Biomaterial Database

Transgenic disruption of gap junctional intercellular communication enhances early but not late stage hepatocarcinogenesis in the rat. 2005

Naomi Hokaiwado, and Makoto Asamoto, and Kumiko Ogawa, and Tomoyuki Shirai

Department of Experimental Pathology and Tumor Biology, Nagoya City University Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Nagoya, Japan.

Much experimental evidence supports the conclusion that loss of gap junctional intercellular communication (GJIC) contributes to carcinogenesis. Transgenic rats featuring a dominant negative mutant of the connexin 32 gene under albumin promoter control (Cx32Delta Tg-High and Cx32Delta Tg-Low lines, respectively with high and low copy numbers of the transgene) have disrupted GJIC, as demonstrated by scrape dye-transfer assay in vivo as previous report by Asamoto et al. (2004). In the present study, we investigated the susceptibility of these transgenic rats to a single intraperitoneal administration of diethylnitrosamine (DEN), and found a significant increase in preneoplastic glutathione S-transferase placental form (GST-P) positive lesions in the livers of Cx32Delta Tg-High but not Cx32Delta Tg-Low rats. However, incidences of adenomas and hepatocellular carcinomas were not elevated at the end of the experiment (52 weeks). In addition, we investigated the promotional effect of phenobarbital (PB) on Cx32Delta Tg-High rats pretreated with DEN and found enhanced formation of GST-P positive lesions, in contrast to the lack of promoting effects reported for Cx32 deficient mice. The results indicate that although both high and low expression of the dominant negative connexin 32 mutant gene in our rats is able to inhibit gap junctional capacity, only high expression is effective at enhancing susceptibility to early stage DEN-induced liver carcinogenesis.

UI	MeSH Term	Description	Entries
D008114	Liver Neoplasms, Experimental	Experimentally induced tumors of the LIVER.	Hepatoma, Experimental,Hepatoma, Morris,Hepatoma, Novikoff,Experimental Hepatoma,Experimental Hepatomas,Experimental Liver Neoplasms,Hepatomas, Experimental,Neoplasms, Experimental Liver,Experimental Liver Neoplasm,Liver Neoplasm, Experimental,Morris Hepatoma,Novikoff Hepatoma
D008115	Liver Regeneration	Repair or renewal of hepatic tissue.	Liver Regenerations,Regeneration, Liver,Regenerations, Liver
D008297	Male		Males
D009154	Mutation	Any detectable and heritable change in the genetic material that causes a change in the GENOTYPE and which is transmitted to daughter cells and to succeeding generations.	Mutations
D010634	Phenobarbital	A barbituric acid derivative that acts as a nonselective central nervous system depressant. It potentiates GAMMA-AMINOBUTYRIC ACID action on GABA-A RECEPTORS, and modulates chloride currents through receptor channels. It also inhibits glutamate induced depolarizations.	Phenemal,Phenobarbitone,Phenylbarbital,Gardenal,Hysteps,Luminal,Phenobarbital Sodium,Phenobarbital, Monosodium Salt,Phenylethylbarbituric Acid,Acid, Phenylethylbarbituric,Monosodium Salt Phenobarbital,Sodium, Phenobarbital
D011230	Precancerous Conditions	Pathological conditions that tend eventually to become malignant.	Preneoplastic Conditions,Condition, Preneoplastic,Conditions, Preneoplastic,Preneoplastic Condition,Condition, Precancerous,Conditions, Precancerous,Precancerous Condition
D002450	Cell Communication	Any of several ways in which living cells of an organism communicate with one another, whether by direct contact between cells or by means of chemical signals carried by neurotransmitter substances, hormones, and cyclic AMP.	Cell Interaction,Cell-to-Cell Interaction,Cell Communications,Cell Interactions,Cell to Cell Interaction,Cell-to-Cell Interactions,Communication, Cell,Communications, Cell,Interaction, Cell,Interaction, Cell-to-Cell,Interactions, Cell,Interactions, Cell-to-Cell
D003043	Cocarcinogenesis	The combination of two or more different factors in the production of cancer.	Cocarcinogeneses
D004052	Diethylnitrosamine	A nitrosamine derivative with alkylating, carcinogenic, and mutagenic properties.	Nitrosodiethylamine,N-Nitrosodiethylamine,N Nitrosodiethylamine
D004198	Disease Susceptibility	A constitution or condition of the body which makes the tissues react in special ways to certain extrinsic stimuli and thus tends to make the individual more than usually susceptible to certain diseases.	Diathesis,Susceptibility, Disease,Diatheses,Disease Susceptibilities,Susceptibilities, Disease