Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jul 8, 2026

Isolation and Culture of Cells from the Nephrogenic Zone of the Embryonic Mouse Kidney
08:06

Isolation and Culture of Cells from the Nephrogenic Zone of the Embryonic Mouse Kidney

Published on: April 22, 2011

HNF4 alpha orchestrates a set of 14 genes to down-regulate cell proliferation in kidney cells

Karen Grigo1, Andrea Wirsing, Belén Lucas

  • 1Institut für Zellbiologie (Tumorforschung), Universitätsklinikum Essen, Universität Duisburg-Essen, D-45122 Essen, Germany.

Biological Chemistry
|January 1, 2008
PubMed

Insights

Hepatocyte nuclear factor 4 alpha (HNF4 alpha) acts as a tumor suppressor by inhibiting cell proliferation in kidney cancer. This study identified 14 genes regulated by HNF4 alpha that contribute to this inhibitory effect.

Area of Science:

  • Molecular Biology
  • Genetics
  • Cancer Research

Background:

  • Renal cell carcinoma (RCC) involves few known genes.
  • Hepatocyte nuclear factor 4 alpha (HNF4 alpha), a cell-specific transcription factor, is downregulated in RCC.
  • HNF4 alpha inhibits cell proliferation in embryonic kidney cells (HEK293).

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the tumor suppressor activity of HNF4 alpha.
  • To identify genes regulated by HNF4 alpha that mediate its effect on cell proliferation.

Main Methods:

  • Analyzed whole human expression profile in HEK293 cells upon HNF4 alpha induction.
  • Compared gene expression between induced and uninduced cells to identify differentially expressed genes.
  • Used RNA interference to screen 56 HNF4 alpha-regulated genes for their role in proliferation inhibition.

Main Results:

  • Identified 1411 differentially expressed genes upon HNF4 alpha induction.
  • Demonstrated that 14 HNF4 alpha-regulated genes contribute to the inhibition of cell proliferation.
  • Confirmed roles for known cancer genes (e.g., CDKN1A, TGFA) and identified novel genes (e.g., SEPP1, THEM2) in this network.

Conclusions:

  • HNF4 alpha orchestrates a network of at least 14 genes to regulate cell proliferation in HEK293 cells.
  • Down-regulation of HNF4 alpha may contribute to kidney cancer progression.
  • HNF4 alpha represents a potential therapeutic target for renal cell carcinoma.

More Related Videos

A Simplified Method for Generating Kidney Organoids from Human Pluripotent Stem Cells07:39

A Simplified Method for Generating Kidney Organoids from Human Pluripotent Stem Cells

Published on: April 13, 2021

Generating Kidney Organoids in Suspension from Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells07:22

Generating Kidney Organoids in Suspension from Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells

Published on: September 1, 2023

Related Concept Videos

Negative Regulator Molecules01:23

Negative Regulator Molecules

Positive regulators allow a cell to advance through cell cycle checkpoints. Negative regulators have an equally important role as they terminate a cell’s progression through the cell cycle—or pause it—until the cell meets specific criteria.
Somatic to iPS Cell Reprogramming01:29

Somatic to iPS Cell Reprogramming

Reprogramming alters the gene expression in somatic cells, transforming them into induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells over several generations. Scientists can reprogram cells by introducing genes for four transcription factors—Oct4, Sox2, Klf4, and c-Myc (OSKM) by viral or non-viral methods. These factors are also known as Yamanaka factors after Shinya Yamanaka, who first generated iPS cells using mouse skin cells. Yamanaka was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 2012 for this...
Regulation of Angiogenesis and Blood Supply01:24

Regulation of Angiogenesis and Blood Supply

Rapidly dividing tumors, embryos, and wounded tissues require more oxygen than usual, lowering the oxygen concentration in the blood. At low oxygen or hypoxic conditions, an oxygen-sensitive transcription factor called the hypoxia-inducible factor 1 or HIF1 is activated. HIF1 is a dimeric protein of alpha (ɑ) and beta (β) subunits.  Under optimal oxygen conditions, HIF1β is present in the nucleus while HIF1ɑ remains in the cytosol. HIF1ɑ is hydroxylated by prolyl hydroxylase and factor...
Cell Specific Gene Expression01:58

Cell Specific Gene Expression

Multicellular organisms contain a variety of structurally and functionally distinct cell types, but the DNA in all the cells originated from the same parent cells. The differences in the cells can be attributed to the differential gene expression. Liver cells, whose functions include detoxification of blood, production of bile to metabolize fats, and synthesis of proteins essential for metabolism, must express a specific set of genes to perform their functions. Gene expression also varies with...
Molecular Factors Affecting Cell Division01:27

Molecular Factors Affecting Cell Division

Several external and internal factors influence the initiation and inhibition of cell division. For instance, the death of nearby cells or the release of human growth hormone (hGH) promotes cell division. In contrast, lack of hGH or crowding of cells can inhibit cell division.
Several proteins function as internal regulators to ensure each cell cycle stage is completed faithfully before proceeding to the next. Regulator molecules may act directly or influence the activity or production of other...
Methods of Nuclear Reprogramming01:24

Methods of Nuclear Reprogramming

Nuclear reprogramming is a process of transforming one cell type into an unrelated cell type by epigenetic changes that alter the cell’s original gene expression pattern. Such epigenetic changes force cells to express a different set of genes, which play a significant role in inducing transformation into other cell types. Nuclear reprogramming offers applications in reproductive cloning for livestock propagation and regenerative medicine — developing patient-specific cells for injury repair.