Saul J. Karpen – 15 July 2005

Michelle Embree‐Ku, Philip A. Gruppuso – 15 July 2005 – During the last 3 days of fetal development in the rodent, a burst of hepatocyte proliferation results in a tripling of liver size. Despite stimulation of mitogenesis via multiple signaling pathways, including some that are considered stress response pathways, little apoptosis accompanies this cell growth.

Ewan Forrest, Saket Singhal, Geoffrey Haydon, Christopher Day, Neil Fisher, Alison Brind, Peter Hayes – 15 July 2005

Christine Rösler, Josef Köck, Michael Kann, Michael H. Malim, Hubert E. Blum, Thomas F. Baumert, Fritz von Weizsäcker – 15 July 2005 – APOBEC3G is a cellular cytidine deaminase displaying broad antiretroviral activity. Recently, it was shown that APOBEC3G can also suppress hepatitis B virus (HBV) production in human hepatoma cells. In the present study, we characterized the mechanisms of APOBEC‐mediated antiviral activity against HBV and related hepadnaviruses. We show that human APOBEC3G blocks HBV production in mammalian and nonmammalian cells and is active against duck HBV as well.

Andy Wullaert, Ben Wielockx, Sofie Van Huffel, Veerle Bogaert, Bart De Geest, Peggy Papeleu, Peter Schotte, Karim El Bakkouri, Karen Heyninck, Claude Libert, Rudi Beyaert – 15 July 2005 – Tumor necrosis factor (TNF) is a proinflammatory cytokine that plays a central role in acute and chronic hepatitis B and C infection and alcoholic liver disease as well as fulminant liver failure. TNF‐induced liver failure is characterized by parenchymal cell apoptosis and inflammation leading to liver cell necrosis.

Xing Xian Yu, Susan F. Murray, Sanjay K. Pandey, Sheri L. Booten, Dingjiu Bao, Xiu‐Zhen Song, Susan Kelly, Songyuan Chen, Robert McKay, Brett P. Monia, Sanjay Bhanot – 6 July 2005 – In this study, we investigated the role of acyl‐coenzyme A:diacylglycerol acyltransferase 2 (DGAT2) in glucose and lipid metabolism in obese mice by reducing its expression in liver and fat with an optimized antisense oligonucleotide (ASO). High‐fat diet‐induced obese (DIO) C57BL/6J mice and ob/ob mice were treated with DGAT2 ASO, control ASO, or saline.

Anna S. F. Lok, Marc G. Ghany, Zachary D. Goodman, Elizabeth C. Wright, Gregory T. Everson, Richard K. Sterling, James E. Everhart, Karen L. Lindsay, Herbert L. Bonkovsky, Adrian M. Di Bisceglie, William M. Lee, Timothy R. Morgan, Jules L. Dienstag, Chihiro Morishima – 28 June 2005 – Knowledge of the presence of cirrhosis is important for the management of patients with chronic hepatitis C (CHC). Most models for predicting cirrhosis were derived from small numbers of patients and included subjective variables or laboratory tests that are not readily available.

Hugo Girard, Jean Thibaudeau, Michael H. Court, Louis‐Charles Fortier, Lyne Villeneuve, Patrick Caron, Qin Hao, Lisa L. von Moltke, David J. Greenblatt, Chantal Guillemette – 28 June 2005 – PhIP (2‐amino‐1‐methyl‐6‐phenylimidazo[4,5‐f]pyridine), the most abundant heterocyclic amine in diet, is involved in the etiology of cancer. PhIP and its carcinogenic metabolite N‐hydroxy‐PhIP (N‐OH‐PhIP) are extensively conjugated by UDP‐glucuronosyltransferase (UGTs) with wide variability. This study aimed to determine the genetic influence of UGTs on the hepatic detoxification of this carcinogen.

Heinz Zoller, Ian McFarlane, Igor Theurl, Sylvia Stadlmann, Elizabeta Nemeth, David Oxley, Tomas Ganz, David J. Halsall, Timothy M. Cox, Wolfgang Vogel – 28 June 2005 – Ferroportin disease (hemochromatosis type 4) is a recently recognized disorder of human iron metabolism, characterized by iron deposition in macrophages, including Kupffer cells. Mutations in the gene encoding ferroportin 1, a cellular iron exporter, are responsible for this iron storage disease, inherited as an autosomal dominant trait.

Martin Wagner, Emina Halilbasic, Hanns‐Ulrich Marschall, Gernot Zollner, Peter Fickert, Cord Langner, Kurt Zatloukal, Helmut Denk, Michael Trauner – 28 June 2005 – Induction of hepatic phase I/II detoxification enzymes and alternative excretory pumps may limit hepatocellular accumulation of toxic biliary compounds in cholestasis. Because the nuclear xenobiotic receptors constitutive androstane receptor (CAR) and pregnane X receptor (PXR) regulate involved enzymes and transporters, we aimed to induce adaptive alternative pathways with different CAR and PXR agonists in vivo.