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Molecular Mechanisms of Hepatocarcinogenesis in Transgenic Mouse Models of Liver CancerLaboratory of Experimental Carcinogenesis, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, USA Correspondence: Address correspondence to: Dr. Snorri S. Thorgeirsson, National Cancer Institute, NIH, 37 Convent Drive, MSC 4262, Building 37, Room 4146A, Bethesda, Maryland 20892-4262, USA; e-mail:snorri_thorgeirsson{at}nih.gov
Overexpression of c-myc and transforming growth factor-alpha (TGF- ) has been frequently observed in human hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), suggesting a pivotal role played by these protooncogenes in liver oncogenesis. In order to investigate the molecular events underlying human hepatic malignant transformation, we have generated c-myc and c-myc/TGF- transgenic mice that are prone to liver cancer. These transgenic mice develop HCCs with different incidence, kinetics and histopathological features. Indeed, co-expression of c-myc and TGF- transgenes results in a dramatic synergistic effect on liver tumor development when compared with respective single transgenic lines, including a shorter latency period and a more aggressive phenotype. The more malignant histopathological features characteristic of c-myc/TGF- HCCs are the result of the increased proliferation and reduced apoptosis in this model of liver cancer when compared with single parental lines. Accordingly, c-myc and c-myc/TGF- transgenic mice display a different molecular pathogenesis of HCC. Importantly, the genetic and molecular mechanisms that are involved in c-myc and c-myc/TGF- liver cancer development are major oncogenic events in human hepatocarcinogenesis, indicating that these mouse models represent a useful tool to dissect and elucidate the molecular basis of human HCC.
Key Words: c-myc TGF- Abbreviations: HCC, hepatocellular carcinoma ROS, reactive oxygen species TβR, transforming growth factor receptor II TGF, transforming growth factor
Co-expression of transforming growth factor (TGF)- and c-myc protooncogenes has been frequently detected in human hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), suggesting a crucial role for these genes in the malignant growth of the liver (Thorgeirsson and Grisham, 2002). To investigate the functional relevance of c-myc and TGF- cooperation in human hepatocarcinogenesis, we have previously generated c-myc and c-myc/TGF- transgenic mice that develop liver cancer (Murakami et al., 1993; Santoni-Rugiu et al., 1996). The work in our laboratory has shown that hepatic expression of c-myc alone results in chronic hepatic proliferation and increased incidence of liver cancer (Murakami et al., 1993), whereas co-expression of c-myc and TGF- transgenes in the liver accelerates HCC development in c-myc/TGF- double transgenic mice when compared with both parental lines (Murakami et al., 1993; Santoni-Rugiu et al., 1996). In particular, combined up-regulation of c-myc and TGF- resulted in rapid progression from early preneoplastic focal lesions to HCC in 4 months in the transgenic mice, with 100% frequency of HCC before 8 months and survival reduced to 1 year. In striking contrast, both single transgenic mouse lines exhibited longer tumor latency as well as decreased incidence of HCC (Murakami et al., 1993; Santoni-Rugiu et al., 1996). These data indicate the presence of different molecular mechanisms of hepatocarcinogenesis in c-myc and c-myc/TGF- transgenic mice. Since the transgenic system offers a rare opportunity to examine the molecular and morphological changes associated with the sequential steps of malignant transformation, considerable efforts have been devoted to define these events.
The earliest effect of c-myc and/or TGF- overexpression in the liver is the induction of persistent proliferation of the hepatocytes, which disrupts the normal mitogenic silencing of the liver occurring during the first weeks of life (Murakami et al., 1993). This continuous replication, associated with elevated levels of the urokinase-type plasminogen activator, leads to the appearance of perivascular dysplastic hepatocytes expanding into the hepatic lobules and the central vein by the second month of age, accompanying the development of neoplastic lesions. To determine whether the generation of initiated cells would take place in the early dysplastic stage, dysplastic liver pieces were transplanted onto nude mice. The results of the experiment showed that livers containing the combination of dysplasia and apparent vascular invasion yielded more HCCs than those having only dysplastic lesions, indicating that the initiated cell population is generated during the early stage of the neoplastic process (Santoni-Rugiu et al., 1996).
Furthermore, the latter is able to progress to HCC without going through focal and nodular stages. Since the large dysplastic hepatocytes are extremely vulnerable to apoptosis and HCCs are composed of small diploid cells, it seems more likely that the small dysplastic cells are the putative tumor precursors. In accordance with this hypothesis, large dysplastic cells displayed the autocrine up-regulation of transforming growth factor-beta 1(TGF-β1), a potent growth inhibitor and inducer of apoptosis in hepatocytes (Roberts et al., 1988). Further experiments have shown that overexpression of mature TGF-β1 may also provide a selective environment in which (pre)neoplastic cells with reduced sensitivity to this cytokine will progress more rapidly toward a malignant phenotype (Factor et al., 1997). Yet, loss of transforming growth factor receptor (TβR)-II was detected in c-myc/TGF- Thus, selection and expansion of TGF-β1-insensitive cells is a late event during c-myc-induced hepatocarcinogenesis. These studies are in accordance with previous findings showing that human HCC can become resistant to TGF-β 1-mediated apoptosis through reduction of TβRII expression and or function (Bedossa et al., 1995; Kiss et al., 1997). Interestingly, eosinophilic preneoplastic lesions (characteristic of c-myc overexpressing livers) with an intact TβRII-signaling exhibited nuclear focal positivity for β-catenin (Calvisi et al., 2001), a multifunctional member of the Wingless/Wnt cascade involved in cell–cell adhesion and embryogenesis, as well as in the malignant transformation of many cell types (Polakis, 2000). Although the meaning of this relationship remains to be elucidated, it is tempting to speculate that activation of the Wnt/β-catenin pathway may provide a selective proliferative advantage for preneoplastic cells exposed to TGF-β 1 (Calvisi et al., 2001).
Dysplastic hepatocytes showed nuclear pleomorphism, multiple nucleoli, and the presence of abnormal mitotic figures, which are signs of an abnormal cell cycle progression (Santoni-Rugiu et al., 1996). We have hypothesized the presence of chronic oxidative stress in c-myc/TGF-
Accordingly, a high rate of genomic instability and loss of heterozygosity was observed in vivo in c-myc/TGF-
As a result, co-expression of c-myc and TGF-
The morphological appearance of frankly malignant HCCs is accompanied by the inhibition of apoptosis and a higher rate of cellular proliferation in c-myc/TGF-
The molecular mechanisms responsible for cellular proliferation during c-myc and c-myc/TGF-
Since the disruption of the Wingless/Wnt signaling pathway is frequently involved in human and rodent hepatocar-cinogenesis (de La Coste et al., 1998; Yamada et al., 1999), we have examined the role of β-catenin activation in c-myc and c-myc/TGF-
One possible explanation is that c-myc/TGF-
Therefore, the c-myc and c-myc/TGF-
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Toxicologic Pathology, Vol. 33, No. 1,
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) has been frequently observed in human hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), suggesting a pivotal role played by these protooncogenes in liver oncogenesis. In order to investigate the molecular events underlying human hepatic malignant transformation, we have generated c-myc and c-myc/TGF-
B-induced survival signaling is activated in preneoplastic and neoplastic lesions of c-myc/TGF-


