Hepatocyte RXRalpha deficiency in matured and aged mice: impact on the expression of cancer-related hepatic genes in a gender-specific manner

Background The occurrence of liver cancer is higher in males than in females, and the incidence increases during aging. Signaling pathways regulated by retinoid × receptor α (RXRα) are involved in hepatocellular carcinogenesis. The phenotype of hepatocyte RXRα deficient mice is different between genders. To explore the impact of hepatocyte RXRα deficiency on gender-dependent hepatic gene expression, we compared the expression profiles of cancer-related genes in 6 and 24 month old male and female mice.