Liver regeneration, liver cancers and cyclins

Accumulating evidence has revealed that malignant cell growth is regulated by complex mechanisms involved in genetic and epigenetic factors. Among human cancers, cancer in the liver (hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC)) is characterized by the evidence that it is usually based on chronic liver diseases such as liver cirrhosis or chronic hepatitis, in which the liver is persistently regenerating following hepatic injury. This raises the possibility that repeated hepatocyte proliferation may cause disorder of genes that are regulating the cell cycle in hepatocytes, thus causing HCC. In this article, recent studies focusing on liver regeneration and cancer are reviewed from the viewpoint of the cell cycle that is regulated by cyclin and the associated proteins.