1
|
Doueiry C, Kappler CS, Martinez-Morant C, Duncan SA. A PNPLA3-Deficient iPSC-Derived Hepatocyte Screen Identifies Pathways to Potentially Reduce Steatosis in Metabolic Dysfunction-Associated Fatty Liver Disease. Int J Mol Sci 2024; 25:7277. [PMID: 39000384 PMCID: PMC11242544 DOI: 10.3390/ijms25137277] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/14/2024] [Revised: 06/25/2024] [Accepted: 06/29/2024] [Indexed: 07/16/2024] Open
Abstract
The incidence of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), or metabolic dysfunction-associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD), is increasing in adults and children. Unfortunately, effective pharmacological treatments remain unavailable. Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the patatin-like phospholipase domain-containing protein (PNPLA3 I148M) have the most significant genetic association with the disease at all stages of its progression. A roadblock to identifying potential treatments for PNPLA3-induced NAFLD is the lack of a human cell platform that recapitulates the PNPLA3 I148M-mediated onset of lipid accumulation. Hepatocyte-like cells were generated from PNPLA3-/- and PNPLA3I148M/M-induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs). Lipid levels were measured by staining with BODIPY 493/503 and were found to increase in PNPLA3 variant iPSC-derived hepatocytes. A small-molecule screen identified multiple compounds that target Src/PI3K/Akt signaling and could eradicate lipid accumulation in these cells. We found that drugs currently in clinical trials for cancer treatment that target the same pathways also reduced lipid accumulation in PNPLA3 variant cells.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Caren Doueiry
- Department of Regenerative Medicine and Cell Biology, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC 29425, USA
- Medical Scientist Training Program, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC 29425, USA
| | - Christiana S Kappler
- Department of Regenerative Medicine and Cell Biology, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC 29425, USA
| | - Carla Martinez-Morant
- Department of Regenerative Medicine and Cell Biology, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC 29425, USA
| | - Stephen A Duncan
- Department of Regenerative Medicine and Cell Biology, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC 29425, USA
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Xia M, Varmazyad M, Palacin IP, Gavlock DC, Debiasio R, LaRocca G, Reese C, Florentino R, Faccioli LAP, Brown JA, Vernetti LA, Schurdak ME, Stern AM, Gough A, Behari J, Soto-Gutierrez A, Taylor DL, Miedel M. Comparison of Wild-Type and High-risk PNPLA3 variants in a Human Biomimetic Liver Microphysiology System for Metabolic Dysfunction-associated Steatotic Liver Disease Precision Therapy. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.04.22.590608. [PMID: 38712213 PMCID: PMC11071381 DOI: 10.1101/2024.04.22.590608] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/08/2024]
Abstract
Metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) is a worldwide health epidemic with a global occurrence of approximately 30%. The pathogenesis of MASLD is a complex, multisystem disorder driven by multiple factors including genetics, lifestyle, and the environment. Patient heterogeneity presents challenges for developing MASLD therapeutics, creation of patient cohorts for clinical trials and optimization of therapeutic strategies for specific patient cohorts. Implementing pre-clinical experimental models for drug development creates a significant challenge as simple in vitro systems and animal models do not fully recapitulate critical steps in the pathogenesis and the complexity of MASLD progression. To address this, we implemented a precision medicine strategy that couples the use of our liver acinus microphysiology system (LAMPS) constructed with patient-derived primary cells. We investigated the MASLD-associated genetic variant PNPLA3 rs738409 (I148M variant) in primary hepatocytes, as it is associated with MASLD progression. We constructed LAMPS with genotyped wild type and variant PNPLA3 hepatocytes together with key non-parenchymal cells and quantified the reproducibility of the model. We altered media components to mimic blood chemistries, including insulin, glucose, free fatty acids, and immune activating molecules to reflect normal fasting (NF), early metabolic syndrome (EMS) and late metabolic syndrome (LMS) conditions. Finally, we investigated the response to treatment with resmetirom, an approved drug for metabolic syndrome-associated steatohepatitis (MASH), the progressive form of MASLD. This study using primary cells serves as a benchmark for studies using patient biomimetic twins constructed with patient iPSC-derived liver cells using a panel of reproducible metrics. We observed increased steatosis, immune activation, stellate cell activation and secretion of pro-fibrotic markers in the PNPLA3 GG variant compared to wild type CC LAMPS, consistent with the clinical characterization of this variant. We also observed greater resmetirom efficacy in PNPLA3 wild type CC LAMPS compared to the GG variant in multiple MASLD metrics including steatosis, stellate cell activation and the secretion of pro-fibrotic markers. In conclusion, our study demonstrates the capability of the LAMPS platform for the development of MASLD precision therapeutics, enrichment of patient cohorts for clinical trials, and optimization of therapeutic strategies for patient subgroups with different clinical traits and disease stages.
Collapse
|
3
|
Spira D, Herbst S, Schwartzmann S, Dutrannoy V, Steinhagen-Thiessen E, Demuth I, Maurer L, Mai K, Spranger J, Mundlos S, Bobbert T. A Novel Variant in the WRN Gene Detected in a Case of Early-Onset Severe Insulin Resistance Displaying Some but Not All Hallmarks of Progeroid Werner Syndrome. Diabetes Care 2024; 47:798-802. [PMID: 38277397 DOI: 10.2337/dc23-1479] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/08/2023] [Accepted: 12/18/2023] [Indexed: 01/28/2024]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Determining the cause of severe insulin resistance and early-onset diabetes in the case of a young woman in which a wide range of differential diagnoses did not apply. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS Diagnostic workup including medical history, physical examination, specialist consultations, imaging methods, laboratory assessment, and genetic testing carried out by next-generation panel sequencing. RESULTS After ruling out several differential diagnoses, genetic testing revealed a previously unknown homozygous variant within the canonical splice site of intron 4 in the WRN gene classified as pathogenic. Thus, although not all cardinal clinical criteria according to existing guidelines had been met, the phenotype of our patient was attributed to Werner syndrome (WS), an autosomal-recessive inherited progeroid syndrome. CONCLUSIONS WS, although rare, must be considered as a differential diagnosis in cases of severe insulin resistance. Moreover, recognized clinical criteria of WS may not lead to diagnosis in all cases.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Dominik Spira
- Department of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Corporate Member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, and Berlin Institute of Health, Berlin, Germany
| | - Susanne Herbst
- Labor Berlin-Charité Vivantes GmbH, Humangenetik/Next Generation Sequencing, Berlin, Germany
| | - Sarina Schwartzmann
- Institute of Medical Genetics and Human Genetics, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Corporate Member of Freie Universität Berlin and Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Véronique Dutrannoy
- Labor Berlin-Charité Vivantes GmbH, Humangenetik/Next Generation Sequencing, Berlin, Germany
| | - Elisabeth Steinhagen-Thiessen
- Department of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Corporate Member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, and Berlin Institute of Health, Berlin, Germany
- Lipidclinic Universitätsmedizin Rostock, Rostock, Germany
| | - Ilja Demuth
- Department of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Corporate Member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, and Berlin Institute of Health, Berlin, Germany
| | - Lukas Maurer
- Department of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Corporate Member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, and Berlin Institute of Health, Berlin, Germany
| | - Knut Mai
- Department of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Corporate Member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, and Berlin Institute of Health, Berlin, Germany
- European Reference Network on Rare Endocrine Conditions, Reference Centre, Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Joachim Spranger
- Department of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Corporate Member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, and Berlin Institute of Health, Berlin, Germany
| | - Stefan Mundlos
- Institute of Medical Genetics and Human Genetics, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Corporate Member of Freie Universität Berlin and Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Thomas Bobbert
- Department of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Corporate Member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, and Berlin Institute of Health, Berlin, Germany
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Dawood RM, Salum GM, Abd El-Meguid M, Fotouh BES. Molecular Insights of Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease Pathogenesis. J Interferon Cytokine Res 2024; 44:111-123. [PMID: 38301145 DOI: 10.1089/jir.2023.0162] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/03/2024] Open
Abstract
Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is now the most prevalent chronic liver disease. Many hepatic abnormalities are associated with NAFLD such as nonalcoholic steatohepatitis, progressive fibrosis, cirrhosis, and liver failure. Moreover, the pathogenesis of NAFLD has numerous etiologies and can be explained due to the existence of several of stimulus that act simultaneously on genetically susceptible patients. These stimuli include obesity, diabetes, and insulin resistance. In addition, identifying the role of gut microbiota on NAFLD progression has been illustrated. In this review, we clarified the several factors that lead to the development of NAFLD and identify those who are most at risk of developing liver end-stage disease. Highlighting the noninvasive diagnostic NAFLD markers could be helpful in the disease prevention and treatment approaches.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Reham Mohammed Dawood
- Department of Microbial Biotechnology, Biotechnology Research Institute, National Research Center, Giza, Egypt
| | - Ghada Maher Salum
- Department of Microbial Biotechnology, Biotechnology Research Institute, National Research Center, Giza, Egypt
| | - Mai Abd El-Meguid
- Department of Microbial Biotechnology, Biotechnology Research Institute, National Research Center, Giza, Egypt
| | - Basma El-Sayed Fotouh
- Department of Microbial Biotechnology, Biotechnology Research Institute, National Research Center, Giza, Egypt
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Butcko AJ, Putman AK, Mottillo EP. The Intersection of Genetic Factors, Aberrant Nutrient Metabolism and Oxidative Stress in the Progression of Cardiometabolic Disease. Antioxidants (Basel) 2024; 13:87. [PMID: 38247511 PMCID: PMC10812494 DOI: 10.3390/antiox13010087] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/14/2023] [Revised: 12/06/2023] [Accepted: 01/07/2024] [Indexed: 01/23/2024] Open
Abstract
Cardiometabolic disease (CMD), which encompasses metabolic-associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD), chronic kidney disease (CKD) and cardiovascular disease (CVD), has been increasing considerably in the past 50 years. CMD is a complex disease that can be influenced by genetics and environmental factors such as diet. With the increased reliance on processed foods containing saturated fats, fructose and cholesterol, a mechanistic understanding of how these molecules cause metabolic disease is required. A major pathway by which excessive nutrients contribute to CMD is through oxidative stress. In this review, we discuss how oxidative stress can drive CMD and the role of aberrant nutrient metabolism and genetic risk factors and how they potentially interact to promote progression of MAFLD, CVD and CKD. This review will focus on genetic mutations that are known to alter nutrient metabolism. We discuss the major genetic risk factors for MAFLD, which include Patatin-like phospholipase domain-containing protein 3 (PNPLA3), Membrane Bound O-Acyltransferase Domain Containing 7 (MBOAT7) and Transmembrane 6 Superfamily Member 2 (TM6SF2). In addition, mutations that prevent nutrient uptake cause hypercholesterolemia that contributes to CVD. We also discuss the mechanisms by which MAFLD, CKD and CVD are mutually associated with one another. In addition, some of the genetic risk factors which are associated with MAFLD and CVD are also associated with CKD, while some genetic risk factors seem to dissociate one disease from the other. Through a better understanding of the causative effect of genetic mutations in CMD and how aberrant nutrient metabolism intersects with our genetics, novel therapies and precision approaches can be developed for treating CMD.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Andrew J. Butcko
- Hypertension and Vascular Research Division, Henry Ford Hospital, 6135 Woodward Avenue, Detroit, MI 48202, USA; (A.J.B.); (A.K.P.)
- Department of Physiology, Wayne State University, 540 E. Canfield Street, Detroit, MI 48202, USA
| | - Ashley K. Putman
- Hypertension and Vascular Research Division, Henry Ford Hospital, 6135 Woodward Avenue, Detroit, MI 48202, USA; (A.J.B.); (A.K.P.)
- Department of Large Animal Clinical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, Michigan State University, 784 Wilson Road, East Lansing, MI 48823, USA
| | - Emilio P. Mottillo
- Hypertension and Vascular Research Division, Henry Ford Hospital, 6135 Woodward Avenue, Detroit, MI 48202, USA; (A.J.B.); (A.K.P.)
- Department of Physiology, Wayne State University, 540 E. Canfield Street, Detroit, MI 48202, USA
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
Wang X, Moore MP, Shi H, Miyata Y, Donnelly SK, Radiloff DR, Tabas I. Hepatocyte-targeted siTAZ therapy lowers liver fibrosis in NASH diet-fed chimeric mice with hepatocyte-humanized livers. Mol Ther Methods Clin Dev 2023; 31:101165. [PMID: 38144682 PMCID: PMC10746533 DOI: 10.1016/j.omtm.2023.101165] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/07/2023] [Accepted: 11/20/2023] [Indexed: 12/26/2023]
Abstract
Nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) is emerging as the most common cause of liver disease. Although many studies in mouse NASH models have suggested therapies, translation to humans is poor, with no approved drugs for NASH. One explanation may lie in differences between mouse and human hepatocytes. We used NASH diet-fed chimeric mice reconstituted with human hepatocytes (hu-liver mice) to test a mechanism-based hepatocyte-targeted small interfering RNA (siRNA), GalNAc-siTaz, shown previously to block the progression to fibrotic NASH in mice. Following ablation of endogenous hepatocytes, male mice were reconstituted with human hepatocytes from a single donor with the rs738409-C/G PNPLA3 risk variant, resulting in ∼95% human hepatocyte reconstitution. The mice were then fed a high-fat choline-deficient l-amino acid-defined diet for 6 weeks to induce NASH, followed by six weekly injections of GalNAc-siTAZ to silence hepatocyte-TAZ or control GalNAc-siRNA (GalNAc-control) while still on the NASH diet. GalNAc-siTAZ lowered human hepatic TAZ and IHH, a TAZ target that promotes NASH fibrosis. Most important, GalNAc-siTAZ decreased liver inflammation, hepatocellular injury, hepatic fibrosis, and profibrogenic mediator expression versus GalNAc-control, indicating that GalNAc-siTAZ decreased the progression of NASH in mice reconstituted with human hepatocytes. In conclusion, silencing TAZ in human hepatocytes suppresses liver fibrosis in a hu-liver model of NASH.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Xiaobo Wang
- Department of Medicine, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY 10032, USA
| | - Mary P. Moore
- Department of Medicine, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY 10032, USA
| | - Hongxue Shi
- Department of Medicine, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY 10032, USA
| | | | | | | | - Ira Tabas
- Department of Medicine, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY 10032, USA
- Department of Pathology and Cell Biology, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY 10032, USA
- Department of Physiology and Cellular Biophysics, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY 10032, USA
| |
Collapse
|
7
|
Hendriks D, Brouwers JF, Hamer K, Geurts MH, Luciana L, Massalini S, López-Iglesias C, Peters PJ, Rodríguez-Colman MJ, Chuva de Sousa Lopes S, Artegiani B, Clevers H. Engineered human hepatocyte organoids enable CRISPR-based target discovery and drug screening for steatosis. Nat Biotechnol 2023; 41:1567-1581. [PMID: 36823355 PMCID: PMC10635827 DOI: 10.1038/s41587-023-01680-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 38.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/01/2022] [Accepted: 01/19/2023] [Indexed: 02/25/2023]
Abstract
The lack of registered drugs for nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is partly due to the paucity of human-relevant models for target discovery and compound screening. Here we use human fetal hepatocyte organoids to model the first stage of NAFLD, steatosis, representing three different triggers: free fatty acid loading, interindividual genetic variability (PNPLA3 I148M) and monogenic lipid disorders (APOB and MTTP mutations). Screening of drug candidates revealed compounds effective at resolving steatosis. Mechanistic evaluation of effective drugs uncovered repression of de novo lipogenesis as the convergent molecular pathway. We present FatTracer, a CRISPR screening platform to identify steatosis modulators and putative targets using APOB-/- and MTTP-/- organoids. From a screen targeting 35 genes implicated in lipid metabolism and/or NAFLD risk, FADS2 (fatty acid desaturase 2) emerged as an important determinant of hepatic steatosis. Enhancement of FADS2 expression increases polyunsaturated fatty acid abundancy which, in turn, reduces de novo lipogenesis. These organoid models facilitate study of steatosis etiology and drug targets.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Delilah Hendriks
- Hubrecht Institute, Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences, Utrecht, The Netherlands.
- Oncode Institute, Utrecht, The Netherlands.
| | - Jos F Brouwers
- Research Group Analysis Techniques in the Life Sciences, School of Life Sciences and Technology, Avans University of Applied Sciences, Breda, The Netherlands
- Molecular Cancer Research, Center for Molecular Medicine, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Karien Hamer
- Hubrecht Institute, Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences, Utrecht, The Netherlands
- Oncode Institute, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Maarten H Geurts
- Hubrecht Institute, Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences, Utrecht, The Netherlands
- Oncode Institute, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Léa Luciana
- Hubrecht Institute, Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences, Utrecht, The Netherlands
- Oncode Institute, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Simone Massalini
- The Princess Maxima Center for Pediatric Oncology, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Carmen López-Iglesias
- The Maastricht Multimodal Molecular Imaging Institute, Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands
| | - Peter J Peters
- The Maastricht Multimodal Molecular Imaging Institute, Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands
| | - Maria J Rodríguez-Colman
- Molecular Cancer Research, Center for Molecular Medicine, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | | | - Benedetta Artegiani
- Hubrecht Institute, Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences, Utrecht, The Netherlands.
- The Princess Maxima Center for Pediatric Oncology, Utrecht, The Netherlands.
| | - Hans Clevers
- Hubrecht Institute, Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences, Utrecht, The Netherlands.
- Oncode Institute, Utrecht, The Netherlands.
- The Princess Maxima Center for Pediatric Oncology, Utrecht, The Netherlands.
- University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, The Netherlands.
- Pharma, Research and Early Development of F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd, Basel, Switzerland.
| |
Collapse
|
8
|
Zadoorian A, Du X, Yang H. Lipid droplet biogenesis and functions in health and disease. Nat Rev Endocrinol 2023:10.1038/s41574-023-00845-0. [PMID: 37221402 DOI: 10.1038/s41574-023-00845-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 63] [Impact Index Per Article: 63.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 04/25/2023] [Indexed: 05/25/2023]
Abstract
Ubiquitous yet unique, lipid droplets are intracellular organelles that are increasingly being recognized for their versatility beyond energy storage. Advances uncovering the intricacies of their biogenesis and the diversity of their physiological and pathological roles have yielded new insights into lipid droplet biology. Despite these insights, the mechanisms governing the biogenesis and functions of lipid droplets remain incompletely understood. Moreover, the causal relationship between the biogenesis and function of lipid droplets and human diseases is poorly resolved. Here, we provide an update on the current understanding of the biogenesis and functions of lipid droplets in health and disease, highlighting a key role for lipid droplet biogenesis in alleviating cellular stresses. We also discuss therapeutic strategies of targeting lipid droplet biogenesis, growth or degradation that could be applied in the future to common diseases, such as cancer, hepatic steatosis and viral infection.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Armella Zadoorian
- School of Biotechnology and Biomolecular Sciences, The University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Ximing Du
- School of Biotechnology and Biomolecular Sciences, The University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Hongyuan Yang
- School of Biotechnology and Biomolecular Sciences, The University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, Australia.
| |
Collapse
|