Wnt/β-catenin activation and macrophage induction during liver cancer development following steatosis.

ABSTRACT: Obesity confers an independent risk for carcinogenesis. In the liver, steatosis often proceeds cancer formation; however, the mechanisms by which steatosis promotes carcinogenesis is unknown. We hypothesize that steatosis alters the microenvironment to promote proliferation of tumor initiating cells (TICs) and carcinogenesis. We used several liver cancer models to address the mechanisms underlying the role of obesity in cancer and verified these findings in patient populations. Using bioinformatics analysis and verified by biochemical assays, we identified that hepatosteatosis resulting from either Pten deletion or transgenic expression of HCV core/NS5A proteins, promotes the activation of Wnt/β-catenin. We verified that high fat diet lipid accumulation is also capable of inducing Wnt/β-ca

SUBMITTER: Debebe A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5666317 | biostudies-literature | 2017 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature