Astrocyte elevated gene-1 promotes hepatocarcinogenesis: novel insights from a mouse model.

Hepatology, 2012/11;56(5):1782-91.

Srivastava J[1], Siddiq A, Emdad L, Santhekadur PK, Chen D, Gredler R, Shen XN, Robertson CL, Dumur CI, Hylemon PB, Mukhopadhyay ND, Bhere D, Shah K, Ahmad R, Giashuddin S, Stafflinger J, Subler MA, Windle JJ, Fisher PB, Sarkar D

Affiliations

PMID: 22689379DOI: 10.1002/hep.25868

Impact factor: 17.298

Abstract
unlabelled: Astrocyte elevated gene-1 (AEG-1) is a key contributor to hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) development and progression. To enhance our understanding of the role of AEG-1 in hepatocarcinogenesis, a transgenic mouse with hepatocyte-specific expression of AEG-1 (Alb/AEG1) was developed. Treating Alb/AEG-1, but not wild-type (WT) mice, with N-nitrosodiethylamine resulted in multinodular HCC with steatotic features and associated modulation of expression of genes regulating invasion, metastasis, angiogenesis, and fatty acid synthesis. Hepatocytes isolated from Alb/AEG-1 mice displayed profound resistance to chemotherapeutics and growth factor deprivation with activation of prosurvival signaling pathways. Alb/AEG-1 hepatocytes also exhibited marked resistance toward senescence, which correlated with abrogation of activation of a DNA damage response. Conditioned media from Alb/AEG-1 hepatocytes induced marked angiogenesis with elevation in several coagulation factors. Among these factors, AEG-1 facilitated the association of factor XII (FXII) messenger RNA with polysomes, resulting in increased translation. Short interfering RNA-mediated knockdown of FXII resulted in profound inhibition of AEG-1-induced angiogenesis.
conclusion: We uncovered novel aspects of AEG-1 functions, including induction of steatosis, inhibition of senescence, and activation of the coagulation pathway to augment aggressive hepatocarcinogenesis. The Alb/AEG-1 mouse provides an appropriate model to scrutinize the molecular mechanism of hepatocarcinogenesis and to evaluate the efficacy of novel therapeutic strategies targeting HCC.
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