Liver Cancer
Copyright ©The Author(s) 2005. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.
World J Gastroenterol. Aug 14, 2005; 11(30): 4650-4654
Published online Aug 14, 2005. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v11.i30.4650
Functional expression of a proliferation-related ligand in hepatocellular carcinoma and its implications for neovascularization
Hiroshi Okano, Katsuya Shiraki, Yutaka Yamanaka, Hidekazu Inoue, Tomoyuki Kawakita, Yukiko Saitou, Yumi Yamaguchi, Naoyuki Enokimura, Keiichi Ito, Norihiko Yamamoto, Kazushi Sugimoto, Kazumoto Murata, Takeshi Nakano
Hiroshi Okano, Katsuya Shiraki, Yutaka Yamanaka, Hidekazu Inoue, Tomoyuki Kawakita, Yukiko Saitou, Yumi Yamaguchi, Naoyuki Enokimura, Keiichi Ito, Norihiko Yamamoto, Kazushi Sugimoto, Kazumoto Murata, Takeshi Nakano, First Department of Internal Medicine, Mie University School of Medicine, Tsu 514-8507, Japan
Author contributions: All authors contributed equally to the work.
Correspondence to: Katsuya Shiraki, MD, PhD, First Department of Internal Medicine, Mie University School of Medicine, 2-174 Edobashi, Tsu, Mie 514-8507, Japan. katsuyas@clin.medic.mie-u.ac.jp
Telephone: +81-592-31-5015 Fax: +81-592-31-5201
Received: August 30, 2004
Revised: October 2, 2004
Accepted: October 7, 2004
Published online: August 14, 2005
Abstract

AIM: To detect the expression of a proliferation-related ligand on human hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) cell lines (SK-Hep1, HLE and HepG2) and in culture medium.

METHODS: APRIL expression was analyzed by Western blotting in HCC cell lines. Effects of APRIL to cell count and angiogenesis were analyzed, too.

RESULTS: Recombinant human APRIL (rhAPRIL) increased cell viability of HepG2 cells and, in HUVEC, rhAPRIL provided slight tolerance to cell death from serum starvation. Soluble APRIL (sAPRIL) from HLE cells increased after serum starvation, but did not change in SK-Hep1 or HepG2 cells. These cells showed down-regulation of VEGF after incubation with anti-APRIL antibody. Furthermore, culture medium from the HCC cells treated with anti-APRIL antibody treatment inhibited tube formation of HUVECs.

CONCLUSION: Functional expression of APRIL might contribute to neovascularization via an upregulation of VEGF in HCC.

Keywords: A proliferation-inducing ligand, HCC, VEGF, Cell proliferation, Neovascularization