Hepatic tight junctions: From viral entry to cancer metastasis

Figure 2 The TJ at different stages of liver cancer progression and distant liver metastasis. During viral infection, HCV binds onto several TJ molecules (claudin-1 and occludin) and co-receptors (CD81 and SR-BI) on hepatocytes before its internalization. This event leads to hepatic steatosis and/or cirrhosis before the subsequent development of primary liver cancer that is associated with TJ deregulation. For metastatic liver cancer originating from the intrahepatic site or distant organs such as breast and colorectum, there is an initial loss of TJ molecules at the primary tumor site and a subsequent gain of these molecules in the liver with tumor cell colonization. HCV: Hepatitis C virus; SR-BI: Scavenger receptor class B member-I.