Zhu MY, Xia H, Li MS. Alpha fetoprotein can induce malignant transformation of liver cells and be used as a therapeutic target for hepatocellular carcinoma.
Shijie Huaren Xiaohua Zazhi 2014;
22:1070-1075. [DOI:
10.11569/wcjd.v22.i8.1070]
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Abstract
Alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) is associated with the development of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and widely used as a golden tumor marker for diagnosing HCC since the AFP gene is activated in the early stage of malignant transformation of liver cells. However, the molecular mechanisms responsible for the role of AFP in hepatocarcinogenesis remain poorly understood. Recently, we found that hepatitis B virus (HBV) preferentially induces the expression of AFP when triggering malignant transformation of hepatocytes, and AFP activates phosphoinositide-3-kinase (PI3K)/protein kinase B (AKT) signaling by inhibiting the activity of phosphatase and tensin homolog deleted on chromosome ten (PTEN). Our results also indicated that AFP not only impedes all-trans retinoid acid receptor-β (RAR-β) regulated expression of target genes, but also blocks the transduction of apoptotic signaling by suppressing the activity of Caspase3. Inhibited expression of AFP is able to augment HCC sensitivity to tumor necrosis factor-related apoptosis-induced ligand (TRAIL) and all-trans retinoid acid. These data indicate that AFP can drive the malignant transformation of liver cells and antagonize apoptosis induced by agents for HCC. Taken together, these findings suggest that AFP may drive the malignant transformation of liver cells and can be used as a target for therapy of HCC.
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