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Alarabi M, Pan Z, Romero-Gómez M, George J, Eslam M. Telomere length and mortality in lean MAFLD: the other face of metabolic adaptation. Hepatol Int 2024:10.1007/s12072-024-10701-6. [PMID: 38900410 DOI: 10.1007/s12072-024-10701-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/08/2024] [Accepted: 05/24/2024] [Indexed: 06/21/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND AIMS Healthy weight (lean) patients with metabolic dysfunction-associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD) have a more favorable metabolic and histological profile in cross-sectional studies compared with their non-lean counterparts. Paradoxically, they also have higher overall mortality. The underpinning pathophysiology of this paradox is not understood. Telomere attrition is associated with increased mortality in various diseases. METHODS We investigated the role of telomere length in the pathogenesis of lean MAFLD in cohorts with biopsy-proven MAFLD (n = 303). We measured serum malondialdehyde (MDA) levels and hepatic 8-hydroxydeoxyguanosine (8-OHdG) and 4-hydroxy-2-nonenal (4-HNE) expression (reactive oxygen species (ROS) markers), growth/differentiation factor-15 (GDF-15) and tested the effect of H2O2 on telomere length and activity in hepatocyte cell lines. The association between leukocyte telomere length and mortality was examined. RESULTS Telomere length was significantly lower in patients with lean MAFLD (p < 0.001). They also demonstrated an increase in ROS levels and decreases in GDF-15. H2O2 induced telomere shortening and reducing telomere activity in hepatocyte cell lines. We subsequently confirmed that telomere length shortening at baseline is associated with increased hazards of all-cause mortality; the deleterious effect was more profound in lean people. CONCLUSION Differences in telomere length in part explain the increased mortality of lean compared to non-lean patients with MAFLD. The effect is in part mediated through ROS activation and provide opportunities for therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mohammad Alarabi
- Storr Liver Centre, Westmead Institute for Medical Research, Westmead Hospital and University of Sydney, Westmead, Sydney, 2145 NSW, Australia
| | - Ziyan Pan
- Storr Liver Centre, Westmead Institute for Medical Research, Westmead Hospital and University of Sydney, Westmead, Sydney, 2145 NSW, Australia
| | - Manuel Romero-Gómez
- Digestive Diseases Unit, Hospital Universitario Virgen del Rocío, Seville, Spain
| | - Jacob George
- Storr Liver Centre, Westmead Institute for Medical Research, Westmead Hospital and University of Sydney, Westmead, Sydney, 2145 NSW, Australia
| | - Mohammed Eslam
- Storr Liver Centre, Westmead Institute for Medical Research, Westmead Hospital and University of Sydney, Westmead, Sydney, 2145 NSW, Australia.
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Schmidt KA, Simonetto DA. The telomere tango: Liver disease in the genomic spotlight. Hepatology 2024; 79:1249-1251. [PMID: 37983765 DOI: 10.1097/hep.0000000000000697] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/08/2023] [Accepted: 11/08/2023] [Indexed: 11/22/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Kathryn A Schmidt
- Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Department of Medicine, Mayo Clinic College of Medicine and Science, Rochester, Minnesota, USA
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Hopkins JW, Sulka KB, Sawden M, Carroll KA, Brown RD, Bunnell SC, Poltorak A, Tai A, Reed ER, Sharma S. STING promotes homeostatic maintenance of tissues and confers longevity with aging. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.04.04.588107. [PMID: 38645182 PMCID: PMC11030237 DOI: 10.1101/2024.04.04.588107] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/23/2024]
Abstract
Local immune processes within aging tissues are a significant driver of aging associated dysfunction, but tissue-autonomous pathways and cell types that modulate these responses remain poorly characterized. The cytosolic DNA sensing pathway, acting through cyclic GMP-AMP synthase (cGAS) and Stimulator of Interferon Genes (STING), is broadly expressed in tissues, and is poised to regulate local type I interferon (IFN-I)-dependent and independent inflammatory processes within tissues. Recent studies suggest that the cGAS/STING pathway may drive pathology in various in vitro and in vivo models of accelerated aging. To date, however, the role of the cGAS/STING pathway in physiological aging processes, in the absence of genetic drivers, has remained unexplored. This remains a relevant gap, as STING is ubiquitously expressed, implicated in multitudinous disorders, and loss of function polymorphisms of STING are highly prevalent in the human population (>50%). Here we reveal that, during physiological aging, STING-deficiency leads to a significant shortening of murine lifespan, increased pro-inflammatory serum cytokines and tissue infiltrates, as well as salient changes in histological composition and organization. We note that aging hearts, livers, and kidneys express distinct subsets of inflammatory, interferon-stimulated gene (ISG), and senescence genes, collectively comprising an immune fingerprint for each tissue. These distinctive patterns are largely imprinted by tissue-specific stromal and myeloid cells. Using cellular interaction network analyses, immunofluorescence, and histopathology data, we show that these immune fingerprints shape the tissue architecture and the landscape of cell-cell interactions in aging tissues. These age-associated immune fingerprints are grossly dysregulated with STING-deficiency, with key genes that define aging STING-sufficient tissues greatly diminished in the absence of STING. Changes in immune signatures are concomitant with a restructuring of the stromal and myeloid fractions, whereby cell:cell interactions are grossly altered and resulting in disorganization of tissue architecture in STING-deficient organs. This altered homeostasis in aging STING-deficient tissues is associated with a cross-tissue loss of homeostatic tissue-resident macrophage (TRM) populations in these tissues. Ex vivo analyses reveal that basal STING-signaling limits the susceptibility of TRMs to death-inducing stimuli and determines their in situ localization in tissue niches, thereby promoting tissue homeostasis. Collectively, these data upend the paradigm that cGAS/STING signaling is primarily pathological in aging and instead indicate that basal STING signaling sustains tissue function and supports organismal longevity. Critically, our study urges caution in the indiscriminate targeting of these pathways, which may result in unpredictable and pathological consequences for health during aging.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jacob W. Hopkins
- Department of Immunology, Tufts University, Boston, MA 02111
- Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Tufts University, Boston, MA 02111
| | - Katherine B. Sulka
- Department of Immunology, Tufts University, Boston, MA 02111
- Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Tufts University, Boston, MA 02111
| | - Machlan Sawden
- Department of Immunology, Tufts University, Boston, MA 02111
- Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Tufts University, Boston, MA 02111
| | - Kimberly A. Carroll
- Department of Immunology, Tufts University, Boston, MA 02111
- Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Tufts University, Boston, MA 02111
| | - Ronald D. Brown
- Department of Neurobiology and Behavior, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, 12853
| | | | | | - Albert Tai
- Department of Immunology, Tufts University, Boston, MA 02111
- Data Intensive Studies Center, Tufts University, Medford, MA, 02155
| | - Eric R. Reed
- Data Intensive Studies Center, Tufts University, Medford, MA, 02155
| | - Shruti Sharma
- Department of Immunology, Tufts University, Boston, MA 02111
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Warsame F, Simonetto DA. Telomere Biology Disorder: A Focus on Gastrointestinal and Hepatic Manifestations. Curr Hematol Malig Rep 2024; 19:75-81. [PMID: 38372947 DOI: 10.1007/s11899-023-00723-6] [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] [Accepted: 12/29/2023] [Indexed: 02/20/2024]
Abstract
PURPOSE OF REVIEW Telomere biology disorders (TBD) encompass several illnesses caused by underlying mutations in telomere maintenance leading to premature telomere attrition and telomere dysfunction. These disorders have unique features but share common disease manifestations including pulmonary fibrosis, cirrhosis, and bone marrow failure. The goals of this article are to provide an overview of the gastrointestinal and hepatic manifestations of TBD, focusing on their pathophysiology, clinical disease states, and current management strategies. RECENT FINDINGS Telomere shortening has been observed in patients with chronic liver disease and is associated with a higher risk of progression to cirrhosis and portal hypertension. While the directionality of the association between telomere dysfunction and senescence on liver disease is not fully understood, research in TBD may provide clarity and could lead to future therapies for this increasingly prevalent disease. While treatment options remain limited in TBD-associated liver disease, recent studies point to the safety and efficacy of liver transplantation among patients with end-stage liver disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fatima Warsame
- Internal Medicine Residency, Department of Medicine, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA
| | - Douglas A Simonetto
- Gastroenterology and Hepatology Fellowship Program, Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Mayo Clinic, 200 1St SW, Rochester, MN, USA.
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Jalan-Sakrikar N, Anwar A, Yaqoob U, Gan C, Lagnado AB, Wixom AQ, Jurk D, Huebert RC. Telomere dysfunction promotes cholangiocyte senescence and biliary fibrosis in primary sclerosing cholangitis. JCI Insight 2023; 8:e170320. [PMID: 37707950 PMCID: PMC10619490 DOI: 10.1172/jci.insight.170320] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/07/2023] [Accepted: 09/12/2023] [Indexed: 09/16/2023] Open
Abstract
Cellular senescence and biliary fibrosis are prototypical features of obliterative cholangiopathies, such as primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC). Telomere dysfunction can lead to senescence either through telomere erosion or damaged telomeres. Our goal was to investigate a mechanistic relationship between telomere damage and biliary fibrosis in PSC. Telomere attrition was observed in the bile ducts of patients with PSC along with a reduction in telomerase reverse transcriptase (TERT) expression, compared with that in normal livers. Similarly, liver tissue from mouse models of biliary fibrosis showed telomere attrition with increased damage at telomeres measured as telomere-associated foci (TAF). Cellular models of senescence induction increased the TAF in cholangiocytes. This coincided with decreased TERT expression and increased senescence, which was rescued by modulating TERT levels. Epigenetic analysis revealed increased acquisition of repressive histone methylation at the TERT promoter, which correlated with decreased TERT transcription. Cholangiocyte-selective deletion of TERT in mice exacerbated fibrosis, whereas androgen therapy toward telomerase rescued liver fibrosis and liver function in a genetic mouse model of PSC. Our results demonstrate a mechanistic role for telomere dysfunction in cellular senescence and fibrosis that characterize PSC. This suggests that PSC may be, in part, a telomere biology disorder, and identifies TERT as a potential therapeutic target.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nidhi Jalan-Sakrikar
- Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology
- Gastroenterology Research Unit
- Center for Cell Signaling in Gastroenterology, and
| | - Abid Anwar
- Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology
- Gastroenterology Research Unit
| | - Usman Yaqoob
- Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology
- Gastroenterology Research Unit
| | - Can Gan
- Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology
- Gastroenterology Research Unit
| | - Anthony B. Lagnado
- Physiology and Biomedical Engineering, Mayo Clinic and Foundation, Rochester, Minnesota, USA
| | | | - Diana Jurk
- Center for Cell Signaling in Gastroenterology, and
- Physiology and Biomedical Engineering, Mayo Clinic and Foundation, Rochester, Minnesota, USA
| | - Robert C. Huebert
- Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology
- Gastroenterology Research Unit
- Center for Cell Signaling in Gastroenterology, and
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