S-adenosylmethionine metabolism and liver disease
Journal Title: Annals of Hepatology - Year 2013, Vol 12, Issue 2
Abstract
Methionine is an essential amino acid that is metabolized mainly by the liver where it is converted to Sadenosylmethionine (SAMe) by the enzyme methionine adenosyltransferase. Although all mammalian cells synthesize SAMe, the liver is where the bulk of SAMe is generated as it is the organ where about 50% of all dietary methionine is metabolized. SAMe is mainly needed for methylation of a large variety of substrates (DNA, proteins, lipids and many other small molecules) and polyamine synthesis, so if the concentration ofSAMe falls below a certain level or rises too much the normal function of the liver will be also affected. There are physiological conditions that can affect the hepatic content of SAMe. Consequently, to control these fluctuations, the rate at which the liver both synthesizes and catabolizes SAMe is tightly regulated. In mice, failure to do this can lead to fatty liver disease and to the development of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Therefore, maintaining SAMe homeostasis may be a therapeutic target in nonalcoholic steatohepatitis, alcoholic- and non-alcoholic liver cirrhosis, and for the chemoprevention of HCC formation.
Authors and Affiliations
José Mato, Maria Martínez-Chantar, Shelly Lu
Keywords
Related Articles
- EP ID EP78250
- DOI -
- Views 131
- Downloads 0
The burden of hepatic encephalopathy in Latin America
Hepatic encephalopathy (HE) is a neuropsychiatric syndrome characterized by changes in cognitive function, behavior, and personality, as well as by transient neurological symptoms and electroencephalographic changes, whi...
Gene expression profiling reveals key genes and pathways related to the development of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease
Background. This study aims to identify key genes and pathways involved in non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). Materialand methods. The dataset GSE48452 was downloaded from Gene Expression Omnibus, including 14 c...
Glisson’s capsule blistering after hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy
Hypertermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy is a treatment option after cytorreduction of certain types of malignancies with peritoneal spread. Blistering of the Glisson’s capsule has not been previously reported as a conse...
Etiology, outcome and prognostic factors of childhood acute liver failure in a German Single Center
Pediatric acute liver failure (PALF) is a progressive, potentially fatal clinical syndrome occurring in previously healthy children. Our study aimed to determine the current leading causes of PALF in a single center in G...
Operational tolerance after liver transplantation, more common than we think: A case report
Operational tolerance after liver transplantation has been described in around 20% of the recipients. These patients are able to maintain a normal graft function in the absence of immunosuppressive drugs, thus being free...