ABSTRACT: Alcoholic liver disease (ALD) is a leading cause of cirrhosis in the United States, which is characterized by extensive deposition of extracellular matrix proteins (ECM) and formation of a fibrous scar. Hepatic Stellate Cells (HSCs) are the major source of Collagen Type I producing myofibroblasts in ALD fibrosis. However, the mechanism of alcohol-induced activation of human and mouse HSCs is not fully understood. We compared the gene expression profiles of primary cultured human HSCs (hHSCs) isolated from patients with ALD (n=3) or without underlying liver disease (n=4) using RNA-Seq analysis. Furthermore, the gene expression profile of ALD hHSCs was compared to that of alcohol-activated mHSCs (isolated from intragastric (IG) alcohol-fed mice), or carbon-tetrachloride (CCl4)-activated mouse HSCs (mHSCs). Comparative transcriptome analysis revealed that ALD hHSCs, and alcohol- and CCl4-activated mHSCs share the expression of common HSC activation (Col1a1, Acta1, PAI-1, TIMP1, LOXL2), indicating that a common mechanism underlies activation of human and mouse HSCs. Furthermore, alcohol-activated mHSCs most closely recapitulate the gene expression profile of ALD hHSCs. We identified the genes that are similarly and uniquely upregulated in primary cultured alcohol-activated hHSCs and freshly isolated mHSCs, which include CSF1R, PLEK, LAPTM5, CD74, CD53, MMP9, CD14, CTSS, TYROBP, ITGB2, and other genes (compared to CCl4-activated mHSCs). We identified genes in alcohol-activated mHSCs from IG alcohol-fed mice that are largely consistent with the gene expression profile of primary cultured hHSCs from ALD patients. These genes are unique to alcohol-induced HSC activation in two species, and therefore, may become new targets or readout for anti-fibrotic therapy in experimental models of ALD.
