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DEN-induced rat model reproduces key features of human hepatocellular carcinoma

ABSTRACT: Using RNA-seq analysis, we study a DEN-induced HCC rat model during fibrosis progression and HCC development with special focus on liver inflammatory microenvironment. RNA-seq results show that DEN-induced liver tumors in rat model share remarkable molecular characteristics with human HCC, especially with HCC associated with high proliferation. In conclusion, our study provides detailed insight into the hepatocarcinogenesis in a commonly used model of HCC, facilitating the future use of this model for preclinical testing.

ORGANISM(S): Rattus norvegicus

PROVIDER: GSE182860 | GEO | 2021/10/08

REPOSITORIES: GEO

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Project description:Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a prevalent human cancer with rising incidence worldwide. Human HCC is frequently associated with chronic liver inflammation and cirrhosis, pathophysiological processes that are a consequence of chronic viral infection, disturbances in metabolism, or exposure to chemical toxicants. To better characterize the pathogenesis of HCC, we used a human disease-relevant mouse model of fibrosis-associated hepatocarcinogenesis. In this model, marked liver tumor response caused by a pro-mutagenic chemical N-nitrosodiethylamine in presence of liver fibrosis was associated with epigenetic events indicative of genomic instability. Therefore, we hypothesized that DNA copy number alterations (CNAs), a feature of genomic instability and a common characteristic of cancer, are concordant between human HCC and mouse models of fibrosis-associated hepatocarcinogenesis. We evaluated DNA CNAs and changes in gene expression in the mouse liver (normal, tumor and non-tumor cirrhotic tissues). In addition, we compared our findings to those in human HCC (tumor and non-tumor cirrhotic/fibrotic tissues). We observed that while fibrotic liver tissue is largely devoid of DNA CNAs, highly frequently occurring DNA CNAs are found in mouse tumors, which is indicative of a profound increase in chromosomal instability in HCC. When compared to CNAs in human HCC, we found that 33% of genes in these segments are similarly affected in the mouse tumors. Our results suggest that CNAs most commonly arise in neoplastic tissue rather than in fibrotic liver, and demonstrate the utility of this mouse model in replicating the molecular features of human HCC. Genomic DNA was extracted from frozen liver samples from vehicle-control and DEN+CCl4-treated mice using a DNEasy kit (Qiagen, Valencia, CA). Eighteen mouse tumor samples were included in the study, as well as 18 matched non-tumor samples taken from fibrotic, non-tumorous, surrounding liver tissue from the same mice. Liver DNA from 6 vehicle control-mice was pooled and used as the reference genome in the aCGH experiments. Copy number alterations were identified using the normalized data.

Project description:Gene-expression profiles of rat liver cirrhosis induced by diethylnitrosamine and the effect of erlotinib on liver fibrogenesis and liver cancer development Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the sixth most common solid tumor worldwide and the third leading cause of cancer-related death. Given the lack of successful treatment options, chemoprevention in high-risk patients has been proposed as an alternative strategy. Mounting evidence supports a role for epidermal growth factor (EGF) during chronic liver disease and hepatocellular transformation. We address the hypothesis that blocking the EGF-EGF receptor (EGFR) pathway may be an effective strategy for inhibiting fibrogenesis and hepatocarcinogenesis. A rat model of diethylnitrosamine (DEN)-induced cirrhosis was used to examine the effects of erlotinib on underlying chronic liver disease and HCC formation. The DEN-induced rat model closely resembles disease progression in humans both pathologically and molecularly. Erlotinib significantly prevented the development of HCC tumor nodules in a dose-dependent fashion. Further, erlotinib inhibited the activation of hepatic stellate cells and prevented fibrogenesis. Erlotinib also reduced hepatotoxicity and improved liver function. Finally, a gene expression signature predictive of poor survival in human cirrhosis patients was reversed in response to erlotinib. Our data demonstrate for the first time that EGFR inhibition prevents liver fibrogenesis. Further, our results suggest that erlotinib is a potentially effective HCC chemoprevention strategy through inhibition of cirrhosis progression which can be monitored at the molecular level. Keywords: Cirrhotic liver, Expression array, Illumina, Signatures, Outcome prediction Animals received humane care according to the criteria outlined in the M-bM-^@M-^\Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory AnimalsM-bM-^@M-^] of the National Academy of Sciences. All animals were maintained in accordance with the institutional guidelines of the Massachusetts General Hospital Subcommittee on Research Animal Care. Male Wistar rats received weekly IP injections of diethylnitrosamine (DEN) at 50 mg/kg, 100mg/kg, or vehicle control (PBS) for 18 weeks. A subset of rats received either daily (5X a week) IP injections of 2 mg/kg erlotinib or vehicle control during weeks 13 - 18. In a separate study, the erlotinib dose was lowered to 0.5 mg/kg. The vehicle groups from the two studies were not significantly different so they were combined together for analysis. Rats were weighed at the end of each week. Animals were sacrificed at 9, 13 and 19 weeks after a one-week washout period to eliminate acute effects of DEN. At the time of sacrifice, the non-tumor liver tissues were collected in RNase-free tubes and snap-frozen in liquid nitrogen. Frozen tissues were stored at -80M-BM-0C until RNA extraction.

Project description:Gene-expression profiles of rat hepatocellular carcinoma induced by diethylnitrosamine (DEN) and the effect of erlotinib Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the sixth most common solid tumor worldwide and the third leading cause of cancer-related death. Given the lack of successful treatment options, chemoprevention in high-risk patients has been proposed as an alternative strategy. Mounting evidence supports a role for epidermal growth factor (EGF) during chronic liver disease and hepatocellular transformation. We address the hypothesis that blocking the EGF-EGF receptor (EGFR) pathway may be an effective strategy for inhibiting fibrogenesis and hepatocarcinogenesis. A rat model of diethylnitrosamine (DEN)-induced cirrhosis was used to examine the effects of erlotinib on underlying chronic liver disease and HCC formation. The DEN-induced rat model closely resembles disease progression in humans both pathologically and molecularly. Erlotinib significantly prevented the development of HCC tumor nodules in a dose-dependent fashion. Further, erlotinib inhibited the activation of hepatic stellate cells and prevented fibrogenesis. Erlotinib also reduced hepatotoxicity and improved liver function. Finally, a gene expression signature predictive of poor survival in human cirrhosis patients was reversed in response to erlotinib. Our data demonstrate for the first time that EGFR inhibition prevents liver fibrogenesis. Further, our results suggest that erlotinib is a potentially effective HCC chemoprevention strategy through inhibition of cirrhosis progression which can be monitored at the molecular level. Animals received humane care according to the criteria outlined in the M-bM-^@M-^\Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory AnimalsM-bM-^@M-^] of the National Academy of Sciences. All animals were maintained in accordance with the institutional guidelines of the Massachusetts General Hospital Subcommittee on Research Animal Care. Male Wistar rats received weekly IP injections of diethylnitrosamine (DEN) at 50 mg/kg, 100mg/kg, or vehicle control (PBS) for 18 weeks. A subset of rats received either daily (5X a week) IP injections of 2 mg/kg erlotinib or vehicle control during weeks 13 - 18. In a separate study, the erlotinib dose was lowered to 0.5 mg/kg. The vehicle groups from the two studies were not significantly different so they were combined together for analysis. Rats were weighed at the end of each week. Animals were sacrificed at 9, 13 and 19 weeks after a one-week washout period to eliminate acute effects of DEN. At the time of sacrifice, the non-tumor liver tissues were collected in RNase-free tubes and snap-frozen in liquid nitrogen. Frozen tissues were stored at -80M-BM-0C until RNA extraction.

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DEN-induced rat model reproduces key features of human hepatocellular carcinoma

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