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Abstract

Grant Number: 5R37CA023226-31
Project Title: GENE EXPRESSION IN REGENERATING AND NEOPLASTIC LIVERS
PI Information:NameEmailTitle
FAUSTO, NELSON nfausto@u.washington.edu PROFESSOR AND CHAIR

Abstract: DESCRIPTION: (Adapted from the investigator's abstract) During liver regeneration quiescent differentiated hepatocytes replicate to restore the hepatic mass. Hepatocyte replication in the regenerating liver has a high degree of synchrony and involves the transcription and posttranscriptional activation of transcriptional factors, protooncogenes and growth factors among many other genes. In work supported by this grant (years 25-29) we demonstrated that cytokines are involved in the initiation of liver regeneration and that signaling through Tumor Necrosis Receptor type 1 (TNFR-1) required for liver regeneration by activating a pathway that includes NKkappaB, IL-6 and STAT3. Work in liver cell cultures developed in this laboratory as well as with RelA/TNFR-1 double knockout mice demonstrated that signaling through TNFR-1 can be proliferative, apoptotic or cause the transcription of acute phase response genes. This work led to the conclusion that hepatocytes need to be primed by cytokines to fully respond to the growth factors HGF and TFGalpha. However, major questions remain regarding the cytokine-dependent and independent mechanisms that initiate regeneration as well as the nature of signaling interactions between hepatocytes and Kupffer cells which may be required for hepatocyte replication. Furthermore, little information is available about mechanisms that may limit cytokine expression as well as DNA replication in the regenerating liver. We have designed experiments to address 4 specific questions using carefully selected mouse models and hepatocyte cell cultures: a) whether blockage of NFkappaB activation in hepatocytes but not in Kupffer cells will interfere with liver regeneration; b) whether the blockage of the generation of Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS) inhibits hepatocyte DNA replication; c) whether LPS is responsible for TNF induction at the start of liver regeneration; d) whether 2 distinct negative feedback mechanisms acting on cytokine signaling and MAP kinase activity may respectively regulate the initiation and cell cycle progression phases of liver regeneration.

Public Health Relevance:
This Public Health Relevance is not available.

Thesaurus Terms:
developmental genetics, gene expression, liver neoplasm, liver regeneration, neoplasm /cancer genetics
DNA replication, Kupffer's cell, cytokine receptor, enzyme activity, free radical oxygen, hepatocyte growth factor, interleukin 6, lipopolysaccharide, mitogen activated protein kinase, nuclear factor kappa beta, transcription factor, transforming growth factor, tumor necrosis factor alpha
laboratory mouse, tissue /cell culture, transgenic animal

Institution: UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON
Office of Sponsored Programs
SEATTLE, WA 981959472
Fiscal Year: 2002
Department: PATHOLOGY
Project Start: 01-AUG-1977
Project End: 31-JAN-2006
ICD: NATIONAL CANCER INSTITUTE
IRG: PTHB


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