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Review
. 2017 Apr 19;8(4):123.
doi: 10.3390/genes8040123.

c-MYC-Making Liver Sick: Role of c-MYC in Hepatic Cell Function, Homeostasis and Disease

Kang Zheng  1   2 , Francisco Javier Cubero  3   4 , Yulia A Nevzorova  5   6
Affiliations
Review

c-MYC-Making Liver Sick: Role of c-MYC in Hepatic Cell Function, Homeostasis and Disease

Kang Zheng et al. Genes (Basel). .

Abstract

Over 35 years ago, c-MYC, a highly pleiotropic transcription factor that regulates hepatic cell function, was identified. In recent years, a considerable increment in the number of publications has significantly shifted the way that the c-MYC function is perceived. Overexpression of c-MYC alters a wide range of roles including cell proliferation, growth, metabolism, DNA replication, cell cycle progression, cell adhesion and differentiation. The purpose of this review is to broaden the understanding of the general functions of c-MYC, to focus on c-MYC-driven pathogenesis in the liver, explain its mode of action under basal conditions and during disease, and discuss efforts to target c-MYC as a plausible therapy for liver disease.

Keywords: Liver; alcoholic liver disease; c-Myc Avian Myelocytomatosis Viral Oncogene Homolog; hepatitis B virus; hepatitis C virus; hepatoblastoma; hepatocellular carcinoma.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Cooperativity of c-MYC and p53 during tumor progression. Mutations that activate c-MYC, including amplification or translocation, cause reactive oxygen species (ROS) production and induce DNA damage. Absence of p53 (right panel) may override arrest responses, improve survival and drive cells with DNA damage into cycle. These redundant effects might trigger genome destabilization and acceleration of tumor progression.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Deregulation of c-MYC and liver disease. Deregulation of c-MYC expression has been observed in hepatoblastoma (HB), liver fibrosis and cirrhosis, and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). In addition, c-MYC function plays an essential in HCC development due to alcoholic liver disease (ALD) and viral hepatitis (HBV and HCV).
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