Zebrafish as a disease model for studying human hepatocellular carcinoma
Journal
World Journal of Gastroenterology
Journal Volume
21
Journal Issue
42
Pages
12042-12058
Date Issued
2015
Author(s)
Abstract
Liver cancer is one of the world's most common cancers and the second leading cause of cancer deaths. Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), a primary hepatic cancer, accounts for 90%-95% of liver cancer cases. The pathogenesis of HCC consists of a stepwise process of liver damage that extends over decades, due to hepatitis, fatty liver, fibrosis, and cirrhosis before developing fully into HCC. Multiple risk factors are highly correlated with HCC, including infection with the hepatitis B or C viruses, alcohol abuse, aflatoxin exposure, and metabolic diseases. Over the last decade, genetic alterations, which include the regulation of multiple oncogenes or tumor suppressor genes and the activation of tumorigenesis-related pathways, have also been identified as important factors in HCC. Recently, zebrafish have become an important living vertebrate model organism, especially for translational medical research. In studies focusing on the biology of cancer, carcinogen induced tumors in zebrafish were found to have many similarities to human tumors. Several zebrafish models have therefore been developed to provide insight into the pathogenesis of liver cancer and the related drug discovery and toxicology, and to enable the evaluation of novel smallmolecule inhibitors. This review will focus on illustrative examples involving the application of zebrafish models to the study of human liver disease and HCC, through transgenesis, genome editing technology, xenografts, drug discovery, and drug-induced toxic liver injury. ? 2015 Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.
SDGs
Other Subjects
aflatoxin; zebrafish protein; alcohol abuse; angiogenesis; Article; cancer mortality; fatty liver; gene inactivation; hepatitis; hepatitis B; hepatitis C; liver cell carcinoma; liver cirrhosis; liver development; liver fibrosis; liver toxicity; loss of function mutation; nonhuman; risk factor; transgenic zebrafish; tumor suppressor gene; tumor xenograft; anatomy and histology; animal; Carcinoma, Hepatocellular; disease model; gene expression regulation; genetics; genotype; human; Liver Neoplasms; metabolism; pathology; phenotype; species difference; toxic hepatitis; transgenic animal; xenograft; zebra fish; Animals; Animals, Genetically Modified; Carcinoma, Hepatocellular; Chemical and Drug Induced Liver Injury; Disease Models, Animal; Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic; Gene Knockout Techniques; Genotype; Heterografts; Humans; Liver Neoplasms; Phenotype; Risk Factors; Species Specificity; Zebrafish; Zebrafish Proteins
Type
journal article