title: Differentiation status modulates transcription factor NF-kappaB activity in unstimulated human hepatocellular carcinoma cell lines.
abstract: We report herein a novel finding that under an unstimulated condition, a group of four human hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) cell lines with varying degrees of differentiation, can spontaneously activate NF-KB. The propensity of activation coincided inversely with the differentiation status, with order being SK-Hep-1 > J5 > Hep3B > HepG2. Further studies indicate that this pattern of activation correlates excellently with the descending order of intracellular GSH/GSSG ratios as well as with the ascending order in the ability of these cells to generate hydrogen peroxide. Taken together, our data suggest that differentiation status may play a pivotal role in modulating intracellular thiol redox status and the extent of catalase expression, which may be crucial in the control of NF-kappaB activity in these HCC cells.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Research, Yuan's General Hospital, Kaohsiung, Taiwan, ROC.
authors.forename: T Z
authors.initials: TZ
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: C C
authors.initials: CC
authors.lastname: Hu
authors.forename: Y H
authors.initials: YH
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Stern
authors.forename: J T
authors.initials: JT
authors.lastname: Cheng
mesh_terms: D006528:Carcinoma, Hepatocellular; D002374:Catalase / Q000378:metabolism; D002454:Cell Differentiation / Q000502:physiology*; D005978:Glutathione / Q000378:metabolism*; D019803:Glutathione Disulfide / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D006861:Hydrogen Peroxide / Q000378:metabolism; D008113:Liver Neoplasms; D016328:NF-kappa B / Q000378:metabolism*; D010084:Oxidation-Reduction; D013438:Sulfhydryl Compounds / Q000378:metabolism; D014407:Tumor Cells, Cultured
chemical_list: D016328:NF-kappa B; D013438:Sulfhydryl Compounds; D006861:Hydrogen Peroxide; D002374:Catalase; D005978:Glutathione; D019803:Glutathione Disulfide