The G protein-coupled bile acid receptor TGR5 (Gpbar1) modulates endothelin-1 signalling in liver
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ABSTRACT: TGR5 (Gpbar1) is a G protein-coupled receptor responsive to bile acids (BAs), which is expressed in different non-parenchymal cells of the liver, including biliary epithelial cells, liver-resident macrophages, sinusoidal endothelial cells (LSECs) and activated hepatic stellate cells (HSCs). Mice with targeted deletion of TGR5 are more susceptible towards cholestatic liver injury induced by cholic acid-feeding and bile duct ligation, resulting in a reduced proliferative response and increased liver injury. Conjugated lithocholic acid (LCA) represents the most potent TGR5 BA ligand and LCA-feeding has been used as a model to rapidly induce severe cholestatic liver injury in mice. Thus, TGR5 knockout (KO) mice and wildtype littermates were fed a diet supplemented with 1%LCA for 84 hours. Liver injury and gene expression changes induced by the LCA-diet revealed an enrichment of pathways associated with inflammation, proliferation and matrix remodelling. Knockout of TGR5 in mice caused upregulation of endothelin-1 (ET-1) expression in the livers. Analysis of TGR5-dependent ET-1 signalling in isolated LSECs and HSCs demonstrated that TGR5 activation reduces ET-1 expression and secretion from LSECs and triggers internalization of the ET-1 receptor in HSCs dampening ET-1 responsiveness. Thus, we identified two independent mechanisms by which TGR5 inhibits ET-1 signalling and modulates portal pressure.
Project description:Background & Aims: NOTCH signaling in liver sinusoidal endothelial cells (LSECs) regulates liver fibrosis, a pathological feature of chronic liver diseases. POFUT1 is an essential regulator of NOTCH signaling. Here, we investigated the role of LSECs-expressed POFUT1 in liver fibrosis. Methods: Endothelial-specific Pofut1 knockout mice were generated and subjected to experimental liver fibrosis by chronic carbon tetrachloride exposure or by common bile duct ligation. Liver samples were assessed by ELISA, histology, electron microscopy, immunostaining and RNA in situ hybridization. LSECs and hepatic stellate cells (HSCs) were isolated for gene expression analysis by RNA-seq, qPCR, and Western blotting. Signaling crosstalk between LSECs and HSCs was investigated by treating HSCs with supernatant from LSECs cultures. Liver single-cell RNA-seq data sets from cirrhotic patients and healthy individuals were analyzed to evaluate the clinical relevance of gene expression changes observed in mouse studies. Results: POFUT1 loss promoted injury-induced LSECs capillarization and HSC activation, leading to aggravated liver fibrosis. RNA-seq analysis revealed that POFUT1 deficiency upregulated fibrinogen expression in LSECs. Consistently, fibrinogen was elevated in LSECs of cirrhotic patients. HSCs treated with supernatant from LSECs of Pofut1 null mice showed exacerbated activation compared to treatment with supernatant from control LSECs, and this effect was attenuated by knockdown of fibrinogen or by pharmacological inhibition of fibrinogen receptor signaling, altogether suggesting that LSEC-derived fibrinogen induced the activation of HSCs. Mechanistically, POFUT1 loss augmented fibrinogen expression by enhancing NOTCH/HES1/STAT3 signaling. Conclusions: Endothelial POFUT1 prevents injury-induced liver fibrosis by repressing the expression of fibrinogen which function as a profibrotic paracrine signal to activate HSCs. Therapies targeting the POFUT1/NOTCH/HES1/STAT3/fibrinogen axis offer a promising strategy for the prevention and treatment of fibrotic liver diseases.
Project description:Background and aims: Signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (Stat3) is the main mediator of interleukin-6 type cytokine signaling required for hepatocyte proliferation and hepatoprotection but its role in sclerosing cholangitis (SC) and other cholestatic liver diseases remains unresolved. Methods: We investigated the role of Stat3 in inflammation-induced cholestatic liver injury and used mice lacking the multidrug resistance gene 2 (mdr2-/-) as a model for SC. Results: We demonstrate that conditional inactivation of stat3 in hepatocytes and cholangiocytes (stat3Δhc) of mdr2-/- mice strongly aggravated bile acid-induced liver injury and fibrosis. Similarly, stat3Δhc mice are more sensitive to cholic acid feeding than control mice. Global gene expression analysis demonstrated that hepatoprotective signals via epidermal growth factor and insulin-like growth factor 1 are affected upon loss of Stat3. Conclusions: Our data suggest that Stat3 protects cholangiocytes and hepatocytes from bile acid-induced damage thereby preventing liver fibrosis in cholestatic diseases.
Project description:Extrahepatic cholestasis leads to complex injury and repair processes that result in bile infarct formation, neutrophil infiltration, cholangiocyte and hepatocyte proliferation, extracellular matrix remodeling, and fibrosis. To identify early molecular mechanisms of injury and repair after bile duct obstruction, microarray analysis was performed on liver tissue 24 hours after bile duct ligation (BDL) or sham surgery. The most upregulated gene identified encodes plasminogen activator inhibitor 1 (PAI-1, Serpine 1), a protease inhibitor that blocks urokinase plasminogen activator (uPA) and tissue-type plasminogen activator (tPA) activity. Because PAI-1, uPA, and tPA influence growth factor and cytokine processing as well as extracellular matrix remodeling, we evaluated the role of PAI-1 in cholestatic liver injury by comparing the injury and repair processes in wild-type (WT) and PAI-1-deficient (PAI-1-/-) mice after BDL. PAI-1-/- mice had fewer and smaller bile infarcts, less neutrophil infiltration, and higher levels of cholangiocyte and hepatocyte proliferation than WT animals after BDL. Furthermore, PAI-1-/- mice had higher levels of tPA activation and mature hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) after BDL than WT mice, suggesting that PAI-1 effects on HGF activation critically influence cholestatic liver injury. This was further supported by elevated levels of c-Met and Akt phosphorylation in PAI-1-/- mice after BDL. In conclusion, PAI-1 deficiency reduces liver injury after BDL in mice. These data suggest that inhibiting PAI-1 might attenuate liver injury in cholestatic liver diseases. Total RNA isolated using TRI Reagent (Sigma, St. Louis, MO) was purified with an RNeasy mini kit (Qiagen, Valencia, CA). Twenty micrograms cRNA was hybridized to a mouse GeneChip (U74Av2, Affymetrix, Santa Clara, CA) at the Siteman Cancer Center GeneChip facility as described by the manufacturer. Analyses used one mouse per chip. Gene expression changes were analyzed using Affymetrix MicroArray Suite 4.0 and GeneChip 3.1 Expression Analysis and Statistical Algorithms (Affymetrix). The complete methodology and full data sets for all 6 analyzed chips are available at http://bioinformatics.wustl.edu.beckerproxy.wustl.edu This study compares the injury and repair processed in wild-type mice after BDL.
Project description:Cholestasis is characterized by hepatic accumulation of cytotoxic bile acids (BAs), which often subsequentlyleads to liver injury, inflammation, fibrosis, and ultimately liver cirrhosis. Fibroblast growth factor 21 (FGF21) is a liver secreted hormone with pleiotropic effects on the homeostasis of glucose, lipid, and energy metabolism. However, whether hepatic FGF21 plays a role in cholestatic liver injury remains elusive. We found that serum and hepatic FGF21 levels were significantly increased in response to cholestatic liver injury. Hepatocyte-specific deletion of Fgf21 exacerbated hepatic accumulation of BAs, further accentuating liver injury. Consistently, administration of rFGF21 ameliorated cholestatic liver injury in α-naphthylisothiocyanate (ANIT)-treated and Mdr2 deficiency mice. Mechanically, FGF21 activated a hepatic FGFR4-JNK signaling pathway to decrease Cyp7a1 expression, thereby reducing hepatic BAs pool. Our study demonstrates that hepatic FGF21 functions as an adaptive stress-responsive signal to downregulate BA biosynthesis, thereby ameliorating cholestatic liver injury, and FGF21 analogs may represent a candidate therapy for cholestatic liver diseases.
Project description:Extrahepatic cholestasis leads to complex injury and repair processes that result in bile infarct formation, neutrophil infiltration, cholangiocyte and hepatocyte proliferation, extracellular matrix remodeling, and fibrosis. To identify early molecular mechanisms of injury and repair after bile duct obstruction, microarray analysis was performed on liver tissue 24 hours after bile duct ligation (BDL) or sham surgery. The most upregulated gene identified encodes plasminogen activator inhibitor 1 (PAI-1, Serpine 1), a protease inhibitor that blocks urokinase plasminogen activator (uPA) and tissue-type plasminogen activator (tPA) activity. Because PAI-1, uPA, and tPA influence growth factor and cytokine processing as well as extracellular matrix remodeling, we evaluated the role of PAI-1 in cholestatic liver injury by comparing the injury and repair processes in wild-type (WT) and PAI-1-deficient (PAI-1-/-) mice after BDL. PAI-1-/- mice had fewer and smaller bile infarcts, less neutrophil infiltration, and higher levels of cholangiocyte and hepatocyte proliferation than WT animals after BDL. Furthermore, PAI-1-/- mice had higher levels of tPA activation and mature hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) after BDL than WT mice, suggesting that PAI-1 effects on HGF activation critically influence cholestatic liver injury. This was further supported by elevated levels of c-Met and Akt phosphorylation in PAI-1-/- mice after BDL. In conclusion, PAI-1 deficiency reduces liver injury after BDL in mice. These data suggest that inhibiting PAI-1 might attenuate liver injury in cholestatic liver diseases.
Project description:The human liver contains multiple cell types whose epigenetic patterns are undetermined. We examined the promoter methylome of purified and uncultured hepatic stellate cells (HSCs), hepatocytes (HEPs) and liver sinusoidal endothelial cells (LSECs), by methylated DNA immunoprecipitation (MeDIP) and array hybridization. Uncultured HSCs, LSECs and Heps show ~7000-8000 methylated promoters, with 60-70% similarity between all cell types. GO analysis for commonly methylated genes reveals involvement in germ cell development, segregating germ-line from somatic lineage methylation. HSCs, LSECs and HEPs also contain ~500-1000 uniquely methylated promoters; these are implicated in signaling and biosynthetic processes (HSCs), lipid transport and metabolism (LSECs), and chromatin assembly (HEPs). The promoter methylome of culture-activated HSCs deviates from that of their uncultured (quiescent) counterparts. HSC culture-induced activation also enhances methylation differences between individual donors; however this does not necessarily relate to changes in gene expression. HSc activation results in a net gain of promoter DNA methylation, despite the demethylation and de novo methylation of thousands of promoters. Our data provide to our knowledge the first genome-wide maps of promoter DNA methylation in human purified and uncultured liver cell types. Although methylation profiles are largely similar between HSCs, LSECs and hepatocytes, the detection of cell type-specific methylation patterns suggests a differential epigenetic programming of these cell types in the liver. Determine the promoter DNA methylation pattern of 3 uncultured, reshly isolated, human healthy liver cell types (hepatocytes (HEPs), liver sinusoidal endothelial cells (LSECs) and haptic stellate cells (HSCs), and of HSCs after a 24-h culture-induced activation.
Project description:Background and aims: Signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (Stat3) is the main mediator of interleukin-6 type cytokine signaling required for hepatocyte proliferation and hepatoprotection but its role in sclerosing cholangitis and other cholestatic liver diseases remains unresolved. Methods: We investigated the role of Stat3 in inflammation-induced cholestatic liver injury and used mice lacking the multidrug resistance gene 2 (mdr2-/-) as a model for SC. Results: We demonstrate that conditional inactivation of stat3 in hepatocytes and cholangiocytes (stat3 delta hc) of mdr2-/- mice strongly aggravated bile acid-induced liver injury and fibrosis. A similar phenotype was observed in mdr2-/- mice lacking IL-6 production. Biochemical and molecular characterization suggested that Stat3 exerts hepatoprotective functions in both, hepatocytes and cholangiocytes. Loss of Stat3 in cholangiocytes led to increased expression of TNFα which might reduce the barrier function of bile ducts. Loss of Stat3 in hepatocytes led to upregulation of bile acid biosynthesis genes and downregulation of hepatoprotective epidermal growth factor receptor and insulin-like growth factor 1 signaling pathways. Consistently, stat3deltahc mice were more sensitive to cholic acid-induced liver damage than control mice. Conclusions: Our data suggest that Stat3 prevents cholestasis and liver damage in sclerosing cholangitis via regulation of pivotal functions in hepatocytes and cholangiocytes. Affymetrix microarray analyses was performed to identify metabolic and molecular pathways in stat3Dhc mdr2-/- mice that lead to cholestasis and bile acid-induced liver injury. To avoid false positive results that are due to differential cellular composition, we defined the onset of fibrosis and expression of fibrogenic factors in stat3Dhc mdr2-/- mice.
Project description:The molecular determinants of a healthy human liver cell phenotype remain largely uncharacterized. In addition, the gene expression changes associated with activation of primary human hepatic stellate cells, a key event during fibrogenesis, remain poorly characterized. Here, we provide the transriptomic profile underpinning the healthy phenotype of human hepatocytes, liver sinusoidal endothelial cells (LSECs) and quiescent hepatic stellate cells (qHSCs) as well as activated HSCs (aHSCs) We assess the transcriptome for purified, non-cultured human hepatocytes, liver sinusoidal cells (LSECs) and quiescent hepatic stellate cells (qHSCs) as well as culture-activated HSCs (aHSCs). Hepatocytes (n=2 donors), LSECs (n=3), qHSCs (n=3) and in vitro activated HSCs (n=3; from the same donors as the qHSCs and LSECs) were used for this study.
Project description:Ductular reaction (DR) is the hallmark of cholestatic diseases manifested in the proliferation of bile ductules lined by biliary epithelial cells (BECs). It is commonly associated with increased risk of fibrosis and liver failure. The Receptor for Advanced Glycation End Products (RAGE) was identified as a critical mediator of DR during chronic injury. Yet, the direct link between RAGE-mediated DR and fibrosis as well as the mode of interaction between BECs and hepatic stellate cells (HSCs) to drive fibrosis remains elusive. In this study, we aimed to delineate the specific function of RAGE on BECs during DR and its potential association with fibrosis in the context of cholestasis. Employing a biliary lineage tracing cholestatic liver injury mouse model, combined with whole transcriptome sequencing and in vitro analyses, we revealed the central role of BEC-specific Rage activity in fostering a pro-fibrotic milieu. RAGE is predominantly expressed in BECs and contributes to DR. Notch ligand Jagged1 is secreted from activated BECs in a Rage-dependent manner and signals HSCs in trans, eventually enhancing fibrosis during cholestasis.
Project description:Bile acid accumulation and subsequent liver damage is a frequent adverse effect induced by drugs. Considerable efforts have therefore been focused on the introduction and characterization of tools that allow reliable prediction of this type of drug-induced liver injury. Among those are the cholestatic index and transcriptomic profiling, which are typically assessed in in vitro settings. The present study was set up to test the applicability of both tools to non-pharmaceutical compounds with cholestatic potential, including the industrial compound bis(2-ethylhexyl)phthalate, the cosmetic ingredients triclosan and octynoic acid, the herbicides paraquat and quizalofop-para-ethyl, and the food additives sunset yellow and tartrazine, in a human hepatoma cell culture model of cholestatic liver injury. The cholestatic index method showed cholestatic liability of sunset yellow, tartrazine and triclosan. Of those, tartrazine induced transcriptional changes reminiscent of the transcriptional profile of cholestatic drugs. Furthermore, a number of genes were found to be uniquely modulated by tartrazine, in accordance with the cholestatic drugs atazanavir, cyclosporin A and nefazodone, which may have potential as novel transcriptomic biomarkers of chemical-induced cholestatic liver injury. In conclusion, unambiguous identification of the non-pharmaceutical compounds tested in this study as inducers of cholestasis could not be achieved.