
AsianScientist (Jul. 21, 2011) – Scientists at the Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) and their collaborators have discovered a male sex hormone-controlled gene that promotes the growth of liver tumors.
Building on the observation that androgen (male sex hormone) receptor (AR) proteins are present at high levels in liver tumors, the researchers set out to identify genes that are controlled by AR.
Using AR as bait, the researchers fished for genomic regions that bind to AR and thus may be responsible for mediating AR function. Out of several candidates, they chose the CCRK gene to study as it bound to AR most strongly.
Their new study in the Journal of Clinical Investigation reveals that CCRK is critical for the induction of a signaling pathway that leads to abnormal liver cell growth and tumor formation.
Studying liver tumors from 33 patients in Hong Kong, the researchers found that 70 percent of the tumors produced high levels of CCRK. More importantly, these patients were more likely to have more advanced cancers and also shorter survival times compared to patients with low CCRK levels.
The researchers also found that lowering CCRK levels or blocking its signaling pathway was effective in significantly reducing tumor growth in mice.
“This study has a potential clinical impact as it depicts the correlation between androgen receptor and liver cancer development. It also provides an explanation on why men have a higher risk of liver cancer than women,” said Prof. Joseph J.Y. Sung, the research team leader.
“If one can continue to work on possible ways of blocking the androgen receptor-CCRK pathway, there is a chance that a novel treatment of liver cancer can be developed,” he added.
The article can be found at: Feng H et al. (2011) Cell Cycle–Related Kinase Is A Direct Androgen Receptor–Regulated Gene That Drives β-Catenin/T Cell Factor–Dependent Hepatocarcinogenesis.
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Source: Chinese University of Hong Kong.
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