Bihui Zhong, Pavel Strnad, Carlo Selmi, Pietro Invernizzi, Guo‐Zhong Tao, Angela Caleffi, Minhu Chen, Ilaria Bianchi, Mauro Podda, Antonello Pietrangelo, M. Eric Gershwin, M. Bishr Omary – 29 July 2009 – Keratins (K) 8 and 18 variants predispose carriers to the development of end‐stage liver disease and patients with chronic hepatitis C to disease progression. Hepatocytes express K8/K18, whereas biliary epithelia express K8/K18/K19.

Jonas Zeitz, Beat Mullhaupt, Heiko Fruehauf, Gerhard Rogler, Stephan R. Vavricka – 29 July 2009

Marta Varela‐Rey, David Fernández‐Ramos, Nuria Martínez‐López, Nieves Embade, Laura Gómez‐Santos, Naiara Beraza, Mercedes Vázquez‐Chantada, Juan Rodríguez, Zigmund Luka, Conrad Wagner, Shelly C. Lu, M. Luz Martínez‐Chantar, José M. Mato – 29 July 2009 – Hepatic S‐adenosylmethionine (SAMe) is maintained constant by the action of methionine adenosyltransferase I/III (MATI/III), which converts methionine into SAMe and glycine N‐methyltransferase (GNMT), which eliminates excess SAMe to avoid aberrant methylation reactions.

Holger M. Strunk – 29 July 2009

Takeya Tsutsumi, Mami Matsuda, Hideki Aizaki, Kyoji Moriya, Hideyuki Miyoshi, Hajime Fujie, Yoshizumi Shintani, Hiroshi Yotsuyanagi, Tatsuo Miyamura, Tetsuro Suzuki, Kazuhiko Koike – 29 July 2009 – The hepatitis C virus (HCV) core protein is involved in viral pathogenesis such as oxidative stress induction and lipid metabolism disturbance, and is primarily located in the cytoplasm and endoplasmic reticulum in association with lipid droplets as well as in the mitochondria.

Herdis Bender, Monique Y. Wiesinger, Carolin Nordhoff, Caroline Schoenherr, Claude Haan, Stephan Ludwig, Ralf Weiskirchen, Nobuyuki Kato, Peter C. Heinrich, Serge Haan – 29 July 2009 – Interleukin‐27 (IL‐27) is a cytokine belonging to the IL‐6/IL‐12 cytokine family. It is secreted by antigen‐presenting cells, strongly acts on T cells, and also stimulates innate immune cells. In most studies, the effects of IL‐27 on T cells were investigated; however, not much is known about possible effects of IL‐27 on other cell types.

M. Isabel Fiel, Thomas Schiano – 29 July 2009

Giada Sebastiani, Alfredo Alberti – 29 July 2009

Laudio Puoti, Lia Bellis, Riccardo Guarisco – 29 July 2009

Leo L. Studach, Lova Rakotomalala, Wen‐Horng Wang, Ronald L. Hullinger, Stefano Cairo, Marie‐Annick Buendia, Ourania M. Andrisani – 29 July 2009 – Chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is linked to development of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). The HBV X protein (pX) is implicated in HCC pathogenesis acting as a weak oncogene or a cofactor in hepatocarcinogenesis. pX induces DNA re‐replication, DNA damage, and partial polyploidy in a poorly differentiated, immortalized hepatocyte cell line.