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Lu JW, Yang WY, Tsai SM, Lin YM, Chang PH, Chen JR, Wang HD, Wu JL, Jin SLC, Yuh CH. Liver-specific expressions of HBx and src in the p53 mutant trigger hepatocarcinogenesis in zebrafish. PLoS One 2013; 8:e76951. [PMID: 24130815 PMCID: PMC3793937 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0076951] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/07/2013] [Accepted: 08/29/2013] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Hepatocarcinogenesis is a multistep process that starts from fatty liver and transitions to fibrosis and, finally, into cancer. Many etiological factors, including hepatitis B virus X antigen (HBx) and p53 mutations, have been implicated in hepatocarcinogenesis. However, potential synergistic effects between these two factors and the underlying mechanisms by which they promote hepatocarcinogenesis are still unclear. In this report, we show that the synergistic action of HBx and p53 mutation triggers progressive hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) formation via src activation in zebrafish. Liver-specific expression of HBx in wild-type zebrafish caused steatosis, fibrosis and glycogen accumulation. However, the induction of tumorigenesis by HBx was only observed in p53 mutant fish and occurred in association with the up-regulation and activation of the src tyrosine kinase pathway. Furthermore, the overexpression of src in p53 mutant zebrafish also caused hyperplasia, HCC, and sarcomatoid HCC, which were accompanied by increased levels of the signaling proteins p-erk, p-akt, myc, jnk1 and vegf. Increased expression levels of lipogenic factors and the genes involved in lipid metabolism and glycogen storage were detected during the early stages of hepatocarcinogenesis in the HBx and src transgenic zebrafish. The up-regulation of genes involved in cell cycle regulation, tumor progression and other molecular hallmarks of human liver cancer were found at later stages in both HBx and src transgenic, p53 mutant zebrafish. Together, our study demonstrates that HBx and src overexpression induced hepatocarcinogenesis in p53 mutant zebrafish. This phenomenon mimics human HCC formation and provides potential in vivo platforms for drug screening for therapies for human liver cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jeng-Wei Lu
- Institute of Molecular and Genomic Medicine, National Health Research Institutes, Zhunan, Miaoli, Taiwan
- Department of Life Sciences, National Central University, Jhongli City, Taoyuan, Taiwan
| | - Wan-Yu Yang
- Institute of Molecular and Genomic Medicine, National Health Research Institutes, Zhunan, Miaoli, Taiwan
| | - Su-Mei Tsai
- Institute of Molecular and Genomic Medicine, National Health Research Institutes, Zhunan, Miaoli, Taiwan
| | - Yueh-Min Lin
- Department of Pathology, Changhua Christian Hospital, Changhua City, Changhua County, Taiwan
- Department of Medical Technology, Jen-Teh Junior College of Medicine, Nursing and Management, Hou-Loung Town, Miaoli County, Taiwan
| | - Pen-Heng Chang
- Department of Veterinary Medicine, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Jim-Ray Chen
- Department of Pathology, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Keelung, Taiwan
- College of Medicine, Chang Gung University, Taoyuan, Taiwan
| | - Horng-Dar Wang
- Institute of Biotechnology, National Tsing Hua University, Hsinchu, Taiwan
| | - Jen-Leih Wu
- Institute of Cellular and Organismic Biology, Academia Sinica, Nangang District, Taipei, Taiwan
| | | | - Chiou-Hwa Yuh
- Institute of Molecular and Genomic Medicine, National Health Research Institutes, Zhunan, Miaoli, Taiwan
- Institute of Bioinformatics and Structural Biology, National Tsing Hua University, Hsinchu, Taiwan
- Department of Biological Science and Technology, National Chiao Tung University, Hsinchu, Taiwan
- * E-mail:
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