Abstract
BackgroundAlpha-fetoprotein (AFP) expression can resume in the adult liver under pathophysiological conditions. Orphan nuclear receptors were supposed to regulate AFP gene expression, in vitro. We were interested to study the expression of AFP and orphan nuclear receptors, in vivo.ResultsThe expression of AFP gene and orphan nuclear receptors in the liver was examined in different rat models: (a) fetal liver (b) liver regeneration [partial hepatectomy (PH) with and without 2-acetyl-aminofluren treatment (2-AAF)], (c) acute liver damage [treatment with CCl4] and (d) acute phase reaction [treatment with turpentine oil]. After PH of 2-AAF treated rats, clusters of AFP positive cells occurred in the periportal region. In the Northern blot analysis, a positive hybridization signal for the full-length AFP-RNA was observed only in liver samples from 2-AAF treated rats after PH. In real-time PCR analysis, the full-length AFP-RNA was highly up regulated in the fetal liver (maximum at day 14: 21,500 fold); after PH of 2-AAF treated rats, the full-length AFP-RNA was also up regulated up to 400 fold (day 7 after PH). The orphan nuclear receptors were down regulated at nearly each time points in all models, also at time point of up regulation of the AFP gene.ConclusionExpression of "fetal" AFP could be demonstrated during liver development and during proliferation of the so-called oval cells. Changes of expression of orphan nuclear receptors, however, did not correlate with AFP expression. Other regulatory pathways were possibly involved in controlling AFP expression, in vivo.
Highlights
Alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) expression can resume in the adult liver under pathophysiological conditions
Expression of AFP protein in the different rat models Liver cryostat sections were performed from all used animal models
AFP-positive cells were localized in clusters of oval cells, in the periportal region, at day 7 after partial hepatectomy (PH) with 2-acetyl-aminofluren treatment (2-AAF) treatment (Figure 1)
Summary
Alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) expression can resume in the adult liver under pathophysiological conditions. The oval cells are not typical hepatocytes; they are less mature cells that can function as progenitors for either hepatocytic or ductal cell lineages This kind of cells express alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) transcripts [1,2,3]. For studying the expression of AFP, in vivo, different animal models of liver damage, regeneration and carcinogenesis are available. The different AFP-RNA transcripts are differentially regulated during development, the full-length AFP-RNA [major form; 2.1 kilobases (kb)] is highly expressed in the fetal liver and the three smaller variants (1.7, 1.4 and 1.0 kb) are expressed in adult rat liver [11]. The smaller transcript sizes of the AFP-RNA are expressed in adult rat liver and their steady state level does not change significantly in regenerating livers after partial hepatectomy (PH) or after toxic liver injury
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