A review on hepatocyte nuclear factor-1beta and tumor

Hepatocyte nuclear factor-1beta (HNF1 beta) was initially identified as a liver-specific transcription factor. It is a homeobox transcription factor that functions as a homodimer or heterodimer with HNF1 alpha. HNF1 beta plays an important role in organogenesis during embryonic stage, especially of the liver, kidney, and pancreas. Mutations in the HNF1 beta gene cause maturity-onset diabetes of the young type 5 (MODY5), renal cysts, genital malformations, and pancreas atrophy. Recently, it has been shown that the expression of HNF1 beta is associated with cancer risk in several tumors, including hepatocellular carcinoma, pancreatic carcinoma, renal cancer, ovarian cancer, endometrial cancer, and prostate cancer. HNF1 beta also regulates the expression of genes associated with stem/progenitor cells, which indicates that HNF1 beta may play an important role in stem cell regulation. In this review, we discuss some of the current developments about HNF1 beta and tumor, the relationship between HNF1 beta and stem/progenitor cells, and the potential pathogenesis of HNF1 beta in various tumors.