Masao Shinohara, Cheng Ji, Neil Kaplowitz – 22 October 2009 – Chronic ethanol infusion resulted in greater serum alanine aminotransferase elevation, lipid accumulation, necroinflammation, and focal hepatic cell death in mice than rats. Mice exhibited a remarkable hyperhomocysteinemia but no increase was seen in rats. Similarly, a high‐methionine low‐folate diet (HMLF) induced less steatosis, serum alanine aminotransferase increase, and hyperhomocysteinemia in rats than in mice.

Xingshun Qi, Guohong Han, Jianhong Wang, Kaichun Wu, Daiming Fan – 22 October 2009

Francois H. T. Duong, Verena Christen, Shanshan Lin, Markus H. Heim – 22 October 2009 – The molecular mechanisms underlying hepatocarcinogenesis in chronic viral hepatitis are poorly understood. A potential tumorigenic pathway could involve protein phosphatase 2A (PP2A) and protein arginine methyltransferase 1 (PRMT1), because both enzymes are dysregulated in chronic hepatitis C, and both enzymes have been involved in chromatin remodeling and DNA damage repair.

Yujuan Xiong, Jian‐Hong Fang, Jing‐Ping Yun, Jine Yang, Ying Zhang, Wei‐Hua Jia, Shi‐Mei Zhuang – 19 October 2009 – Based on microarray data, we have previously shown a significant down‐regulation of miR‐29 in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) tissues. To date, the role of miR‐29 deregulation in hepatocarcinogenesis and the signaling pathways by which miR‐29 exerts its function and modulates the malignant phenotypes of HCC cells remain largely unknown.

William J. H. Griffiths, Roman Mayr, Ian McFarlane, Martin Hermann, David J. Halsall, Heinz Zoller, Timothy M. Cox – 19 October 2009 – Mutations in the SLC40A1 gene, which encodes ferroportin, are associated with autosomal dominant hemochromatosis. Ferroportin is inhibited directly by hepcidin, a key iron‐regulatory peptide, and functional consequences of SLC40A1 mutations account for observed phenotypic differences in patients with ferroportin disease.

Kumiko Isse, Susan M. Specht, John G. Lunz, Liang‐I Kang, Yoshiaki Mizuguchi, Anthony J. Demetris – 19 October 2009 – Females are more susceptible than males to several biliary tract diseases. Interleukin‐6 (IL‐6) is critical to triggering autoimmune reactions and contributes substantially to biliary epithelial cell (BEC) barrier function and wound repair, and estrogen differentially regulates IL‐6 expression in various cell types. We hypothesized that estrogen might stimulate BEC IL‐6 production.

Roben G. Gieling, Ahmed M. Elsharkawy, Jorge H. Caamaño, David E. Cowie, Matthew C. Wright, Mohammad R. Ebrahimkhani, Alastair D. Burt, Jelena Mann, Pradip Raychaudhuri, Hsiou‐Chi Liou, Fiona Oakley, Derek A. Mann – 19 October 2009 – In this study, we determined the role of the nuclear factor‐kappaB (NF‐κB) subunit c‐Rel in liver injury and regeneration.

Chiara Braconi, Nianyuan Huang, Tushar Patel – 19 October 2009 – Although the inflammation‐associated cytokine interleukin‐6 (IL‐6) has been implicated in cholangiocarcinoma growth, the relationship between IL‐6 and oncogenic changes is unknown. IL‐6 can increase expression of DNA methyltransferase‐1 (DNMT‐1) and epigenetically regulate the expression of several genes, including microRNAs (miRNAs). DNMT‐1 up‐regulation occurs in hepatobiliary cancers and is associated with a poor prognosis.

Hisashi Moriguchi, Raymond T. Chung, Chifumi Sato – 19 October 2009

Farah Esfandiari, Valentina Medici, Donna H. Wong, Soumia Jose, Maryam Dolatshahi, Eoin Quinlivan, Sanjana Dayal, Steven R. Lentz, Hidekazu Tsukamoto, Yue Hua Zhang, Samuel W. French, Charles H. Halsted – 19 October 2009 – We tested the hypothesis that the pathogenesis of alcoholic liver injury is mediated by epigenetic changes in regulatory genes that result from the induction of aberrant methionine metabolism by ethanol feeding.