Role of Osteopontin in Hepatocellular Carcinoma

Abstract

This project aims to dissect the molecular mechanisms whereby Osteopontin (OPN) drives hepatocellular carcinogenesis and progression, to fill the gap in our knowledge on the pathogenesis of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Our main hypothesis was that secreted OPN signals via autocrine and paracrine activation of the CD44 receptor. We also hypothesized that OPN induces the emergence, maintenance and progression of cancer stem cells (CSCs) by activating CD44. Our results show that secreted OPN has limited impact on CSCs as well as on carcinogenesis in general and that CD44 is not involved in the effects of OPN. However, we found that ablation of Opn in hepatocyte represses the early response to DNA damage and drives the emergence of CSCs and the subsequent HCC. Overexpression of OPN in hepatocyte has less impact on the response to DNA damage and does not increase the emergence of CSCs but it drives their phenotype toward carcinogenesis.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Nov 01, 2021
Accession Number
AD1153332

Entities

People

  • Natalia Nieto

Organizations

  • University of Illinois at Chicago

Tags

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Ablation
  • Abstracts
  • Biomedical Research
  • Cell Physiological Processes
  • Cells
  • Covid-19
  • Diseases And Disorders
  • Governments
  • Humanities
  • Illinois
  • Institutional Review Board
  • Liver Diseases
  • Local Governments
  • Medical Personnel
  • Neoplasms
  • Patent Applications
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Fields of Study

  • Biology

Readers

  • Oncology
  • Oncology (Cancer Research).

Technology Areas

  • Biotechnology