PTER is a N-acetyltaurine hydrolase that regulates feeding and obesity.

Taurine is a conditionally essential micronutrient and one of the most abundant amino acids in humans. In endogenous taurine metabolism, dedicated enzymes are involved in the biosynthesis of taurine from cysteine and in the downstream metabolism of secondary taurine metabolites. One taurine metabolite is N-acetyltaurine.

A PTER-dependent pathway of taurine metabolism linked to energy balance.

Taurine is a conditionally essential micronutrient and one of the most abundant amino acids in humans. In endogenous taurine metabolism, dedicated enzymes are involved in biosynthesis of taurine from cysteine as well as the downstream derivatization of taurine into secondary taurine metabolites. One such taurine metabolite is N-acetyltaurine.

Dysregulation of Type I Interferon (IFN-I) Signaling: A Potential Contributor to Racial Disparity in Hepatocellular Carcinoma (HCC).

African-American (AA)/Black hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients have increased incidence and decreased survival rates compared to non-Hispanic (White) patients, the underlying molecular mechanism of which is not clear. Analysis of existing RNA-sequencing (RNA-seq) data in The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and in-house RNA-sequencing of 14 White and 18 AA/Black HCC patients revealed statistically significant activation of type I interferon (IFN-I) signaling pathway in AA/Black patients. A four-gene signature of IFN-stimulated genes (ISGs) showed increased expression in AA/Black HCC tumors versus White.

Melanoma differentiation associated gene-9/syndecan binding protein promotes hepatocellular carcinoma.

Background And Aims: The oncogene Melanoma differentiation associated gene-9/syndecan binding protein (MDA-9/SDCBP) is overexpressed in many cancers, promoting aggressive, metastatic disease. However, the role of MDA-9 in regulating hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) has not been well studied.

Approach And Results: To unravel the function of MDA-9 in HCC, we generated and characterized a transgenic mouse with hepatocyte-specific overexpression of MDA-9 (Alb/MDA-9).

Mouse Bone Marrow Cell Isolation and Macrophage Differentiation.

The rapid increase in the incidence of obesity contributes to a parallel increase in nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH). Monocyte-derived macrophages, recruited from the bone marrow to the liver, promote NASH-related inflammation and fibrosis. In addition, adipose tissue macrophages (ATMs) release pro-inflammatory cytokines (PICs) which stimulate adipose tissue lipolysis liberating free fatty acids (FFAs) that can accumulate in the liver as triglycerides (TGs), thereby inducing steatosis.

Isolation and Culture of Mouse Hepatocytes and Kupffer Cells (KCs).

Nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) is characterized by accumulation of lipids in the hepatocytes (steatosis) and chronic inflammation. Liver resident macrophages (Kupffer cells) play a pivotal role in inducing inflammation. Cross-talk between hepatocytes and Kupffer cells (KCs) regulate both steatosis and inflammation during the pathogenesis of NASH.

Dissecting the Balance Between Metabolic and Oncogenic Functions of Astrocyte-Elevated Gene-1/Metadherin.

Obesity is an enormous global health problem, and obesity-induced nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) is contributing to a rising incidence and mortality for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Increase in de novo lipogenesis and decrease in fatty acid β-oxidation (FAO) underlie hepatic lipid accumulation in NASH. Astrocyte-elevated gene-1/metadherin (AEG-1) overexpression contributes to both NASH and HCC.

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC): Epidemiology, etiology and molecular classification.

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), the primary malignancy of hepatocytes, is a diagnosis with bleak outcome. According to National Cancer Institute's SEER database, the average five-year survival rate of HCC patients in the US is 19.6% but can be as low as 2.

Current Status of Gene Therapy in Hepatocellular Carcinoma.

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the fifth most common cancer and the second leading cause of cancer related deaths world-wide. Liver transplantation, surgical resection, trans-arterial chemoembolization, and radio frequency ablation are effective strategies to treat early stage HCC. Unfortunately, HCC is usually diagnosed at an advanced stage and there are not many treatment options for late stage HCC.

The multifaceted oncogene SND1 in cancer: focus on hepatocellular carcinoma.

Staphylococcal nuclease and tudor domain containing 1 (SND1) is a protein that regulates a complex array of functions. It controls gene expression through transcriptional activation, mRNA degradation, mRNA stabilization, ubiquitination and alternative splicing. More than two decades of research has accumulated evidence of the role of SND1 as an oncogene in various cancers.