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Vachher M, Bansal S, Kumar B, Yadav S, Burman A. Deciphering the role of aberrant DNA methylation in NAFLD and NASH. Heliyon 2022; 8:e11119. [PMID: 36299516 PMCID: PMC9589178 DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2022.e11119] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/05/2022] [Revised: 07/30/2022] [Accepted: 10/12/2022] [Indexed: 11/15/2022] Open
Abstract
The global incidence of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is mounting incessantly, and it is emerging as the most frequent cause of chronic and end stage liver disorders. It is the starting point for a range of conditions from simple steatosis to more progressive nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) and associated hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Dysregulation of insulin secretion and dyslipidemia due to obesity and other lifestyle variables are the primary contributors to establishment of NAFLD. Onset and progression of NAFLD is orchestrated by an interplay of metabolic environment with genetic and epigenetic factors. An incompletely understood mechanism of NAFLD progression has greatly hampered the progress in identification of novel prognostic and therapeutic strategies. Emerging evidence suggests altered DNA methylation pattern as a key determinant of NAFLD pathogenesis. Environmental and lifestyle factors can manipulate DNA methylation patterns in a reversible manner, which manifests as changes in gene expression. In this review we attempt to highlight the importance of DNA methylation in establishment and progression of NAFLD. Development of novel diagnostic, prognostic and therapeutic strategies centered around DNA methylation signatures and modifiers has also been explored.
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Della Torre S. Beyond the X Factor: Relevance of Sex Hormones in NAFLD Pathophysiology. Cells 2021; 10:2502. [PMID: 34572151 PMCID: PMC8470830 DOI: 10.3390/cells10092502] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/20/2021] [Revised: 09/12/2021] [Accepted: 09/14/2021] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a major health issue worldwide, being frequently associated with obesity, unbalanced dietary regimens, and reduced physical activity. Despite their greater adiposity and reduced physical activity, women show a lower risk of developing NAFLD in comparison to men, likely a consequence of a sex-specific regulation of liver metabolism. In the liver, sex differences in the uptake, synthesis, oxidation, deposition, and mobilization of lipids, as well as in the regulation of inflammation, are associated with differences in NAFLD prevalence and progression between men and women. Given the major role of sex hormones in driving hepatic sexual dimorphism, this review will focus on the role of sex hormones and their signaling in the regulation of hepatic metabolism and in the molecular mechanisms triggering NAFLD development and progression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sara Della Torre
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Milan, Via Balzaretti 9, 20133 Milan, Italy
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Ruiz D, Padmanabhan V, Sargis RM. Stress, Sex, and Sugar: Glucocorticoids and Sex-Steroid Crosstalk in the Sex-Specific Misprogramming of Metabolism. J Endocr Soc 2020; 4:bvaa087. [PMID: 32734132 PMCID: PMC7382384 DOI: 10.1210/jendso/bvaa087] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/29/2020] [Accepted: 06/26/2020] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Early-life exposures to environmental insults can misprogram development and increase metabolic disease risk in a sex-dependent manner by mechanisms that remain poorly characterized. Modifiable factors of increasing public health relevance, such as diet, psychological stress, and endocrine-disrupting chemicals, can affect glucocorticoid receptor signaling during gestation and lead to sex-specific postnatal metabolic derangements. Evidence from humans and animal studies indicate that glucocorticoids crosstalk with sex steroids by several mechanisms in multiple tissues and can affect sex-steroid-dependent developmental processes. Nonetheless, glucocorticoid sex-steroid crosstalk has not been considered in the glucocorticoid-induced misprogramming of metabolism. Herein we review what is known about the mechanisms by which glucocorticoids crosstalk with estrogen, androgen, and progestogen action. We propose that glucocorticoid sex-steroid crosstalk is an understudied mechanism of action that requires consideration when examining the developmental misprogramming of metabolism, especially when assessing sex-specific outcomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel Ruiz
- Committee on Molecular Metabolism and Nutrition, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois.,Department of Human Genetics, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia
| | | | - Robert M Sargis
- Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes, and Metabolism; Department of Medicine; University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, Illinois.,Chicago Center for Health and Environment, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, Illinois
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Brain Control of Sexually Dimorphic Liver Function and Disease: The Endocrine Connection. Cell Mol Neurobiol 2019; 39:169-180. [DOI: 10.1007/s10571-019-00652-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/03/2018] [Accepted: 01/10/2019] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
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Sexually Dimorphic Expression of eGFP Transgene in the Akr1A1 Locus of Mouse Liver Regulated by Sex Hormone-Related Epigenetic Remodeling. Sci Rep 2016; 6:24023. [PMID: 27087367 PMCID: PMC4834580 DOI: 10.1038/srep24023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/06/2015] [Accepted: 03/14/2016] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Sexually dimorphic gene expression is commonly found in the liver, and many of these genes are linked to different incidences of liver diseases between sexes. However, the mechanism of sexually dimorphic expression is still not fully understood. In this study, a pCAG-eGFP transgenic mouse strain with a specific transgene integration site in the Akr1A1 locus presented male-biased EGFP expression in the liver, and the expression was activated by testosterone during puberty. The integration of the pCAG-eGFP transgene altered the epigenetic regulation of the adjacent chromatin, including increased binding of STAT5b, a sexually dimorphic expression regulator, and the transformation of DNA methylation from hypermethylation into male-biased hypomethylation. Through this de novo sexually dimorphic expression of the transgene, the Akr1A1eGFP mouse provides a useful model to study the mechanisms and the dynamic changes of sexually dimorphic gene expression during either development or pathogenesis of the liver.
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Ito S, Hirabayashi K, Moriishi K, Matsui Y, Moriya K, Koike K, Matsuura Y, Shiota K, Yagi S. Novel sex-dependent differentially methylated regions are demethylated in adult male mouse livers. Biochem Biophys Res Commun 2015; 462:332-8. [PMID: 25960295 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbrc.2015.04.137] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/23/2015] [Accepted: 04/28/2015] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
In mammalian livers, sexual dimorphisms are observed in tissue-specific functions and diseases such as hepatocellular carcinoma. We identified sex-dependent differentially methylated regions (S-DMRs) which had been previously been characterized as growth hormone- STAT5 dependent. In this study, we performed genome-wide screening and identified ten additional hypomethylated S-DMR gene regions in male livers. Of these S-DMRs, Uggt2 and Sarnp were hypomethylated in both male and female livers compared to brain and embryonic stem (ES) cells. Similarly, Adam2, Uggt2, and Scp2 were hypomethylated in female embryonic germ (EG) cells and not in male EG cells, indicating that these S-DMRs are liver-specific male hypo-S-DMRs. Interestingly, the five S-DMRs were free from STAT5 chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) signals, suggesting that S-DMRs are independent of the growth hormone-STAT5-pathway. Instead, the DNA methylation statuses of the S-DMRs of Adam2, Snx29, Uggt2, Sarnp, and Rnpc3 genes were under the control of testosterone. Importantly, the hypomethylated S-DMRs of the Adam2 and Snx29 regions showed chromatin decondensation. Epigenetic factors could be responsible for the sexual dimorphisms in DNA methylation status and chromatin structure, as the expression of Dnmt1, Dnmt3b, and Tet2 genes was lower in male mice compared to female mice and TET2 expression recovered following orchidectomy by testosterone treatment. In conclusion, we identified novel male-specific hypomethylated S-DMRs that contribute to chromatin decondensation in the liver. S-DMRs were tissue-specific and the hypomethylation is testosterone-dependent.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shuhei Ito
- Department of Animal Resource Sciences/Veterinary Medical Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Keiji Hirabayashi
- Department of Animal Resource Sciences/Veterinary Medical Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Kohji Moriishi
- Department of Microbiology, Division of Medicine, Interdisciplinary Graduate School of Medicine and Engineering (Faculty of Medicine), University of Yamanashi, Japan
| | - Yasuhisa Matsui
- Cell Resource Center for Biomedical Research, Institute of Development, Aging and Cancer, Tohoku University, Miyagi, Japan
| | - Kyoji Moriya
- Department of Internal Medicine, Graduate School of Medicine, University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Kazuhiko Koike
- Department of Gastroenterology, Graduate School of Medicine, University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Yoshiharu Matsuura
- Department of Molecular Virology, Research Institute for Microbial Diseases Osaka University, Osaka, Japan
| | - Kunio Shiota
- Department of Animal Resource Sciences/Veterinary Medical Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan.
| | - Shintaro Yagi
- Department of Animal Resource Sciences/Veterinary Medical Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan.
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