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

  • Jyoti Srivastava
  • , Ayesha Siddiq
  • , Luni Emdad
  • , Prasanna Kumar Santhekadur
  • , Dong Chen
  • , Rachel Gredler
  • , Xue Ning Shen
  • , Chadia L. Robertson
  • , Catherine I. Dumur
  • , Phillip B. Hylemon
  • , Nitai D. Mukhopadhyay
  • , Deepak Bhere
  • , Khalid Shah
  • , Rushdy Ahmad
  • , Shah Giashuddin
  • , Jillian Stafflinger
  • , Mark A. Subler
  • , Jolene J. Windle
  • , Paul B. Fisher
  • , Devanand Sarkar
  • Virginia Commonwealth University
  • Massachusetts General Hospital
  • Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

70 Scopus citations

Abstract

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.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)1782-1791
Number of pages10
JournalHepatology
Volume56
Issue number5
DOIs
StatePublished - Nov 2012

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