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Torres S, Ortiz C, Bachtler N, Gu W, Grünewald LD, Kraus N, Schierwagen R, Hieber C, Meier C, Tyc O, Joseph Brol M, Uschner FE, Nijmeijer B, Welsch C, Berres M, Garcia‐Ruiz C, Fernandez‐Checa JC, Trautwein C, Vogl TJ, Zeuzem S, Trebicka J, Klein S. Janus kinase 2 inhibition by pacritinib as potential therapeutic target for liver fibrosis. Hepatology 2023; 77:1228-1240. [PMID: 35993369 PMCID: PMC10026969 DOI: 10.1002/hep.32746] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/02/2022] [Revised: 07/26/2022] [Accepted: 08/03/2022] [Indexed: 12/08/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND AIMS Janus kinase 2 (JAK2) signaling is increased in human and experimental liver fibrosis with portal hypertension. JAK2 inhibitors, such as pacritinib, are already in advanced clinical development for other indications and might also be effective in liver fibrosis. Here, we investigated the antifibrotic role of the JAK2 inhibitor pacritinib on activated hepatic stellate cells (HSCs) in vitro and in two animal models of liver fibrosis in vivo . APPROACH AND RESULTS Transcriptome analyses of JAK2 in human livers and other targets of pacritinib have been shown to correlate with profibrotic factors. Although transcription of JAK2 correlated significantly with type I collagen expression and other profibrotic genes, no correlation was observed for interleukin-1 receptor-associated kinase and colony-stimulating factor 1 receptor. Pacritinib decreased gene expression of fibrosis markers in mouse primary and human-derived HSCs in vitro . Moreover, pacritinib decreased the proliferation, contraction, and migration of HSCs. C 57 BL/6J mice received ethanol in drinking water (16%) or Western diet in combination with carbon tetrachloride intoxication for 7 weeks to induce alcoholic or nonalcoholic fatty liver disease. Pacritinib significantly reduced liver fibrosis assessed by gene expression and Sirius red staining, as well as HSC activation assessed by alpha-smooth muscle actin immunostaining in fibrotic mice. Furthermore, pacritinib decreased the gene expression of hepatic steatosis markers in experimental alcoholic liver disease. Additionally, pacritinib protected against liver injury as assessed by aminotransferase levels. CONCLUSIONS This study demonstrates that the JAK2 inhibitor pacritinib may be promising for the treatment of alcoholic and nonalcoholic liver fibrosis and may be therefore relevant for human pathology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sandra Torres
- Department of Internal Medicine I, Goethe University Clinic Frankfurt, Frankfurt, Germany
- Department of Cell Death and Proliferation, Instituto Investigaciones Biomédicas de Barcelona (IIBB), Spanish National Research Council (CSIC), Barcelona, Spain
- Liver Unit‐IDIBAPS and Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red (CIBERehd), Barcelona, Spain
| | - Cristina Ortiz
- Department of Internal Medicine I, Goethe University Clinic Frankfurt, Frankfurt, Germany
| | - Nadine Bachtler
- Department of Internal Medicine I, Goethe University Clinic Frankfurt, Frankfurt, Germany
| | - Wenyi Gu
- Department of Internal Medicine I, Goethe University Clinic Frankfurt, Frankfurt, Germany
- Department of Internal Medicine B, University of Münster, Münster, Germany
| | - Leon D. Grünewald
- Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, Universit+y Hospital Frankfurt, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Nico Kraus
- Department of Internal Medicine I, Goethe University Clinic Frankfurt, Frankfurt, Germany
| | - Robert Schierwagen
- Department of Internal Medicine I, Goethe University Clinic Frankfurt, Frankfurt, Germany
- Department of Internal Medicine B, University of Münster, Münster, Germany
| | - Christoph Hieber
- Department of Internal Medicine I, Goethe University Clinic Frankfurt, Frankfurt, Germany
| | - Caroline Meier
- Department of Internal Medicine I, Goethe University Clinic Frankfurt, Frankfurt, Germany
| | - Olaf Tyc
- Department of Internal Medicine I, Goethe University Clinic Frankfurt, Frankfurt, Germany
| | - Maximilian Joseph Brol
- Department of Internal Medicine I, Goethe University Clinic Frankfurt, Frankfurt, Germany
- Department of Internal Medicine B, University of Münster, Münster, Germany
| | - Frank Erhard Uschner
- Department of Internal Medicine I, Goethe University Clinic Frankfurt, Frankfurt, Germany
- Department of Internal Medicine B, University of Münster, Münster, Germany
| | - Bart Nijmeijer
- Research and Development Department, Linxis BV, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Christoph Welsch
- Department of Internal Medicine I, Goethe University Clinic Frankfurt, Frankfurt, Germany
| | - Marie‐Luise Berres
- Department of Internal Medicine III, Aachen University Hospital, Aachen, Germany
| | - Carmen Garcia‐Ruiz
- Department of Cell Death and Proliferation, Instituto Investigaciones Biomédicas de Barcelona (IIBB), Spanish National Research Council (CSIC), Barcelona, Spain
- Liver Unit‐IDIBAPS and Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red (CIBERehd), Barcelona, Spain
- Department of Medicine, University of Southern California, Research Center for Alcoholic Liver and Pancreatic Diseases and Cirrhosis, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California, USA
| | - Jose Carlos Fernandez‐Checa
- Department of Cell Death and Proliferation, Instituto Investigaciones Biomédicas de Barcelona (IIBB), Spanish National Research Council (CSIC), Barcelona, Spain
- Liver Unit‐IDIBAPS and Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red (CIBERehd), Barcelona, Spain
- Department of Medicine, University of Southern California, Research Center for Alcoholic Liver and Pancreatic Diseases and Cirrhosis, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California, USA
| | - Christian Trautwein
- Department of Internal Medicine III, Aachen University Hospital, Aachen, Germany
| | - Thomas J. Vogl
- Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, Universit+y Hospital Frankfurt, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Stefan Zeuzem
- Department of Internal Medicine I, Goethe University Clinic Frankfurt, Frankfurt, Germany
| | - Jonel Trebicka
- Department of Internal Medicine I, Goethe University Clinic Frankfurt, Frankfurt, Germany
- Department of Internal Medicine B, University of Münster, Münster, Germany
- European Foundation for the Study of Chronic Liver Failure – EF Clif, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Sabine Klein
- Department of Internal Medicine I, Goethe University Clinic Frankfurt, Frankfurt, Germany
- Department of Internal Medicine B, University of Münster, Münster, Germany
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Waters M, Brooks A. JAK2 activation by growth hormone and other cytokines. Biochem J 2015; 466:1-11. [PMID: 25656053 PMCID: PMC4325515 DOI: 10.1042/bj20141293] [Citation(s) in RCA: 92] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/15/2014] [Revised: 11/17/2014] [Accepted: 11/24/2014] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
Growth hormone (GH) and structurally related cytokines regulate a great number of physiological and pathological processes. They do this by coupling their single transmembrane domain (TMD) receptors to cytoplasmic tyrosine kinases, either as homodimers or heterodimers. Recent studies have revealed that many of these receptors exist as constitutive dimers rather than being dimerized as a consequence of ligand binding, which has necessitated a new paradigm for describing their activation process. In the present study, we describe a model for activation of the tyrosine kinase Janus kinase 2 (JAK2) by the GH receptor homodimer based on biochemical data and molecular dynamics simulations. Binding of the bivalent ligand reorientates and rotates the receptor subunits, resulting in a transition from a form with parallel TMDs to one where the TMDs separate at the point of entry into the cytoplasm. This movement slides the pseudokinase inhibitory domain of one JAK kinase away from the kinase domain of the other JAK within the receptor dimer-JAK complex, allowing the two kinase domains to interact and trans-activate. This results in phosphorylation and activation of STATs and other signalling pathways linked to this receptor which then regulate postnatal growth, metabolism and stem cell activation. We believe that this model will apply to most if not all members of the class I cytokine receptor family, and will be useful in the design of small antagonists and agonists of therapeutic value.
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Key Words
- class i cytokine receptors
- cytokine receptor signalling
- growth hormone
- growth hormone receptor
- janus kinase 2 (jak2)
- srk family kinases
- cntf, ciliary neurotropic factor
- crh, cytokine receptor homology
- ct-1, cardiotropin-1
- ecd, extracellular domain
- epo, erythropoietin
- fniii, fibronectin iii-like
- gh, growth hormone
- gm-csf, granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor
- jak, janus kinase
- jm, juxtamembrane
- mab, monoclonal antibody
- osm, oncostatin-m
- pk, pseudokinase
- tmd, transmembrane domain
- tpo, thrombopoietin
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael J. Waters
- *Institute for Molecular Bioscience, The University of Queensland Institute, QLD 4072, Australia
| | - Andrew J. Brooks
- *Institute for Molecular Bioscience, The University of Queensland Institute, QLD 4072, Australia
- †The University of Queensland Diamantina Institute, The University of Queensland, Translational Research Institute, QLD 4072, Australia
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