Project description:Recent studies have demonstrated that micro (mi)RNA molecules can be detected in the circulation and can serve as potential biomarkers of various diseases. This study used microarray analysis to identify aberrantly expressed circulating miRNAs in patients with type 1 autoimmune hepatitis (AIH) compared with healthy controls. Patients with well-documented and untreated AIH were selected from the National Hospital Organization (NHO)-AIH-liver-network database. They underwent blood sampling and liver biopsy with inflammation grading and fibrosis staging before receiving treatment. To further confirm the microarray data, circulating expression levels of miR-21 and miR-122 were quantified by real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction in 46 AIH patients, 40 patients with chronic hepatitis C (CHC), and 15 healthy controls. Consistent with the microarray data, serum levels of miR-21 were significantly elevated in AIH patients compared with CHC patients and healthy controls. miR-21 and miR-122 serum levels correlated with alanine aminotransferase levels. Circulating levels of miR-21 and miR-122 were significantly reduced in AIH patients with liver cirrhosis, and were inversely correlated with increased stages of fibrosis. By contrast, levels of circulating miR-21 showed a significant correlation with the histological grades of inflammation in AIH. We postulate that aberrantly expressed serum miRNAs are potential biomarkers of AIH and could be implicated in AIH pathogenesis. Alternations of miR-21 and miR-122 serum levels could reflect their putative roles in the mediation of inflammatory processes in AIH. Case-control study, steroid treatment
Project description:Recent studies have demonstrated that micro (mi)RNA molecules can be detected in the circulation and can serve as potential biomarkers of various diseases. This study used microarray analysis to identify aberrantly expressed circulating miRNAs in patients with type 1 autoimmune hepatitis (AIH) compared with healthy controls. Patients with well-documented and untreated AIH were selected from the National Hospital Organization (NHO)-AIH-liver-network database. They underwent blood sampling and liver biopsy with inflammation grading and fibrosis staging before receiving treatment. To further confirm the microarray data, circulating expression levels of miR-21 and miR-122 were quantified by real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction in 46 AIH patients, 40 patients with chronic hepatitis C (CHC), and 15 healthy controls. Consistent with the microarray data, serum levels of miR-21 were significantly elevated in AIH patients compared with CHC patients and healthy controls. miR-21 and miR-122 serum levels correlated with alanine aminotransferase levels. Circulating levels of miR-21 and miR-122 were significantly reduced in AIH patients with liver cirrhosis, and were inversely correlated with increased stages of fibrosis. By contrast, levels of circulating miR-21 showed a significant correlation with the histological grades of inflammation in AIH. We postulate that aberrantly expressed serum miRNAs are potential biomarkers of AIH and could be implicated in AIH pathogenesis. Alternations of miR-21 and miR-122 serum levels could reflect their putative roles in the mediation of inflammatory processes in AIH.
Project description:Autoimmune hepatitis (AIH) is caused by an immune disorder that is characterized by hypergammaglobulinemia, autoantibodies, and chronic active hepatitis on liver histology. This present study was designed to analyze the characteristics of AIH peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) through single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq, 10x Genomics Gene Expression 3' Chromium V 2.0) and to explore the potential molecular mechanism of AIH.
Project description:The etiology of autoimmune hepatitis is poorly understood but likely involves Th1 cells producing IFN-γ. BALB/c background TGF-β1-/- mice rapidly develop fulminant Th1-mediated autoimmune hepatitis. Our aims are to profile liver gene expression in TGF-β1-/- mice, to identify gene expression pathways dependent on IFN-γ as possible targets for rational therapy, and to test potential targets directly in vivo in mice. Keywords: Comparative analysis of gene expression in livers of WT, TGFB1 & IFN knockout mice DNA microarray analyses were applied to liver RNA from TGF-β1-/- mice, TGF-β1-/- /IFN-γ-/- mice, and TGF-β1+/+ littermate controls. 3 mice from each group were analyzed in this study.
Project description:The etiology of autoimmune hepatitis is poorly understood but likely involves Th1 cells producing IFN-γ. BALB/c background TGF-β1-/- mice rapidly develop fulminant Th1-mediated autoimmune hepatitis. Our aims are to profile liver gene expression in TGF-β1-/- mice, to identify gene expression pathways dependent on IFN-γ as possible targets for rational therapy, and to test potential targets directly in vivo in mice. Keywords: Comparative analysis of gene expression in livers of WT, TGFB1 & IFN knockout mice
Project description:Autoimmune regulator (Aire) and TGF-β signaling play an important role in central tolerance and peripheral tolerance respectively, by eliminating or suppressing the activity of autoreactive T cells. We have previously demonstrated that dnTGFβRII mice develop a defect in peripheral tolerance and a primary biliary cirrhosis (PBC) like disease. We hypothesized that by introducing the AIRE gene to this model, we would observe a more severe PBC phenotype. Interestingly, however, we demonstrate that while dnTGFβRII Aire-/- mice do manifest key histologic and serologic features of autoimmune cholangitis, they also develop mild to moderate interface hepatitis and show high levels of alanine transaminase (ALT) and antinuclear antibodies (ANA), characteristics of autoimmune hepatitis (AIH). To further understand this unique phenotype, we performed RNA-seq and flow cytometry to explore the functional pathways and immune cell pathways in the liver of dnTGFβRII Aire-/- mice. Our data revealed enrichments of programmed cell death pathways and predominant CD8+ T cell infiltrates. Depleting CD8+ T cells using an anti-CD8α antibody significantly alleviated hepatic inflammation and prolonged the lifespan of these mice. Finally, RNA-seq data indicated the clonal expansion of hepatic CD8+ T cells. In conclusion, these mice develop an autoreactive CD8+ T cell mediated autoimmune cholangitis with concurrent hepatitis that exhibits key histological and serological features of the AIH-PBC overlap syndrome, representing a novel model for the study of tolerance and autoimmune liver disease.
Project description:Autoimmune Hepatitis (AIH) and Primary Biliary Cholangitis (PBC) are autoimmune diseases that target the liver in which the immune system produces an inappropriate response to self-antigens resulting in inflammation, damage, and dysfunction of hepatic tissues. Despite progress in the understanding of the etiopathogenesis and in the diagnostic and therapeutic approach of these diseases, critical issues remain concerning the early diagnosis of affected individuals. The present study aims to detect and characterize by a gel-based bottom-up proteomic approach the acid-insoluble fraction of salivary proteome from patients affected by AIH and PBC with respect to healthy controls (HCs). The study was performed on the salivary acid-insoluble proteins after in-gel digestion starting from: i) the entire SDS-PAGE lane; ii) a portion of the SDS-PAGE at lowest molecular weight (MW </= 25 kDa).
Project description:To explore the effect of Bicd2 in ConA-induced acute autoimmune hepatitis, we conducted RNA transcriptome profiling of plko-scramble or shBicd2 plasmid hydrodynamic-injected mice livers in response to ConA injection.