| First Author | Kastenhuber ER | Year | 2017 |
| Journal | Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A | Volume | 114 |
| Issue | 50 | Pages | 13076-13084 |
| PubMed ID | 29162699 | Mgi Jnum | J:255186 |
| Mgi Id | MGI:6103779 | Doi | 10.1073/pnas.1716483114 |
| Citation | Kastenhuber ER, et al. (2017) DNAJB1-PRKACA fusion kinase interacts with beta-catenin and the liver regenerative response to drive fibrolamellar hepatocellular carcinoma. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 114(50):13076-13084 |
| abstractText | A segmental deletion resulting in DNAJB1-PRKACA gene fusion is now recognized as the signature genetic event of fibrolamellar hepatocellular carcinoma (FL-HCC), a rare but lethal liver cancer that primarily affects adolescents and young adults. Here we implement CRISPR-Cas9 genome editing and transposon-mediated somatic gene transfer to demonstrate that expression of either the endogenous fusion protein or a chimeric cDNA leads to the formation of indolent liver tumors in mice that closely resemble human FL-HCC. Notably, overexpression of the wild-type PRKACA was unable to fully recapitulate the oncogenic activity of DNAJB1-PRKACA, implying that FL-HCC does not simply result from enhanced PRKACA expression. Tumorigenesis was significantly enhanced by genetic activation of beta-catenin, an observation supported by evidence of recurrent Wnt pathway mutations in human FL-HCC, as well as treatment with the hepatotoxin 3,5-diethoxycarbonyl-1,4-dihydrocollidine, which causes tissue injury, inflammation, and fibrosis. Our study validates the DNAJB1-PRKACA fusion kinase as an oncogenic driver and candidate drug target for FL-HCC, and establishes a practical model for preclinical studies to identify strategies to treat this disease. |
