Homeobox genes and hepatocellular carcinoma

Kwei Yan Liu, Li Ting Wang, Shih Hsien Hsu*, Shen Nien Wang

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

17 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the sixth most common type of cancer, and is the third leading cause of cancer-related deaths each year. It involves a multi-step progression and is strongly associated with chronic inflammation induced by the intake of environmental toxins and/or viral infections (i.e., hepatitis B and C viruses). Although several genetic dysregulations are considered to be involved in disease progression, the detailed regulatory mechanisms are not well defined. Homeobox genes that encode transcription factors with homeodomains control cell growth, differentiation, and morphogenesis in embryonic development. Recently, more aberrant expressions of Homeobox genes were found in a wide variety of human cancer, including HCC. In this review, we summarize the currently available evidence related to the role of Homeobox genes in the development of HCC. The objective is to determine the roles of this conserved transcription factor family and its potential use as a therapeutic target in future investigations.

Original languageEnglish
Article number621
JournalCancers
Volume11
Issue number5
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2019 May
Externally publishedYes

Keywords

  • EMT
  • HCC
  • Homeobox
  • IL6
  • Immunosuppression

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Oncology
  • Cancer Research

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