Expression and Function of BMP and Activin Membrane-Bound Inhibitor (BAMBI) in Chronic Liver Diseases and Hepatocellular Carcinoma

• Published in: International journal of molecular sciences Vol. 24; no. 4; p. 3473
• Main Authors: Weber, Florian, Treeck, Oliver, Mester, Patricia, Buechler, Christa
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Switzerland MDPI AG 01.02.2023; MDPI
• Subjects: Activin; Activins; Analysis; Animal models; Bone Morphogenetic Proteins; Carcinoma, Hepatocellular; Cell differentiation; Cell growth; Coronaviruses; Cytokines; Differentiation (biology); Enzymes; Epstein-Barr virus; Families & family life; Fatty acids; Fatty liver; Fibrosis; Genes; Growth factors; hepatic stellate cells; Hepatitis C; Hepatocellular carcinoma; Hepatoma; Humans; immune cells; Infections; Inflammation; Kinases; Ligands; Lipids; Liver; Liver cancer; Liver Cirrhosis; Liver diseases; liver fibrosis; Liver Neoplasms; Melanoma; Membrane Proteins; Membranes; Metastasis; Peptides; Phosphorylation; Protein binding; Proteins; Review; Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2; Transforming Growth Factor beta - metabolism; Transforming growth factors; Tumors; β-catenin; β-catenin; immune cells; hepatic stellate cells; liver fibrosis; bone morphogenetic proteins
• ISSN: 1422-0067; 1661-6596; 1422-0067
• DOI: 10.3390/ijms24043473

BAMBI (bone morphogenetic protein and activin membrane-bound inhibitor) is a transmembrane pseudoreceptor structurally related to transforming growth factor (TGF)-β type 1 receptors (TGF-β1Rs). BAMBI lacks a kinase domain and functions as a TGF-β1R antagonist. Essential processes such as cell differentiation and proliferation are regulated by TGF-β1R signaling. TGF-β is the best-studied ligand of TGF-βRs and has an eminent role in inflammation and fibrogenesis. Liver fibrosis is the end stage of almost all chronic liver diseases, such as non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, and at the moment, there is no effective anti-fibrotic therapy available. Hepatic BAMBI is downregulated in rodent models of liver injury and in the fibrotic liver of patients, suggesting that low BAMBI has a role in liver fibrosis. Experimental evidence convincingly demonstrated that BAMBI overexpression is able to protect against liver fibrosis. Chronic liver diseases have a high risk of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), and BAMBI was shown to exert tumor-promoting as well as tumor-protective functions. This review article aims to summarize relevant studies on hepatic BAMBI expression and its role in chronic liver diseases and HCC.