Project description:Cyclosporine A (CsA), is an endecapeptide with strong immunosuppressant activities and has contributed significantly towards clinical progress in organ transplantation. Furthermore, it has various toxic effects in the kidney and especially in the liver where it may induce cholestasis. The CsA drug-induced cholestasis (DIC) pathway includes important genes involved in the uptake, synthesis, conjugation and secretion of bile acids, which can be verified also in hepatic models in vitro. However, whether changes in CsA-induced cholestasis pathway induced in vitro are persistent thus presenting important biomarkers for repeated dose toxicity, has not yet been investigated. We therefore performed multiple -omics analyses, including whole genome analysis of DNA methylation, gene expression and microRNA expression in primary human hepatocytes (PHH) cultured in sandwich configuration, during and after terminating CsA treatment. For this, cells were exposed to a non-cytotoxic dose of 30 µM CsA daily for 3 and 5 days. To investigate the persistence of induced changes upon terminating the CsA exposure of 5 days, a subset of PHH was subjected to a washout period (WO-period) of three days. DNA methylation (using NimbleGen 2.1 deluxe promoter arrays), transcriptomic (using Affymetrix Human Genome U133 Plus 2.0 arrays) and microRNA (using Agilent Sureprint G3 Unrestricted Human miRNA V16 8 × 60 K microarrays) analyses were performed on days 3, 5 and 8. Identification of differentially methylated genes (DMGs), differentially expressed genes (DEGs), and differentially expressed microRNAs (DE-miRs) was performed using several R packages. DMGs, DEGs and DE-miRs were found after CsA treatment of PHH for 3 and 5 days as well after the WO-period. Interestingly, 828 persistent DEGs and 6 persistent DE-miRs, but no persistent DMGs, were found after the WO-period. These persistent DEGs and DE-miRs showed concordance for 22 genes (13 genes upregulated in gene expression and downregulated in microRNA expression; 9 genes downregulated in gene expression and upregulated in microRNA expression). Some of the persistent transcriptomic changes as well as DE-miRs could be successfully mapped onto the DIC pathway, while epigenetic changes not. Furthermore, 29 persistent DEGs in vitro showed changes in the same direction as observed in livers from cholestasis patients. None of those 29 DEGs were present in the DIC pathway or cholestasis adverse outcome pathway. We have for the first time demonstrated a persistent impact of gene expression and microRNA expression related to DIC after repeated dose administration of CsA in vitro.
Project description:Cyclosporine A (CsA), is an endecapeptide with strong immunosuppressant activities and has contributed significantly towards clinical progress in organ transplantation. Furthermore, it has various toxic effects in the kidney and especially in the liver where it may induce cholestasis. The CsA drug-induced cholestasis (DIC) pathway includes important genes involved in the uptake, synthesis, conjugation and secretion of bile acids, which can be verified also in hepatic models in vitro. However, whether changes in CsA-induced cholestasis pathway induced in vitro are persistent thus presenting important biomarkers for repeated dose toxicity, has not yet been investigated. We therefore performed multiple -omics analyses, including whole genome analysis of DNA methylation, gene expression and microRNA expression in primary human hepatocytes (PHH) cultured in sandwich configuration, during and after terminating CsA treatment. For this, cells were exposed to a non-cytotoxic dose of 30 µM CsA daily for 3 and 5 days. To investigate the persistence of induced changes upon terminating the CsA exposure of 5 days, a subset of PHH was subjected to a washout period (WO-period) of three days. DNA methylation (using NimbleGen 2.1 deluxe promoter arrays), transcriptomic (using Affymetrix Human Genome U133 Plus 2.0 arrays) and microRNA (using Agilent Sureprint G3 Unrestricted Human miRNA V16 8 × 60 K microarrays) analyses were performed on days 3, 5 and 8. Identification of differentially methylated genes (DMGs), differentially expressed genes (DEGs), and differentially expressed microRNAs (DE-miRs) was performed using several R packages. DMGs, DEGs and DE-miRs were found after CsA treatment of PHH for 3 and 5 days as well after the WO-period. Interestingly, 828 persistent DEGs and 6 persistent DE-miRs, but no persistent DMGs, were found after the WO-period. These persistent DEGs and DE-miRs showed concordance for 22 genes (13 genes upregulated in gene expression and downregulated in microRNA expression; 9 genes downregulated in gene expression and upregulated in microRNA expression). Some of the persistent transcriptomic changes as well as DE-miRs could be successfully mapped onto the DIC pathway, while epigenetic changes not. Furthermore, 29 persistent DEGs in vitro showed changes in the same direction as observed in livers from cholestasis patients. None of those 29 DEGs were present in the DIC pathway or cholestasis adverse outcome pathway. We have for the first time demonstrated a persistent impact of gene expression and microRNA expression related to DIC after repeated dose administration of CsA in vitro.
Project description:Cyclosporine A (CsA), is an endecapeptide with strong immunosuppressant activities and has contributed significantly towards clinical progress in organ transplantation. Furthermore, it has various toxic effects in the kidney and especially in the liver where it may induce cholestasis. The CsA drug-induced cholestasis (DIC) pathway includes important genes involved in the uptake, synthesis, conjugation and secretion of bile acids, which can be verified also in hepatic models in vitro. However, whether changes in CsA-induced cholestasis pathway induced in vitro are persistent thus presenting important biomarkers for repeated dose toxicity, has not yet been investigated. We therefore performed multiple -omics analyses, including whole genome analysis of DNA methylation, gene expression and microRNA expression in primary human hepatocytes (PHH) cultured in sandwich configuration, during and after terminating CsA treatment. For this, cells were exposed to a non-cytotoxic dose of 30 µM CsA daily for 3 and 5 days. To investigate the persistence of induced changes upon terminating the CsA exposure of 5 days, a subset of PHH was subjected to a washout period (WO-period) of three days. DNA methylation (using NimbleGen 2.1 deluxe promoter arrays), transcriptomic (using Affymetrix Human Genome U133 Plus 2.0 arrays) and microRNA (using Agilent Sureprint G3 Unrestricted Human miRNA V16 8 × 60 K microarrays) analyses were performed on days 3, 5 and 8. Identification of differentially methylated genes (DMGs), differentially expressed genes (DEGs), and differentially expressed microRNAs (DE-miRs) was performed using several R packages. DMGs, DEGs and DE-miRs were found after CsA treatment of PHH for 3 and 5 days as well after the WO-period. Interestingly, 828 persistent DEGs and 6 persistent DE-miRs, but no persistent DMGs, were found after the WO-period. These persistent DEGs and DE-miRs showed concordance for 22 genes (13 genes upregulated in gene expression and downregulated in microRNA expression; 9 genes downregulated in gene expression and upregulated in microRNA expression). Some of the persistent transcriptomic changes as well as DE-miRs could be successfully mapped onto the DIC pathway, while epigenetic changes not. Furthermore, 29 persistent DEGs in vitro showed changes in the same direction as observed in livers from cholestasis patients. None of those 29 DEGs were present in the DIC pathway or cholestasis adverse outcome pathway. We have for the first time demonstrated a persistent impact of gene expression and microRNA expression related to DIC after repeated dose administration of CsA in vitro.
Project description:Drug-induced hepatotoxicity is still one of the main reasons for drug attrition; therefore, there is an urgent need for more predictive models to identify the toxic potential of new drug candidates. Here, transcriptomic data from short- and long-term cultured primary human hepatocytes exposed to four pharmaceuticals, namely ibuprofen, chlorpromazine, cyclosporine A and amiodarone was analysed.
Project description:Liver cholestasis is a chronic liver disease (CLD) which belongs to a major health problem. Cholestasis is characterised by a decrease in bile flow due to impaired secretion by hepatocytes or by obstruction of bile flow through intra- or extrahepatic bile ducts. Thereby cholestasis can induce ductal proliferation, hepatocyte injury and liver fibrosis. Notch signalling promotes the formation and maturation of ductular reactions. We investigated the liver regeneration process in the context of cholestasis induced by disruption of the Notch signalling pathway. Liver-specific deletion of Rbpj, which represents a key regulator of Notch signalling, induces severe cholestasis through impaired IHBD maturation, severe necrosis and increased lethality. Deregulation of the biliary compartment and cholestasis are associated with change of several signalling pathways including the Hippo pathway resulting in upregulation of SOX9, which is associated with transdifferentiation of hepatocytes. SOX9 upregulation in cholestatic liver injury in vitro is independent of Notch signalling. We could comprehensively address that Rbpj depletion is followed by deregulation of YAP/TEAD, which influences transdifferentiation of hepatocytes and thereby contributing to liver regeneration. In this study the liver regeneration process was analyzed in 4 weeks old Rbpj knockout mice and compared to 4 weeks old Rbpj wildtype mice.
Project description:Advances in 3D cell culture systems, including the hepatic organoids, has shown the potential to model the liver development in vitro. However, hepatocyte-like cells obtained by these means are still immature compared to the primary human hepatocytes. Here we applied single-cell RNA-seq and ATAC-seq to identify gene regulatory mechanisms distinct to mature human hepatocytes (in vivo) and organoid derived hepatocyte like cells (in vitro). Using a modified two-step perfusion protocol, primary hepatocytes from all lobular zones were obtained with high purity. Integrative analysis revealed a key role of transcription factors of the AP-1 family in cooperation with hepatocyte-specific transcription factors, such as HNF4A, in establishing cellular identity of mature hepatocytes. Furthermore, it revealed distinct transcription factor sets required/active in human hepatocytes and liver organoids. Function analysis of an organoid-enriched transcription factor ELF3, showed that decreased expression of ELF3 in liver organoids promotes increased expression of genes typical to mature hepatocytes. This study indicates that ELF3 functions as a barrier of hepatocyte differentiation from liver organoids. Collectively, our integrative analysis provides critical insights into the transcriptional regulatory networks of human hepatocytes and liver organoids, which will further efficient differentiation of functional hepatocytes in vitro.