Augmenter of liver regeneration

‘Augmenter of liver regeneration’ (ALR) (also known as hepatic stimulatory substance or hepatopoietin) was originally found to promote growth of hepatocytes in the regenerating or injured liver. ALR is expressed ubiquitously in all organs, and exclusively in hepatocytes in the liver. ALR, a survival factor for hepatocytes, exhibits significant homology with ERV1 (essential for respiration and viability) protein that is essential for the survival of the yeast, Saccharomyces cerevisiae. ALR comprises 198 to 205 amino acids (approximately 22 kDa), but is post-translationally modified to three high molecular weight species (approximately 38 to 42 kDa) found in hepatocytes. ALR is present in mitochondria, cytosol, endoplasmic reticulum, and nucleus. Mitochondrial ALR may be involved in oxidative phosphorylation, but also functions as sulfhydryl oxidase and cytochrome c reductase, and causes Fe/S maturation of proteins. ALR, secreted by hepatocytes, stimulates synthesis of TNF-α, IL-6, and nitric oxide in Kupffer cells via a G-protein coupled receptor. While the 22 kDa rat recombinant ALR does not stimulate DNA synthesis in hepatocytes, the short form (15 kDa) of human recombinant ALR was reported to be equipotent as or even stronger than TGF-α or HGF as a mitogen for hepatocytes. Altered serum ALR levels in certain pathological conditions suggest that it may be a diagnostic marker for liver injury/disease. Although ALR appears to have multiple functions, the knowledge of its role in various organs, including the liver, is extremely inadequate, and it is not known whether different ALR species have distinct functions. Future research should provide better understanding of the expression and functions of this enigmatic molecule

Decreased expression of the Augmenter of Liver Regeneration results in increased apoptosis and oxidative damage in human-derived glioma cells

The mammalian growth factor erv1-like (GFER) gene encodes a sulfhydryl oxidase enzyme, named Augmenter of Liver Regeneration (ALR). Recently it has been demonstrated that ALR supports cell proliferation acting as an anti-apoptotic factor. This effect is determined by ALR ability to support the anti-apoptotic gene expression and to preserve cellular normoxic conditions. We recently demonstrated that the addition of recombinant ALR (rALR) in the culture medium of H2O2-treated neuroblastoma cells reduces the lethal effects induced by the hydrogen peroxide. Similar data have been reported in the regenerating liver tissue from partially hepatectomized rats treated with rALR. The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the effect of the GFER inhibition, via the degradation of the complementary mRNA by the specific siRNA, on the behaviour of the apoptosis (apoptotic gene and caspase expression and apoptotic cell number) and of the oxidative stress-induced parameters (reactive oxygen species (ROS), clusterin expression and mitochondrial integrity) in T98G glioma cells. The results revealed a reduction of (i) ALR, (ii) clusterin and (iii) bcl-2 and an increase of (iv) caspase-9, activated caspase-3, ROS, apoptotic cell number and mitochondrial degeneration. These data confirm the anti-apoptotic role of ALR and its anti-oxidative properties, and shed some light on the molecular pathways through which ALR modulates its biological effects

Azf1p is a nuclear-localized zinc-finger protein that is preferentially expressed under non-fermentative growth conditions in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

In previous studies the AZF1 gene has been identified as a second high-copy number suppressor for a special mutant of the gene for the mitochondrial core enzyme of RNA polymerase. The first high-copy number suppressor of this mutant turned out to be the specificity factor MTF1 for mitochondrial transcription. Up to now, the influence of AZF1 on mitochondrial transcription, its precise localization in the cell and the regulation of its expression has not been determined. The putative protein contains a long stretch of poly-asparagine amino acids and a typical zinc-finger domain for DNA binding. These characteristic structural features were used to create the abbreviation AZF1 (Asparagine-rich Zinc Finger protein). An initial computer analysis of the sequence gave no conclusive results for the presence of a mitochondrial import sequence or a typical nuclear-targeting sequence. A recent more-detailed analysis identified a possible nuclear localization signal in the middle of the protein. Disruption of the gene shows no effect on plates with glucose-rich medium or glycerol. In this report a specific polyclonal antibody against Azf1p was prepared and used in cell-fractionation experiments and in electron-microscopic studies. Both of these clearly demonstrate that the AZF1 protein is localized exclusively in the nucleus of the yeast cell. Northern analysis for the expression of the AZF1 messenger RNA under different growth conditions was therefore performed to obtain new insights into the regulation of this gene. Together with the respective protein-expression analysis these data demonstrate that Azf1p is preferentially synthezised in higher amounts under non-fermentable growth conditions. Over-expression of Azf1p in the yeast cell does not influence the expression level of the mitochondrial transcription factor Mtf1p, indicating that the influence of Azf1p on the suppression of the special mitochondrial RNA polymerase mutant is an indirect one. Subcellular investigation of the deletion mutant by electron microscopy identifies specific ultrastructural cell-division defects in comparison to the wild-type