 (ASH1)-miR-375-YWHAZ signaling axis in HCC were determined. Our experiments and the Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) sequencing data analyses showed that ASH1 and miR-375 were significantly downregulated, whereas YWHAZ was significantly upregulated in HCC.

Hepatitis B Virus Infection Dampens CtIP Expression in Hepatoma Cell.

Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is a leading cause for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Dysregulation of DNA double-strand break (DSB) repair may explain the pathogenesis of HBV-related HCC. Tumor suppressor CtIP plays a critical role in DSB repair.

miR-195 inhibits cell proliferation via targeting AEG-1 in hepatocellular carcinoma.

Emerging evidence has indicated that microRNAs (miRNAs) are frequently dysregulated and are fundamental in the pathogenesis of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). However, the roles of miR-195 in HCC have not been well elucidated. In the present study, the expression of miR-195 was determined to be markedly downregulated in HCC tissues and cell lines, as compared with normal liver cells.

Gold nanoparticles delivered miR-375 for treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma.

MiR-375 is a tumor suppressor miRNA that is downregulated in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). However, due to the lack of effective delivery strategies, miR-375 replacement as a therapy for HCC has not been investigated. In the present study, we have developed a straightforward strategy to deliver miR-375 into HCC cells by assembling miR-375 mimics on the surface of AuNPs and forming AuNP-miR-375 nanoparticles.

Mcl-1 as a potential therapeutic target for human hepatocelluar carcinoma.

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a major cause of cancer-related mortality in part due to its high resistance to chemotherapeutic drugs. The anti-apoptotic Mcl-1 expression has been reported as a resistance factor in various types of tumors. Here, we investigated the expression of Mcl-1 in hepatoma cells and HCC tissues and its relationship with p53, and analyzed the possibility of the gene as a molecular target for HCC therapy.

Correlations between ASCC3 Gene Polymorphisms and Chronic Hepatitis B in a Chinese Han Population.

We have previously identified 8 SNPs in Han Chinese HBV carriers that are associated with disease progression. Although not well studied, genetic factors may also play a significant role in developing chronic HBV disease after exposure. We extend the effect of these eight SNPs on persistent HBV infection in this study.

MiR-497 suppresses angiogenesis and metastasis of hepatocellular carcinoma by inhibiting VEGFA and AEG-1.

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a worldwide malignance and displays marked vascular abnormalities and active metastasis. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) have been shown to play important roles in regulating tumor properties in cancer, however, whether miR-497 contributes to HCC angiogenesis or metastasis remains unclear. In this study, we found that miR-497 was significantly down-regulated in HCC tissue samples and cell lines.

High-Mobility Group Box 1 Promotes Hepatocellular Carcinoma Progression through miR-21-Mediated Matrix Metalloproteinase Activity.

Liver inflammation plays a critical role in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) etiology. Damage-associated molecular patterns (DAMP), such as high-mobility group box 1 (HMGB1), and dysregulated miRNAs involved in inflammatory disease states, such as miR-21, may participate in the link between inflammation and cancer. We sought to determine the role of HMGB1 signaling in HCC tumor progression.

Functional repair of p53 mutation in colorectal cancer cells using trans-splicing.

Mutation in the p53 gene is arguably the most frequent type of gene-specific alterations in human cancers. Current p53-based gene therapy contains the administration of wt-p53 or the suppression of mutant p53 expression in p53-defective cancer cells. .

Active radar guides missile to its target: receptor-based targeted treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma by nanoparticulate systems.

Patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) usually present at advanced stages and do not benefit from surgical resection, so drug therapy should deserve a prominent place in unresectable HCC treatment. But chemotherapy agents, such as doxorubicin, cisplatin, and paclitaxel, frequently encounter important problems such as low specificity and non-selective biodistribution. Recently, the development of nanotechnology led to significant breakthroughs to overcome these problems.

The regulation of microRNA expression by DNA methylation in hepatocellular carcinoma.

Unlabelled: Emerging evidence indicates that microRNAs (miRNAs) are often dysregulated and play a fundamental role in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). However, the mechanism underlying miRNA dysregulation is still elusive. In the present study, we adopted an integrated analysis strategy combining data from genome-wide methylated DNA immunoprecipitation chip and miRNA expression microarray to study the regulation of DNA methylation on miRNA expression in HCC.

Bioinformatics analysis identifies miR-221 as a core regulator in hepatocellular carcinoma and its silencing suppresses tumor properties.

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a worldwide malignancy; however, there is a lack of effective targeted therapies. We and others have found that miR-221 is one of the most consistently overexpressed miRNAs in liver cancer. However, the roles of miR-221 in hepatocellular carcinogenesis are still not fully elucidated.

[Association of HLA-DQA1 gene rs9272346 polymorphism with clinical outcome of hepatitis B virus infection in ethnic Han population from Hubei].

Objective: To assess the association of rs9272346 polymorphism of HLA-DQA1 gene with clinical outcome of hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection in ethnic Han population from Hubei, China.

Methods: A case-control study was conducted, which have involved 1028 unrelated subjects including 238 asymptomatic HBV carriers (AHC), 173 acute liver failure (ALF), 292 liver cirrhosis (LC) and 325 hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Genotypes of rs9272346 were determined by real-time polymerase chain reaction with a TaqMan MGB probe.

Visualizing hepatitis B virus with biarsenical labelling in living cells.

Background: Study on viruses has greatly benefited from visualization of viruses tagged with green fluorescent protein (GFP) in living cells. But GFP tag, as a large inserted fragment, is not suitable for labelling Hepatitis B virus (HBV) that is a compact virion with limited internal space.

Aim: To visualize HBV in living cells, we constructed several recombinant HBV fluorescently labelled with biarsenical dye to track the behaviour of HBV in the cytoplasm of infected cells.

Influence of cytotoxic T lymphocyte-associated antigen 4 polymorphisms on the outcomes of hepatitis B virus infection.

Cytotoxic T lymphocyte-associated antigen 4 (CTLA-4) regulates T-cell activation and Th1/Th2 cytokine production and is involved in the immune response against Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection. To detect the association of the CTLA-4 gene polymorphisms with susceptibility to HBV infection a hospital-based case-control study was conducted. A total of 1,119 unrelated individuals were recruited.

The emerging role of miR-375 in cancer.

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are evolutionarily conserved, small noncoding RNAs that are believed to play fundamental roles in various biological processes through regulation of gene expression at the level of posttranscription. MiR-375 was first identified as a pancreatic islet-specific miRNA regulating insulin secretion. However, further study revealed that miR-375 is a multifunctional miRNA participating in pancreatic islet development, glucose homeostasis, mucosal immunity, lung surfactant secretion and more importantly, tumorigenesis.

Pilot validation of the Boston Bowel Preparation Scale in China.

Background And Aim: The Boston Bowel Preparation Scale (BBPS) is a novel bowel cleanliness rating scale that has undergone validation at Boston University Medical Center, Boston, MA, USA. Thus far, there is no standard recognized bowel preparation scale in China. The aim of the present study was to analyze the reliability and validity of the BBPS for the assessment of bowel preparation quality (BPQ) in China.

Association of a single-nucleotide polymorphism within the miR-146a gene with susceptibility for acute-on-chronic hepatitis B liver failure.

Excessive activation of innate immune response contributes to the pathogenesis of acute-on-chronic hepatitis B liver failure (ACLF-HBV). miR-146a was recently found to be implicated in the regulation of innate immunity. In this study, we explored the biological significance of a single-nucleotide polymorphism (rs2910164) within the miR-146a gene in the risk of acquiring ACLF-HBV.

Inhibition of miR-96 expression reduces cell proliferation and clonogenicity of HepG2 hepatoma cells.

microRNAs (miRNAs) are negative regulators of gene expression and can function as tumor suppressors or oncogenes. Several miRNAs are associated with the development of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). miR-96 has been closely associated with cell proliferation and clonogenicity.

Manipulation of autophagy by MIR375 generates antitumor effects in liver cancer.

The exploration into the roles of autophagy in tumorigenesis, either as tumor suppressor or tumor promoter, has led to a great increase in the knowledge of cancer development, progression and treatment. However, there is currently no consensus on how to manipulate autophagy to improve antitumor effects. In this study, we investigated the role of autophagy in established liver cancer cells in response to hypoxia.

Association of Ephrin receptor A3 gene polymorphism with susceptibility to chronic severe hepatitis B.

Aim:   Previous research has suggested that Ephrin receptor A3 (EphA3) plays signaling roles in the processes of inflammation by regulating lymphocyte migration and proliferation. In this study, we investigated whether the EphA3 gene polymorphism was associated with disease progression of chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection.

Methods:   The EphA3 variant rs9310117 was genotyped in 1245 unrelated Han Chinese HBV carriers including 800 cases and 445 controls.

Downregulation of MiR-93 expression reduces cell proliferation and clonogenicity of HepG2 cells.

Background/aims: MiR-93 was observed in various types of cancers. This study is to investigate a role of miR-93 in the carcinogenesis of HCC.

Methodology: The expression of miR-93 in HepG2 cells and prima-ry human hepatocytes (PHHC) was measured by RT-PCR.

β-2 spectrin is involved in hepatocyte proliferation through the interaction of TGFβ/Smad and PI3K/AKT signalling.

Background: Transforming growth factor (TGF) β signalling pathway plays a crucial role in liver regeneration following partial hepatectomy in mice. Evidence demonstrated that β-2 Spectrin is involved in TGFβ/Smad signalling pathway as a Smad3/4 adaptor protein.

Aim: The aim of this study was to explore the role of β-2 Spectrin in hepatocyte proliferation.