AFP promotes HCC progression by suppressing the HuR-mediated Fas/FADD apoptotic pathway.

ABSTRACT: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a major leading cause of cancer-related death worldwide. Alpha fetoprotein (AFP) is reactivated in a majority of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and associated with poor patient outcomes. Although increasing evidence has shown that AFP can regulate HCC cell growth, the precise functions of AFP in hepatocarcinogenesis and the associated underlying mechanism remain incompletely understood. In this study, we demostrated that depleting AFP significantly suppressed diethylnitrosamine (DEN)-induced liver tumor progression in an AFP gene-deficient mouse model. Similarly, knocking down AFP expression inhibited human HCC cell proliferation and tumor growth by inducing apoptosis. AFP expression level was inversely associated with the apoptotic rate in mouse and human

SUBMITTER: Chen T 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7532541 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature