Project description:Objective: Alcoholic hepatitis (AH) is characterized by the expansion of ductular reaction (DR) cells and expression of liver progenitor cell (LPC) markers. The aim of this study was to identify the gene expression profile and associated genes of DR cells and to evaluate its weight in alcoholic disease progression. Design: KRT7+, KRT7- and total liver fractions were laser microdissected from liver biopsies (n=6) of patients with AH and whole transcriptome was sequenced. Gene signature was assessed in transcriptomic data from 41 patients with alcoholic liver disease. Pro-inflammatory profile was evaluated in tissue and serum samples and in human LPC organoids. Results: Transcriptome analysis of KRT7+ DR cells uncovered intrinsic gene pathways of DR and allowed identifying genes associated with DR expressed in AH. In addition, DR gene signature and associated genes correlated with disease progression and poor outcome in AH patients. Importantly, DR presented a pro-inflammatory profile with expression of CXC and CCL chemokines and was associated with infiltrating neutrophils. Moreover, LPC markers correlated with liver expression and circulating levels of inflammatory mediators. In vitro, human LPC organoids mimicked ductular reaction gene expression profile and produced chemokines. Moreover, LPC promoted neutrophil migration and enhanced their inflammatory profile. Conclusions: Here we report for the first time the gene expression signature of DR in AH and its association with disease progression. Functional and experimental analysis demonstrates that DR cells have a pro-inflammatory profile, and suggest their involvement in neutrophil recruitment and liver inflammatory response.
Project description:Background & aims: The role of microRNAs (miRNAs) in Alcoholic Hepatitis (AH) and their potential as therapeutic targets in liver disease has not been explored yet. This study aims at profiling miRNA in AH and identifying dysregulated miRNAs involved in AH pathophysiology. Methods: miRNA expression arrays were performed in 13 AH, 5 alcohol liver disease-induced cirrhosis (ALD-CH), 5 nonalcoholic steatohepatitis induced cirrhosis (NASH-CH), 4 HCV-induced cirrhosis (HCV-CH) and 6 non-injured liver control samples. Genome wide expression profile was retrieved for 12 paired AH and control samples. MiRNA and mRNA expression data was integrated and identified miRNAs were validated in AH samples and in animal models of liver injury. Results: The miRNA array showed 111 upregulated and 66 downregulated miRNAs in AH versus healthy subjects. The comparison of miRNA profile in liver samples from AH among ALD-CH, HCV-CH and NASH-CH identified 18 miRNAs specifically dysregulated in AH. Integrative miRNA and mRNA analysis in AH identified dysregulated miRNAs for which their target genes were also dysregulated. A functional analysis of identified miRNAs and their targets revealed their involvement in the regulation of canonical pathways related to apoptosis, fatty acid metabolism and cell cycle among others. miRNAs expression (miR-182, miR-21, miR-155, miR-214, miR-432, miR-422a) was validated in an independent cohort of AH. MiR-182 expression correlated with cholestasis, disease severity and short-term mortality. Moreover, miR-182 expression is associated to cholestasis with ductular reaction but not to fibrosis and inflammation in animal models of liver injury. Conclusions: AH is characterized by an important dysregulation of miRNA expression with a unique miRNA profile. MiRNAs specifically expressed in AH are associated to cholestasis… Uncovered miRNAs are involved in important pathophysiological features in AH suggesting ta regulation of he role of miRNAs in the regulation of AH, and highlight miR-182 as a potential regulator of its pathophysiology.
Project description:Background & aims: The role of microRNAs (miRNAs) in Alcoholic Hepatitis (AH) and their potential as therapeutic targets in liver disease has not been explored yet. This study aims at profiling miRNA in AH and identifying dysregulated miRNAs involved in AH pathophysiology. Methods: miRNA expression arrays were performed in 13 AH, 5 alcohol liver disease-induced cirrhosis (ALD-CH), 5 nonalcoholic steatohepatitis induced cirrhosis (NASH-CH), 4 HCV-induced cirrhosis (HCV-CH) and 6 non-injured liver control samples. Genome wide expression profile was retrieved for 12 paired AH and control samples. MiRNA and mRNA expression data was integrated and identified miRNAs were validated in AH samples and in animal models of liver injury. Results: The miRNA array showed 111 upregulated and 66 downregulated miRNAs in AH versus healthy subjects. The comparison of miRNA profile in liver samples from AH among ALD-CH, HCV-CH and NASH-CH identified 18 miRNAs specifically dysregulated in AH. Integrative miRNA and mRNA analysis in AH identified dysregulated miRNAs for which their target genes were also dysregulated. A functional analysis of identified miRNAs and their targets revealed their involvement in the regulation of canonical pathways related to apoptosis, fatty acid metabolism and cell cycle among others. miRNAs expression (miR-182, miR-21, miR-155, miR-214, miR-432, miR-422a) was validated in an independent cohort of AH. MiR-182 expression correlated with cholestasis, disease severity and short-term mortality. Moreover, miR-182 expression is associated to cholestasis with ductular reaction but not to fibrosis and inflammation in animal models of liver injury. Conclusions: AH is characterized by an important dysregulation of miRNA expression with a unique miRNA profile. MiRNAs specifically expressed in AH are associated to cholestasis⦠Uncovered miRNAs are involved in important pathophysiological features in AH suggesting ta regulation of he role of miRNAs in the regulation of AH, and highlight miR-182 as a potential regulator of its pathophysiology. miRNA expression arrays were performed in 13 AH(Alcoholic hepatitis), 5 alcohol liver disease-induced cirrhosis (ALD-CH), 5 nonalcoholic steatohepatitis induced cirrhosis (NASH-CH), 4 HCV-induced cirrhosis (HCV-CH) and 6 non-injured liver control samples(CTRL).
Project description:Backgruound and aims: Loss of hepatocyte identity is associated with impaired liver function in alcohol-related hepatitis (AH). However, the mechanisms and the impact of hepatocyte reprogramming in liver disease are poorly understood. Here we show that both hepatocytes expressing KRT7 (hepatobiliary (HB) cells) and ductular reaction cells were increased in decompensated cirrhotic patients and AH, but only HB cells correlated with poor liver function, reduced liver synthetic capacity and poor outcome. Transcriptomic analysis of microdissected HB cells revealed the expression of biliary-specific genes and a mild reduction of hepatocyte metabolism. Functional analysis identified pathways involved in hepatocyte reprogramming together with inflammatory, stemness and cancer gene programs. In this context, CXCR4 pathway was highly enriched in HB cells, and CXCR4 correlated with disease severity and reduced expression of hepatocyte transcription factors and albumin. Mechanistically, TGFβ induced the expression of CXCR4 in primary hepatocytes, and its ligand CXCL12 promoted hepatocyte reprogramming. Liver overexpression of CXCR4 in chronic liver injury decreased hepatocyte gene expression and promoted liver injury. Pharmacological inhibition of CXCR4 reverted hepatocyte loss of identity and reduced ductular reaction and fibrosis progression. Conclusions: This study shows the association of hepatocyte reprogramming with disease progression and poor outcome in AH. Moreover, we identify CXCR4 as a driver of hepatocyte reprogramming as well as a potential therapeutic target in chronic liver injury.
Project description:Analysis of ex vivo isolated lymphatic endothelial cells from the dermis of patients to define type 2 diabetes-induced changes. Results preveal aberrant dermal lymphangiogenesis and provide insight into its role in the pathogenesis of persistent skin inflammation in type 2 diabetes. The ex vivo dLEC transcriptome reveals a dramatic influence of the T2D environment on multiple molecular and cellular processes, mirroring the phenotypic changes seen in T2D affected skin. The positively and negatively correlated dLEC transcripts directly cohere to prolonged inflammatory periods and reduced infectious resistance of patients´ skin. Further, lymphatic vessels might be involved in tissue remodeling processes during T2D induced skin alterations associated with impaired wound healing and altered dermal architecture. Hence, dermal lymphatic vessels might be directly associated with T2D disease promotion. Global gene expression profile of normal dermal lymphatic endothelial cells (ndLECs) compared to dermal lymphatic endothelial cells derived from type 2 diabetic patients (dLECs).Quadruplicate biological samples were analyzed from human lymphatic endothelial cells (4 x diabetic; 4 x non-diabetic). subsets: 1 disease state set (dLECs), 1 control set (ndLECs)
Project description:Peripheral infusion of human umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells (hUC-MSCs) can profoundly suppress the activation of c-Mos and remarkably improve hepatic histology, suppress the systemic inflammatory reaction, and promote animal survival in a large non-human primate model of acute liver failure (ALF). The mechanism through which hUC-MSCs inhibits c-Mos activation in vivo remains unclear. We hypothesized that hUC-MSCs can adaptively produce certain inhibitory cytokines in response to the pro-inflammatory microenvironment. To confirm this, we stimulated cultured hUC-MSCs with inflammatory monkey serum (serum isolated at day 1 following toxin challenge). After a 30-min stimulation, the cells were collected for microarray gene expression analysis. A whole human genome oligo microarray analysis was performed to reveal the altered gene expression profiles of the hUC-MSCs
Project description:We identified the microglial population in the chick anterior hypothalamus (AH) and showed that early-life thermal stress (on day 3 post-hatch) influences the inflammatory process in the AH. We described alterations in genome-wide CpG methylation profile of hypothalamic microglia between heat-conditioned and non-conditioned 10-day-old chicks prior LPS challenge. We suppose that changes in CpG DNA methylation might be involved in reprogramming microglial function.