title: ROS-activated p38 MAPK/ERK-Akt cascade plays a central role in palmitic acid-stimulated hepatocyte proliferation.
abstract: In the past years, free fatty acids (FFAs) and obesity have been reported to play an important role in cancer development. Palmitic acid (PA) is the most prevalent saturated FFA in circulation. However, the mechanism underlying the effect of PA on cell proliferation is still to be elucidated. In this report, we, for the first time, investigate the signaling pathway in human normal hepatocytes (QZG) responsible for PA-induced proliferation. The results demonstrate that PA promotes cell cycle progression, accelerates cell proliferation, and induces a transient and sequential activation of a series of kinases. The employment of several inhibitors and antioxidants indicates that a ROS-induced stress-sensitive p38 MAPK/ERK-Akt cascade plays a critical role in the regulation of PA on cell cycle and cell proliferation. Moreover, PA dose and time dependently activates Nrf2 and this activation relies on ROS-induced stimulation of p38 MAPK/ERK-Akt signaling, demonstrating that Nrf2 activation may be associated with the regulation of PA on cell cycle transition and proliferation. In conclusion, our study elucidates the importance of PA metabolism on cell proliferation, and suggests that PA stimulates hepatocyte proliferation through activating the ROS-p38 MAPK/ERK-Akt cascade which is intersected with the activation of Nrf2 and that the effect of ROS on signal transduction is in a dose- and time-dependent manner. All the above noted provide a new clue for the central role of ROS in cell proliferation and tumorigenesis.
authors.affiliation: Department of Toxicology, Faculty of Preventive Medicine, the Fourth Military Medical University, Xi'an, 710032, China.
authors.forename: Xin
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Jiang Z
authors.initials: JZ
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Jun X
authors.initials: JX
authors.lastname: Hu
authors.forename: Hao
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.forename: Yu L
authors.initials: YL
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Hong L
authors.initials: HL
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Hua
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Bai
authors.forename: Chun X
authors.initials: CX
authors.lastname: Hai
mesh_terms: D001483:Base Sequence; D002460:Cell Line; D049109:Cell Proliferation; D017931:DNA Primers; D048049:Extracellular Signal-Regulated MAP Kinases / Q000378:metabolism*; D005455:Fluorescent Antibody Technique; D022781:Hepatocytes / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000201:enzymology / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D019308:Palmitic Acid / Q000494:pharmacology*; D051057:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-akt / Q000378:metabolism*; D017382:Reactive Oxygen Species / Q000378:metabolism*; D048051:p38 Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D017931:DNA Primers; D017382:Reactive Oxygen Species; D019308:Palmitic Acid; D051057:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-akt; D048049:Extracellular Signal-Regulated MAP Kinases; D048051:p38 Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases