Translationally controlled tumor protein promotes liver regeneration by activating mTORC2/AKT signaling

Translationally controlled tumor protein (TCTP), which is a protein characterized by its potent proliferation promoting activity, has been well studied in the area of growth and tumorigenesis. However, the specific role of TCTP in liver regeneration (LR) and its underlying mechanism remains unclear. In order to investigate the contribution of TCTP during LR, heterozygous TCTP mice were generated, and a mimic LR model was applied to TCTP-knockdown (KD) hepatic cell lines. The results revealed that TCTP-KD impaired LR in mice, and manifested as the following aspects: delayed proliferation of hepatocytes, accompanied by disruption of the mRNA expression of markers of the cell cycle, degenerated lipid metabolism, and abnormal immune response. Furthermore, it was found out that TCTP activated PI3K/AKT signaling by regulating mTORC2. Lastly, the increasing rate of serum TCTP positively correlated to the recovery of alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) after liver resection in humans. In summary, the present study is the first to reveal the crucial role of intracellular TCTP in LR.