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Affiliation(s)
- Julius Wilder
- Division of Gastroenterology, Duke University Health System, Durham, North Carolina
| | - Steve S Choi
- Durham Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina
| | - Cynthia A Moylan
- Division of Gastroenterology, Duke University Health System, Durham, North Carolina
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2
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Affiliation(s)
- Julius Wilder
- Division of Gastroenterology, Duke University Health System, Durham, North Carolina
- Duke Clinical Research Institute, Durham, North Carolina
| | - Steve S Choi
- Division of Gastroenterology, Duke University Health System, Durham, North Carolina
- Durham Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina
| | - Cynthia A Moylan
- Division of Gastroenterology, Duke University Health System, Durham, North Carolina
- Durham Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina
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Chino F, Stephens SJ, Choi SS, Marin D, Kim CY, Morse MA, Godfrey DJ, Czito BG, Willett CG, Palta M. The role of external beam radiotherapy in the treatment of hepatocellular cancer. Cancer 2018; 124:3476-3489. [PMID: 29645076 DOI: 10.1002/cncr.31334] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/15/2017] [Revised: 01/10/2018] [Accepted: 01/17/2018] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is increasing in incidence and mortality. Although the prognosis remains poor, long-term survival has improved from 3% in 1970 to an 18% 5-year survival rate today. This is likely because of the introduction of well tolerated, oral antiviral therapies for hepatitis C. Curative options for patients with HCC are often limited by underlying liver dysfunction/cirrhosis and medical comorbidities. Less than one-third of patients are candidates for surgery, which is the current gold standard for cure. Nonsurgical treatments include embolotherapies, percutaneous ablation, and ablative radiation. Technological advances in radiation delivery in the past several decades now allow for safe and effective ablative doses to the liver. Conformal techniques allow for both dose escalation to target volumes and normal tissue sparing. Multiple retrospective and prospective studies have demonstrated that hypofractionated image-guided radiation therapy, used as monotherapy or in combination with other liver-directed therapies, can provide excellent local control that is cost effective. Therefore, as the HCC treatment paradigm continues to evolve, ablative radiation treatment has moved from a palliative treatment to both a "bridge to transplant" and a definitive treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fumiko Chino
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina
| | - Sarah Jo Stephens
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina
| | - Steve S Choi
- Department of Medicine, Gastroenterology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina
| | - Daniele Marin
- Department of Radiology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina
| | - Charles Y Kim
- Department of Radiology, Interventional Radiology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina
| | - Michael A Morse
- Department of Medicine, Medical Oncology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina
| | - Devon J Godfrey
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina
| | - Brian G Czito
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina
| | - Christopher G Willett
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina
| | - Manisha Palta
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina
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Du K, Hyun J, Premont RT, Choi SS, Michelotti GA, Swiderska-Syn M, Dalton GD, Thelen E, Rizi BS, Jung Y, Diehl AM. Hedgehog-YAP Signaling Pathway Regulates Glutaminolysis to Control Activation of Hepatic Stellate Cells. Gastroenterology 2018; 154:1465-1479.e13. [PMID: 29305935 PMCID: PMC5880682 DOI: 10.1053/j.gastro.2017.12.022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 188] [Impact Index Per Article: 31.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/17/2017] [Revised: 12/11/2017] [Accepted: 12/24/2017] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND & AIMS Cirrhosis results from accumulation of myofibroblasts derived from quiescent hepatic stellate cells (Q-HSCs); it regresses when myofibroblastic HSCs are depleted. Hedgehog signaling promotes transdifferentiation of HSCs by activating Yes-associated protein 1 (YAP1 or YAP) and inducing aerobic glycolysis. However, increased aerobic glycolysis alone cannot meet the high metabolic demands of myofibroblastic HSCs. Determining the metabolic processes of these cells could lead to strategies to prevent progressive liver fibrosis, so we investigated whether glutaminolysis (conversion of glutamine to alpha-ketoglutarate) sustains energy metabolism and permits anabolism when Q-HSCs become myofibroblastic, and whether this is controlled by hedgehog signaling to YAP. METHODS Primary HSCs were isolated from C57BL/6 or Smoflox/flox mice; we also performed studies with rat and human myofibroblastic HSCs. We measured changes of glutaminolytic genes during culture-induced primary HSC transdifferentiation. Glutaminolysis was disrupted in cells by glutamine deprivation or pathway inhibitors (bis-2-[5-phenylacetamido-1,2,4-thiadiazol-2-yl] ethyl sulfide, CB-839, epigallocatechin gallate, and aminooxyacetic acid), and effects on mitochondrial respiration, cell growth and migration, and fibrogenesis were measured. Hedgehog signaling to YAP was disrupted in cells by adenovirus expression of Cre-recombinase or by small hairpin RNA knockdown of YAP. Hedgehog and YAP activity were inhibited by incubation of cells with cyclopamine or verteporfin, and effects on glutaminolysis were measured. Acute and chronic liver fibrosis were induced in mice by intraperitoneal injection of CCl4 or methionine choline-deficient diet. Some mice were then given injections of bis-2-[5-phenylacetamido-1,2,4-thiadiazol-2-yl] ethyl sulfide to inhibit glutaminolysis, and myofibroblast accumulation was measured. We also performed messenger RNA and immunohistochemical analyses of percutaneous liver biopsies from healthy human and 4 patients with no fibrosis, 6 patients with mild fibrosis, and 3 patients with severe fibrosis. RESULTS Expression of genes that regulate glutaminolysis increased during transdifferentiation of primary Q-HSCs into myofibroblastic HSCs, and inhibition of glutaminolysis disrupted transdifferentiation. Blocking glutaminolysis in myofibroblastic HSCs suppressed mitochondrial respiration, cell growth and migration, and fibrogenesis; replenishing glutaminolysis metabolites to these cells restored these activities. Knockout of the hedgehog signaling intermediate smoothened or knockdown of YAP inhibited expression of glutaminase, the rate-limiting enzyme in glutaminolysis. Hedgehog and YAP inhibitors blocked glutaminolysis and suppressed myofibroblastic activities in HSCs. In livers of patients and of mice with acute or chronic fibrosis, glutaminolysis was induced in myofibroblastic HSCs. In mice with liver fibrosis, inhibition of glutaminase blocked accumulation of myofibroblasts and fibrosis progression. CONCLUSIONS Glutaminolysis controls accumulation of myofibroblast HSCs in mice and might be a therapeutic target for cirrhosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kuo Du
- Division of Gastroenterology, Department of Medicine, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina, USA
| | - Jeongeun Hyun
- Division of Gastroenterology, Department of Medicine, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina, USA
| | - Richard T. Premont
- Division of Gastroenterology, Department of Medicine, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina, USA
| | - Steve S. Choi
- Division of Gastroenterology, Department of Medicine, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina, USA
| | - Gregory A. Michelotti
- Division of Gastroenterology, Department of Medicine, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina, USA
| | - Marzena Swiderska-Syn
- Division of Gastroenterology, Department of Medicine, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina, USA
| | - George D. Dalton
- Division of Gastroenterology, Department of Medicine, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina, USA
| | - Eric Thelen
- XF Seahorse, Agilent Technologies, Lexington, Massachusetts, USA
| | | | - Youngmi Jung
- Department of Integrated Biological Science, Pusan National University, Pusan, South Korea
| | - Anna Mae Diehl
- Division of Gastroenterology, Department of Medicine, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina.
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Lee PB, Kim YC, Lim YJ, Lee CJ, Choi SS, Park SH, Lee JG, Lee SC. Efficacy of Pulsed Electromagnetic Therapy for Chronic Lower Back Pain: A Randomized, Double-blind, Placebo-controlled Study. J Int Med Res 2016; 34:160-7. [PMID: 16749411 DOI: 10.1177/147323000603400205] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022] Open
Abstract
This randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial studied the effectiveness of pulsed electromagnetic therapy (PEMT) in patients with chronic lower back pain. Active PEMT ( n = 17) or placebo treatment ( n = 19) was performed three times a week for 3 weeks. Patients were assessed using a numerical rating scale (NRS) and revised Oswestry disability scores for 4 weeks after therapy. PEMT produced significant pain reduction throughout the observation period compared with baseline values. The percentage change in the NRS score from baseline was significantly greater in the PEMT group than the placebo group at all three time-points measured. The mean revised Oswestry disability percentage after 4 weeks was significantly improved from the baseline value in the PEMT group, whereas there were no significant differences in the placebo group. In conclusion, PEMT reduced pain and disability and appears to be a potentially useful therapeutic tool for the conservative management of chronic lower back pain.
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Affiliation(s)
- P B Lee
- Department of Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea
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Michelotti GA, Tucker A, Swiderska-Syn M, Machado MV, Choi SS, Kruger L, Soderblom E, Thompson JW, Mayer-Salman M, Himburg HA, Moylan CA, Guy CD, Garman KS, Premont RT, Chute JP, Diehl AM. Pleiotrophin regulates the ductular reaction by controlling the migration of cells in liver progenitor niches. Gut 2016; 65:683-92. [PMID: 25596181 PMCID: PMC4504836 DOI: 10.1136/gutjnl-2014-308176] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/01/2014] [Accepted: 12/22/2014] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE The ductular reaction (DR) involves mobilisation of reactive-appearing duct-like cells (RDC) along canals of Hering, and myofibroblastic (MF) differentiation of hepatic stellate cells (HSC) in the space of Disse. Perivascular cells in stem cell niches produce pleiotrophin (PTN) to inactivate the PTN receptor, protein tyrosine phosphatase receptor zeta-1 (PTPRZ1), thereby augmenting phosphoprotein-dependent signalling. We hypothesised that the DR is regulated by PTN/PTPRZ1 signalling. DESIGN PTN-GFP, PTN-knockout (KO), PTPRZ1-KO, and wild type (WT) mice were examined before and after bile duct ligation (BDL) for PTN, PTPRZ1 and the DR. RDC and HSC from WT, PTN-KO, and PTPRZ1-KO mice were also treated with PTN to determine effects on downstream signaling phosphoproteins, gene expression, growth, and migration. Liver biopsies from patients with DRs were also interrogated. RESULTS Although quiescent HSC and RDC lines expressed PTN and PTPRZ1 mRNAs, neither PTN nor PTPRZ1 protein was demonstrated in healthy liver. BDL induced PTN in MF-HSC and increased PTPRZ1 in MF-HSC and RDC. In WT mice, BDL triggered a DR characterised by periportal accumulation of collagen, RDC and MF-HSC. All aspects of this DR were increased in PTN-KO mice and suppressed in PTPRZ1-KO mice. In vitro studies revealed PTN-dependent accumulation of phosphoproteins that control cell-cell adhesion and migration, with resultant inhibition of cell migration. PTPRZ1-positive cells were prominent in the DRs of patients with ductal plate defects and adult cholestatic diseases. CONCLUSIONS PTN, and its receptor, PTPRZ1, regulate the DR to liver injury by controlling the migration of resident cells in adult liver progenitor niches.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Anikia Tucker
- Division of Gastroenterology, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina, USA
| | | | | | - Steve S Choi
- Division of Gastroenterology, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina, USA Section of Gastroenterology, Durham Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina, USA
| | - Leandi Kruger
- Division of Gastroenterology, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina, USA
| | - Erik Soderblom
- Proteomics Center, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina, USA
| | - J Will Thompson
- Proteomics Center, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina, USA
| | | | - Heather A Himburg
- Division of Hematology and Oncology, UCLA, Los Angeles, California, USA
| | - Cynthia A Moylan
- Division of Gastroenterology, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina, USA Section of Gastroenterology, Durham Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina, USA
| | - Cynthia D Guy
- Department of Pathology, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina, USA
| | - Katherine S Garman
- Division of Gastroenterology, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina, USA Section of Gastroenterology, Durham Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina, USA
| | - Richard T Premont
- Division of Gastroenterology, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina, USA
| | - John P Chute
- Division of Hematology and Oncology, UCLA, Los Angeles, California, USA
| | - Anna Mae Diehl
- Division of Gastroenterology, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina, USA
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Coombes JD, Choi SS, Swiderska-Syn M, Manka P, Reid DT, Palma E, Briones-Orta MA, Xie G, Younis R, Kitamura N, Della Peruta M, Bitencourt S, Dollé L, Oo YH, Mi Z, Kuo PC, Williams R, Chokshi S, Canbay A, Claridge LC, Eksteen B, Diehl AM, Syn WK. Osteopontin is a proximal effector of leptin-mediated non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) fibrosis. Biochim Biophys Acta Mol Basis Dis 2015; 1862:135-44. [PMID: 26529285 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbadis.2015.10.028] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/05/2015] [Revised: 10/20/2015] [Accepted: 10/29/2015] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Liver fibrosis develops when hepatic stellate cells (HSC) are activated into collagen-producing myofibroblasts. In non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), the adipokine leptin is upregulated, and promotes liver fibrosis by directly activating HSC via the hedgehog pathway. We reported that hedgehog-regulated osteopontin (OPN) plays a key role in promoting liver fibrosis. Herein, we evaluated if OPN mediates leptin-profibrogenic effects in NASH. METHODS Leptin-deficient (ob/ob) and wild-type (WT) mice were fed control or methionine-choline deficient (MCD) diet. Liver tissues were assessed by Sirius-red, OPN and αSMA IHC, and qRT-PCR for fibrogenic genes. In vitro, HSC with stable OPN (or control) knockdown were treated with recombinant (r)leptin and OPN-neutralizing or sham-aptamers. HSC response to OPN loss was assessed by wound healing assay. OPN-aptamers were also added to precision-cut liver slices (PCLS), and administered to MCD-fed WT (leptin-intact) mice to determine if OPN neutralization abrogated fibrogenesis. RESULTS MCD-fed WT mice developed NASH-fibrosis, upregulated OPN, and accumulated αSMA+ cells. Conversely, MCD-fed ob/ob mice developed less fibrosis and accumulated fewer αSMA+ and OPN+ cells. In vitro, leptin-treated HSC upregulated OPN, αSMA, collagen 1α1 and TGFβ mRNA by nearly 3-fold, but this effect was blunted by OPN loss. Inhibition of PI3K and transduction of dominant negative-Akt abrogated leptin-mediated OPN induction, while constitutive active-Akt upregulated OPN. Finally, OPN neutralization reduced leptin-mediated fibrogenesis in both PCLS and MCD-fed mice. CONCLUSION OPN overexpression in NASH enhances leptin-mediated fibrogenesis via PI3K/Akt. OPN neutralization significantly reduces NASH fibrosis, reinforcing the potential utility of targeting OPN in the treatment of patients with advanced NASH.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jason D Coombes
- Regeneration and Repair Group, The Institute of Hepatology, Foundation for Liver Research, London, UK; Division of Transplantation Immunology and Mucosal Biology, King's College London, UK
| | - Steve S Choi
- Division of Gastroenterology, Department of Medicine, Duke University, NC, USA; Section of Gastroenterology, Department of Medicine, Durham Veteran Affairs Medical Center, Durham, NC, USA
| | | | - Paul Manka
- Regeneration and Repair Group, The Institute of Hepatology, Foundation for Liver Research, London, UK; Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Essen University Hospital, Essen, Germany
| | - Danielle T Reid
- Snyder Institute for Chronic Diseases, Health Research and Innovation Centre (HRIC), University of Calgary, Canada
| | - Elena Palma
- Division of Transplantation Immunology and Mucosal Biology, King's College London, UK; Viral Hepatitis and Alcohol Research Group, The Institute of Hepatology, Foundation for Liver Research, London, UK
| | - Marco A Briones-Orta
- Regeneration and Repair Group, The Institute of Hepatology, Foundation for Liver Research, London, UK; Division of Transplantation Immunology and Mucosal Biology, King's College London, UK
| | - Guanhua Xie
- Division of Gastroenterology, Department of Medicine, Duke University, NC, USA
| | - Rasha Younis
- Regeneration and Repair Group, The Institute of Hepatology, Foundation for Liver Research, London, UK
| | - Naoto Kitamura
- Regeneration and Repair Group, The Institute of Hepatology, Foundation for Liver Research, London, UK
| | - Marco Della Peruta
- Viral Hepatitis and Alcohol Research Group, The Institute of Hepatology, Foundation for Liver Research, London, UK
| | - Shanna Bitencourt
- Liver Cell Biology Lab (LIVR), Department of Cell Biology (CYTO), Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Laurent Dollé
- Liver Cell Biology Lab (LIVR), Department of Cell Biology (CYTO), Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Ye Htun Oo
- Centre for Liver Research and NIHR Birmingham Biomedical Research Unit, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK
| | - Zhiyong Mi
- Department of Surgery, Loyola University, Chicago, USA
| | - Paul C Kuo
- Department of Surgery, Loyola University, Chicago, USA
| | - Roger Williams
- Regeneration and Repair Group, The Institute of Hepatology, Foundation for Liver Research, London, UK; Division of Transplantation Immunology and Mucosal Biology, King's College London, UK
| | - Shilpa Chokshi
- Division of Transplantation Immunology and Mucosal Biology, King's College London, UK; Viral Hepatitis and Alcohol Research Group, The Institute of Hepatology, Foundation for Liver Research, London, UK
| | - Ali Canbay
- Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Essen University Hospital, Essen, Germany
| | | | - Bertus Eksteen
- Snyder Institute for Chronic Diseases, Health Research and Innovation Centre (HRIC), University of Calgary, Canada
| | - Anna Mae Diehl
- Division of Gastroenterology, Department of Medicine, Duke University, NC, USA
| | - Wing-Kin Syn
- Regeneration and Repair Group, The Institute of Hepatology, Foundation for Liver Research, London, UK; Division of Transplantation Immunology and Mucosal Biology, King's College London, UK; Department of Surgery, Loyola University, Chicago, USA; Liver Unit, Barts Health NHS Trust, London, UK; Department of Physiology, University of the Basque Country, Bilbao, Spain.
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Coombes J, Swiderska-Syn M, Dollé L, Reid D, Eksteen B, Claridge L, Briones-Orta MA, Shetty S, Oo YH, Riva A, Chokshi S, Papa S, Mi Z, Kuo PC, Williams R, Canbay A, Adams DH, Diehl AM, van Grunsven LA, Choi SS, Syn WK. Osteopontin neutralisation abrogates the liver progenitor cell response and fibrogenesis in mice. Gut 2015; 64:1120-31. [PMID: 24902765 PMCID: PMC4487727 DOI: 10.1136/gutjnl-2013-306484] [Citation(s) in RCA: 67] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/25/2013] [Accepted: 05/22/2014] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Chronic liver injury triggers a progenitor cell repair response, and liver fibrosis occurs when repair becomes deregulated. Previously, we reported that reactivation of the hedgehog pathway promotes fibrogenic liver repair. Osteopontin (OPN) is a hedgehog-target, and a cytokine that is highly upregulated in fibrotic tissues, and regulates stem-cell fate. Thus, we hypothesised that OPN may modulate liver progenitor cell response, and thereby, modulate fibrotic outcomes. We further evaluated the impact of OPN-neutralisation on murine liver fibrosis. METHODS Liver progenitors (603B and bipotential mouse oval liver) were treated with OPN-neutralising aptamers in the presence or absence of transforming growth factor (TGF)-β, to determine if (and how) OPN modulates liver progenitor function. Effects of OPN-neutralisation (using OPN-aptamers or OPN-neutralising antibodies) on liver progenitor cell response and fibrogenesis were assessed in three models of liver fibrosis (carbon tetrachloride, methionine-choline deficient diet, 3,5,-diethoxycarbonyl-1,4-dihydrocollidine diet) by quantitative real time (qRT) PCR, Sirius-Red staining, hydroxyproline assay, and semiquantitative double-immunohistochemistry. Finally, OPN expression and liver progenitor response were corroborated in liver tissues obtained from patients with chronic liver disease. RESULTS OPN is overexpressed by liver progenitors in humans and mice. In cultured progenitors, OPN enhances viability and wound healing by modulating TGF-β signalling. In vivo, OPN-neutralisation attenuates the liver progenitor cell response, reverses epithelial-mesenchymal-transition in Sox9+ cells, and abrogates liver fibrogenesis. CONCLUSIONS OPN upregulation during liver injury is a conserved repair response, and influences liver progenitor cell function. OPN-neutralisation abrogates the liver progenitor cell response and fibrogenesis in mouse models of liver fibrosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- J Coombes
- Regeneration and Repair Group, The Institute of Hepatology, Foundation for Liver Research, London, UK
| | - M Swiderska-Syn
- Division of Gastroenterology, Department of Medicine, Duke University, NC, USA
| | - L Dollé
- Liver Cell Biology Lab (LIVR), Department of Cell Biology (CYTO), Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels, Belgium
| | - D Reid
- Snyder Institute for Chronic Diseases, Health Research and Innovation Centre (HRIC), University of Calgary, Canada
| | - B Eksteen
- Snyder Institute for Chronic Diseases, Health Research and Innovation Centre (HRIC), University of Calgary, Canada
| | - L Claridge
- Centre for Liver Research, NIHR Institute for Biomedical Research, University of Birmingham, UK
| | - MA Briones-Orta
- Regeneration and Repair Group, The Institute of Hepatology, Foundation for Liver Research, London, UK
| | - S Shetty
- Centre for Liver Research, NIHR Institute for Biomedical Research, University of Birmingham, UK
| | - YH Oo
- Centre for Liver Research, NIHR Institute for Biomedical Research, University of Birmingham, UK
| | - A Riva
- Viral Hepatitis Group, The Institute of Hepatology, Foundation for Liver Research, London, UK
| | - S Chokshi
- Viral Hepatitis Group, The Institute of Hepatology, Foundation for Liver Research, London, UK
| | - S Papa
- Cell Signaling Group, The Institute of Hepatology, Foundation for Liver Research, London, UK
| | - Z Mi
- Department of Surgery, Loyola University, Chicago, USA
| | - PC Kuo
- Department of Surgery, Loyola University, Chicago, USA
| | - R Williams
- Regeneration and Repair Group, The Institute of Hepatology, Foundation for Liver Research, London, UK
| | - A Canbay
- Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Essen University Hospital, Essen, Germany
| | - DH Adams
- Centre for Liver Research, NIHR Institute for Biomedical Research, University of Birmingham, UK
| | - AM Diehl
- Division of Gastroenterology, Department of Medicine, Duke University, NC, USA
| | - LA van Grunsven
- Liver Cell Biology Lab (LIVR), Department of Cell Biology (CYTO), Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels, Belgium
| | - SS Choi
- Division of Gastroenterology, Department of Medicine, Duke University, NC, USA,Section of Gastroenterology, Department of Medicine, Durham Veteran Affairs Medical Center, Durham, NC, USA
| | - WK Syn
- Regeneration and Repair Group, The Institute of Hepatology, Foundation for Liver Research, London, UK,Centre for Liver Research, NIHR Institute for Biomedical Research, University of Birmingham, UK,Department of Hepatology, Barts Health NHS Trust, London, UK,Senior and Corresponding Author: Dr Wing-Kin Syn, Head of Liver Regeneration and Repair, The Institute of Hepatology, Foundation for Liver Research, London WC1E 6HX, Tel: 44-20272559837,
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Kim J, Wang S, Hyun J, Choi SS, Cha H, Ock M, Jung Y. Hepatic stellate cells express thymosin Beta 4 in chronically damaged liver. PLoS One 2015; 10:e0122758. [PMID: 25826335 PMCID: PMC4380456 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0122758] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/13/2014] [Accepted: 02/13/2015] [Indexed: 01/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Although the various biological roles of thymosin β4 (Tβ4) have been studied widely, the effect of Tβ4 and Tβ4-expressing cells in the liver remains unclear. Therefore, we investigated the expression and function of Tβ4 in chronically damaged livers. CCl4 was injected into male mice to induce a model of chronic liver disease. Mice were sacrificed at 6 and 10 weeks after CCl4 treatment, and the livers were collected for biochemical analysis. The activated LX-2, human hepatic stellate cell (HSC) line, were transfected with Tβ4-specific siRNA and activation markers of HSCs were examined. Compared to HepG2, higher expression of Tβ4 in RNA and protein levels was detected in the activated LX-2. In addition, Tβ4 was up-regulated in human liver with advanced liver fibrosis. The expression of Tβ4 increased during mouse HSC activation. Tβ4 was also up-regulated and Tβ4-positive cells were co-localized with α-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA) in the livers of CCl4-treated mice, whereas such cells were rarely detected in the livers of corn-oil treated mice. The suppression of Tβ4 in LX-2 cells by siRNA induced the down-regulation of HSC activation-related genes, tgf-β, α-sma, collagen, and vimentin, and up-regulation of HSC inactivation markers, ppar-γ and gfap. Immunofluorescent staining detected rare co-expressing cells with Tβ4 and α-SMA in Tβ4 siRNA-transfected cells. In addition, cytoplasmic lipid droplets were observed in Tβ4 siRNA-treated cells. These results demonstrate that activated HSCs expressed Tβ4 in chronically damaged livers, and this endogenous expression of Tβ4 influenced HSC activation, indicating that Tβ4 might contribute to liver fibrosis by regulating HSC activation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jieun Kim
- Department of Integrated Biological Sciences, Pusan National University, Pusan, Korea
| | - Sihyung Wang
- Department of Integrated Biological Sciences, Pusan National University, Pusan, Korea
| | - Jeongeun Hyun
- Department of Integrated Biological Sciences, Pusan National University, Pusan, Korea
| | - Steve S. Choi
- Division of Gastroenterology, Department of Medicine, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina, United States of America
| | - Heejae Cha
- Department of Parasitology and Genetics, Kosin University College of Medicine, Pusan, Korea
| | - Meesun Ock
- Department of Parasitology and Genetics, Kosin University College of Medicine, Pusan, Korea
| | - Youngmi Jung
- Department of Integrated Biological Sciences, Pusan National University, Pusan, Korea
- Department of Biological Sciences, Pusan National University, Pusan, Korea
- * E-mail:
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Kim SH, Choi SS, Kang MJ. Evolution of Caseating Granuloma from Tuberculous Cerebritis in the Corpus Callosum. Hong Kong J Radiol 2015. [DOI: 10.12809/hkjr1414270] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/05/2022] Open
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Karaca G, Xie G, Moylan C, Swiderska-Syn M, Guy CD, Krüger L, Machado MV, Choi SS, Michelotti GA, Burkly LC, Diehl AM. Role of Fn14 in acute alcoholic steatohepatitis in mice. Am J Physiol Gastrointest Liver Physiol 2015; 308:G325-34. [PMID: 25524063 PMCID: PMC4329478 DOI: 10.1152/ajpgi.00429.2013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
TNF-like weak inducer of apoptosis (TWEAK) is a growth factor for bipotent liver progenitors that express its receptor, fibroblast growth factor-inducible 14 (Fn14), a TNF receptor superfamily member. Accumulation of Fn14(+) progenitors occurs in severe acute alcoholic steatohepatitis (ASH) and correlates with acute mortality. In patients with severe ASH, inhibition of TNF-α increases acute mortality. The aim of this study was to determine whether deletion of Fn14 improves the outcome of liver injury in alcohol-consuming mice. Wild-type (WT) and Fn14 knockout (KO) mice were fed control high-fat Lieber deCarli diet or high-fat Lieber deCarli diet with 2% alcohol (ETOH) and injected intraperitoneally with CCl₄ for 2 wk to induce liver injury. Mice were euthanized 3 or 10 days after CCl₄ treatment. Survival was assessed. Liver tissues were analyzed for cell death, inflammation, proliferation, progenitor accumulation, and fibrosis by quantitative RT-PCR, immunoblot, hydroxyproline content, and quantitative immunohistochemistry. During liver injury, Fn14 expression, apoptosis, inflammation, hepatocyte replication, progenitor and myofibroblast accumulation, and fibrosis increased in WT mice fed either diet. Mice fed either diet expressed similar TWEAK/Fn14 levels, but ETOH-fed mice had higher TNF-α expression. The ETOH-fed group developed more apoptosis, inflammation, fibrosis, and regenerative responses. Fn14 deletion did not reduce hepatic TNF-α expression but improved all injury parameters in mice fed the control diet. In ETOH-fed mice, Fn14 deletion inhibited TNF-α induction and increased acute mortality, despite improvement in liver injury. Fn14 mediates wound-healing responses that are necessary to survive acute liver injury during alcohol exposure.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gamze Karaca
- 1Division of Gastroenterology, Department of Medicine, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina;
| | - Guanhua Xie
- 1Division of Gastroenterology, Department of Medicine, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina;
| | - Cynthia Moylan
- 1Division of Gastroenterology, Department of Medicine, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina;
| | - Marzena Swiderska-Syn
- 1Division of Gastroenterology, Department of Medicine, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina;
| | - Cynthia D. Guy
- 2Department of Pathology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina;
| | - Leandi Krüger
- 1Division of Gastroenterology, Department of Medicine, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina;
| | - Mariana Verdelho Machado
- 1Division of Gastroenterology, Department of Medicine, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina;
| | - Steve S. Choi
- 1Division of Gastroenterology, Department of Medicine, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina; ,3Section of Gastroenterology, Durham Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina; and
| | - Gregory A. Michelotti
- 1Division of Gastroenterology, Department of Medicine, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina;
| | - Linda C. Burkly
- 4Department of Immunology, Biogen Idec, Inc., Cambridge, Massachusetts
| | - Anna Mae Diehl
- Division of Gastroenterology, Department of Medicine, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina;
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Naqvi IA, White RR, Moylan CA, Diehl AM, Choi SS. Abstract 4117: Utilizing RNA aptamers for biomarker discovery in a novel cell culture system for hepatocellular carcinoma. Cancer Res 2014. [DOI: 10.1158/1538-7445.am2014-4117] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Abstract
Introduction: Current serum biomarkers for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) lack the sensitivity and specificity to be effective screening tools. Aptamers are single-stranded RNA oligonucleotides that specifically bind to target proteins with high affinity and are generated by repeatedly screening complex RNA libraries for binding to protein targets. We have utilized this selection process to identify biomarkers from complex targets, such as secreted proteomes (secretomes). Our hypothesis is that aptamers that specifically bind the HCC secretome will identify serum protein biomarkers for HCC.
Methods: We mirrored the microenvironments of HCC and normal liver tissue utilizing two co-culture systems: 1) human HCC cells (Huh-7) with normal hepatic stellate cells (HSCs) to model HCC livers and 2) normal human hepatocyte cells (THLE-2) with HSCs to model normal livers. Co-cultures were grown to confluence then switched to serum free media for collection of secreted cancer proteins (HCC secretome, HS) and normal secretome (NS). A nuclease-resistant RNA pool was then alternately incubated with NS (discarded for negative selection) and HS (recovered and amplified for positive selection).
Results: Binding affinity for HS increased over 7 successive rounds, while binding affinity for NS decreased. The final RNA pool was cloned and sequenced yielding 3 candidate aptamers that were tested for binding to the secretomes and to human serum from patients with HCC and normal controls. In the samples tested we found that one candidate aptamer sequence (G-20) demonstrated increased binding to the sera of HCC pts (N=5) relative to normal sera (N=2) and to a non-binding control aptamer. The maximal percent fraction bound of the G-20 aptamer to cancer serum was 15% compared to only 7% in control. The maximal percent fraction bound of G-20 in normal serum was 8% compared to 6% in control.
Conclusions: This co-culture system may better recapitulate the in vivo environment. Aptamers that specifically bind our cancer secretome over the normal secretome may bind to proteins that are specifically secreted by HCC tumors in vivo. The G-20 aptamer selectively binds to HCC patient sera. Future goals of this work are to utilize affinity purification techniques to identify the target of our G-20 aptamer and to continue testing our G-20 aptamer in patient sera to further validate its ability to differentiate between cancer and normal disease states.
Citation Format: Ibtehaj A. Naqvi, Rebekah R. White, Cynthia A. Moylan, Anna Mae Diehl, Steve S. Choi. Utilizing RNA aptamers for biomarker discovery in a novel cell culture system for hepatocellular carcinoma. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 105th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2014 Apr 5-9; San Diego, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2014;74(19 Suppl):Abstract nr 4117. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2014-4117
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Castles F, Morris SM, Hung JMC, Qasim MM, Wright AD, Nosheen S, Choi SS, Outram BI, Elston SJ, Burgess C, Hill L, Wilkinson TD, Coles HJ. Stretchable liquid-crystal blue-phase gels. Nat Mater 2014; 13:817-21. [PMID: 24880732 DOI: 10.1038/nmat3993] [Citation(s) in RCA: 77] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/25/2014] [Accepted: 04/25/2014] [Indexed: 05/24/2023]
Abstract
Liquid-crystalline polymers are materials of considerable scientific interest and technological value. An important subset of these materials exhibit rubber-like elasticity, combining the optical properties of liquid crystals with the mechanical properties of rubber. Moreover, they exhibit behaviour not seen in either type of material independently, and many of their properties depend crucially on the particular mesophase employed. Such stretchable liquid-crystalline polymers have previously been demonstrated in the nematic, chiral-nematic, and smectic mesophases. Here, we report the fabrication of a stretchable gel of blue phase I, which forms a self-assembled, three-dimensional photonic crystal that remains electro-optically switchable under a moderate applied voltage, and whose optical properties can be manipulated by an applied strain. We also find that, unlike its undistorted counterpart, a mechanically deformed blue phase exhibits a Pockels electro-optic effect, which sets out new theoretical challenges and possibilities for low-voltage electro-optic devices.
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Affiliation(s)
- F Castles
- 1] Centre of Molecular Materials for Photonics and Electronics, Department of Engineering, University of Cambridge, 9 JJ Thomson Avenue Cambridge CB3 0FA, UK [2] Department of Materials, University of Oxford, Parks Road Oxford OX1 3PH, UK
| | - S M Morris
- 1] Centre of Molecular Materials for Photonics and Electronics, Department of Engineering, University of Cambridge, 9 JJ Thomson Avenue Cambridge CB3 0FA, UK [2] Department of Engineering Science, University of Oxford, Parks Road Oxford OX1 3PJ, UK
| | - J M C Hung
- Centre of Molecular Materials for Photonics and Electronics, Department of Engineering, University of Cambridge, 9 JJ Thomson Avenue Cambridge CB3 0FA, UK
| | - M M Qasim
- Centre of Molecular Materials for Photonics and Electronics, Department of Engineering, University of Cambridge, 9 JJ Thomson Avenue Cambridge CB3 0FA, UK
| | - A D Wright
- Centre of Molecular Materials for Photonics and Electronics, Department of Engineering, University of Cambridge, 9 JJ Thomson Avenue Cambridge CB3 0FA, UK
| | - S Nosheen
- Centre of Molecular Materials for Photonics and Electronics, Department of Engineering, University of Cambridge, 9 JJ Thomson Avenue Cambridge CB3 0FA, UK
| | - S S Choi
- Centre of Molecular Materials for Photonics and Electronics, Department of Engineering, University of Cambridge, 9 JJ Thomson Avenue Cambridge CB3 0FA, UK
| | - B I Outram
- Department of Engineering Science, University of Oxford, Parks Road Oxford OX1 3PJ, UK
| | - S J Elston
- Department of Engineering Science, University of Oxford, Parks Road Oxford OX1 3PJ, UK
| | - C Burgess
- Defence Science & Technology Laboratory, Porton Down Salisbury SP4 0JQ, UK
| | - L Hill
- Defence Science & Technology Laboratory, Porton Down Salisbury SP4 0JQ, UK
| | - T D Wilkinson
- Centre of Molecular Materials for Photonics and Electronics, Department of Engineering, University of Cambridge, 9 JJ Thomson Avenue Cambridge CB3 0FA, UK
| | - H J Coles
- Centre of Molecular Materials for Photonics and Electronics, Department of Engineering, University of Cambridge, 9 JJ Thomson Avenue Cambridge CB3 0FA, UK
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Swiderska-Syn M, Syn WK, Xie G, Krüger L, Machado MV, Karaca G, Michelotti GA, Choi SS, Premont RT, Diehl AM. Myofibroblastic cells function as progenitors to regenerate murine livers after partial hepatectomy. Gut 2014; 63:1333-44. [PMID: 24173292 PMCID: PMC4006344 DOI: 10.1136/gutjnl-2013-305962] [Citation(s) in RCA: 89] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Smoothened (SMO), a coreceptor of the Hedgehog (Hh) pathway, promotes fibrogenic repair of chronic liver injury. We investigated the roles of SMO+ myofibroblast (MF) in liver regeneration by conditional deletion of SMO in α smooth muscle actin (αSMA)+ cells after partial hepatectomy (PH). DESIGN αSMA-Cre-ER(T2)×SMO/flox mice were treated with vehicle (VEH) or tamoxifen (TMX), and sacrificed 24-96 h post-PH. Regenerating livers were analysed for proliferation, progenitors and fibrosis by qRT-PCR and quantitative immunohistochemistry (IHC). Results were normalised to liver segments resected at PH. For lineage-tracing studies, αSMA-Cre-ER(T2)×ROSA-Stop-flox-yellow fluorescent protein (YFP) mice were treated with VEH or TMX; livers were stained for YFP, and hepatocytes isolated 48 and 72 h post-PH were analysed for YFP by flow cytometric analysis (FACS). RESULTS Post-PH, VEH-αSMA-SMO mice increased expression of Hh-genes, transiently accumulated MF, fibrosis and liver progenitors, and ultimately exhibited proliferation of hepatocytes and cholangiocytes. In contrast, TMX-αSMA-SMO mice showed loss of whole liver SMO expression, repression of Hh-genes, enhanced accumulation of quiescent HSC but reduced accumulation of MF, fibrosis and progenitors, as well as inhibition of hepatocyte and cholangiocyte proliferation, and reduced recovery of liver weight. In TMX-αSMA-YFP mice, many progenitors, cholangiocytes and up to 25% of hepatocytes were YFP+ by 48-72 h after PH, indicating that liver epithelial cells were derived from αSMA-YFP+ cells. CONCLUSIONS Hh signalling promotes transition of quiescent hepatic stellate cells to fibrogenic MF, some of which become progenitors that regenerate the liver epithelial compartment after PH. Hence, scarring is a component of successful liver regeneration.
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Affiliation(s)
- M Swiderska-Syn
- Division of Gastroenterology, Department of Medicine, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC
| | - WK Syn
- Division of Gastroenterology, Department of Medicine, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC,Regeneration and Repair, Institute of Hepatology, Foundation for Liver Research, London
| | - G Xie
- Division of Gastroenterology, Department of Medicine, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC
| | - L Krüger
- Division of Gastroenterology, Department of Medicine, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC
| | - MV Machado
- Division of Gastroenterology, Department of Medicine, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC
| | - G Karaca
- Division of Gastroenterology, Department of Medicine, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC
| | - GA Michelotti
- Division of Gastroenterology, Department of Medicine, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC
| | - SS Choi
- Division of Gastroenterology, Department of Medicine, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC,Section of Gastroenterology, Durham Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Durham, NC
| | - RT Premont
- Division of Gastroenterology, Department of Medicine, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC
| | - AM Diehl
- Division of Gastroenterology, Department of Medicine, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC,Corresponding author: Anna Mae Diehl, MD, Division of Gastroenterology, Duke University Medical Center, 595 LaSalle Street, Snyderman Building, Suite 1073, Durham, NC 27710, 919-684-4173,
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Moylan CA, Pang H, Dellinger A, Suzuki A, Garrett ME, Guy CD, Murphy SK, Ashley-Koch AE, Choi SS, Michelotti GA, Hampton DD, Chen Y, Tillmann HL, Hauser MA, Abdelmalek MF, Diehl AM. Hepatic gene expression profiles differentiate presymptomatic patients with mild versus severe nonalcoholic fatty liver disease. Hepatology 2014; 59:471-82. [PMID: 23913408 PMCID: PMC3982589 DOI: 10.1002/hep.26661] [Citation(s) in RCA: 227] [Impact Index Per Article: 22.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/26/2013] [Accepted: 07/26/2013] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
UNLABELLED Clinicians rely upon the severity of liver fibrosis to segregate patients with well-compensated nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) into subpopulations at high- versus low-risk for eventual liver-related morbidity and mortality. We compared hepatic gene expression profiles in high- and low-risk NAFLD patients to identify processes that distinguish the two groups and hence might be novel biomarkers or treatment targets. Microarray analysis was used to characterize gene expression in percutaneous liver biopsies from low-risk, "mild" NAFLD patients (fibrosis stage 0-1; n = 40) and high-risk, "severe" NAFLD patients (fibrosis stage 3-4; n = 32). Findings were validated in a second, independent cohort and confirmed by real-time polymerase chain reaction and immunohistochemistry (IHC). As a group, patients at risk for bad NAFLD outcomes had significantly worse liver injury and more advanced fibrosis (severe NAFLD) than clinically indistinguishable NAFLD patients with a good prognosis (mild NAFLD). A 64-gene profile reproducibly differentiated severe NAFLD from mild NAFLD, and a 20-gene subset within this profile correlated with NAFLD severity, independent of other factors known to influence NAFLD progression. Multiple genes involved with tissue repair/regeneration and certain metabolism-related genes were induced in severe NAFLD. Ingenuity Pathway Analysis and IHC confirmed deregulation of metabolic and regenerative pathways in severe NAFLD and revealed overlap among the gene expression patterns of severe NAFLD, cardiovascular disease, and cancer. CONCLUSION By demonstrating specific metabolic and repair pathways that are differentially activated in livers with severe NAFLD, gene profiling identified novel targets that can be exploited to improve diagnosis and treatment of patients who are at greatest risk for NAFLD-related morbidity and mortality.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cynthia A. Moylan
- Department of Medicine, Duke University, Durham, NC,Department of Medicine, Durham Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Durham, NC
| | - Herbert Pang
- Department of Biostatistics and Bioinformatics, Duke University, Durham, NC
| | - Andrew Dellinger
- Department of Biostatistics and Bioinformatics, Duke University, Durham, NC
| | - Ayako Suzuki
- Department of Medicine, Duke University, Durham, NC
| | | | | | - Susan K. Murphy
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Duke University, Durham, NC
| | | | - Steve S. Choi
- Department of Medicine, Duke University, Durham, NC,Department of Medicine, Durham Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Durham, NC
| | | | | | - Yuping Chen
- Department of Medicine, Duke University, Durham, NC
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16
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Karaca G, Swiderska-Syn M, Xie G, Syn WK, Krüger L, Machado MV, Garman K, Choi SS, Michelotti GA, Burkly LC, Ochoa B, Diehl AM. TWEAK/Fn14 signaling is required for liver regeneration after partial hepatectomy in mice. PLoS One 2014; 9:e83987. [PMID: 24416188 PMCID: PMC3886973 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0083987] [Citation(s) in RCA: 54] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/01/2013] [Accepted: 11/11/2013] [Indexed: 12/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Background & Aims Pro-inflammatory cytokines are important for liver regeneration after partial hepatectomy (PH). Expression of Fibroblast growth factor-inducible 14 (Fn14), the receptor for TNF-like weak inducer of apoptosis (TWEAK), is induced rapidly after PH and remains elevated throughout the period of peak hepatocyte replication. The role of Fn14 in post-PH liver regeneration is uncertain because Fn14 is expressed by liver progenitors and TWEAK-Fn14 interactions stimulate progenitor growth, but replication of mature hepatocytes is thought to drive liver regeneration after PH. Methods To clarify the role of TWEAK-Fn14 after PH, we compared post-PH regenerative responses in wild type (WT) mice, Fn14 knockout (KO) mice, TWEAK KO mice, and WT mice treated with anti-TWEAK antibodies. Results In WT mice, rare Fn14(+) cells localized with other progenitor markers in peri-portal areas before PH. PH rapidly increased proliferation of Fn14(+) cells; hepatocytic cells that expressed Fn14 and other progenitor markers, such as Lgr5, progressively accumulated from 12–8 h post-PH and then declined to baseline by 96 h. When TWEAK/Fn14 signaling was disrupted, progenitor accumulation, induction of pro-regenerative cytokines, hepatocyte and cholangiocyte proliferation, and over-all survival were inhibited, while post-PH liver damage and bilirubin levels were increased. TWEAK stimulated proliferation and increased Lgr5 expression in cultured liver progenitors, but had no effect on either parameter in cultured primary hepatocytes. Conclusions TWEAK-FN14 signaling is necessary for the healthy adult liver to regenerate normally after acute partial hepatectomy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gamze Karaca
- Division of Gastroenterology, Department of Medicine, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina, United States of America
| | - Marzena Swiderska-Syn
- Division of Gastroenterology, Department of Medicine, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina, United States of America
| | - Guanhua Xie
- Division of Gastroenterology, Department of Medicine, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina, United States of America
| | - Wing-Kin Syn
- Regeneration and Repair Group, The Institute of Hepatology, Foundation for Liver Research, London, United Kingdom
- Department of Hepatology, Barts Health NHS Trust, London, United Kingdom
| | - Leandi Krüger
- Division of Gastroenterology, Department of Medicine, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina, United States of America
| | - Mariana Verdelho Machado
- Division of Gastroenterology, Department of Medicine, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina, United States of America
| | - Katherine Garman
- Division of Gastroenterology, Department of Medicine, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina, United States of America
| | - Steve S. Choi
- Division of Gastroenterology, Department of Medicine, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina, United States of America
| | - Gregory A. Michelotti
- Division of Gastroenterology, Department of Medicine, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina, United States of America
| | - Linda C. Burkly
- Departments of Exploratory Science, Discovery Biology, and Validation Biology, Biogen Idec Inc., Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States of America
| | - Begoña Ochoa
- Department of Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, University of the Basque Country, Bilbao, Spain
| | - Anna Mae Diehl
- Division of Gastroenterology, Department of Medicine, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina, United States of America
- * E-mail:
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Xie G, Karaca G, Swiderska-Syn M, Michelotti GA, Krüger L, Chen Y, Premont RT, Choi SS, Diehl AM. Cross-talk between Notch and Hedgehog regulates hepatic stellate cell fate in mice. Hepatology 2013; 58:1801-13. [PMID: 23703657 PMCID: PMC3758784 DOI: 10.1002/hep.26511] [Citation(s) in RCA: 95] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/06/2012] [Accepted: 04/28/2013] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
UNLABELLED Liver repair involves phenotypic changes in hepatic stellate cells (HSCs) and reactivation of morphogenic signaling pathways that modulate epithelial-to-mesenchymal/mesenchymal-to-epithelial transitions, such as Notch and Hedgehog (Hh). Hh stimulates HSCs to become myofibroblasts (MFs). Recent lineage tracing studies in adult mice with injured livers showed that some MFs became multipotent progenitors to regenerate hepatocytes, cholangiocytes, and HSCs. We studied primary HSC cultures and two different animal models of fibrosis to evaluate the hypothesis that activating the Notch pathway in HSCs stimulates them to become (and remain) MFs through a mechanism that involves an epithelial-to-mesenchymal-like transition and requires cross-talk with the canonical Hh pathway. We found that when cultured HSCs transitioned into MFs, they activated Hh signaling, underwent an epithelial-to-mesenchymal-like transition, and increased Notch signaling. Blocking Notch signaling in MFs/HSCs suppressed Hh activity and caused a mesenchymal-to-epithelial-like transition. Inhibiting the Hh pathway suppressed Notch signaling and also induced a mesenchymal-to-epithelial-like transition. Manipulating Hh and Notch signaling in a mouse multipotent progenitor cell line evoked similar responses. In mice, liver injury increased Notch activity in MFs and Hh-responsive MF progeny (i.e., HSCs and ductular cells). Conditionally disrupting Hh signaling in MFs of bile-duct-ligated mice inhibited Notch signaling and blocked accumulation of both MF and ductular cells. CONCLUSIONS The Notch and Hedgehog pathways interact to control the fate of key cell types involved in adult liver repair by modulating epithelial-to-mesenchymal-like/mesenchymal-to-epithelial-like transitions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Guanhua Xie
- Division of Gastroenterology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC
| | - Gamze Karaca
- Division of Gastroenterology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC
| | | | | | - Leandi Krüger
- Division of Gastroenterology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC
| | - Yuping Chen
- Division of Gastroenterology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC
| | - Richard T. Premont
- Division of Gastroenterology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC
| | - Steve S. Choi
- Division of Gastroenterology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC,Section of Gastroenterology, Department of Medicine, Durham Veteran Affairs Medical Center, Durham, NC
| | - Anna Mae Diehl
- Division of Gastroenterology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC
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18
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Michelotti GA, Xie G, Swiderska M, Choi SS, Karaca G, Krüger L, Premont R, Yang L, Syn WK, Metzger D, Diehl AM. Smoothened is a master regulator of adult liver repair. J Clin Invest 2013; 123:2380-94. [PMID: 23563311 DOI: 10.1172/jci66904] [Citation(s) in RCA: 115] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/17/2012] [Accepted: 02/12/2013] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
When regenerative processes cannot keep pace with cell death, functional epithelia are replaced by scar. Scarring is characterized by both excessive accumulation of fibrous matrix and persistent outgrowth of cell types that accumulate transiently during successful wound healing, including myofibroblasts (MFs) and progenitors. This suggests that signaling that normally directs these cells to repair injured epithelia is deregulated. To evaluate this possibility, we examined liver repair during different types of liver injury after Smoothened (SMO), an obligate intermediate in the Hedgehog (Hh) signaling pathway, was conditionally deleted in cells expressing the MF-associated gene, αSMA. Surprisingly, blocking canonical Hh signaling in MFs not only inhibited liver fibrosis but also prevented accumulation of liver progenitors. Hh-sensitive, hepatic stellate cells (HSCs) were identified as the source of both MFs and progenitors by lineage-tracing studies in 3 other strains of mice, coupled with analysis of highly pure HSC preparations using flow cytometry, immunofluorescence confocal microscopy, RT-PCR, and in situ hybridization. The results identify SMO as a master regulator of hepatic epithelial regeneration based on its ability to promote mesenchymal-to-epithelial transitions in a subpopulation of HSC-derived MFs with features of multipotent progenitors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gregory A Michelotti
- Division of Gastroenterology, Department of Medicine, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina 27710, USA
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19
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Xie G, Choi SS, Syn WK, Michelotti GA, Swiderska-Syn M, Karaca G, Chan IS, Chen Y, Diehl AM. Hedgehog signalling regulates liver sinusoidal endothelial cell capillarisation. Gut 2013; 62:299-309. [PMID: 22362915 PMCID: PMC3595101 DOI: 10.1136/gutjnl-2011-301494] [Citation(s) in RCA: 89] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Vascular remodelling during liver damage involves loss of healthy liver sinusoidal endothelial cell (LSEC) phenotype via capillarisation. Hedgehog (Hh) signalling regulates vascular development and increases during liver injury. This study therefore examined its role in capillarisation. DESIGN Primary LSEC were cultured for 5 days to induce capillarisation. Pharmacological, antibody-mediated and genetic approaches were used to manipulate Hh signalling. Effects on mRNA and protein expression of Hh-regulated genes and capillarisation markers were evaluated by quantitative reverse transcription PCR and immunoblot. Changes in LSEC function were assessed by migration and tube forming assay, and gain/loss of fenestrae was examined by electron microscopy. Mice with acute or chronic liver injury were treated with Hh inhibitors; effects on capillarisation were assessed by immunohistochemistry. RESULTS Freshly isolated LSEC expressed Hh ligands, Hh receptors and Hh ligand antagonist Hhip. Capillarisation was accompanied by repression of Hhip and increased expression of Hh-regulated genes. Treatment with Hh agonist further induced expression of Hh ligands and Hh-regulated genes, and upregulated capillarisation-associated genes; whereas Hh signalling antagonist or Hh ligand neutralising antibody each repressed expression of Hh target genes and capillarisation markers. LSEC isolated from Smo(loxP/loxP) transgenic mice that had been infected with adenovirus expressing Cre-recombinase to delete Smoothened showed over 75% knockdown of Smoothened. During culture, Smoothened-deficient LSEC had inhibited Hh signalling, less induction of capillarisation-associated genes and retention of fenestrae. In mice with injured livers, inhibiting Hh signalling prevented capillarisation. CONCLUSIONS LSEC produce and respond to Hh ligands, and use Hh signalling to regulate complex phenotypic changes that occur during capillarisation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Guanhua Xie
- Division of Gastroenterology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC
| | - Steve S. Choi
- Division of Gastroenterology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC
,Section of Gastroenterology, Department of Medicine, Durham Veteran Affairs Medical Center, Durham, NC
| | - Wing-Kin Syn
- Division of Gastroenterology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC
,Section of Regeneration and Repair, Institute of Hepatology,, London, UK
| | | | | | - Gamze Karaca
- Division of Gastroenterology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC
| | - Isaac S. Chan
- Division of Gastroenterology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC
| | - Yuping Chen
- Division of Gastroenterology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC
| | - Anna Mae Diehl
- Division of Gastroenterology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC
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Pereira TA, Xie G, Choi SS, Syn WK, Voieta I, Lu J, Chan IS, Swiderska M, Amaral KB, Antunes CM, Secor WE, Witek RP, Lambertucci JR, Pereira FL, Diehl AM. Macrophage-derived Hedgehog ligands promotes fibrogenic and angiogenic responses in human schistosomiasis mansoni. Liver Int 2013; 33:149-61. [PMID: 23121638 PMCID: PMC3518740 DOI: 10.1111/liv.12016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 45] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/23/2012] [Accepted: 08/01/2012] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Schistosomiasis mansoni is a major cause of portal fibrosis and portal hypertension. The Hedgehog pathway regulates fibrogenic repair in some types of liver injury. AIMS Determine if Hedgehog pathway activation occurs during fibrosis progression in schistosomiasis and to determine if macrophage-related mechanisms are involved. METHODS Immunohistochemistry was used to characterize the cells that generate and respond to Hedgehog ligands in 28 liver biopsies from patients with different grades of schistosomiasis fibrosis staged by ultrasound. Cultured macrophages (RAW264.7 and primary rat Kupffer cells) and primary rat liver sinusoidal endothelial cells (LSEC) were treated with schistosome egg antigen (SEA) and evaluated using qRT-PCR. Inhibition of the Hedgehog pathway was used to investigate its role in alternative activation of macrophages (M2) and vascular tube formation. RESULTS Patients with schistosomiasis expressed more ligands (Shh and Ihh) and target genes (Patched and Gli2) than healthy individuals. Activated LSEC and myofibroblasts were Hedgehog responsive [Gli2(+)] and accumulated in parallel with fibrosis stage (P < 0.05). Double IHC for Ihh/CD68 showed that Ihh(+) cells were macrophages. In vitro studies demonstrated that SEA-stimulated macrophages to express Ihh and Shh mRNA (P < 0.05). Conditioned media from such macrophages induced luciferase production by Shh-LightII cells (P < 0.001) and Hedgehog inhibitors blocked this effect (P < 0.001). SEA-treated macrophages also up-regulated their own expression of M2 markers, and Hh pathway inhibitors abrogated this response (P < 0.01). Inhibition of the Hedgehog pathway in LSEC blocked SEA-induced migration and tube formation. CONCLUSION SEA stimulates liver macrophages to produce Hh ligands, which promote alternative activation of macrophages, fibrogenesis and vascular remodelling in schistosomiasis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thiago A. Pereira
- Division of Gastroenterology, Department of Medicine, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, USA
,Centro de Pesquisas Gonçalo Moniz, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz, Salvador, BA, Brazil
| | - Guanhua Xie
- Division of Gastroenterology, Department of Medicine, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Steve S. Choi
- Division of Gastroenterology, Department of Medicine, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, USA
,Section of Gastroenterology, Department of Medicine, Durham Veteran Affairs Medical Center, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Wing-Kin Syn
- Division of Gastroenterology, Department of Medicine, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, USA
,Foundation for Liver Research, Institute of Hepatology, London, UK
| | - Izabela Voieta
- Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil
| | - Jiuyi Lu
- Division of Gastroenterology, Department of Medicine, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Isaac S. Chan
- Division of Gastroenterology, Department of Medicine, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Marzena Swiderska
- Division of Gastroenterology, Department of Medicine, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, USA
| | | | | | | | | | | | - Fausto L. Pereira
- Núcleo de Doenças Infecciosas, Centro de Ciências da Saúde, Universidade Federal do Espírito Santo, Vitória, ES, Brazil
| | - Anna Mae Diehl
- Division of Gastroenterology, Department of Medicine, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, USA
,Corresponding Author: Florence McAlister Professor & Chief, Division of Gastroenterology Duke University Snyderman Building (GSRB-1) 595 LaSalle Street, Suite 1073 Durham, North Carolina 27710 Phone: 919-684-4173 Fax: 919-684-4183
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21
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Chan IS, Guy CD, Chen Y, Lu J, Swiderska M, Michelotti GA, Karaca G, Xie G, Krüger L, Syn WK, Anderson BR, Pereira TA, Choi SS, Baldwin AS, Diehl AM. Paracrine Hedgehog signaling drives metabolic changes in hepatocellular carcinoma. Cancer Res 2012; 72:6344-50. [PMID: 23066040 PMCID: PMC3525764 DOI: 10.1158/0008-5472.can-12-1068] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
Abstract
Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) typically develops in cirrhosis, a condition characterized by Hedgehog (Hh) pathway activation and accumulation of Hh-responsive myofibroblasts. Although Hh signaling generally regulates stromal-epithelial interactions that support epithelial viability, the role of Hh-dependent myofibroblasts in hepatocarcinogenesis is unknown. Here, we used human HCC samples, a mouse HCC model, and hepatoma cell/myofibroblast cocultures to examine the hypothesis that Hh signaling modulates myofibroblasts' metabolism to generate fuels for neighboring malignant hepatocytes. The results identify a novel paracrine mechanism whereby malignant hepatocytes produce Hh ligands to stimulate glycolysis in neighboring myofibroblasts, resulting in release of myofibroblast-derived lactate that the malignant hepatocytes use as an energy source. This discovery reveals new diagnostic and therapeutic targets that might be exploited to improve the outcomes of cirrhotic patients with HCCs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Isaac S. Chan
- Division of Gastroenterology, Department of Medicine, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC 27710, USA
- Department of Genetics, The University of North Carolina School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA
| | - Cynthia D. Guy
- Department of Pathology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC 27710, USA
| | - Yuping Chen
- Division of Gastroenterology, Department of Medicine, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC 27710, USA
| | - Jiuyi Lu
- Division of Gastroenterology, Department of Medicine, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC 27710, USA
| | - Marzena Swiderska
- Division of Gastroenterology, Department of Medicine, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC 27710, USA
| | - Gregory A. Michelotti
- Division of Gastroenterology, Department of Medicine, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC 27710, USA
| | - Gamze Karaca
- Division of Gastroenterology, Department of Medicine, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC 27710, USA
| | - Guanhua Xie
- Division of Gastroenterology, Department of Medicine, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC 27710, USA
| | - Leandi Krüger
- Division of Gastroenterology, Department of Medicine, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC 27710, USA
| | - Wing-Kin Syn
- Division of Gastroenterology, Department of Medicine, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC 27710, USA
- Centre for Liver Research and National Institute of Health Research Biomedical Research Unit, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham, UK
| | - Blair R. Anderson
- Center for Human Genetics, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC 27710, USA
| | - Thiago A. Pereira
- Division of Gastroenterology, Department of Medicine, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC 27710, USA
| | - Steve S. Choi
- Division of Gastroenterology, Department of Medicine, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC 27710, USA
| | - Albert S. Baldwin
- Department of Genetics, The University of North Carolina School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA
| | - Anna Mae Diehl
- Division of Gastroenterology, Department of Medicine, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC 27710, USA
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22
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Tillman HL, Choi SS. Risk for hepatocellular carcinoma in patients with alcoholic cirrhosis. Ann Intern Med 2012; 157:677-8; author reply 678. [PMID: 23128872 DOI: 10.7326/0003-4819-157-9-201211060-00022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
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23
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Chen Y, Choi SS, Michelotti GA, Chan IS, Swiderska M, Karaca GF, Xie G, Moylan CA, Garibaldi F, Premont R, Suliman HB, Piantodosi CA, Diehl AM. Hedgehog controls hepatic stellate cell fate by regulating metabolism. Gastroenterology 2012; 143:1319-1329.e11. [PMID: 22885334 PMCID: PMC3480563 DOI: 10.1053/j.gastro.2012.07.115] [Citation(s) in RCA: 188] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/27/2012] [Revised: 07/24/2012] [Accepted: 07/29/2012] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND & AIMS The pathogenesis of cirrhosis, a disabling outcome of defective liver repair, involves deregulated accumulation of myofibroblasts derived from quiescent hepatic stellate cells (HSCs), but the mechanisms that control transdifferentiation of HSCs are poorly understood. We investigated whether the Hedgehog (Hh) pathway controls the fate of HSCs by regulating metabolism. METHODS Microarray, quantitative polymerase chain reaction, and immunoblot analyses were used to identify metabolic genes that were differentially expressed in quiescent vs myofibroblast HSCs. Glycolysis and lactate production were disrupted in HSCs to determine if metabolism influenced transdifferentiation. Hh signaling and hypoxia-inducible factor 1α (HIF1α) activity were altered to identify factors that alter glycolytic activity. Changes in expression of genes that regulate glycolysis were quantified and localized in biopsy samples from patients with cirrhosis and liver samples from mice following administration of CCl(4) or bile duct ligation. Mice were given systemic inhibitors of Hh to determine if they affect glycolytic activity of the hepatic stroma; Hh signaling was also conditionally disrupted in myofibroblasts to determine the effects of glycolytic activity. RESULTS Transdifferentiation of cultured, quiescent HSCs into myofibroblasts induced glycolysis and caused lactate accumulation. Increased expression of genes that regulate glycolysis required Hh signaling and involved induction of HIF1α. Inhibitors of Hh signaling, HIF1α, glycolysis, or lactate accumulation converted myofibroblasts to quiescent HSCs. In diseased livers of animals and patients, numbers of glycolytic stromal cells were associated with the severity of fibrosis. Conditional disruption of Hh signaling in myofibroblasts reduced numbers of glycolytic myofibroblasts and liver fibrosis in mice; similar effects were observed following administration of pharmacologic inhibitors of Hh. CONCLUSIONS Hedgehog signaling controls the fate of HSCs by regulating metabolism. These findings might be applied to diagnosis and treatment of patients with cirrhosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuping Chen
- Division of Gastroenterology, Department of Medicine, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina, USA
| | - Steve S. Choi
- Division of Gastroenterology, Department of Medicine, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina, USA,Section of Gastroenterology, Department of Medicine, Durham Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina, USA
| | - Gregory A. Michelotti
- Division of Gastroenterology, Department of Medicine, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina, USA
| | - Isaac S. Chan
- Division of Gastroenterology, Department of Medicine, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina, USA
| | - Marzena Swiderska
- Division of Gastroenterology, Department of Medicine, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina, USA
| | - Gamze F. Karaca
- Division of Gastroenterology, Department of Medicine, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina, USA
| | - Guanhua Xie
- Division of Gastroenterology, Department of Medicine, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina, USA
| | - Cynthia A. Moylan
- Division of Gastroenterology, Department of Medicine, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina, USA,Section of Gastroenterology, Department of Medicine, Durham Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina, USA
| | - Francesca Garibaldi
- Division of Gastroenterology, Department of Medicine, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina, USA
| | - Richard Premont
- Division of Gastroenterology, Department of Medicine, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina, USA
| | - Hagir B. Suliman
- Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Department of Medicine, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina, USA
| | - Claude A. Piantodosi
- Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Department of Medicine, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina, USA,Department of Anesthesiology, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina, USA,Department of Pathology, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina, USA
| | - Anna Mae Diehl
- Division of Gastroenterology, Department of Medicine, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina.
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24
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Arzumanyan A, Sambandam V, Clayton MM, Choi SS, Xie G, Diehl AM, Yu DY, Feitelson MA. Hedgehog signaling blockade delays hepatocarcinogenesis induced by hepatitis B virus X protein. Cancer Res 2012; 72:5912-20. [PMID: 22986746 DOI: 10.1158/0008-5472.can-12-2329] [Citation(s) in RCA: 55] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
Abstract
The hepatitis B virus (HBV) encoded X protein (HBx) contributes centrally to the pathogenesis of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Aberrant activation of the Hedgehog (Hh) pathway has been linked to many tumor types including HCC. Thus, experiments were designed to test the hypothesis that HBx promotes HCC via activation of Hh signaling. HBx expression correlated with an upregulation of Hh markers in human liver cancer cell lines, in liver samples from HBV infected patients with HCC, and in the livers of HBx transgenic mice (HBxTg) that develop hepatitis, steatosis, and dysplasia, culminating in the appearance of HCC. The findings in human samples provide clinical validation for the in vitro results and those in the HBxTg. Blockade of Hh signaling inhibited HBx stimulation of cell migration, anchorage-independent growth, tumor development in HBxTg, and xenograft growth in nude mice. Results suggest that the ability of HBx to promote cancer is at least partially dependent upon the activation of the Hh pathway. This study provides biologic evidence for the role of Hh signaling in the pathogenesis of HBV-mediated HCC and suggests cause and effect for the first time. The observation that inhibition of Hh signaling partially blocked the ability of HBx to promote growth and migration in vitro and tumorigenesis in two animal models implies that Hh signaling may represent an "oncogene addiction" pathway for HBV-associated HCC. This work could be central to designing specific treatments that target early development and progression of HBx-mediated HCC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alla Arzumanyan
- Department of Biology, Temple University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19122, USA.
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25
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Syn WK, Agboola KM, Swiderska M, Michelotti G, Liaskou E, Pang H, Xie G, Philips G, Chan IS, Karaca GF, Pereira TA, Chen Y, Mi Z, Kuo PC, Choi SS, Guy CD, Abdelmalek MF, Diehl AM. NKT-associated hedgehog and osteopontin drive fibrogenesis in non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. Gut 2012; 61:1323-9. [PMID: 22427237 PMCID: PMC3578424 DOI: 10.1136/gutjnl-2011-301857] [Citation(s) in RCA: 190] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Immune responses are important in dictating non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) outcome. We previously reported that upregulation of hedgehog (Hh) and osteopontin (OPN) occurs in NASH, that Hh-regulated accumulation of natural killer T (NKT) cells promotes hepatic stellate cell (HSC) activation, and that cirrhotic livers harbour large numbers of NKT cells. DESIGN The hypothesis that activated NKT cells drive fibrogenesis during NASH was evaluated by assessing if NKT depletion protects against NASH fibrosis; identifying the NKT-associated fibrogenic factors; and correlating plasma levels of the NKT cell-associated factor OPN with fibrosis severity in mice and humans. RESULTS When fed methionine-choline-deficient (MCD) diets for 8 weeks, wild type (WT) mice exhibited Hh pathway activation, enhanced OPN expression, and NASH-fibrosis. Ja18-/- and CD1d-/- mice which lack NKT cells had significantly attenuated Hh and OPN expression and dramatically less fibrosis. Liver mononuclear cells (LMNCs) from MCD diet fed WT mice contained activated NKT cells, generated Hh and OPN, and stimulated HSCs to become myofibroblasts; neutralising these factors abrogated the fibrogenic actions of WT LMNCs. LMNCs from NKT-cell-deficient mice were deficient in fibrogenic factors, failing to activate collagen gene expression in HSCs. Human NASH livers with advanced fibrosis contained more OPN and Hh protein than those with early fibrosis. Plasma levels of OPN mirrored hepatic OPN expression and correlated with fibrosis severity. CONCLUSION Hepatic NKT cells drive production of OPN and Hh ligands that promote fibrogenesis during NASH. Associated increases in plasma levels of OPN may provide a biomarker of NASH fibrosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wing-Kin Syn
- Division of Gastroenterology, Department of Medicine, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, USA,Centre for Liver Research, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham, UK,Foundation for Liver Research, Institute of Hepatology, London
| | - Kola M Agboola
- Division of Gastroenterology, Department of Medicine, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Marzena Swiderska
- Division of Gastroenterology, Department of Medicine, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Gregory Michelotti
- Division of Gastroenterology, Department of Medicine, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Evaggelia Liaskou
- Centre for Liver Research, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham, UK
| | - Herbert Pang
- Department of Biostatistics and Bioinformatics, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Guanhua Xie
- Division of Gastroenterology, Department of Medicine, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, USA
| | - George Philips
- Division of Gastroenterology, Department of Medicine, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Isaac S Chan
- Division of Gastroenterology, Department of Medicine, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Gamze F Karaca
- Division of Gastroenterology, Department of Medicine, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Thiago A Pereira
- Division of Gastroenterology, Department of Medicine, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, USA,Nucleo de Deoncas Infecciosas, Centro de Ciencias da Caude, Universidade Federal do Espirito Santo, Espirito Santo, Brazil
| | - Yuping Chen
- Division of Gastroenterology, Department of Medicine, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Zhiyong Mi
- Department of Surgery, Loyola University Chicago
| | - Paul C Kuo
- Department of Surgery, Loyola University Chicago
| | - Steve S Choi
- Division of Gastroenterology, Department of Medicine, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, USA,Section of Gastroenterology, Department of Medicine, Durham Veteran Affairs Medical Center, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Cynthia D Guy
- Department of Pathology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Manal F Abdelmalek
- Division of Gastroenterology, Department of Medicine, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Anna Mae Diehl
- Division of Gastroenterology, Department of Medicine, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, USA
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26
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Castles F, Day FV, Morris SM, Ko DH, Gardiner DJ, Qasim MM, Nosheen S, Hands PJW, Choi SS, Friend RH, Coles HJ. Blue-phase templated fabrication of three-dimensional nanostructures for photonic applications. Nat Mater 2012; 11:599-603. [PMID: 22581313 DOI: 10.1038/nmat3330] [Citation(s) in RCA: 105] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/28/2011] [Accepted: 04/10/2012] [Indexed: 05/31/2023]
Abstract
A promising approach to the fabrication of materials with nanoscale features is the transfer of liquid-crystalline structure to polymers. However, this has not been achieved in systems with full three-dimensional periodicity. Here we demonstrate the fabrication of self-assembled three-dimensional nanostructures by polymer templating blue phase I, a chiral liquid crystal with cubic symmetry. Blue phase I was photopolymerized and the remaining liquid crystal removed to create a porous free-standing cast, which retains the chiral three-dimensional structure of the blue phase, yet contains no chiral additive molecules. The cast may in turn be used as a hard template for the fabrication of new materials. By refilling the cast with an achiral nematic liquid crystal, we created templated blue phases that have unprecedented thermal stability in the range -125 to 125 °C, and that act as both mirrorless lasers and switchable electro-optic devices. Blue-phase templated materials will facilitate advances in device architectures for photonics applications in particular.
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Affiliation(s)
- F Castles
- Centre of Molecular Materials for Photonics and Electronics, Department of Engineering, University of Cambridge, 9 JJ Thomson Avenue, Cambridge CB3 0FA, UK
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27
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Romac JMJ, Shahid RA, Choi SS, Karaca GF, Westphalen CB, Wang TC, Liddle RA. Pancreatic secretory trypsin inhibitor I reduces the severity of chronic pancreatitis in mice overexpressing interleukin-1β in the pancreas. Am J Physiol Gastrointest Liver Physiol 2012; 302:G535-41. [PMID: 22173919 PMCID: PMC3311433 DOI: 10.1152/ajpgi.00287.2011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/25/2011] [Accepted: 12/13/2011] [Indexed: 01/31/2023]
Abstract
IL-1β is believed to play a pathogenic role in the development of pancreatitis. Expression of human IL-1β in pancreatic acinar cells produces chronic pancreatitis, characterized by extensive intrapancreatic inflammation, atrophy, and fibrosis. To determine if activation of trypsinogen is important in the pathogenesis of chronic pancreatitis in this model, we crossed IL-1β transgenic [Tg(IL1β)] mice with mice expressing a trypsin inhibitor that is normally produced in rat pancreatic acinar cells [pancreatic secretory trypsin inhibitor (PTSI) I]. We previously demonstrated that transgenic expression of PSTI-I [Tg(Psti1)] increased pancreatic trypsin inhibitor activity by 190%. Tg(IL1β) mice were found to have marked pancreatic inflammation, characterized by histological changes, including acinar cell loss, inflammatory cell infiltration, and fibrosis, as well as elevated myeloperoxidase activity and elevated pancreatic trypsin activity, as early as 6 wk of age. In contrast to Tg(IL1β) mice, pancreatitis was significantly less severe in dual-transgenic [Tg(IL1β)-Tg(Psti1)] mice expressing IL-1β and PSTI-I in pancreatic acinar cells. These findings indicate that overexpression of PSTI-I reduces the severity of pancreatitis and that pancreatic trypsin activity contributes to the pathogenesis of an inflammatory model of chronic pancreatitis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joelle M-J Romac
- Department of Medicine, Duke University and Durham Veterans Affairs Medical Centers, Durham, North Carolina 27710, USA
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28
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Lim SW, Jeon SJ, Choi SS, Choi KH. Synovial chondromatosis in the temporomandibular joint: a case with typical imaging features and pathological findings. Br J Radiol 2011; 84:e213-6. [PMID: 22011825 DOI: 10.1259/bjr/69067316] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/05/2022] Open
Abstract
Synovial chondromatosis of the temporomandibular joint is a rare benign joint disorder that has been reported in only a few studies. However, we recently encountered a pathologically proven case of this disorder. This case also showed the typical imaging findings on panoramic radiographs and on CT and MR images. Therefore, we report this case and the imaging and pathological findings.
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Affiliation(s)
- S W Lim
- Department of Radiology, Wonkwang University Hospital, Iksan, Jeonbuk, Korea
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29
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Choi SS, Bradrick S, Qiang G, Mostafavi A, Chaturvedi G, Weinman SA, Diehl AM, Jhaveri R. Up-regulation of Hedgehog pathway is associated with cellular permissiveness for hepatitis C virus replication. Hepatology 2011; 54:1580-90. [PMID: 21793033 PMCID: PMC3205266 DOI: 10.1002/hep.24576] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
UNLABELLED Studies of the hepatitis C virus (HCV) life-cycle rely heavily on Huh7.5 cells, but the reasons why these cells are exceptionally permissive for HCV replication are not clear. Based on recent clinical observations, we hypothesized that the Hedgehog (Hh) pathway, which has not been previously associated with HCV replication, may be involved in the Huh7.5 phenotype of increased permissiveness. We tested this hypothesis by comparing levels of a variety of Hh-related cellular markers in Huh7.5 cells with the parental Huh7 cells, which are far less permissive. Here we demonstrate that Huh7.5 cells, when compared with Huh7 cells, have substantially decreased expression of epithelial markers, increased levels of mesenchymal markers, and markedly up-regulated Hh pathway activity: Shh, >100-fold, Gli1, >30-fold, Ptc, 2-fold. In Huh7.5 cells, we found that cyclopamine, an Hh pathway antagonist, reduced HCV RNA levels by 50% compared with vehicle and inactive isomer controls. Moreover, in Huh7 cells treatment with recombinant Shh ligand and SAG, both Hh pathway agonists, stimulated HCV replication by 2-fold and 4-fold, respectively. These effects were observed with both viral infections and a subgenomic replicon. Finally, we demonstrated that GDC-0449 decreased HCV RNA levels in a dose-response manner. CONCLUSION We have identified a relationship between HCV and Hh signaling where up-regulated pathway activity during infection promotes an environment conducive to replication. Given that Hh activity is very low in most hepatocytes, these findings may serve to further shift the model of HCV liver infection from modest widespread replication in hepatocytes to one where a subset of cells support high-level replication. These findings also introduce Hh pathway inhibitors as potential anti-HCV therapeutics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Steve S. Choi
- Division of Gastroenterology, Department of Medicine, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, USA,Section of Gastroenterology, Department of Medicine, Durham Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Shelton Bradrick
- Department of Molecular Genetics and Microbiology, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Guan Qiang
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Pediatrics, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Anahita Mostafavi
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Pediatrics, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Gaurav Chaturvedi
- Division of Gastroenterology, Department of Medicine, University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City, KS, USA
| | - Steven A. Weinman
- Division of Gastroenterology, Department of Medicine, University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City, KS, USA
| | - Anna Mae Diehl
- Division of Gastroenterology, Department of Medicine, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Ravi Jhaveri
- Department of Molecular Genetics and Microbiology, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC, USA,Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Pediatrics, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, USA
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30
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Omenetti A, Bass LM, Anders RA, Clemente MG, Francis H, Guy CD, McCall S, Choi SS, Alpini G, Schwarz KB, Diehl AM, Whitington PF. Hedgehog activity, epithelial-mesenchymal transitions, and biliary dysmorphogenesis in biliary atresia. Hepatology 2011; 53:1246-58. [PMID: 21480329 PMCID: PMC3074103 DOI: 10.1002/hep.24156] [Citation(s) in RCA: 87] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
UNLABELLED Biliary atresia (BA) is notable for marked ductular reaction and rapid development of fibrosis. Activation of the Hedgehog (Hh) pathway promotes the expansion of populations of immature epithelial cells that coexpress mesenchymal markers and may be profibrogenic. We examined the hypothesis that in BA excessive Hh activation impedes ductular morphogenesis and enhances fibrogenesis by promoting accumulation of immature ductular cells with a mesenchymal phenotype. Livers and remnant extrahepatic ducts from BA patients were evaluated by quantitative reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction (QRT-PCR) and immunostaining for Hh ligands, target genes, and markers of mesenchymal cells or ductular progenitors. Findings were compared to children with genetic cholestatic disease, age-matched deceased donor controls, and adult controls. Ductular cells isolated from adult rats with and without bile duct ligation were incubated with Hh ligand-enriched medium ± Hh-neutralizing antibody to determine direct effects of Hh ligands on epithelial to mesenchymal transition (EMT) marker expression. Livers from pediatric controls showed greater innate Hh activation than adult controls. In children with BA, both intra- and extrahepatic ductular cells demonstrated striking up-regulation of Hh ligand production and increased expression of Hh target genes. Excessive accumulation of Hh-producing cells and Hh-responsive cells also occurred in other infantile cholestatic diseases. Further analysis of the BA samples demonstrated that immature ductular cells with a mesenchymal phenotype were Hh-responsive. Treating immature ductular cells with Hh ligand-enriched medium induced mesenchymal genes; neutralizing Hh ligands inhibited this. CONCLUSION BA is characterized by excessive Hh pathway activity, which stimulates biliary EMT and may contribute to biliary dysmorphogenesis. Other cholestatic diseases show similar activation, suggesting that this is a common response to cholestatic injury in infancy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alessia Omenetti
- Division of Gastroenterology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, United States
| | - Lee M Bass
- Pediatrics, Feinberg Medical School of Northwestern University, Children's Memorial Research Center, Chicago, Illinois, United States
| | - Robert A. Anders
- Pathology, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, United States
| | - Maria G Clemente
- Pediatrics, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, United States
| | - Heather Francis
- R&E, Scott & White Digestive Disease, Medicine, Scott & White, Texas A&M HSC COM, Temple, TX,United States
| | - Cinthya D Guy
- Pathology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, United States
| | - Shannon McCall
- Pathology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, United States
| | - Steve S Choi
- Division of Gastroenterology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, United States., Section of Gastroenterology, Durham Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Durham, NC, United States
| | - Gianfranco Alpini
- Scott & White Digestive Disease Research Center, Research, Medicine, Division Research, Central Texas. Veterans Health Care System, Texas A&M HSC COM, Scott & White, Temple, TX, United States
| | - Kathleen B Schwarz
- Pediatrics, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, United States
| | - Anna Mae Diehl
- Division of Gastroenterology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, United States
| | - Peter F Whitington
- Pediatrics, Feinberg Medical School of Northwestern University, Children's Memorial Research Center, Chicago, Illinois, United States
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Werner JS, Keltner JL, Zawadzki RJ, Choi SS. Outer retinal abnormalities associated with inner retinal pathology in nonglaucomatous and glaucomatous optic neuropathies. Eye (Lond) 2011; 25:279-89. [PMID: 21293495 DOI: 10.1038/eye.2010.218] [Citation(s) in RCA: 58] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Inner and outer retinal morphology were quantified in vivo for 6 nonglaucomatous and 10 glaucomatous optic neuropathy patients. Custom, ultrahigh-resolution imaging modalities were used to evaluate segmented retinal layer thickness in 3D volumes (Fourier-domain optical coherence tomography), cone photoreceptor density (adaptive optics fundus camera), and the length of inner and outer segments of cone photoreceptors (adaptive optics-optical coherence tomography). Quantitative comparisons were made with age-matched controls, or by comparing affected and nonaffected retinal areas defined by changes in visual fields. The integrity of outer retinal layers on optical coherence tomography B-scans and density of cone photoreceptors were correlated with visual field sensitivity at corresponding retinal locations following reductions in inner retinal thickness. The photoreceptor outer segments were shorter and exhibited greater variability in retinal areas associated with visual field losses compared with normal or less affected areas of the same patient's visual field. These results demonstrate that nonglaucomatous and glaucomatous optic neuropathies are associated with outer retinal changes following long-term inner retinal pathology.
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Affiliation(s)
- J S Werner
- Department of Ophthalmology and Vision Science, Davis Eye Center, University of California, Davis, CA, USA.
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Omenetti A, Yang L, Gainetdinov RR, Guy CD, Choi SS, Chen W, Caron MG, Diehl AM. Paracrine modulation of cholangiocyte serotonin synthesis orchestrates biliary remodeling in adults. Am J Physiol Gastrointest Liver Physiol 2011; 300:G303-15. [PMID: 21071507 PMCID: PMC3043647 DOI: 10.1152/ajpgi.00368.2010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/31/2023]
Abstract
Paracrine signaling between cholangiocytes and stromal cells regulates biliary remodeling. Cholangiocytes have neuroepithelial characteristics and serotonin receptor agonists inhibit their growth, but whether they are capable of serotonin biosynthesis is unknown. We hypothesized that cholangiocytes synthesize serotonin and that cross talk between liver myofibroblasts (MF) and cholangiocytes regulates this process to influence biliary remodeling. Transwell cultures of cholangiocytes ± MF, and tryptophan hydroxylase-2 knockin (TPH2KI) mice with an inactivating mutation of the neuronal tryptophan hydroxylase (TPH) isoform, TPH2, were evaluated. Results in the cell culture models confirm that cholangiocytes have serotonin receptors and demonstrate for the first time that these cells express TPH2 and produce serotonin, which autoinhibits their growth but stimulates MF production of TGF-β(1). Increased TGF-β(1), in turn, counteracts autocrine inhibition of cholangiocyte growth by repressing cholangiocyte TPH2 expression. Studies of TPH2KI mice confirm that TPH2-mediated production of serotonin plays an important role in remodeling damaged bile ducts because mice with decreased TPH2 function have reduced biliary serotonin levels and exhibit excessive cholangiocyte proliferation, accumulation of aberrant ductules and liver progenitors, and increased liver fibrosis after bile duct ligation. This new evidence that cholangiocytes express the so-called neuronal isoform of TPH, synthesize serotonin de novo, and deploy serotonin as an autocrine/paracrine signal to regulate regeneration of the biliary tree complements earlier work that revealed that passive release of serotonin from platelets stimulates hepatocyte proliferation. Given the prevalent use of serotonin-modulating drugs, these findings have potentially important implications for recovery from various types of liver damage.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Liu Yang
- 1Division of Gastroenterology, Duke Medical Center, Durham; ,2Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota;
| | - Raul R. Gainetdinov
- 3Department of Cell Biology, Duke University, Durham; ,4Department of Neuroscience and Brain Technologies, Italian Institute of Technology, Genoa, Italy;
| | | | - Steve S. Choi
- 1Division of Gastroenterology, Duke Medical Center, Durham; ,6Section of Gastroenterology, Durham Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina
| | - Wei Chen
- 1Division of Gastroenterology, Duke Medical Center, Durham;
| | - Marc G. Caron
- 3Department of Cell Biology, Duke University, Durham;
| | - Anna Mae Diehl
- 1Division of Gastroenterology, Duke Medical Center, Durham;
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Park SH, Choi SS, Oh SA, Kim CK, Cho SJ, Lee JH, Ryu SH, Pak SH, Jung SK, Lee JI, Park GY, Choi SM, Chae YZ, Kang BH, Cheon DS, Kim HS. Detection and characterization of enterovirus associated with herpangina and hand, foot, and mouth disease in Seoul, Korea. Clin Lab 2011; 57:959-967. [PMID: 22239028] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/31/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Human enteroviruses (HEVs) are a major cause of herpangina, HFMD (hand, foot, and mouth disease), and other neurological diseases in Seoul, Korea. METHODS A total of 56 specimens from hospitalized patients collected from February to December 2009 (37 females and 19 males) in Seoul were tested for HEV from stool, throat swab, and vesicle swab samples taken from patients with herpangina or HFMD using cell culture and RT-PCR in 2009. By the 1D gene, encoding the VP1 capsid protein, seven different HEV genotypes were detected with Coxsackievirus A2, A4, A5, A9, A16 (CA), Coxsackievirus B1 (CB), and Enterovirus 71 (EV71). The most prevalent genotype was CA16 (6, 10.7%), followed by CA2 (4, 7.1%), CA5 (4, 7.1%), EV71 (2, 3.6%), CA4 (1, 1.8%), CA9 (1, 1.8%), and CB1 (1, 1.8%). The 1D gene sequences of two EV71 strains were closely related with one another (98.5% nucleotide similarity) and belonged to the C4 genotype. CONCLUSIONS It is important to continuously survey the genetic characteristics of EV71 and CA16 from patients, which will provide useful data that aids in our understanding of HFMD infections in Seoul, Korea and may contribute to future control.
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MESH Headings
- Capsid Proteins/genetics
- Child, Preschool
- Coxsackievirus Infections/epidemiology
- Coxsackievirus Infections/virology
- Disease Outbreaks
- Enterovirus/genetics
- Enterovirus/isolation & purification
- Enterovirus A, Human/genetics
- Enterovirus A, Human/isolation & purification
- Enterovirus B, Human/genetics
- Enterovirus B, Human/isolation & purification
- Enterovirus Infections/epidemiology
- Enterovirus Infections/virology
- Feces/virology
- Female
- Hand, Foot and Mouth Disease/epidemiology
- Hand, Foot and Mouth Disease/virology
- Herpangina/epidemiology
- Herpangina/virology
- Humans
- Infant
- Infant, Newborn
- Male
- Pharynx/virology
- Phylogeny
- RNA, Viral/genetics
- RNA, Viral/isolation & purification
- Republic of Korea/epidemiology
- Sequence Analysis, RNA
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Affiliation(s)
- S H Park
- Seoul Metropolitan Government Research Institute of Public Health and Environment, Virus Team, 202-3, Yangjae-Dong, Seocho-Gu, Seoul 137-734, Republic of Korea.
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Park SH, Kim EJ, Oh SA, Kim CK, Choi SS, Cho SJ, Han KY, Lee JI, Kim MY, Jung HS, Chun DS, Kim HS. Viral agents associated with acute gastroenteritis in Seoul, Korea. Clin Lab 2011; 57:59-65. [PMID: 21391466] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/30/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The present study was carried out to describe the epidemiologic characteristics of viral gastroenteritis and determine the phylogenetic composition of norovirus strains detected in hospitalized children with acute gastroenteritis in Seoul, Korea. METHODS AND RESULTS In total, 10,603 stool samples were collected from 2004 to 2008 and tested by RT-PCR or ELISA. In 4,170 (39.3%) samples at least one viral pathogen was present. Rotavirus (RoV) (1,864, 17.5%) was found to be the causative agent followed by norovirus (NoV) (1,845, 17.4%), human adenovirus (HAdV) (266, 2.5%), human astrovirus (HAstV) (194, 1.8%), and sapovirus (SV) (1, 0.009%). Five GI genotypes (GI-1, GI-3, GI-4, GI-8, and GI-9) and eight GII genotypes (GII-2, GII-3, GII-4, GII-6, GII-7, GII-12, GII-16, and GII-17) of NoV were identified in acute gastroenteritis patients in 2008. CONCLUSIONS The genetic characteristics of norovirus and the epidemiologic patterns of a viral pathogen from acute gastroenteritis patients may give potentially effective data for epidemiological studies in Seoul, Korea.
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Affiliation(s)
- S H Park
- Seoul Metropolitan Government Research Institute of Public Health and Environment, Virus team, Republic of Korea.
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35
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Syn WK, Choi SS, Liaskou E, Karaca GF, Agboola KM, Oo YH, Mi Z, Pereira TA, Zdanowicz M, Malladi P, Chen Y, Moylan C, Jung Y, Bhattacharya SD, Teaberry V, Omenetti A, Abdelmalek MF, Guy CD, Adams DH, Kuo PC, Michelotti GA, Whitington PF, Diehl AM. Osteopontin is induced by hedgehog pathway activation and promotes fibrosis progression in nonalcoholic steatohepatitis. Hepatology 2011; 53:106-15. [PMID: 20967826 PMCID: PMC3025083 DOI: 10.1002/hep.23998] [Citation(s) in RCA: 197] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/11/2010] [Accepted: 09/13/2010] [Indexed: 01/18/2023]
Abstract
UNLABELLED Nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) is a leading cause of cirrhosis. Recently, we showed that NASH-related cirrhosis is associated with Hedgehog (Hh) pathway activation. The gene encoding osteopontin (OPN), a profibrogenic extracellular matrix protein and cytokine, is a direct transcriptional target of the Hh pathway. Thus, we hypothesize that Hh signaling induces OPN to promote liver fibrosis in NASH. Hepatic OPN expression and liver fibrosis were analyzed in wild-type (WT) mice, Patched-deficient (Ptc(+/-) ) (overly active Hh signaling) mice, and OPN-deficient mice before and after feeding methionine and choline-deficient (MCD) diets to induce NASH-related fibrosis. Hepatic OPN was also quantified in human NASH and nondiseased livers. Hh signaling was manipulated in cultured liver cells to assess direct effects on OPN expression, and hepatic stellate cells (HSCs) were cultured in medium with different OPN activities to determine effects on HSC phenotype. When fed MCD diets, Ptc(+/-) mice expressed more OPN and developed worse liver fibrosis (P < 0.05) than WT mice, whereas OPN-deficient mice exhibited reduced fibrosis (P < 0.05). In NASH patients, OPN was significantly up-regulated and correlated with Hh pathway activity and fibrosis stage. During NASH, ductular cells strongly expressed OPN. In cultured HSCs, SAG (an Hh agonist) up-regulated, whereas cyclopamine (an Hh antagonist) repressed OPN expression (P < 0.005). Cholangiocyte-derived OPN and recombinant OPN promoted fibrogenic responses in HSCs (P < 0.05); neutralizing OPN with RNA aptamers attenuated this (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION OPN is Hh-regulated and directly promotes profibrogenic responses. OPN induction correlates with Hh pathway activity and fibrosis stage. Therefore, OPN inhibition may be beneficial in NASH.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wing-Kin Syn
- Division of Gastroenterology, Department of Medicine, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, USA,Centre for Liver Research and NIHR Biomedical Research Unit, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham, UK
| | - Steve S Choi
- Division of Gastroenterology, Department of Medicine, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, USA,Section of Gastroenterology, Department of Medicine, Durham Veteran Affairs Medical Center, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Evaggelia Liaskou
- Centre for Liver Research and NIHR Biomedical Research Unit, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham, UK
| | - Gamze F Karaca
- Division of Gastroenterology, Department of Medicine, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Kolade M Agboola
- Division of Gastroenterology, Department of Medicine, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Ye Htun Oo
- Centre for Liver Research and NIHR Biomedical Research Unit, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham, UK
| | - Zhiyong Mi
- Department of Surgery, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Thiago A Pereira
- Division of Gastroenterology, Department of Medicine, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, USA,Nucleo de Deoncas Infecciosas, Centro de Ciencias da Caude, Universidade Federal do Espirito Santo, Espirito Santo, Brazil
| | - Marzena Zdanowicz
- Division of Gastroenterology, Department of Medicine, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Padmini Malladi
- Department of Pediatrics, The Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Children's Memorial Institute for Education and Research, Chicago, Illinois, USA
| | - Yuping Chen
- Division of Gastroenterology, Department of Medicine, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Cynthia Moylan
- Division of Gastroenterology, Department of Medicine, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, USA,Section of Gastroenterology, Department of Medicine, Durham Veteran Affairs Medical Center, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Youngmi Jung
- Division of Gastroenterology, Department of Medicine, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, USA,Department of Biological Sciences, Pusan National University, Pusan, Korea
| | | | - Vanessa Teaberry
- Division of Gastroenterology, Department of Medicine, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, USA
| | - A Omenetti
- Division of Gastroenterology, Department of Medicine, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Manal F. Abdelmalek
- Division of Gastroenterology, Department of Medicine, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Cynthia D Guy
- Department of Pathology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, USA
| | - David H Adams
- Centre for Liver Research and NIHR Biomedical Research Unit, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham, UK
| | - Paul C Kuo
- Department of Surgery, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Gregory A Michelotti
- Division of Gastroenterology, Department of Medicine, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Peter F Whitington
- Department of Pediatrics, The Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Children's Memorial Institute for Education and Research, Chicago, Illinois, USA
| | - Anna Mae Diehl
- Division of Gastroenterology, Department of Medicine, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, USA
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Pereira TDA, Witek RP, Syn WK, Choi SS, Bradrick S, Karaca GF, Agboola KM, Jung Y, Omenetti A, Moylan CA, Yang L, Fernandez-Zapico ME, Jhaveri R, Shah VH, Pereira FE, Diehl AM. Viral factors induce Hedgehog pathway activation in humans with viral hepatitis, cirrhosis, and hepatocellular carcinoma. J Transl Med 2010; 90:1690-703. [PMID: 20697376 PMCID: PMC2980808 DOI: 10.1038/labinvest.2010.147] [Citation(s) in RCA: 95] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Hedgehog (Hh) pathway activation promotes many processes that occur during fibrogenic liver repair. Whether the Hh pathway modulates the outcomes of virally mediated liver injury has never been examined. Gene-profiling studies of human hepatocellular carcinomas (HCCs) demonstrate Hh pathway activation in HCCs related to chronic infection with hepatitis B virus (HBV) or hepatitis C virus (HCV). Because most HCCs develop in cirrhotic livers, we hypothesized that Hh pathway activation occurs during fibrogenic repair of liver damage due to chronic viral hepatitis, and that Hh-responsive cells mediate disease progression and hepatocarciongenesis in chronic viral hepatitis. Immunohistochemistry and qRT-PCR analysis were used to analyze Hh pathway activation and identify Hh-responsive cell types in liver biopsies from 45 patients with chronic HBV or HCV. Hh signaling was then manipulated in cultured liver cells to directly assess the impact of Hh activity in relevant cell types. We found increased hepatic expression of Hh ligands in all patients with chronic viral hepatitis, and demonstrated that infection with HCV stimulated cultured hepatocytes to produce Hh ligands. The major cell populations that expanded during cirrhosis and HCC (ie, liver myofibroblasts, activated endothelial cells, and progenitors expressing markers of tumor stem/initiating cells) were Hh responsive, and higher levels of Hh pathway activity associated with cirrhosis and HCC. Inhibiting pathway activity in Hh-responsive target cells reduced fibrogenesis, angiogenesis, and growth. In conclusion, HBV/HCV infection increases hepatocyte production of Hh ligands and expands the types of Hh-responsive cells that promote liver fibrosis and cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thiago de Almeida Pereira
- Division of Gastroenterology, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
- Núcleo de Doenças Infecciosas, Centro de Ciências da Saúde, Universidade Federal do Espírito Santo, Vitória, ES, Brazil
| | - Rafal P. Witek
- Division of Gastroenterology, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Wing-Kin Syn
- Division of Gastroenterology, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Steve S. Choi
- Division of Gastroenterology, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Shelton Bradrick
- Department of Molecular Genetics and Microbiology, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Gamze F Karaca
- Division of Gastroenterology, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
| | | | - Youngmi Jung
- Division of Gastroenterology, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
| | | | | | - Liu Yang
- Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA
| | - Martin E. Fernandez-Zapico
- Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA
- Schulze Center for Novel Therapeutics, Division of Oncology Research, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA
| | - Ravi Jhaveri
- Department of Molecular Genetics and Microbiology, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
- Department of Pediatrics, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Vijay H. Shah
- Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA
| | - Fausto E. Pereira
- Núcleo de Doenças Infecciosas, Centro de Ciências da Saúde, Universidade Federal do Espírito Santo, Vitória, ES, Brazil
| | - Anna Mae Diehl
- Division of Gastroenterology, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
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Choi SS, Omenetti A, Syn WK, Diehl AM. The role of Hedgehog signaling in fibrogenic liver repair. Int J Biochem Cell Biol 2010; 43:238-44. [PMID: 21056686 DOI: 10.1016/j.biocel.2010.10.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 90] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/24/2009] [Revised: 09/14/2010] [Accepted: 10/28/2010] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Repair of adult liver, like many tissues, involves the coordinated response of a number of different cell types. In adult livers, fibroblastic cells, ductular cells, inflammatory cells, and progenitor cells contribute to this process. Our studies demonstrate that the fates of such cells are dictated, at least in part, by Hedgehog, a fetal morphogenic pathway that was once thought to be active mainly during embryogenesis. Studies of injured adult human and rodent livers demonstrate that injury-related activation of the Hedgehog pathway modulates several important aspects of repair, including the growth of hepatic progenitor populations, hepatic accumulation of myofibroblasts, repair-related inflammatory responses, vascular remodeling, liver fibrosis and hepatocarcinogenesis. These findings identify the Hedgehog pathway as a potentially important target for biomarker development and therapeutic manipulation, and emphasize the need for further research to advance knowledge about how this pathway is regulated by and interacts with other signals that regulate adult liver repair.
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Affiliation(s)
- Steve S Choi
- Division of Gastroenterology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC 27710, USA
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Choi SS, Syn WK, Karaca GF, Omenetti A, Moylan CA, Witek RP, Agboola KM, Jung Y, Michelotti GA, Diehl AM. Leptin promotes the myofibroblastic phenotype in hepatic stellate cells by activating the hedgehog pathway. J Biol Chem 2010; 285:36551-60. [PMID: 20843817 DOI: 10.1074/jbc.m110.168542] [Citation(s) in RCA: 136] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Trans-differentiation of quiescent hepatic stellate cells (Q-HSCs), which exhibit epithelial and adipocytic features, into myofibroblastic-HSC (MF-HSCs) is a key event in liver fibrosis. Culture models demonstrated that Hedgehog (Hh) pathway activation is required for transition of epithelioid/adipocytic Q-HSCs into MF-HSCs. Hh signaling inhibits adiposity and promotes epithelial-to-mesenchymal transitions (EMTs). Leptin (anti-adipogenic, pro-EMT factor) promotes HSC trans-differentiation and liver fibrosis, suggesting that the pathways may interact to modulate cell fate. This study aimed to determine whether leptin activates Hh signaling and whether this is required for the fibrogenic effects of leptin. Cultures of primary HSCs from lean and fa/fa rats with an inherited ObRb defect were examined. Inhibitors of PI3K/Akt, JAK/STAT, and Hh signaling were used to delineate how ObRb activation influenced Hh signaling and HSC trans-differentiation. Fibrogenesis was compared in wild type and db/db mice (impaired ObRb function) to assess the profibrotic role of leptin. The results demonstrate that leptin-ObR interactions activate Hh signaling with the latter necessary to promote trans-differentiation. Leptin-related increases in Hh signaling required ObR induction of PI3K/Akt, which was sufficient for leptin to repress the epithelioid/adipocytic program. Leptin-mediated induction of JAK/STAT was required for mesenchymal gene expression. Leptin-ObRb interactions were not necessary for HSC trans-differentiation to occur in vitro or in vivo but are important because liver fibrogenesis was attenuated in db/db mice. These findings reveal that leptin activates Hh signaling to alter gene expression programs that control cell fate and have important implications for liver fibrosis and other leptin-regulated processes involving EMTs, including development, obesity, and cancer metastasis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Steve S Choi
- Division of Gastroenterology, Department of Medicine, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina 27710, USA
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Choi SS, Witek RP, Yang L, Omenetti A, Syn WK, Moylan CA, Jung Y, Karaca GF, Teaberry VS, Pereira TA, Wang J, Ren XR, Diehl AM. Activation of Rac1 promotes hedgehog-mediated acquisition of the myofibroblastic phenotype in rat and human hepatic stellate cells. Hepatology 2010; 52:278-90. [PMID: 20578145 PMCID: PMC2920128 DOI: 10.1002/hep.23649] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
UNLABELLED Hepatic accumulation of myofibroblastic hepatic stellate cells (MF-HSCs) is pivotal in the pathogenesis of cirrhosis. Two events are necessary for MF-HSCs to accumulate in damaged livers: transition of resident, quiescent hepatic stellate cells (Q-HSCs) to MF-HSCs and expansion of MF-HSC numbers through increased proliferation and/or reduced apoptosis. In this study, we identified two novel mediators of MF-HSC accumulation: Ras-related C3 botulinum toxin substrate 1 (Rac1) and Hedgehog (Hh). It is unclear whether Rac1 and Hh interact to regulate the accumulation of MF-HSCs. We evaluated the hypothesis that Rac1 promotes activation of the Hh pathway, thereby stimulating signals that promote transition of Q-HSCs into MF-HSCs and enhance the viability of MF-HSCs. Using both in vitro and in vivo model systems, Rac1 activity was manipulated through adenoviral vector-mediated delivery of constitutively active or dominant-negative rac1. Rac1-transgenic mice with targeted myofibroblast expression of a mutated human rac1 transgene that produces constitutively active Rac1 were also examined. Results in all models demonstrated that activating Rac1 in HSC enhanced Hh signaling, promoted acquisition/maintenance of the MF-HSC phenotype, increased MF-HSC viability, and exacerbated fibrogenesis. Conversely, inhibiting Rac1 with dominant-negative rac1 reversed these effects in all systems examined. Pharmacologic manipulation of Hh signaling demonstrated that profibrogenic actions of Rac1 were mediated by its ability to activate Hh pathway-dependent mechanisms that stimulated myofibroblastic transition of HSCs and enhanced MF-HSC viability. CONCLUSION These findings demonstrate that interactions between Rac1 and the Hh pathway control the size of MF-HSC populations and have important implications for the pathogenesis of cirrhosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Steve S. Choi
- Division of Gastroenterology, Duke University, Durham, NC,Department of Medicine, Durham Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Durham, NC
| | - Rafal P. Witek
- Division of Gastroenterology, Duke University, Durham, NC
| | - Liu Yang
- Division of Gastroenterology, Duke University, Durham, NC,Department of Medicine, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN
| | | | - Wing-Kin Syn
- Division of Gastroenterology, Duke University, Durham, NC
| | - Cynthia A. Moylan
- Division of Gastroenterology, Duke University, Durham, NC,Department of Medicine, Durham Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Durham, NC
| | - Youngmi Jung
- Division of Gastroenterology, Duke University, Durham, NC
| | | | | | - Thiago A. Pereira
- Division of Gastroenterology, Duke University, Durham, NC,Núcleo de Doenças Infecciosas, Centro de Ciências da Saúde, Universidade Federal do Espírito Santo, Vitória, Espírito Santo, Brazil
| | - Jiangbo Wang
- Division of Gastroenterology, Duke University, Durham, NC
| | - Xiu-Rong Ren
- Division of Gastroenterology, Duke University, Durham, NC
| | - Anna Mae Diehl
- Division of Gastroenterology, Duke University, Durham, NC
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Syn WK, Oo YH, Pereira TA, Karaca GF, Jung Y, Omenetti A, Witek RP, Choi SS, Guy CD, Fearing CM, Teaberry V, Pereira FEL, Adams DH, Diehl AM. Accumulation of natural killer T cells in progressive nonalcoholic fatty liver disease. Hepatology 2010; 51:1998-2007. [PMID: 20512988 PMCID: PMC2920131 DOI: 10.1002/hep.23599] [Citation(s) in RCA: 209] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
UNLABELLED Liver inflammation is greater in nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) than steatosis, suggesting that immune responses contribute to nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) progression. Livers normally contain many natural killer T (NKT) cells that produce factors that modulate inflammatory and fibrogenic responses. Such cells are relatively depleted in steatosis, but their status in more advanced NAFLD is uncertain. We hypothesized that NKT cells accumulate and promote fibrosis progression in NASH. We aimed to determine if livers become enriched with NKT cells during NASH-related fibrosis; identify responsible mechanisms; and assess if NKT cells stimulate fibrogenesis. NKT cells were analyzed in wildtype mice and Patched-deficient (Ptc(+/-)) mice with an overly active Hedgehog (Hh) pathway, before and after feeding methionine choline-deficient (MCD) diets to induce NASH-related fibrosis. Effects of NKT cell-derived factors on hepatic stellate cells (HSC) were examined and fibrogenesis was evaluated in CD1d-deficient mice that lack NKT cells. NKT cells were quantified in human cirrhotic and nondiseased livers. During NASH-related fibrogenesis in wildtype mice, Hh pathway activation occurred, leading to induction of factors that promoted NKT cell recruitment, retention, and viability, plus liver enrichment with NKT cells. Ptc(+/-) mice accumulated more NKT cells and developed worse liver fibrosis; CD1d-deficient mice that lack NKT cells were protected from fibrosis. NKT cell-conditioned medium stimulated HSC to become myofibroblastic. Liver explants were 2-fold enriched with NKT cells in patients with non-NASH cirrhosis, and 4-fold enriched in patients with NASH cirrhosis. CONCLUSION Hh pathway activation leads to hepatic enrichment with NKT cells that contribute to fibrosis progression in NASH.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wing-Kin Syn
- Division of Gastroenterology, Department of Medicine, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Ye Htun Oo
- Centre for Liver Research, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham, UK
| | - Thiago A Pereira
- Division of Gastroenterology, Department of Medicine, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, USA,Núcleo de Doenças Infecciosas, Centro de Ciências da Saúde, Universidade Federal do Espírito Santo, Vitória, Espírito Santo, Brazil
| | - Gamze F Karaca
- Division of Gastroenterology, Department of Medicine, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Youngmi Jung
- Division of Gastroenterology, Department of Medicine, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Alessia Omenetti
- Division of Gastroenterology, Department of Medicine, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Rafal P Witek
- Division of Gastroenterology, Department of Medicine, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Steve S Choi
- Division of Gastroenterology, Department of Medicine, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, USA,Section of Gastroenterology, Department of Medicine, Durham Veteran Affairs Medical Center, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Cynthia D Guy
- Department of Pathology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Caitlin M Fearing
- Division of Gastroenterology, Department of Medicine, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Vanessa Teaberry
- Department of Surgery, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Fausto E L Pereira
- Division of Gastroenterology, Department of Medicine, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, USA
| | - David H Adams
- Centre for Liver Research, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham, UK
| | - Anna Mae Diehl
- Division of Gastroenterology, Department of Medicine, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, USA
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41
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Abstract
OBJECTIVE The death rate of mature hepatocytes is chronically increased in various liver diseases, triggering responses that prevent liver atrophy, but often cause fibrosis. Mice with targeted disruption of inhibitor kappa B kinase (Ikk) in hepatocytes (HEP mice) provide a model to investigate this process because inhibiting Ikk-nuclear factor-kappaB (NF-kappaB) signalling in hepatocytes increases their apoptosis. METHODS Cell proliferation, apoptosis, progenitors, fibrosis and production of Hedgehog (Hh) ligands (progenitor and myofibroblast growth factors) were compared in HEP and control mice before and after feeding methionine choline-deficient ethionine-supplemented (MCDE) diets. Ikkbeta was deleted from primary hepatocytes to determine the effects on Hh ligand production; Hh signalling was inhibited directly in progenitors to determine the effects on viability. Liver sections from patients were examined to assess relationships between hepatocyte production of Hh ligands, accumulation of myofibroblastic cells and liver fibrosis. RESULTS Disrupting the Ikk-NF-kappaB pathway in hepatocytes inhibited their proliferation but induced their production of Hh ligands. The latter provided viability signals for progenitors and myofibroblasts, enhancing accumulation of these cell types and causing fibrogenesis. Findings in the mouse models were recapitulated in diseased human livers. CONCLUSION Dying mature hepatocytes produce Hh ligands which promote the compensatory outgrowth of progenitors and myofibroblasts. These results help to explain why diseases that chronically increase hepatocyte death promote cirrhosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Youngmi Jung
- Department of Medicine, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina
| | - Rafal P. Witek
- Department of Medicine, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina
| | - Wing-Kin Syn
- Department of Medicine, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina
| | - Steve S. Choi
- Department of Medicine, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina
| | | | - Richard Premont
- Department of Medicine, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina
| | - Cynthia D. Guy
- Department of Pathology, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina
| | - Anna Mae Diehl
- Department of Medicine, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina
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Ochoa B, Syn WK, Delgado I, Karaca GF, Jung Y, Wang J, Zubiaga AM, Fresnedo O, Omenetti A, Zdanowicz M, Choi SS, Diehl AM. Hedgehog signaling is critical for normal liver regeneration after partial hepatectomy in mice. Hepatology 2010; 51:1712-23. [PMID: 20432255 PMCID: PMC2920129 DOI: 10.1002/hep.23525] [Citation(s) in RCA: 134] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
UNLABELLED Distinct mechanisms are believed to regulate growth of the liver during fetal development and after injury in adults, because the former relies on progenitors and the latter generally involves replication of mature hepatocytes. However, chronic liver injury in adults increases production of Hedgehog (Hh) ligands, developmental morphogens that control progenitor cell fate and orchestrate various aspects of tissue construction during embryogenesis. This raises the possibility that similar Hh-dependent mechanisms also might regulate adult liver regeneration. The current analysis of murine liver regeneration after 70% partial hepatectomy (PH), an established model of adult liver regeneration, demonstrated that PH induced production of Hh ligands and activated Hh signaling in liver cells. Treatment with a specific Hh signaling inhibitor interfered with several key components of normal liver regeneration, significantly inhibiting progenitor responses, matrix remodeling, proliferation of hepatocytes and ductular cells, and restoration of liver mass. These global inhibitory effects on liver regeneration dramatically reduced survival after PH. CONCLUSION Mechanisms that mediate liver organogenesis, such as Hh pathway activation, are retained and promote reconstruction of adult livers after injury.
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Affiliation(s)
- Begoña Ochoa
- Division of Gastroenterology, Department of Medicine, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina, USA,Department of Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, University of the Basque Country, Bilbao, Spain
| | - Wing-Kin Syn
- Division of Gastroenterology, Department of Medicine, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina, USA
| | - Igotz Delgado
- Department of Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, University of the Basque Country, Bilbao, Spain
| | - Gamze F. Karaca
- Division of Gastroenterology, Department of Medicine, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina, USA
| | - Youngmi Jung
- Division of Gastroenterology, Department of Medicine, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina, USA
| | - Jiangbo Wang
- Division of Gastroenterology, Department of Medicine, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina, USA
| | - Ana M. Zubiaga
- Department of Genetics, Physical Anthropology and Animal Physiology, Faculty of Science and Technology, University of the Basque Country, Bilbao, Spain
| | - Olatz Fresnedo
- Department of Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, University of the Basque Country, Bilbao, Spain
| | - Alessia Omenetti
- Division of Gastroenterology, Department of Medicine, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina, USA
| | - Marzena Zdanowicz
- Division of Gastroenterology, Department of Medicine, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina, USA
| | - Steve S. Choi
- Division of Gastroenterology, Department of Medicine, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina, USA,Section of Gastroenterology, Durham Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina, USA
| | - Anna Mae Diehl
- Division of Gastroenterology, Department of Medicine, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina, USA
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Choi SS, Omenetti A, Witek RP, Moylan CA, Syn WK, Jung Y, Yang L, Sudan DL, Sicklick JK, Michelotti GA, Rojkind M, Diehl AM. Hedgehog pathway activation and epithelial-to-mesenchymal transitions during myofibroblastic transformation of rat hepatic cells in culture and cirrhosis. Am J Physiol Gastrointest Liver Physiol 2009; 297:G1093-106. [PMID: 19815628 PMCID: PMC2850083 DOI: 10.1152/ajpgi.00292.2009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 190] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/31/2023]
Abstract
Myofibroblastic hepatic stellate cells (MF-HSC) are derived from quiescent hepatic stellate cells (Q-HSC). Q-HSC express certain epithelial cell markers and have been reported to form junctional complexes similar to epithelial cells. We have shown that Hedgehog (Hh) signaling plays a key role in HSC growth. Because Hh ligands regulate epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT), we determined whether Q-HSC express EMT markers and then assessed whether these markers change as Q-HSC transition into MF-HSC and whether the process is modulated by Hh signaling. Q-HSC were isolated from healthy livers and cultured to promote myofibroblastic transition. Changes in mRNA and protein expression of epithelial and mesenchymal markers, Hh ligands, and target genes were monitored in HSC treated with and without cyclopamine (an Hh inhibitor). Studies were repeated in primary human HSC and clonally derived HSC from a cirrhotic rat. Q-HSC activation in vitro (culture) and in vivo (CCl(4)-induced cirrhosis) resulted in decreased expression of Hh-interacting protein (Hhip, an Hh antagonist), the EMT inhibitors bone morphogenic protein (BMP-7) and inhibitor of differentiation (Id2), the adherens junction component E-cadherin, and epithelial keratins 7 and 19 and increased expression of Gli2 (an Hh target gene) and mesenchymal markers, including the mesenchyme-associated transcription factors Lhx2 and Msx2, the myofibroblast marker alpha-smooth muscle actin, and matrix molecules such as collagen. Cyclopamine reverted myofibroblastic transition, reducing mesenchymal gene expression while increasing epithelial markers in rodent and human HSC. We conclude that Hh signaling plays a key role in transition of Q-HSC into MF-HSC. Our findings suggest that Q-HSC are capable of transitioning between epithelial and mesenchymal fates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Steve S. Choi
- 1Division of Gastroenterology and ,2Department of Medicine, Durham Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina;
| | | | | | - Cynthia A. Moylan
- 1Division of Gastroenterology and ,2Department of Medicine, Durham Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina;
| | | | | | - Liu Yang
- 1Division of Gastroenterology and
| | | | - Jason K. Sicklick
- 4Department of Surgery, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, New York, New York; and
| | | | - Marcos Rojkind
- 6Departments of Biochemistry, Molecular Biology, and Pathology, George Washington University, Washington, DC
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44
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Abstract
The outcome of liver injury is dictated by the effectiveness of repair. Successful repair (i.e., regeneration) results in replacement of dead epithelial cells with healthy epithelial cells, and reconstructs normal hepatic structure and function. Liver regeneration is known to involve replication of surviving mature hepatocytes and bile duct cells. This review discusses recent evidence for other mechanisms that might also replace dead hepatic epithelial cells and repair liver damage, particularly during chronic injury. According to this theory, certain epithelial cells in developing livers and/or injured adult livers undergo epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) and move into the hepatic mesenchyme where they exhibit fibroblastic features. Some of these epithelia-derived mesenchymal cells, however, may be capable of undergoing subsequent mesenchymal-to-epithelial transition (MET), reverting to epithelial cells that ultimately become hepatocytes or cholangiocytes. Although these concepts remain to be proven, the theory predicts that the balance between EMT and MET modulates the outcome of chronic liver injury. When EMT activity outstrips MET, repair is mainly fibrogenic, causing liver fibrosis. Conversely, predominance of MET favors more normal liver regeneration. In this review, we summarize evidence that certain resident liver cells are capable of EMTs in vitro and during chronic liver injury.
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Affiliation(s)
- Steve S. Choi
- Division of Gastroenterology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC,Section of Gastroenterology, Durham Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Durham, NC
| | - Anna Mae Diehl
- Division of Gastroenterology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC
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45
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Abstract
Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), one of the commonest causes of chronic liver disease in the United States, represents several overlapping clinicopathological states, ranging from simple steatosis to non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH). Although dysregulated lipid accumulation occurs across the spectrum of NAFLD, features of liver cell injury, such as hepatocyte ballooning, cytoskeletal changes (Mallory-Denk bodies), and hepatocyte apoptosis, occur predominantly in NASH and distinguish NASH from simple steatosis. Indeed, NASH is a more serious form of liver damage because cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma are potential outcomes of NASH. Meanwhile, cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma rarely occur in individuals with simple steatosis. Hepatic injury and apoptosis that occur in adults are often dysregulated and accompanied by the accumulation of immune cells, which produce cytokines and growth factors that drive chronic inflammation and may result in fibrosis. This article summarizes the process of apoptosis and roles of putative cytokines in progressive NAFLD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wing-Kin Syn
- Division of Gastroenterology Duke University Medical Center, NC, USA,Liver Research Group University of Birmingham, UK
| | - Steve S Choi
- Section of Gastroenterology, Department of Medicine Durham Veteran Affairs Medical Center, NC, USA
| | - Anna Mae Diehl
- Division of Gastroenterology Duke University Medical Center, NC, USA
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46
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Witek RP, Stone WC, Karaca FG, Syn WK, Pereira TA, Agboola KM, Omenetti A, Jung Y, Teaberry V, Choi SS, Guy CD, Pollard J, Charlton P, Diehl AM. Pan-caspase inhibitor VX-166 reduces fibrosis in an animal model of nonalcoholic steatohepatitis. Hepatology 2009; 50:1421-30. [PMID: 19676126 DOI: 10.1002/hep.23167] [Citation(s) in RCA: 181] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
UNLABELLED Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a potentially progressive liver disease that culminates in cirrhosis. Cirrhosis occurs more often in individuals with nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) than in those with steatosis (nonalcoholic fatty liver [NAFL]). The difference between NAFL and NASH is the extent of hepatocyte apoptosis, which is more extensive in NASH. Because phagocytosis of apoptotic cells activates hepatic stellate cells (HSCs), we examined the hypothesis that a pan-caspase inhibitor, VX-166, would reduce progression of fibrosis in a mouse model of NASH. Male db/db mice were fed methionine/choline-deficient (MCD) diets to induce NASH and liver fibrosis. Mice were gavaged once daily with either the pan-caspase inhibitor VX-166 (6 mg/kg/d; Vertex, Abingdon, UK) or vehicle only and sacrificed at 4 or 8 weeks. Treatment with an MCD diet increased alanine aminotransferase (ALT), caspase-3 activity, terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated dUTP nick-end labeling (TUNEL)-positive cells, NASH, and fibrosis. Treatment of MCD-fed mice with VX-166 decreased active caspase-3, TUNEL-positive cells, and triglyceride content (P < 0.05). However, ALT levels were similar in VX-166-treated mice and vehicle-treated controls. Histological findings also confirmed that both groups had comparable liver injury (NAFLD activity score >or=6). Nevertheless, VX-166-treated MCD-fed mice demonstrated decreased alpha-smooth muscle actin expression (4 weeks, P < 0.05; 8 weeks, P < 0.005) and had reduced hepatic levels of collagen 1alpha1 messenger RNA (8 weeks, P < 0.05). Hydroxyproline content and Sirius red staining of VX-166-treated livers confirmed decreases in fibrosis. CONCLUSION Inhibiting hepatic apoptosis suppresses the development of fibrosis in mice with NASH. Beneficial effects on liver fibrosis were associated with reductions in hepatic steatosis, but occurred without obvious improvement in liver injury. These findings are consistent with evidence that apoptosis triggers HSC activation and liver fibrosis and suggest that caspase inhibitors may be useful as an antifibrotic NASH therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rafal P Witek
- Division of Gastroenterology, Department of Medicine, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, USA
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Abstract
BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE MR imaging features of HE have not been fully established. The purpose of this study was to determine the topographic distribution and DWI findings of HE. MATERIALS AND METHODS We retrospectively evaluated HE MR imaging (n = 11). The topographic distribution of the lesions was evaluated on routine MR imaging, and DWI SI and ADC values were assessed. The ADC value of involved lesions was compared with the noninvolved subcortical WM area by use of the paired t test. RESULTS MR images demonstrated bilateral diffusion-restrictive lesions in the posterior limb of the IC (n = 6), cerebral cortex (n = 8), CR (n = 7), CS (n = 9), hippocampus (n = 4), and BG (n = 1). The mean ADC value of lesions was 448.82 +/- 92.34 x 10(-6) mm(2)/s compared with the mean ADC value of noninvolved lesions (837.72 +/- 62.14 x 10(-6) mm(2)/s); this difference was statistically significant (P < .000). The lesions showed complete resolution on follow-up DWI for 6 patients. Three patients with cortical involvement of > or = 2 lobes showed partial recovery or death, but most of the other patients with WM involvement or cortical involvement in only 1 lobe experienced complete recovery. CONCLUSIONS The topographic localization of the lesions was the posterior limb of the IC, cerebral cortex, CR, CS, hippocampus, and BG. Most HE lesions probably correspond to areas of reversible cytotoxic edema as seen on DWI, which can predict the prognosis of HE according to the degree of lesion extent.
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Affiliation(s)
- E G Kang
- Department of Radiology, Wonkwang University Hospital, Chunbuk, Republic of Korea
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48
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Choi SS, Omenetti A, Witek RP, Moylan CA, Syn WK, Jung Y, Yang L, Sudan DL, Sicklick JK, Michelotti GA, Rojkind M, Diehl AM. Hedgehog pathway activation and epithelial-to-mesenchymal transitions during myofibroblastic transformation of rat hepatic cells in culture and cirrhosis. Am J Physiol Gastrointest Liver Physiol 2009. [PMID: 19815628 DOI: 10.1152/ajpqi.00292.2009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/19/2023]
Abstract
Myofibroblastic hepatic stellate cells (MF-HSC) are derived from quiescent hepatic stellate cells (Q-HSC). Q-HSC express certain epithelial cell markers and have been reported to form junctional complexes similar to epithelial cells. We have shown that Hedgehog (Hh) signaling plays a key role in HSC growth. Because Hh ligands regulate epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT), we determined whether Q-HSC express EMT markers and then assessed whether these markers change as Q-HSC transition into MF-HSC and whether the process is modulated by Hh signaling. Q-HSC were isolated from healthy livers and cultured to promote myofibroblastic transition. Changes in mRNA and protein expression of epithelial and mesenchymal markers, Hh ligands, and target genes were monitored in HSC treated with and without cyclopamine (an Hh inhibitor). Studies were repeated in primary human HSC and clonally derived HSC from a cirrhotic rat. Q-HSC activation in vitro (culture) and in vivo (CCl(4)-induced cirrhosis) resulted in decreased expression of Hh-interacting protein (Hhip, an Hh antagonist), the EMT inhibitors bone morphogenic protein (BMP-7) and inhibitor of differentiation (Id2), the adherens junction component E-cadherin, and epithelial keratins 7 and 19 and increased expression of Gli2 (an Hh target gene) and mesenchymal markers, including the mesenchyme-associated transcription factors Lhx2 and Msx2, the myofibroblast marker alpha-smooth muscle actin, and matrix molecules such as collagen. Cyclopamine reverted myofibroblastic transition, reducing mesenchymal gene expression while increasing epithelial markers in rodent and human HSC. We conclude that Hh signaling plays a key role in transition of Q-HSC into MF-HSC. Our findings suggest that Q-HSC are capable of transitioning between epithelial and mesenchymal fates.
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49
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Syn WK, Jung Y, Omenetti A, Abdelmalek M, Guy CD, Yang L, Wang J, Witek RP, Fearing CM, Pereira TA, Teaberry V, Choi SS, Vancells JC, Karaca G, Diehl AM. Hedgehog-mediated epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition and fibrogenic repair in nonalcoholic fatty liver disease. Gastroenterology 2009; 137:1478-1488.e8. [PMID: 19577569 PMCID: PMC2757536 DOI: 10.1053/j.gastro.2009.06.051] [Citation(s) in RCA: 195] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/20/2009] [Revised: 06/19/2009] [Accepted: 06/24/2009] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND & AIMS Repair responses define the ultimate outcomes of liver disease. This study evaluated the hypothesis that fibrogenic repair in nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is mediated by Hedgehog (Hh) pathway activation and consequent induction of epithelial-to-mesenchymal transitions (EMT) in ductular-type progenitors. METHODS Immature ductular cells were exposed to Sonic hedgehog (Shh) in the presence or absence of the Hh inhibitor cyclopamine to determine whether Hh-pathway activation directly modulates EMT in liver progenitors. Potential biologic correlates of progenitor cell EMT were assessed using mice fed methionine-choline-deficient + ethionine (MCDE) diets with or without cyclopamine. The effects of increased Hh signaling on EMT and fibrogenic repair during diet-induced NAFLD were also compared in wild-type (WT) and Patched haplo-insufficient (Ptc(+/-)) mice. Finally, evidence of Hh-pathway activation and EMT was examined in liver sections from patients with NAFLD. RESULTS In cultured progenitors, Shh repressed expression of epithelial genes and EMT inhibitors but induced genes that are expressed by myofibroblasts. Cyclopamine reversed these effects. In mouse NAFLD models, Hh-pathway activation, EMT, expansion of myofibroblastic populations, and liver fibrosis occurred. Cyclopamine inhibited Hh-pathway activation and induction of EMT. Ptc(+/-) mice, which have an overactive Hh pathway, exhibited sustained overinduction of Hh target genes and more EMT, myofibroblast accumulation, and fibrosis than WT mice. Numbers of Shh-producing cells and Hh-responsive ductular cells that expressed EMT markers increased in parallel with liver fibrosis in patients with NAFLD. CONCLUSIONS Hh-mediated EMT in ductular cells contributes to the pathogenesis of cirrhosis in NAFLD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wing-Kin Syn
- Division of Gastroenterology, Department of Medicine, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Youngmi Jung
- Division of Gastroenterology, Department of Medicine, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Alessia Omenetti
- Division of Gastroenterology, Department of Medicine, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Manal Abdelmalek
- Division of Gastroenterology, Department of Medicine, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Cynthia D Guy
- Department of Pathology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Liu Yang
- Division of Gastroenterology, Department of Medicine, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Jiangbo Wang
- Division of Gastroenterology, Department of Medicine, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Rafal P Witek
- Division of Gastroenterology, Department of Medicine, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Caitlin M Fearing
- Division of Gastroenterology, Department of Medicine, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Thiago A Pereira
- Division of Gastroenterology, Department of Medicine, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Vanessa Teaberry
- Department of General Surgery, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Steve S Choi
- Division of Gastroenterology, Department of Medicine, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, USA,Section of Gastroenterology, Department of Medicine, Durham Veteran Affairs Medical Center, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Javier C Vancells
- Division of Gastroenterology, Department of Medicine, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, USA
| | - G Karaca
- Division of Gastroenterology, Department of Medicine, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Anna Mae Diehl
- Division of Gastroenterology, Department of Medicine, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, USA
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50
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Syn WK, Witek RP, Curbishley SM, Jung Y, Choi SS, Enrich B, Omenetti A, Agboola KM, Fearing CM, Tilg H, Adams DH, Diehl AM. Role for hedgehog pathway in regulating growth and function of invariant NKT cells. Eur J Immunol 2009; 39:1879-92. [PMID: 19544307 DOI: 10.1002/eji.200838890] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
Abstract
Lymphocyte accumulation is characteristic of chronic hepatitis, but the mechanisms regulating lymphocyte numbers and their roles in liver disease progression are poorly understood. The Hedgehog (Hh) pathway regulates thymic development and lymphopoeisis during embryogenesis, and is activated in fibrosing liver disease in adults. Our objective was to determine if Hh ligands regulate the viability and phenotype of NKT cells, which comprise a substantial sub-population of resident lymphocytes in healthy adult livers and often accumulate during liver fibrosis. The results demonstrate that a mouse invariant NKT cell line (DN32 iNKT cells), mouse primary liver iNKT cells, and human peripheral blood iNKT cells are all responsive to sonic hedgehog (Shh). In cultured iNKT cells, Shh enhances proliferation, inhibits apoptosis, induces activation, and stimulates expression of the pro-fibrogenic cytokine, IL-13. Livers of transgenic mice with an overly active Hh pathway harbor increased numbers of iNKT cells. iNKT cells also express Shh. These results demonstrate that iNKT cells produce and respond to Hh ligands, and that Hh pathway activation regulates the size and cytokine production of liver iNKT cell populations. Therefore, Hh pathway activation may contribute to the local expansion of pro-fibrogenic iNKT cell populations during certain types of fibrosing liver damage.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wing-Kin Syn
- Department of Medicine, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, USA
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