Basic Research
Copyright ©2006 Baishideng Publishing Group Co., Limited. All rights reserved.
World J Gastroenterol. Dec 7, 2006; 12(45): 7285-7291
Published online Dec 7, 2006. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v12.i45.7285
Expression pattern and action analysis of genes associated with the responses to chemical stimuli during rat liver regeneration
Shao-Wei Qin, Li-Feng Zhao, Xiao-Guang Chen, Cun-Shuan Xu
Shao-Wei Qin, Li-Feng Zhao, Xiao-Guang Chen, Key Laboratory for Cell Differentiation Regulation, Xinxiang 453007, Henan Province, China
Cun-Shuan Xu, College of Life Science, Henan Normal Univer-sity, Xinxiang 453007, Henan Province, China
Supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China, No. 30270673
Correspondence to: Professor Cun-Shuan Xu, College of Life Science, Henan Normal University, Xinxiang 453007, Henan Province, China. xucs@x263.net
Telephone: +86-373-3326001 Fax: +86-373-3326524
Received: August 25, 2006
Revised: August 28, 2006
Accepted: October 19, 2006
Published online: December 7, 2006
Abstract

AIM: To study the genes associated with the responses to chemokines, nutrients, inorganic substances, organic substances and xenobiotics after rat partial hepatectomy (PH) at transcriptional level.

METHODS: The associated genes involved in the five kinds of responses were obtained from database and literature, and the gene expression changes during liver regeneration in rats were checked by the Rat Genome 230 2.0 array.

RESULTS: It was found that 60, 10, 9, 6, 26 genes respectively participating in the above five kinds of responses were associated with liver regeneration. The numbers of initially and totally expressed genes occurring in the initial phase of liver regeneration (0.5-4 h after PH), G0/G1 transition (4-6 h after PH), cell proliferation (6-66 h after PH), cell differentiation and structure-functional reconstruction (66-168 h after PH) were 51, 19, 52, 6 and 51, 43, 98, 68 respectively, illustrating that the associated genes were mainly triggered in the initiation and transition stages, and functioned at different phases. According to their expression similarity, these genes were classified into 5 groups: only up-regulated (47), predominantly up-regulated (18), only down-regulated (24), predominantly down-regulated (10), and up- and down-regulated (8). The total times of their up-regulated and down-regulated expression were 441 and 221, demonstrating that the number of up-regulated genes is more than that of the down-regulated genes. Their time relevance and gene expression patterns were classified into 14 and 26 groups, showing that the cell physiological and biochemical activities were staggered, diversified and complicated during liver regeneration in rats.

CONCLUSION: The chemotaxis was enhanced mainly in the forepart and metaphase of LR. The response of regenerating liver to nutrients and chemical substances was increased, whereas that to xenobiotics was not strong. One hundred and seven genes associated with LR play important roles in the responses to chemical substances.

Keywords: Partial hepatectomy; Rat Genome 230 2.0 array; Responses to chemical substances; Genes associated with liver regeneration