Previous studies have implicated phosphatidylethanolamine N-methyltransferase-2 (PEMT2) in the regulation of non-neoplastic liver growth [Tessitore,L., Cui,Z. and Vance,E. (1997) Biochem. J., 322, 151-154]. We have now investigated whether or not PEMT2 is also involved in the control of proliferation of hepatoma cells growing in an animal and cell death by apoptosis in the liver of tumor-bearin...

BACKGROUND Epidermal growth factor (EGF) signaling is implicated in the invasion and metastasis of hepatoma cells. However, the signaling pathways for EGF-induced motility of hepatoma cells remain undefined. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS We found that EGF dose-dependently stimulated the migration of human hepatoma cells HepG2, with the maximal effect at 10 ng/mL. Additionally, EGF increased ...

The hepatic bile acid transporter NTCP is a high-affinity receptor for hepatitis B and D viruses. This study shows that TLC rapidly accumulates in NTCP-expressing hepatoma cells mediates long-lasting trans-inhibition of NTCP’s function via an intracellularly accessible domain, without substantially affecting its membrane expression. domain promising novel target site pharmacological long-acting...

Tube leukocyte adherence inhibition (LAI) assays were performed with normal liver extract as nonspecific antigen and with hepatoma extract as specific antigen in patients with hepatoma. Titration experiments revealed that the optimal extract concentration was 400 micrograms/ml when expressing the results in terms of a nonadherence index. The results of tube LAI assays were positive in 26 of 40 ...

Anoikis resistance is the prerequisite of cancer cells metastasis. Elucidation of the mechanism of anoikis resistance remains a significant challenge. We reported here a model to mimic anoikis resistant process of hepatoma cells in vitro. Experimental results indicated cell to cell aggregation could mediate anoikis resistance of BEL7402 hepatoma cells. Further investigation of these aggregation...

Although pool sizes for a number of amino acids in the Morris hepatomas 9618A and 7800 were found to be similar to those of host liver, deviations existed in the levels of certain free amino acids that were studied. Most often the differences tended toward lower values in the tumor. A notable exception was the high level of lysine in the 96ISA hepatoma. Leucine levels were equal to those of the...

Celecoxib, a COX-2 inhibitor and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug, can prevent several types of cancer, including hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Here we show that celecoxib suppressed the self-renewal and drug-pumping functions in HCC cells. Besides, celecoxib depleted CD44+/CD133+ hepatic cancer stem cells (hCSC). Prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) and CD133 overexpression did not reverse the celeco...

Aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH) is a family of several isoenzymes important in cell defence against both exogenous and endogenous aldehydes. Compared with normal hepatocytes, in rat hepatoma cells the following changes in the expression of ALDH occur: cytosolic class 3 ALDH expression appears and mitochondrial class 2 ALDH decreases. In parallel with these changes, a decrease in the polyunsaturat...

Dedifferentiated hepatoma cells, in contrast to most other cell types including hepatoma cells, undergo apoptosis when treated with lipopolysaccharide (LPS) plus the protein synthesis inhibitor cycloheximide (CHx). We recently reported that the dedifferentiated hepatoma cells also exhibit a strong and prolonged NF-kappaB induction phenotype upon exposure to LPS, suggesting that NF-kappaB signal...

L-Asparaginase inhibits the growth of several animal and human tumors and delays the onset of mitotic activity that occurs in the residual liver following 70% hepatectomy. In the present study the effect of this agent upon DNA synthesis in Morris hepatomas of varying growth rates was determined. A single, small dose of L-asparaginase produced a prolonged inhibition of a very-slow-growing tumor,...