title: Thyroid hormone actions in liver cancer.
abstract: The thyroid hormone 3,3',5-triiodo-L-thyronine (T3) mediates several physiological processes, including embryonic development, cellular differentiation, metabolism, and the regulation of cell proliferation. Thyroid hormone receptors (TRs) generally act as heterodimers with the retinoid X receptor (RXR) to regulate target genes. In addition to their developmental and metabolic functions, TRs have been shown to play a tumor suppressor role, suggesting that their aberrant expression can lead to tumor transformation. Conversely, recent reports have shown an association between overexpression of wild-type TRs and tumor metastasis. Signaling crosstalk between T3/TR and other pathways or specific TR coregulators appear to affect tumor development. Since TR actions are complex as well as cell context-, tissue- and time-specific, aberrant expression of the various TR isoforms has different effects during diverse tumorigenesis. Therefore, elucidation of the T3/TR signaling mechanisms in cancers should facilitate the identification of novel therapeutic targets. This review provides a summary of recent studies focusing on the role of TRs in hepatocellular carcinomas (HCCs).
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry, College of Medicine, Chang-Gung University, 259 Wen-hwa 1 Road, Taoyuan 333, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Sheng-Ming
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.forename: Wan-Li
authors.initials: WL
authors.lastname: Cheng
authors.forename: Crystal D
authors.initials: CD
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.forename: Kwang-Huei
authors.initials: KH
authors.lastname: Lin
mesh_terms: D006528:Carcinoma, Hepatocellular / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D015972:Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic; D006801:Humans; D008113:Liver Neoplasms / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D008957:Models, Genetic; D011988:Receptors, Thyroid Hormone / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology*; D015398:Signal Transduction; D014284:Triiodothyronine / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D011988:Receptors, Thyroid Hormone; D014284:Triiodothyronine