2024-08-02 09:15:50
Liver cancer, a common disease worldwide, often appears in patients with chronic liver disease. It is a tumor that must be diagnosed early in order to use curative treatments. For this reason, it is very important to find diagnostic tests and biomarkers to improve the progress of this disease and extend the life of patients. Currently, the diagnosis is to perform periodic ultrasounds in those patients who are at risk of developing this tumor, especially in patients with liver cirrhosis.
A new study, carried out by experts from the Hospital Clínic of Barcelona and the August Pi i Sunyer Biomedical Research Institute (IDIBAPS) in Barcelona, shows that this gene inhibition reduces the growth of liver cancer in mice . The study, with different animal models, confirms that the Dhx15 gene is important for proper liver production and suggests that Dhx15 gene may be a target for the diagnosis and treatment of liver diseases such as cancer.
The study has been led by Dr. Manuel Morales-Ruiz, head of the Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics Service of the Clínic and of the Translational Research Group in therapeutic strategies and new research in liver diseases of IDIBAPS, and researcher at Red Biomedical Research. Institute of Liver and Digestive Diseases (CIBEREHD), in Spain. The first signatory of the study is Irene Portolés, a researcher on the same team.
In the study, two experimental models were used: zebrafish and mice. In these models, we have studied how the liver is formed, the network of blood vessels and its ability to regenerate.
The results showed different effects caused by blocking Dhx15 in these animals. In the case of zebrafish, embryos without the gene do not develop a liver and cannot survive. In mice, lack of Dhx15 causes poor liver recovery and problems with energy metabolism, especially blood sugar. Additionally, blocking Dhx15 reduced liver cancer growth and spread in a mouse model.
Researchers Jordi Ribera and Manuel Morales, from the Clinic and IDIBAPS. (Photo: Clínic Hospital / IDIBAPS)
The importance of DHX15 is in other ways
In a previous study, the same group investigated the functions of DHX15, a protein that facilitates RNA regulation and is regulated by Akt1. DHX15 is found to be important for the development and function of blood and lymphatic vessels. DHX15 was also found to regulate cancer growth and spread in a mouse model of lung cancer.
In recent years, other studies have discovered that problems with proteins such as DHX15 may be related to cancer. In some cases, DHX15 can help tumors grow, while in others it can prevent them from growing. Therefore, in the present study, we want to analyze exactly how DHX15 affects the liver, its regenerative capacity and how it affects liver cancer and its spread.
In short, research led by Dr. Morales has shown that Dhx15 is essential for proper liver function. In addition, the results suggest that blocking Dhx15 can help control tumor growth and can be used to diagnose the disease in patients, because it has been found that patients with liver cancer have high levels of Dhx15. their blood than humans Part of this study has been carried out in collaboration with researchers from the Liver Oncology Department of the Clínic Hospital (BCLC, IDIBAPS and CIBEREHD), by Dr. María Reig.
“More studies are necessary, and clinical trials in humans to confirm these indications. However, this research opens the door to a more therapeutic target than was possible,” concludes Manuel Morales.
The study is titled “Identification of Dhx15 as a Key Regulator of Liver Development, Regeneration, and Tumor Growth in Zebrafish and Mice.” And it has been published in the academic journal International Journal of Molecular Sciences. (Source: Hospital Clínic de Barcelona)
#DHx15 #gene #target #diagnose #treat #liver #cancer