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Liu QQ, Chen J, Ma T, Huang W, Lu CH. DCDC2 inhibits hepatic stellate cell activation and ameliorates CCl 4-induced liver fibrosis by suppressing Wnt/β-catenin signaling. Sci Rep 2024; 14:9425. [PMID: 38658618 PMCID: PMC11043443 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-59698-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/30/2024] [Accepted: 04/15/2024] [Indexed: 04/26/2024] Open
Abstract
Liver fibrosis, as a consequence of chronic liver disease, involves the activation of hepatic stellate cell (HSC) caused by various chronic liver injuries. Emerging evidence suggests that activation of HSC during an inflammatory state can lead to abnormal accumulation of extracellular matrix (ECM). Investigating novel strategies to inhibit HSC activation and proliferation holds significant importance for the treatment of liver fibrosis. As a member of the doublecortin domain-containing family, doublecortin domain containing 2 (DCDC2) mutations can lead to neonatal sclerosing cholangitis, but its involvement in liver fibrosis remains unclear. Therefore, this study aims to elucidate the role of DCDC2 in liver fibrosis. Our findings revealed a reduction in DCDC2 expression in both human fibrotic liver tissues and carbon tetrachloride (CCl4)-induced mouse liver fibrotic tissues. Furthermore, exposure to transforming growth factor beta-1(TGF-β1) stimulation resulted in a dose- and time-dependent decrease in DCDC2 expression. The overexpression of DCDC2 inhibited the expression of α-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA) and type I collagen alpha 1 (Col1α1), and reduced the activation of HSC stimulated with TGF-β1. Additionally, we provided evidence that the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway was involved in this process, wherein DCDC2 was observed to inhibit β-catenin activation, thereby preventing its nuclear translocation. Furthermore, our findings demonstrated that DCDC2 could attenuate the proliferation and epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT)-like processes of HSC. In vivo, exogenous DCDC2 could ameliorate CCl4-induced liver fibrosis. In summary, DCDC2 was remarkably downregulated in liver fibrotic tissues of both humans and mice, as well as in TGF-β1-activated HSC. DCDC2 inhibited the activation of HSC induced by TGF-β1 in vitro and fibrogenic changes in vivo, suggesting that it is a promising therapeutic target for liver fibrosis and warrants further investigation in clinical practice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qing-Qing Liu
- Suzhou Medical College of Soochow University, Suzhou, 215000, China
- Department of Gastroenterology, Affiliated Hospital of Nantong University, Medical School of Nantong University, Nantong, 226001, China
| | - Jing Chen
- Department of Gastroenterology, Affiliated Hospital of Nantong University, Medical School of Nantong University, Nantong, 226001, China
| | - Tao Ma
- Department of Gastroenterology, Affiliated Hospital of Nantong University, Medical School of Nantong University, Nantong, 226001, China
| | - Wei Huang
- Department of Gastroenterology, Affiliated Hospital of Nantong University, Medical School of Nantong University, Nantong, 226001, China.
| | - Cui-Hua Lu
- Department of Gastroenterology, Affiliated Hospital of Nantong University, Medical School of Nantong University, Nantong, 226001, China.
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Chung CY, Pan DJ, Paracchini S, Jiang W, So HC, McBride C, Maurer U, Zheng M, Choy KW. Dyslexia-related loci are significantly associated with language and literacy in Chinese-English bilingual Hong Kong Chinese twins. Hum Genet 2023; 142:1519-1529. [PMID: 37668838 DOI: 10.1007/s00439-023-02594-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/02/2023] [Accepted: 08/10/2023] [Indexed: 09/06/2023]
Abstract
A recent genome-wide association study on dyslexia in 51,800 affected European adults and 1,087,070 controls detected 42 genome-wide significant single nucleotide variants (SNPs). The association between rs2624839 in SEMA3F and reading fluency was replicated in a Chinese cohort. This study explores the genetic overlap between Chinese and English word reading, vocabulary knowledge and spelling, and aims at replicating the association in a unique cohort of bilingual (Chinese-English) Hong Kong Chinese twins. Our result showed an almost complete genetic overlap in vocabulary knowledge (r2 = 0.995), and some genetic overlaps in word reading and spelling (r2 = 0.846, 0.687) across the languages. To investigate the region near rs2624839, we tested proxy SNPs (rs1005678, rs12632110 and rs12494414) at the population level (n = 305-308) and the within-twin level (n = 342-344 [171-172 twin pairs]). All the three SNPs showed significant associations with quantitative Chinese and English vocabulary knowledge (p < 0.05). The strongest association after multiple testing correction was between rs12494414 and English vocabulary knowledge at the within-twin level (p = 0.004). There was a trend of associations with word reading and spelling in English but not in Chinese. Our result suggested that the region near rs2624839 is one of the common genetic factors across English and Chinese vocabulary knowledge and unique factors of English word reading and English spelling in bilingual Chinese twins. A larger sample size is required to validate our findings. Further studies on the relationship between variable expression of SEMA3F, which is important to neurodevelopment, and language and literacy are encouraged.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cheuk Yan Chung
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China
| | - Dora Jue Pan
- School of Humanities and Social Science, The Chinese University of Hong Kong (Shenzhen), Shenzhen, China
| | | | - Wenxuan Jiang
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China
| | - Hon-Cheong So
- School of Biomedical Sciences, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China
- KIZ-CUHK Joint Laboratory of Bioresources and Molecular Research of Common Diseases, Kunming Institute of Zoology and The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China
- Department of Psychiatry, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China
- Hong Kong Branch of the Chinese Academy of Sciences Center for Excellence in Animal Evolution and Genetics, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China
| | - Catherine McBride
- Department of Human Development and Family Science, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, USA
| | - Urs Maurer
- Department of Psychology, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China
- Centre for Developmental Psychology, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China
- Brain and Mind Institute, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China
| | - Mo Zheng
- Department of Psychology, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China.
- Division of Science and Technology, Beijing Normal University-Hong Kong Baptist University United International College, Zhuhai, China.
| | - Kwong Wai Choy
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China.
- Joint BCM-CUHK Center of Medical Genetics, Hong Kong SAR, China.
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Wong PCM, Kang X, So HC, Choy KW. Contributions of common genetic variants to specific languages and to when a language is learned. Sci Rep 2022; 12:580. [PMID: 35022429 PMCID: PMC8755716 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-04163-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/07/2021] [Accepted: 12/10/2021] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Research over the past two decades has identified a group of common genetic variants explaining a portion of variance in native language ability. The present study investigates whether the same group of genetic variants are associated with different languages and languages learned at different times in life. We recruited 940 young adults who spoke from childhood Chinese and English as their first (native) (L1) and second (L2) language, respectively, who were learners of a new, third (L3) language. For the variants examined, we found a general decrease of contribution of genes to language functions from native to foreign (L2 and L3) languages, with variance in foreign languages explained largely by non-genetic factors such as musical training and motivation. Furthermore, genetic variants that were found to contribute to traits specific to Chinese and English respectively exerted the strongest effects on L1 and L2. These results seem to speak against the hypothesis of a language- and time-universal genetic core of linguistic functions. Instead, they provide preliminary evidence that genetic contribution to language may depend at least partly on the intricate language-specific features. Future research including a larger sample size, more languages and more genetic variants is required to further explore these hypotheses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Patrick C M Wong
- Department of Linguistics and Modern Languages, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, Hong Kong SAR, China. .,Brain and Mind Institute, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, Hong Kong SAR, China. .,Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, Hong Kong SAR, China.
| | - Xin Kang
- Department of Linguistics and Modern Languages, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, Hong Kong SAR, China. .,Brain and Mind Institute, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, Hong Kong SAR, China. .,Research Centre for Language, Cognition and Language Application, Chongqing University, Chongqing, China. .,School of Foreign Languages and Cultures, Chongqing University, Chongqing, China.
| | - Hon-Cheong So
- Brain and Mind Institute, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, Hong Kong SAR, China.,School of Biomedical Sciences, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, Hong Kong SAR, China
| | - Kwong Wai Choy
- Department of Obsterics and Gynecology, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, Hong Kong SAR, China
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Benson PJ, Wallace L, Beedie SA. Sensory auditory interval perception errors in developmental dyslexia. Neuropsychologia 2020; 147:107587. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2020.107587] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/02/2019] [Revised: 08/15/2020] [Accepted: 08/17/2020] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
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