Interest: The
role of Golgi Protein 73 (GP73) in liver disease
Dr. Fimmel’s work centers around GP73,
a Golgi membrane protein that is upregulated
in human liver disease, especially liver cancer.
GP73 unexpectedly appears in the serum of patient
with hepatocellular cancer, and has shown potential
as a serum marker for liver cancer. His lab
has developed a knockout model of the murine
homolog of GP73. In addition, we are studying
the mechanisms by which GP73 is released from
the cells to reach the extracellular space and
serum. Their specific experimental goals at
present are: 1. To study the growth and development
of GP73-deficient mice, 2. To test whether GP73-deficient
mice have an increased susceptibility to experimentally
induced liver hepatitis and liver cancer, and
3. To determine how GP73 reaches the extracellular
space from its normal intracellular location
within the Golgi complex.
