Bmi1 promotes hepatic stem cell expansion and tumorigenicity in both Ink4a/Arf‐dependent and ‐independent manners in Mice

Tetsuhiro Chiba, Atsuyoshi Seki, Ryutaro Aoki, Hitoshi Ichikawa, Masamitsu Negishi, Satoru Miyagi, Hideyuki Oguro, Atsunori Saraya, Akihide Kamiya, Hiromitsu Nakauchi, Osamu Yokosuka, Atsushi Iwama – 26 August 2010 – We previously reported that forced expression of Bmi1 (B lymphoma Moloney murine leukemia virus insertion region 1 homolog) in murine hepatic stem/progenitor cells purified from fetal liver enhances their self‐renewal and drives cancer initiation.

Small molecular compounds that inhibit hepatitis C virus replication through destabilizing heat shock cognate 70 messenger RNA

Zong‐Gen Peng, Bo Fan, Na‐Na Du, Yu‐Ping Wang, Li‐Mei Gao, Ying‐Hong Li, Yu‐Huan Li, Fei Liu, Xue‐Fu You, Yan‐Xing Han, Zhi‐Yun Zhao, Shan Cen, Jian‐Rui Li, Dan‐Qing Song, Jian‐Dong Jiang – 26 August 2010 – Host heat shock cognate 70 (Hsc70) protein is packaged into hepatitis C viral (HCV) particles as a structural component of the virus in the assembly process. It helps HCV RNA release into the cytoplasm in the next infection cycle. The goal of this study is to investigate whether chemically down‐regulating host Hsc70 expression could be a novel strategy to interrupt HCV replication.

Phase 1b study of pegylated interferon lambda 1 with or without ribavirin in patients with chronic genotype 1 hepatitis C virus infection

Andrew J. Muir, Mitchell L. Shiffman, Atif Zaman, Boris Yoffe, Andrew de la Torre, Steven Flamm, Stuart C. Gordon, Paul Marotta, John M. Vierling, Juan Carlos Lopez‐Talavera, Kelly Byrnes‐Blake, David Fontana, Jeremy Freeman, Todd Gray, Diana Hausman, Naomi N. Hunder, Eric Lawitz – 26 August 2010 – Interferon lambda 1 (IFN‐λ1) is a type III IFN that produces intracellular responses similar to those of IFN‐α but in fewer cell types because of differences in the receptor distribution pattern, and this could potentially result in an improved safety profile.

Conditional β‐catenin loss in mice promotes chemical hepatocarcinogenesis: Role of oxidative stress and platelet‐derived growth factor receptor α/phosphoinositide 3‐kinase signaling

Xu‐Feng Zhang, Xinping Tan, Gang Zeng, Amalea Misse, Sucha Singh, Youngsoo Kim, James E. Klaunig, Satdarshan P. S. Monga – 26 August 2010 – Activation of β‐catenin, the central effector of the canonical Wnt pathway and a recognized oncogene, has been implicated in hepatocellular carcinoma. We examined N‐nitrosodiethylamine (DEN)‐induced tumorigenesis in hepatic β‐catenin conditional knockout mice (β‐cat KO). Male β‐cat KO and age‐ and sex‐matched littermate controls were given a single intraperitoneal DEN injection and followed for 6‐12 months for hepatic tumors.

High‐fructose, medium chain trans fat diet induces liver fibrosis and elevates plasma coenzyme Q9 in a novel murine model of obesity and nonalcoholic steatohepatitis

Rohit Kohli, Michelle Kirby, Stavra A. Xanthakos, Samir Softic, Ariel E. Feldstein, Vijay Saxena, Peter H. Tang, Lili Miles, Michael V. Miles, William F. Balistreri, Stephen C. Woods, Randy J. Seeley – 26 August 2010 – Diets high in saturated fat and fructose have been implicated in the development of obesity and nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) in humans.

Associations between serum lipids and hepatitis C antiviral treatment efficacy

Darmendra Ramcharran, Abdus S. Wahed, Hari S. Conjeevaram, Rhobert W. Evans, Tianyi Wang, Steven H. Belle, Leland J. Yee, for the Virahep‐C Study Group – 26 August 2010 – Approximately one half of patients who undergo antiviral therapy for chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) genotype 1 infection do not respond to treatment. African Americans (AAs) are less responsive to treatment than Caucasian Americans (CAs), but the reasons for this disparity are largely unknown. Recent studies suggest that serum lipids may be associated with treatment response.

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