Hepatic stellate cells: Partners in crime for liver metastases?

Ningling Kang, Gregory J. Gores, Vijay H. Shah – 21 April 2011 – Hepatic stellate cells (HSCs) were recently postulated as a component of the prometastatic liver microenvironment, because they can transdifferentiate into highly proliferative and motile myofibroblasts that are implicated in the desmoplastic reaction and metastatic growth. This review focuses on bidirectional interactions between tumor cells and HSCs in the liver microenvironment and discusses mechanisms whereby tumor‐derived factors activate HSCs, and in turn, activated HSCs promote metastatic growth.

Long‐term propagation of serum hepatitis C virus (HCV) with production of enveloped HCV particles in human HepaRG hepatocytes

Ndiémé Ndongo‐Thiam, Pascale Berthillon, Elisabeth Errazuriz, Isabelle Bordes, Sylvie De Sequeira, Christian Trépo, Marie‐Anne Petit – 21 April 2011 – HepaRG human liver progenitor cells exhibit morphology and functionality of adult hepatocytes. We investigated the susceptibility of HepaRG hepatocytes to in vitro infection with serum‐derived hepatitis C virus (HCV) particles (HCVsp) and the potential neutralizing activity of the E1E2‐specific monoclonal antibody (mAb) D32.10. The infection was performed using HCVsp when the cells actively divided at day 3 postplating.

Resistance mutations define specific antiviral effects for inhibitors of the hepatitis C virus p7 ion channel

Toshana L. Foster, Mark Verow, Ann L. Wozniak, Matthew J. Bentham, Joseph Thompson, Elizabeth Atkins, Steven A. Weinman, Colin Fishwick, Richard Foster, Mark Harris, Stephen Griffin – 21 April 2011 – The hepatitis C virus (HCV) p7 ion channel plays a critical role during infectious virus production and represents an important new therapeutic target. Its activity is blocked by structurally distinct classes of small molecules, with sensitivity varying between isolate p7 sequences.

Block of proliferation 1 (BOP1) plays an oncogenic role in hepatocellular carcinoma by promoting epithelial‐to‐mesenchymal transition

Kit‐Ying Chung, Ibis K.‐C. Cheng, Arthur K.‐K. Ching, Jian‐Hong Chu, Paul B.‐S. Lai, Nathalie Wong – 21 April 2011 – Genomic amplification of regional chromosome 8q24 is a common event in human cancers. In hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), a highly aggressive malignancy that is rapidly fatal, recurrent 8q24 gains can be detected in >50% of cases. In this study, attempts to resolve the 8q24 region by way of array comparative genomic hybridization for affected genes in HCC revealed distinctive gains of block of proliferation 1 (BOP1).

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Josep Maria Orellana‐Gavaldà, Laura Herrero, Maria Ida Malandrino, Guillermina Asins, Fausto G. Hegardt, Dolores Serra – 21 April 2011

Pediatric liver transplantation for primary sclerosing cholangitis

Tamir Miloh, Ravinder Anand, Wendy Yin, Miriam Vos, Nanda Kerkar, Estella Alonso, for the Studies of Pediatric Liver Transplantation Research Group – 19 April 2011 – Primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC) is a rare cholestatic liver disease in children. The aim of this study was to determine the characteristics and outcomes of children with PSC who were listed for liver transplantation (LT).

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