International Journal of Molecular Sciences Review Revealing the Roles of Keratin 8/18-Associated Signaling Proteins Involved in the Development of Hepatocellular Carcinoma Younglan Lim 1 and Nam-On Ku 1,2,* 1 Interdisciplinary Program of Integrated OMICS for Biomedical Sciences, Yonsei University, Seoul 03722, Korea;
[email protected] 2 Department of Bio-Convergence ISED, Underwood International College, Yonsei University, Seoul 03722, Korea * Correspondence:
[email protected]; Tel.: +82-2-2123-2697 Abstract: Although hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is developed with various etiologies, protection of hepatocytes seems basically essential to prevent the incidence of HCC. Keratin 8 and keratin 18 (K8/K18) are cytoskeletal intermediate filament proteins that are expressed in hepatocytes. They maintain the cell shape and protect cells under stress conditions. Their protective roles in liver damage have been described in studies of mouse models, and K8/K18 mutation frequency in liver patients. Interestingly, K8/K18 bind to signaling proteins such as transcription factors and protein kinases involved in HCC development. Since K8/K18 are abundant cytoskeletal proteins, K8/K18 binding with the signaling factors can alter the availability of the factors. Herein, we discuss the potential roles of K8/K18 in HCC development. Keywords: keratin; hepatocellular carcinoma; signaling pathway; hepatitis Citation: Lim, Y.; Ku, N.-O. Revealing the Roles of Keratin 8/18-Associated Signaling Proteins Involved in the Development of 1. Introduction Hepatocellular Carcinoma. Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2021, 22, 6401. https://doi.org/ Globally, liver cancer was the third leading cause of cancer-related death in 2020, 10.3390/ijms22126401 and about 90% of liver cancers are hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) [1,2].