Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV) is the etiologic agent for Kaposi's sarcoma (KS) and primary effusion lymphoma (PEL). We previously reported that hypoxia activates KSHV lytic replication and that the promoter for open reading frame 34 (ORF34) contains a functional hypoxia-responsive element (HRE). ORF34 is part of a cluster of lytic genes (ORF34-37) that includes ORF36, a phospho...

A solution hybridization/RNase protection assay with riboprobes was developed to quantitate apolipoprotein mRNA concentrations. Previously, radiolabeled DNA probes have been used in solution hybridization/Sl nuclease protection assays for this purpose. The new assay requires less time for probe preparation and hybridization compared to previous assays. In addition, the vector used for riboprobe...

Transcription factor AP-2α is involved in many types of human cancers, but its role in hepatocellular carcinogenesis is largely unknown. In this study, we found that expression of AP-2α was low in 40% of human hepatocellular cancers compared with adjacent normal tissues by immunohistochemical analysis. Moreover, AP-2α expression was low or absent in hepatocellular cancer cell lines (HepG2, Hep3...

Transcription of the erythropoietin (epo) gene is regulated in response to tissue hypoxia. In this study we show that constructs containing 117 bp of the epo promoter sequence cloned upstream of a luciferase reporter, respond to hypoxia when transfected into the human hepatoma cell line, Hep3B. The sequence -61 to -45 (EP17) relative to the transcription start of the murine epo gene imparted an...

The aim of the present study was to evaluate the antitumor mechanism of dihydromyricetin (DHM). Results showed that DHM significantly inhibited cell viability of HepG2 and Hep3B cells in a dose-dependent manner. DHM induced G2/M cell-cycle arrest in HepG2 and Hep3B cells by altering the expression of cell cycle proteins such as cyclin A, cyclin B1, Cdk1, p53, Cdc25c, p-Cdc25c Chk1 and Chk, whic...

Flavonoids, a class of natural polyphenolic compounds, inhibit cell cycle progression and induce apoptosis. This study was performed to investigate the antiproliferative effect of luteolin, the flavonoid isolated from Ixeris sonchifolia Hance, and to elucidate the detailed apoptotic mechanism in HCC cells. According to the result of MTT assay luteolin possessed antiproliferative effect, and Hep...

BACKGROUND C-reactive protein (CRP) is an acute phase reactant synthesized in the liver. CRP immunoreactivity is a feature of inflammatory hepatocellular adenomas with a higher risk of malignant transformation. A high serum CRP level denotes poor prognosis in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients. This study was conducted to determine whether CRP is produced in HCC and to assess the clinicopa...

Cytotoxic and antimicrobial effects of Montivipera xanthina venom against LNCaP, MCF-7, HT-29, Saos-2, Hep3B, Vero cells and antimicrobial activity against selected bacterial and fungal species: Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 25923, Escherichia coli ATCC 25922, E. coli O157H7, Enterococcus faecalis 29212, Enterococcus faecium DSM 13590, Staphylococcus epidermidis ATCC 12228, S. typhimirium CCM 5445...

The antiangiogenic effects of sustained sorafenib treatment in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) lead to the occurrence of hypoxia-mediated drug resistance resulting in low therapy efficiency and negative outcomes. Combined treatments with coadjuvant compounds to target the hypoxia-inducible factor-1α (HIF-1α) represent a promising therapeutic approach through which sorafenib efficiency may be imp...