Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 18, 2026

A Combined 3D Tissue Engineered In Vitro/In Silico Lung Tumor Model for Predicting Drug Effectiveness in Specific Mutational Backgrounds
13:34

A Combined 3D Tissue Engineered In Vitro/In Silico Lung Tumor Model for Predicting Drug Effectiveness in Specific Mutational Backgrounds

Published on: April 6, 2016

Apoptosis of human colorectal carcinoma cells is induced by blocking hepatoma-derived growth factor

Fei Liao1, Weiguo Dong, Lifang Fan

  • 1Department of Gastroenterology, Renmin Hospital, and Pathology Department, Wuhan University, 99# Zhi yang Road, 430060, Wuhan, Hubei, People's Republic of China.

Medical Oncology (Northwood, London, England)
|November 20, 2009
PubMed

Insights

Hepatoma-derived growth factor (HDGF) promotes colorectal cancer progression. Blocking HDGF induces apoptosis in colon cancer cells, suggesting it as a potential therapeutic target for colorectal cancer treatment.

Area of Science:

  • Molecular Biology
  • Oncology
  • Cell Biology

Background:

  • Hepatoma-derived growth factor (HDGF) is a multifunctional growth factor implicated in tumor proliferation, invasion, angiogenesis, and apoptosis.
  • The precise molecular mechanisms of HDGF's role in apoptosis, particularly in colorectal cancer, require further elucidation.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the role of HDGF in colorectal carcinoma (CRC) progression.
  • To determine the effect of blocking HDGF on inducing apoptosis in CRC cells.
  • To explore HDGF as a potential therapeutic target for colorectal cancer.

Main Methods:

  • Immunohistochemistry was used to analyze HDGF expression in CRC.
  • Small interference RNA (HDGF-siRNA) was employed to inhibit HDGF expression in loVo cells.
  • Apoptosis was assessed via flow cytometry, DNA ladder analysis, and Hoechst 33258 staining.
  • Western blot analysis was performed to examine apoptosis-related protein expression.

Main Results:

  • HDGF expression was found to increase progressively during colorectal carcinogenesis.
  • Knock-down of HDGF led to the down-regulation of survivin and activation of the mitochondrial apoptotic pathway in loVo cells.
  • Inhibition of HDGF effectively induced apoptosis in colon cancer cells.

Conclusions:

  • HDGF plays a significant role in the colorectal carcinogenesis process.
  • Blocking HDGF demonstrates potent pro-apoptotic effects in colon cancer cells.
  • HDGF represents a promising therapeutic target for human colorectal cancer, with potential implications for treatment strategies.

More Related Videos

Portal Vein Injection of Colorectal Cancer Organoids to Study the Liver Metastasis Stroma07:59

Portal Vein Injection of Colorectal Cancer Organoids to Study the Liver Metastasis Stroma

Published on: September 3, 2021

Development and Maintenance of a Preclinical Patient Derived Tumor Xenograft Model for the Investigation of Novel Anti-Cancer Therapies09:29

Development and Maintenance of a Preclinical Patient Derived Tumor Xenograft Model for the Investigation of Novel Anti-Cancer Therapies

Published on: September 30, 2016

Related Concept Videos

Apoptosis01:30

Apoptosis

Apoptosis is a combination of two Greek words, 'apo' and 'ptosis,' meaning separation and falling off, respectively. Hippocrates used this word to describe gangrene, which was caused due to bandaging of fractured bones. Apoptosis was distinguished from necrosis in 1970 when John Kerr reported observations of morphological changes occurring during apoptosis. During one experiment, he observed that the disruption of blood supply to the liver tissue resulted in a size reduction of the tissue.
The Intrinsic Apoptotic Pathway01:31

The Intrinsic Apoptotic Pathway

Internal cellular stress, such as cellular injury or hypoxia, triggers intrinsic apoptosis. The B-cell lymphoma 2 (Bcl-2) family of proteins are the primary regulators of the intrinsic apoptotic pathway. For example, during DNA damage, checkpoint proteins, such as Ataxia Telangiectasia Mutated (ATM protein) and Checkpoints Factor-2 (Chk2) proteins, are activated. These proteins phosphorylate p53 which further activates pro-apoptotic proteins, such as Bax, Bak, PUMA, and Noxa, and inhibits...
The Extrinsic Apoptotic Pathway01:17

The Extrinsic Apoptotic Pathway

The extrinsic apoptotic pathway is initiated when extracellular death-inducing signals, such as specific cytokines, activate the death receptors expressed on the cell surface. The immune cells involved in this pathway are natural killer cells (NK cells) and cytotoxic T-lymphocytes. NK cells are critical in innate immune response, while cytotoxic T-lymphocytes are associated with adaptive immune response. These cells recognize specific receptors expressed on the altered cells and activate...