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Thrombin cleavage of osteopontin controls activation of hepatic stellate cells and is essential for liver fibrogenesis.

ABSTRACT: Liver biopsy is the current reliable way of evaluating liver fibrosis. However, no specific sera biomarker could be applied in clinical diagnosis. As the pivotal role of osteopontin (OPN) reported in numerous liver diseases, thrombin-cleaved OPN (Thr-OPN) exposes an integrin-binding motif that promoted biological functions. Herein, we investigated the potential of Thr-OPN in liver fibrosis. Using patient samples, mouse models and hepatic stellate cells (HSCs), we analyzed the involvement of Thr-OPN in liver fibrosis. The result showed that, first, Thr-OPN level was significantly higher in patients with liver cirrhosis than that in patients with chronic hepatitis B and healthy controls. Thr-OPN level was positively correlated with liver fibrosis degree in clinical samples. Then in mouse models, it showed a similar correlation between hepatic Thr-OPN levels and liver fibrosis degree. Thr-OPN peptides exacerbated liver fibrosis in OPN-deficient mice, whereas the neutralization of Thr-OPN alleviated liver fibrosis in wild-type mice. Furthermore, when compared with full-length OPN (FL-OPN), Thr-OPN exhibited a greater ability to promote HSC activation, proliferation, and migration via mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinase and nuclear factor (NF)-?B pathways. In conclusion, Thr-OPN, not FL-OPN, was critically involved in the exacerbation of liver fibrosis by ?9 and ?4 integrins via MAP kinase and NF-?B signaling pathway, thus representing a novel diagnostic biomarker and treatment target for liver cirrhosis.

SUBMITTER: Cui G

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6588095 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Thrombin cleavage of osteopontin controls activation of hepatic stellate cells and is essential for liver fibrogenesis.

Cui Guangying G Chen Jianing J Wu Zhongwen Z Huang Haijun H Wang Lin L Liang Yan Y Zeng Ping P Yang Jiezuan J Uede Toshimitsu T Diao Hongyan H

Journal of cellular physiology 20181023 6

Liver biopsy is the current reliable way of evaluating liver fibrosis. However, no specific sera biomarker could be applied in clinical diagnosis. As the pivotal role of osteopontin (OPN) reported in numerous liver diseases, thrombin-cleaved OPN (Thr-OPN) exposes an integrin-binding motif that promoted biological functions. Herein, we investigated the potential of Thr-OPN in liver fibrosis. Using patient samples, mouse models and hepatic stellate cells (HSCs), we analyzed the involvement of Thr- ...[more]

PMID: 30350863

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Project description:AimTo investigate over-expression of Osteopontin (OPN) pathway expression and mechanisms of action in human alcoholic liver disease (ALD), in vivo and in vitro acute alcohol models.MethodsOPN pathway was evaluated in livers from patients with progressive stages of human ALD and serum from drinkers with and without liver cirrhosis. In vitro stellate LX2 cells exposed to acute alcohol and in vivo in acute alcoholic steatosis mouse models were also investigated for OPN pathway expression and function. WT and OPN(-/-) mice were administered an acute dose of alcohol and extent of liver injury was examined by histopathology and liver biochemistry after 16-24 h. The causative role of OPN was studied in OPN knockout animals and in vitro in stellate LX2 cells, utilizing siRNA, aptamer and neutralizing antibodies to block OPN and OPN pathway. OPN pathway expression and downstream functional consequences were measured for signaling by Western blotting, plasmin activation by spectrophotometric assays and cell migration by confocal imaging and quantitation.ResultsOPN expression positively correlated with disease severity in patients with progressive stages of ALD. In vivo, associated with alcoholic steatosis, a single dose of acute alcohol significantly increased hepatic OPN mRNA and protein, and a cleaved OPN form in a dose dependent manner. OPN mRNA and secreted OPN also increased in parallel with activation of LX2 stellate cells within 4 h of a single dose of alcohol. Expression of OPN receptors, αvβ3-integrin and CD44, increased in human ALD, and in vivo and in vitro with alcohol administration. This was accompanied by downstream phosphorylation of Akt and Erk, increased mRNA expression of several fibrogenesis, fibrinolysis and extracellular matrix pathway genes, plasmin activation and hepatic stellate cell (HSC) migration. Inhibition of OPN and OPN-receptor mediated signaling partially inhibited alcohol-induced HSC activation, plasmin activity and cell migration.ConclusionOPN is a key mediator of the alcohol-induced effects on hepatic stellate cell functions and liver fibrogenesis.

Project description:Background & aimsThe role of aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) in liver fibrosis is controversial because loss and gain of AhR activity both lead to liver fibrosis. The goal of this study was to investigate how the expression of AhR by different liver cell types, hepatic stellate cells (HSCs) in particular, affects liver fibrosis in mice.MethodsWe studied the effects of AhR on primary mouse and human HSCs, measuring their activation and stimulation of fibrogenesis using RNA-sequencing analysis. C57BL/6J mice were given the AhR agonists 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD) or 2-(1'H-indole-3'-carbonyl)-thiazole-4-carboxylic acid methyl ester (ITE); were given carbon tetrachloride (CCl4); or underwent bile duct ligation. We also performed studies in mice with disruption of Ahr specifically in HSCs, hepatocytes, or Kupffer cells. Liver tissues were collected from mice and analyzed by histology, immunohistochemistry, and immunoblotting.ResultsAhR was expressed at high levels in quiescent HSCs, but the expression decreased with HSC activation. Activation of HSCs from AhR-knockout mice was accelerated compared with HSCs from wild-type mice. In contrast, TCDD or ITE inhibited spontaneous and transforming growth factor β-induced activation of HSCs. Mice with disruption of Ahr in HSCs, but not hepatocytes or Kupffer cells, developed more severe fibrosis after administration of CCl4 or bile duct ligation. C57BL/6J mice given ITE did not develop CCl4-induced liver fibrosis, whereas mice without HSC AhR given ITE did develop CCl4-induced liver fibrosis. In studies of mouse and human HSCs, we found that AhR prevents transforming growth factor β-induced fibrogenesis by disrupting the interaction of Smad3 with β-catenin, which prevents the expression of genes that mediate fibrogenesis.ConclusionsIn studies of human and mouse HSCs, we found that AhR prevents HSC activation and expression of genes required for liver fibrogenesis. Development of nontoxic AhR agonists or strategies to activate AhR signaling in HSCs might be developed to prevent or treat liver fibrosis.

Dataset Information

Thrombin cleavage of osteopontin controls activation of hepatic stellate cells and is essential for liver fibrogenesis.

Publications

Thrombin cleavage of osteopontin controls activation of hepatic stellate cells and is essential for liver fibrogenesis.

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