{"entity": "researcher", "timestamp": "2026-10-01T12:33:26.882Z", "family": "Fabregat", "given": "Isabel", "initials": "I", "orcid": "0000-0003-0136-8440", "affiliations": ["Bellvitge Biomedical Research Institute (IDIBELL), L'Hospitalet, and Department of Physiological Sciences, School of Medicine, University of Barcelona, ES-08908, Barcelona, Spain."], "links": {"self": {"href": "https://publications-affiliated.scilifelab.se/researcher/560cf55933794023aa185761bb697c2a.json"}, "display": {"href": "https://publications-affiliated.scilifelab.se/researcher/560cf55933794023aa185761bb697c2a"}}, "publications": [{"entity": "publication", "iuid": "dfad993fb8f241cbaad1834c76ab009f", "links": {"self": {"href": "https://publications-affiliated.scilifelab.se/publication/dfad993fb8f241cbaad1834c76ab009f.json"}, "display": {"href": "https://publications-affiliated.scilifelab.se/publication/dfad993fb8f241cbaad1834c76ab009f"}}, "title": "Snail mediates crosstalk between TGF\u03b2 and LXR\u03b1 in hepatocellular carcinoma.", "authors": [{"family": "Bellomo", "given": "Claudia", "initials": "C"}, {"family": "Caja", "given": "Laia", "initials": "L"}, {"family": "Fabregat", "given": "Isabel", "initials": "I", "orcid": "0000-0003-0136-8440", "researcher": {"href": "https://publications-affiliated.scilifelab.se/researcher/560cf55933794023aa185761bb697c2a.json"}}, {"family": "Mikulits", "given": "Wolfgang", "initials": "W"}, {"family": "Kardassis", "given": "Dimitris", "initials": "D"}, {"family": "Heldin", "given": "Carl-Henrik", "initials": "CH"}, {"family": "Moustakas", "given": "Aristidis", "initials": "A"}], "type": "journal article", "published": "2018-05-00", "journal": {"title": "Cell Death Differ.", "issn": "1476-5403", "volume": "25", "issue": "5", "pages": "885-903", "issn-l": "1350-9047"}, "abstract": "Understanding the complexity of changes in differentiation and cell survival in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is essential for the design of new diagnostic tools and therapeutic modalities. In this context, we have analyzed the crosstalk between transforming growth factor \u03b2 (TGF\u03b2) and liver X receptor \u03b1 (LXR\u03b1) pathways. TGF\u03b2 is known to promote cytostatic and pro-apoptotic responses in HCC, and to facilitate mesenchymal differentiation. We here demonstrate that stimulation of the nuclear LXR\u03b1 receptor system by physiological and clinically useful agonists controls the HCC response to TGF\u03b2. Specifically, LXR\u03b1 activation antagonizes the mesenchymal, reactive oxygen species and pro-apoptotic responses to TGF\u03b2 and the mesenchymal transcription factor Snail mediates this crosstalk. In contrast, LXR\u03b1 activation and TGF\u03b2 cooperate in enforcing cytostasis in HCC, which preserves their epithelial features. LXR\u03b1 influences Snail expression transcriptionally, acting on the Snail promoter. These findings propose that clinically used LXR agonists may find further application to the treatment of aggressive, mesenchymal HCCs, whose progression is chronically dependent on autocrine or paracrine TGF\u03b2.", "doi": "10.1038/s41418-017-0021-3", "pmid": "29230000", "labels": [], "xrefs": [{"db": "pmc", "key": "PMC5943406"}, {"db": "pii", "key": "10.1038/s41418-017-0021-3"}], "notes": [], "created": "2018-12-05T12:40:51.471Z", "modified": "2026-09-23T10:27:11.654Z"}]}