What change does prokineticin 2/Bv8 have in human hepatocellular carcinoma?

Liver hepatocarcinoma is a highly vascularized cancer, and more and more research is focused on the molecules controlling angiogenesis. In 2001, two novel peptides, known as prokineticin 1/EG-VEGF (PK1/EG-VEGF) and prokineticin 2/Bv8 (PK2/Bv8), were identified, as having potent angiogenic activities. The angiogenic potential of these two peptides during human hepatocellular carcinoma progression was evaluated. These findings show, that only, PK2/Bv8 is expressed in liver and -- surprisingly -- that its expression decreases during hepatocellular carcinoma. Furthermore, these results show that PK2/Bv8 expression is restricted specifically to liver resident macrophages, thus suggesting a role...

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