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Caon E, Martins M, Hodgetts H, Blanken L, Vilia MG, Levi A, Thanapirom K, Al-Akkad W, Abu-Hanna J, Baselli G, Hall AR, Luong TV, Taanman JW, Vacca M, Valenti L, Romeo S, Mazza G, Pinzani M, Rombouts K. Exploring the impact of the PNPLA3 I148M variant on primary human hepatic stellate cells using 3D extracellular matrix models. J Hepatol 2024:S0168-8278(24)00110-7. [PMID: 38365182 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhep.2024.01.032] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/08/2022] [Revised: 01/24/2024] [Accepted: 01/27/2024] [Indexed: 02/18/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND & AIMS The PNPLA3 rs738409 C>G (encoding for I148M) variant is a risk locus for the fibrogenic progression of chronic liver diseases, a process driven by hepatic stellate cells (HSCs). We investigated how the PNPLA3 I148M variant affects HSC biology using transcriptomic data and validated findings in 3D-culture models. METHODS RNA sequencing was performed on 2D-cultured primary human HSCs and liver biopsies of individuals with obesity, genotyped for the PNPLA3 I148M variant. Data were validated in wild-type (WT) or PNPLA3 I148M variant-carrying HSCs cultured on 3D extracellular matrix (ECM) scaffolds from human healthy and cirrhotic livers, with/without TGFB1 or cytosporone B (Csn-B) treatment. RESULTS Transcriptomic analyses of liver biopsies and HSCs highlighted shared PNPLA3 I148M-driven dysregulated pathways related to mitochondrial function, antioxidant response, ECM remodelling and TGFB1 signalling. Analogous pathways were dysregulated in WT/PNPLA3-I148M HSCs cultured in 3D liver scaffolds. Mitochondrial dysfunction in PNPLA3-I148M cells was linked to respiratory chain complex IV insufficiency. Antioxidant capacity was lower in PNPLA3-I148M HSCs, while reactive oxygen species secretion was increased in PNPLA3-I148M HSCs and higher in bioengineered cirrhotic vs. healthy scaffolds. TGFB1 signalling followed the same trend. In PNPLA3-I148M cells, expression and activation of the endogenous TGFB1 inhibitor NR4A1 were decreased: treatment with the Csn-B agonist increased total NR4A1 in HSCs cultured in healthy but not in cirrhotic 3D scaffolds. NR4A1 regulation by TGFB1/Csn-B was linked to Akt signalling in PNPLA3-WT HSCs and to Erk signalling in PNPLA3-I148M HSCs. CONCLUSION HSCs carrying the PNPLA3 I148M variant have impaired mitochondrial function, antioxidant responses, and increased TGFB1 signalling, which dampens antifibrotic NR4A1 activity. These features are exacerbated by cirrhotic ECM, highlighting the dual impact of the PNPLA3 I148M variant and the fibrotic microenvironment in progressive chronic liver diseases. IMPACT AND IMPLICATIONS Hepatic stellate cells (HSCs) play a key role in the fibrogenic process associated with chronic liver disease. The PNPLA3 genetic mutation has been linked with increased risk of fibrogenesis, but its role in HSCs requires further investigation. Here, by using comparative transcriptomics and a novel 3D in vitro model, we demonstrate the impact of the PNPLA3 genetic mutation on primary human HSCs' behaviour, and we show that it affects the cell's mitochondrial function and antioxidant response, as well as the antifibrotic gene NR4A1. Our publicly available transcriptomic data, 3D platform and our findings on NR4A1 could facilitate the discovery of targets to develop more effective treatments for chronic liver diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elisabetta Caon
- Regenerative Medicine and Fibrosis Group, Institute for Liver and Digestive Health, University College London, Royal Free Campus, London, UK
| | - Maria Martins
- Regenerative Medicine and Fibrosis Group, Institute for Liver and Digestive Health, University College London, Royal Free Campus, London, UK
| | - Harry Hodgetts
- Regenerative Medicine and Fibrosis Group, Institute for Liver and Digestive Health, University College London, Royal Free Campus, London, UK
| | - Lieke Blanken
- Regenerative Medicine and Fibrosis Group, Institute for Liver and Digestive Health, University College London, Royal Free Campus, London, UK
| | - Maria Giovanna Vilia
- Regenerative Medicine and Fibrosis Group, Institute for Liver and Digestive Health, University College London, Royal Free Campus, London, UK
| | - Ana Levi
- Regenerative Medicine and Fibrosis Group, Institute for Liver and Digestive Health, University College London, Royal Free Campus, London, UK
| | - Kessarin Thanapirom
- Regenerative Medicine and Fibrosis Group, Institute for Liver and Digestive Health, University College London, Royal Free Campus, London, UK
| | - Walid Al-Akkad
- Regenerative Medicine and Fibrosis Group, Institute for Liver and Digestive Health, University College London, Royal Free Campus, London, UK
| | - Jeries Abu-Hanna
- Research Department of Surgical Biotechnology, Division of Surgery and Interventional Science, University College London, London, UK
| | - Guido Baselli
- Department of Pathophysiology and Transplantation, Università degli Studi di Milano, Milan, Italy
| | - Andrew R Hall
- Sheila Sherlock Liver Centre, Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK; Department of Cellular Pathology, Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK
| | - Tu Vinh Luong
- Sheila Sherlock Liver Centre, Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK; Department of Cellular Pathology, Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK
| | - Jan-Willem Taanman
- Department of Clinical and Movement Neurosciences, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, University College London, London UK
| | - Michele Vacca
- Laboratory of Hepatic Metabolism and NAFLD, Roger Williams Institute of Hepatology, London, UK; Clinica Medica "Frugoni", Interdisciplinary Department of Medicine, University of Bari "Aldo Moro", Bari, Italy
| | - Luca Valenti
- Department of Pathophysiology and Transplantation, Università degli Studi di Milano, Milan, Italy; Precision Medicine, Biological Resource Center, Fondazione IRCCS Ca' Granda Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, Milan, Italy
| | - Stefano Romeo
- Department of Molecular and Clinical Medicine, Institute of Medicine, Sahlgrenska Academy, Wallenberg Laboratory, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Giuseppe Mazza
- Regenerative Medicine and Fibrosis Group, Institute for Liver and Digestive Health, University College London, Royal Free Campus, London, UK
| | - Massimo Pinzani
- Regenerative Medicine and Fibrosis Group, Institute for Liver and Digestive Health, University College London, Royal Free Campus, London, UK
| | - Krista Rombouts
- Regenerative Medicine and Fibrosis Group, Institute for Liver and Digestive Health, University College London, Royal Free Campus, London, UK.
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Felli E, Felli E, Muttillo EM, Urade T, Laracca GG, Giannelli V, Famularo S, Geny B, Ettorre GM, Rombouts K, Pinzani M, Diana M, Gracia-Sancho J. Liver ischemia-reperfusion injury: From trigger loading to shot firing. Liver Transpl 2023; 29:1226-1233. [PMID: 37728488 DOI: 10.1097/lvt.0000000000000252] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/04/2023] [Accepted: 08/15/2023] [Indexed: 09/21/2023]
Abstract
An ischemia-reperfusion injury (IRI) results from a prolonged ischemic insult followed by the restoration of blood perfusion, being a common cause of morbidity and mortality, especially in liver transplantation. At the maximum of the potential damage, IRI is characterized by 2 main phases. The first is the ischemic phase, where the hypoxia and vascular stasis induces cell damage and the accumulation of damage-associated molecular patterns and cytokines. The second is the reperfusion phase, where the local sterile inflammatory response driven by innate immunity leads to a massive cell death and impaired liver functionality. The ischemic time becomes crucial in patients with underlying pathophysiological conditions. It is possible to compare this process to a shooting gun, where the loading trigger is the ischemia period and the firing shot is the reperfusion phase. In this optic, this article aims at reviewing the main ischemic events following the phases of the surgical timeline, considering the consequent reperfusion damage.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eric Felli
- Department of Visceral Surgery and Medicine, Inselspital, Bern University Hospital, University of Bern, Switzerland
- Department for BioMedical Research, Visceral Surgery and Medicine, University of Bern, Switzerland
| | - Emanuele Felli
- Department of Digestive Surgery and Liver Transplantation, University Hospital of Tours, France
| | - Edoardo M Muttillo
- Department of Medical Surgical Science and Translational Medicine, Sant' Andrea Hospital, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | - Takeshi Urade
- Department of Surgery, Division of Hepato-Biliary-Pancreatic Surgery, Kobe University Graduate School of Medicine, Japan
| | - Giovanni G Laracca
- Department of Medical Surgical Science and Translational Medicine, Sant' Andrea Hospital, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | - Valerio Giannelli
- Department of Transplantation and General Surgery, San Camillo Hospital, Italy
| | - Simone Famularo
- Department of Biomedical Science, Humanitas University Pieve Emanuele, Italy
- Department of Hepatobiliary and General Surgery, IRCCS Humanitas Research Hospital, Rozzano, Milan, Italy
- Research Institute Against Cancer of the Digestive System (IRCAD), France
| | - Bernard Geny
- Institute of Physiology, EA3072 Mitochondria Respiration and Oxidative Stress, University of Strasbourg, France
| | - Giuseppe M Ettorre
- Department of Transplantation and General Surgery, San Camillo Hospital, Italy
| | - Krista Rombouts
- University College London - Institute for Liver and Digestive Health, Royal Free Hospital, NW3 2PF London, United Kingdom
| | - Massimo Pinzani
- University College London - Institute for Liver and Digestive Health, Royal Free Hospital, NW3 2PF London, United Kingdom
| | - Michele Diana
- Research Institute Against Cancer of the Digestive System (IRCAD), France
| | - Jordi Gracia-Sancho
- Department of Visceral Surgery and Medicine, Inselspital, Bern University Hospital, University of Bern, Switzerland
- Department for BioMedical Research, Visceral Surgery and Medicine, University of Bern, Switzerland
- Liver Vascular Biology Research Group, IDIBAPS Biomedical Research Institute, Hospital Clínic Barcelona, CIBEREHD, Barcelona, Spain
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Singh KP, Pallett LJ, Singh H, Chen A, Otano I, Duriez M, Rombouts K, Pinzani M, Crane M, Fusai G, Avihingsanon A, Lewin SR, Maini MK. Pro-fibrogenic role of alarmin high mobility group box 1 in HIV-hepatitis B virus coinfection. AIDS 2023; 37:401-411. [PMID: 36384811 DOI: 10.1097/qad.0000000000003435] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Liver disease is accelerated in people with HIV (PWH) with hepatitis B virus (HBV) coinfection. We hypothesized that liver fibrosis in HIV-HBV is triggered by increased hepatocyte apoptosis, microbial translocation and/or HIV/HBV viral products. DESIGN Sera from PWH with HBV coinfection versus from those with HBV only or putative mediators were used to examine the pathogenesis of liver disease in HIV-HBV. METHODS We applied sera from PWH and HBV coinfection versus HBV alone, or putative mediators (including HMGB1), to primary human hepatic stellate cells (hHSC) and examined pro-fibrogenic changes at the single cell level using flow cytometry. High mobility group box 1 (HMGB1) levels in the applied sera were assessed according to donor fibrosis stage. RESULTS Quantitative flow cytometric assessment of pro-fibrogenic and inflammatory changes at the single cell level revealed an enhanced capacity for sera from PWH with HBV coinfection to activate hHSC. This effect was recapitulated by lipopolysaccharide, HIV-gp120, hepatocyte conditioned-media and the alarmin HMGB1. Induction of hepatocyte cell death increased their pro-fibrogenic potential, an effect blocked by HMGB1 antagonist glycyrrhizic acid. Consistent with a role for this alarmin, HMGB1 levels were elevated in sera from PWH and hepatitis B coinfection compared to HBV alone and higher in those with HIV-HBV with liver fibrosis compared to those without. CONCLUSIONS Sera from PWH and HBV coinfection have an enhanced capacity to activate primary hHSC. We identified an increase in circulating HMGB1 which, in addition to HIV-gp120 and translocated microbial products, drove pro-fibrogenic changes in hHSC, as mechanisms contributing to accelerated liver disease in HIV-HBV.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kasha P Singh
- Division of Infection and Immunity, University College London, London, UK
- Department of Infectious Diseases, The University of Melbourne at the Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity
- Victorian Infectious Diseases Service, Royal Melbourne Hospital at the Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Alfred Health and Monash University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Laura J Pallett
- Division of Infection and Immunity, University College London, London, UK
| | - Harsimran Singh
- Division of Infection and Immunity, University College London, London, UK
- Institute for Liver and Digestive Health, University College London, London, UK
| | - Antony Chen
- Division of Infection and Immunity, University College London, London, UK
| | - Itziar Otano
- Division of Infection and Immunity, University College London, London, UK
| | - Marion Duriez
- Division of Infection and Immunity, University College London, London, UK
| | - Krista Rombouts
- Institute for Liver and Digestive Health, University College London, London, UK
| | - Massimo Pinzani
- Institute for Liver and Digestive Health, University College London, London, UK
| | - Megan Crane
- Department of Infectious Diseases, The University of Melbourne at the Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity
| | - Giuseppe Fusai
- Institute for Liver and Digestive Health, University College London, London, UK
| | | | - Sharon R Lewin
- Department of Infectious Diseases, The University of Melbourne at the Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity
- Victorian Infectious Diseases Service, Royal Melbourne Hospital at the Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Alfred Health and Monash University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Mala K Maini
- Division of Infection and Immunity, University College London, London, UK
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Ratnayake GM, Laskaratos FM, Mandair D, Caplin ME, Rombouts K, Toumpanakis C. What Causes Desmoplastic Reaction in Small Intestinal Neuroendocrine Neoplasms? Curr Oncol Rep 2022; 24:1281-1286. [PMID: 35554845 PMCID: PMC9474437 DOI: 10.1007/s11912-022-01211-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 10/04/2021] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Purpose of Review Mesenteric desmoplasia in small intestinal neuroendocrine neoplasms (SINENs) is associated with increased morbidity and mortality. In this paper, we discuss the development of desmoplasia in SINENs. Recent Findings The fibrotic reactions associated with these tumours could be limited to the loco-regional environment of the tumour and/or at distant sites. Mesenteric fibrotic mass forms around a local lymph node. Formation of desmoplasia is mediated by interactions between the neoplastic cells and its microenvironment via number of profibrotic mediators and signalling pathways. Profibrotic molecules that are mainly involved in the desmoplastic reaction include serotonin, TGFβ (transforming growth factor β) and CTGF (connective tissue growth factor), although there is some evidence to suggest that there are a number of other molecules involved in this process. Summary Desmoplasia is a result of autocrine and paracrine effects of multiple molecules and signalling pathways. However, more research is needed to understand these mechanisms and to develop targeted therapy to minimise desmoplasia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gowri M Ratnayake
- Neuroendocrine Tumour Unit - ENETS Centre of Excellence, Royal Free Hospital, London, NW3 2QG, UK
| | | | - Dalvinder Mandair
- Neuroendocrine Tumour Unit - ENETS Centre of Excellence, Royal Free Hospital, London, NW3 2QG, UK
| | - Martyn E Caplin
- Neuroendocrine Tumour Unit - ENETS Centre of Excellence, Royal Free Hospital, London, NW3 2QG, UK
| | - Krista Rombouts
- Regenerative Medicine & Fibrosis Group, Institute for Liver and Digestive Health, University College London, Royal Free Campus, London, NW3 2PF, UK
| | - Christos Toumpanakis
- Neuroendocrine Tumour Unit - ENETS Centre of Excellence, Royal Free Hospital, London, NW3 2QG, UK.
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Pastore M, Caligiuri A, Raggi C, Navari N, Piombanti B, Di Maira G, Rovida E, Piccinni MP, Lombardelli L, Logiodice F, Rombouts K, Petta S, Marra F. Macrophage MerTK promotes profibrogenic cross-talk with hepatic stellate cells via soluble mediators. JHEP Rep 2022; 4:100444. [PMID: 35252828 PMCID: PMC8891698 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhepr.2022.100444] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/01/2021] [Revised: 12/29/2021] [Accepted: 01/04/2022] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Background & Aims Activation of Kupffer cells and recruitment of monocytes are key events in fibrogenesis. These cells release soluble mediators which induce the activation of hepatic stellate cells (HSCs), the main fibrogenic cell type within the liver. Mer tyrosine kinase (MerTK) signaling regulates multiple processes in macrophages and has been implicated in the pathogenesis of non-alcoholic steatohepatitis-related fibrosis. In this study, we explored if MerTK activation in macrophages influences the profibrogenic phenotype of HSCs. Methods Macrophages were derived from THP-1 cells or differentiated from peripheral blood monocytes towards MerTK+/CD206+/CD163+/CD209- macrophages. The role of MerTK was assessed by pharmacologic and genetic inhibition. HSC migration was determined in Boyden chambers, viability was measured by the MTT assay, and proliferation was evaluated by the BrdU incorporation assay. Results Gas-6 induced MerTK phosphorylation and Akt activation in macrophages, and these effects were inhibited by UNC569. During polarization, MerTK+/CD206+/CD163+/CD209- macrophages exhibited activation of STAT3, ERK1/2, p38 and increased expression of VEGF-A. Activation of MerTK in THP-1 macrophages induced a secretome which promoted a significant increase in migration, proliferation, viability and expression of profibrogenic factors in HSCs. Similarly, conditioned medium from MerTK+ macrophages induced a significant increase in cell migration, proliferation, STAT3 and p38 phosphorylation and upregulation of IL-8 expression in HSCs. Moreover, conditioned medium from Gas-6-stimulated Kupffer cells induced a significant increase in HSC proliferation. These effects were specifically related to MerTK expression and activity in macrophages, as indicated by pharmacologic inhibition and knockdown experiments. Conclusions MerTK activation in macrophages modifies the secretome to promote profibrogenic features in HSCs, implicating this receptor in the pathogenesis of hepatic fibrosis. Lay summary Fibrosis represents the process of scarring occurring in patients with chronic liver diseases. This process depends on production of scar tissue components by a specific cell type, named hepatic stellate cells, and is regulated by interaction with other cells. Herein, we show that activation of MerTK, a receptor present in a population of macrophages, causes the production of factors that act on hepatic stellate cells, increasing their ability to produce scar tissue. MerTK, a member of the TAM family of proteins, is highly expressed in MerTK+/CD206+/CD163+/CD209- macrophages. In these macrophages, activation of MerTK induces phosphorylation of Akt, STAT3, ERK1/2, p38 and increased expression of VEGF-A. MerTK activation in macrophages modulates the secretome to promote the profibrogenic phenotype of human HSCs. Profibrogenic effects of macrophages expressing high levels of MerTK were blocked by knockdown or inhibition of MerTK.
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Thanapirom K, Caon E, Papatheodoridi M, Frenguelli L, Al-Akkad W, Zhenzhen Z, Vilia MG, Pinzani M, Mazza G, Rombouts K. Optimization and Validation of a Novel Three-Dimensional Co-Culture System in Decellularized Human Liver Scaffold for the Study of Liver Fibrosis and Cancer. Cancers (Basel) 2021; 13:cancers13194936. [PMID: 34638417 PMCID: PMC8508071 DOI: 10.3390/cancers13194936] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/06/2021] [Revised: 09/18/2021] [Accepted: 09/27/2021] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Simple Summary This study aims to overcome the current methodological limitations in discovering new therapeutic targets. Therefore, we optimized and validated a co-culture system using decellularized human liver three-dimensional (3D) scaffolds obtained from healthy and cirrhotic human livers for anti-fibrotic and anti-cancer dual drug screening. Both platforms mimic the naturally healthy and physio-pathological microenvironment and are able to recapitulate the key cellular and molecular events leading to liver fibrogenesis and cancer. This study demonstrates the differences between single versus co-cultures and the usage of human-derived liver 3D ECM scaffolds from healthy and cirrhotic livers. As lead compounds, we used Sorafenib and Regorafenib, first- and second-line drugs, and identified two different drug-induced mechanisms depending on the 3D ECM microenvironment. The 3D ECM scaffolds may represent innovative platforms for disease modeling, biomarker discovery, and drug testing in fibrosis and primary cancer. Abstract The introduction of new preclinical models for in vitro drug discovery and testing based on 3D tissue-specific extracellular matrix (ECM) is very much awaited. This study was aimed at developing and validating a co-culture model using decellularized human liver 3D ECM scaffolds as a platform for anti-fibrotic and anti-cancer drug testing. Decellularized 3D scaffolds obtained from healthy and cirrhotic human livers were bioengineered with LX2 and HEPG2 as single and co-cultures for up to 13 days and validated as a new drug-testing platform. Pro-fibrogenic markers and cancer phenotypic gene/protein expression and secretion were differently affected when single and co-cultures were exposed to TGF-β1 with specific ECM-dependent effects. The anti-fibrotic efficacy of Sorafenib significantly reduced TGF-β1-induced pro-fibrogenic effects, which coincided with a downregulation of STAT3 phosphorylation. The anti-cancer efficacy of Regorafenib was significantly reduced in 3D bioengineered cells when compared to 2D cultures and dose-dependently associated with cell apoptosis by cleaved PARP-1 activation and P-STAT3 inhibition. Regorafenib reversed TGF-β1-induced P-STAT3 and SHP-1 through induction of epithelial mesenchymal marker E-cadherin and downregulation of vimentin protein expression in both co-cultures engrafting healthy and cirrhotic 3D scaffolds. In their complex, the results of the study suggest that this newly proposed 3D co-culture platform is able to reproduce the natural physio-pathological microenvironment and could be employed for anti-fibrotic and anti-HCC drug screening.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kessarin Thanapirom
- Regenerative Medicine and Fibrosis Group, Institute for Liver and Digestive Health, University College London, Royal Free Campus, London NW3 2PF, UK; (K.T.); (E.C.); (M.P.); (L.F.); (W.A.-A.); (Z.Z.); (M.G.V.); (M.P.); (G.M.)
- Division of Gastroenterology, Department of Medicine, Liver Fibrosis and Cirrhosis Research Unit, Faculty of Medicine, Chulalongkorn University and King Chulalongkorn Memorial Hospital, Thai Red Cross Society, Bangkok 10330, Thailand
| | - Elisabetta Caon
- Regenerative Medicine and Fibrosis Group, Institute for Liver and Digestive Health, University College London, Royal Free Campus, London NW3 2PF, UK; (K.T.); (E.C.); (M.P.); (L.F.); (W.A.-A.); (Z.Z.); (M.G.V.); (M.P.); (G.M.)
| | - Margarita Papatheodoridi
- Regenerative Medicine and Fibrosis Group, Institute for Liver and Digestive Health, University College London, Royal Free Campus, London NW3 2PF, UK; (K.T.); (E.C.); (M.P.); (L.F.); (W.A.-A.); (Z.Z.); (M.G.V.); (M.P.); (G.M.)
| | - Luca Frenguelli
- Regenerative Medicine and Fibrosis Group, Institute for Liver and Digestive Health, University College London, Royal Free Campus, London NW3 2PF, UK; (K.T.); (E.C.); (M.P.); (L.F.); (W.A.-A.); (Z.Z.); (M.G.V.); (M.P.); (G.M.)
| | - Walid Al-Akkad
- Regenerative Medicine and Fibrosis Group, Institute for Liver and Digestive Health, University College London, Royal Free Campus, London NW3 2PF, UK; (K.T.); (E.C.); (M.P.); (L.F.); (W.A.-A.); (Z.Z.); (M.G.V.); (M.P.); (G.M.)
| | - Zhang Zhenzhen
- Regenerative Medicine and Fibrosis Group, Institute for Liver and Digestive Health, University College London, Royal Free Campus, London NW3 2PF, UK; (K.T.); (E.C.); (M.P.); (L.F.); (W.A.-A.); (Z.Z.); (M.G.V.); (M.P.); (G.M.)
| | - Maria Giovanna Vilia
- Regenerative Medicine and Fibrosis Group, Institute for Liver and Digestive Health, University College London, Royal Free Campus, London NW3 2PF, UK; (K.T.); (E.C.); (M.P.); (L.F.); (W.A.-A.); (Z.Z.); (M.G.V.); (M.P.); (G.M.)
| | - Massimo Pinzani
- Regenerative Medicine and Fibrosis Group, Institute for Liver and Digestive Health, University College London, Royal Free Campus, London NW3 2PF, UK; (K.T.); (E.C.); (M.P.); (L.F.); (W.A.-A.); (Z.Z.); (M.G.V.); (M.P.); (G.M.)
- Sheila Sherlock Liver Centre, Royal Free Hospital, London NW3 2QG, UK
| | - Giuseppe Mazza
- Regenerative Medicine and Fibrosis Group, Institute for Liver and Digestive Health, University College London, Royal Free Campus, London NW3 2PF, UK; (K.T.); (E.C.); (M.P.); (L.F.); (W.A.-A.); (Z.Z.); (M.G.V.); (M.P.); (G.M.)
| | - Krista Rombouts
- Regenerative Medicine and Fibrosis Group, Institute for Liver and Digestive Health, University College London, Royal Free Campus, London NW3 2PF, UK; (K.T.); (E.C.); (M.P.); (L.F.); (W.A.-A.); (Z.Z.); (M.G.V.); (M.P.); (G.M.)
- Correspondence:
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7
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Dat NQ, Thuy LTT, Hieu VN, Hai H, Hoang DV, Thi Thanh Hai N, Thuy TTV, Komiya T, Rombouts K, Dong MP, Hanh NV, Hoang TH, Sato‐Matsubara M, Daikoku A, Kadono C, Oikawa D, Yoshizato K, Tokunaga F, Pinzani M, Kawada N. Hexa Histidine-Tagged Recombinant Human Cytoglobin Deactivates Hepatic Stellate Cells and Inhibits Liver Fibrosis by Scavenging Reactive Oxygen Species. Hepatology 2021; 73:2527-2545. [PMID: 33576020 PMCID: PMC8251927 DOI: 10.1002/hep.31752] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/02/2020] [Revised: 12/25/2020] [Accepted: 01/06/2021] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND AIMS Antifibrotic therapy remains an unmet medical need in human chronic liver disease. We report the antifibrotic properties of cytoglobin (CYGB), a respiratory protein expressed in hepatic stellate cells (HSCs), the main cell type involved in liver fibrosis. APPROACH AND RESULTS Cygb-deficient mice that had bile duct ligation-induced liver cholestasis or choline-deficient amino acid-defined diet-induced steatohepatitis significantly exacerbated liver damage, fibrosis, and reactive oxygen species (ROS) formation. All of these manifestations were attenuated in Cygb-overexpressing mice. We produced hexa histidine-tagged recombinant human CYGB (His-CYGB), traced its biodistribution, and assessed its function in HSCs or in mice with advanced liver cirrhosis using thioacetamide (TAA) or 3,5-diethoxycarbonyl-1,4-dihydrocollidine (DDC). In cultured HSCs, extracellular His-CYGB was endocytosed and accumulated in endosomes through a clathrin-mediated pathway. His-CYGB significantly impeded ROS formation spontaneously or in the presence of ROS inducers in HSCs, thus leading to the attenuation of collagen type 1 alpha 1 production and α-smooth muscle actin expression. Replacement the iron center of the heme group with cobalt nullified the effect of His-CYGB. In addition, His-CYGB induced interferon-β secretion by HSCs that partly contributed to its antifibrotic function. Momelotinib incompletely reversed the effect of His-CYGB. Intravenously injected His-CYGB markedly suppressed liver inflammation, fibrosis, and oxidative cell damage in mice administered TAA or DDC mice without adverse effects. RNA-sequencing analysis revealed the down-regulation of inflammation- and fibrosis-related genes and the up-regulation of antioxidant genes in both cell culture and liver tissues. The injected His-CYGB predominantly localized to HSCs but not to macrophages, suggesting specific targeting effects. His-CYGB exhibited no toxicity in chimeric mice with humanized livers. CONCLUSIONS His-CYGB could have antifibrotic clinical applications for human chronic liver diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ninh Quoc Dat
- Department of HepatologyGraduate School of MedicineOsaka City UniversityOsakaJapan,Department of PediatricsHanoi Medical UniversityHanoiVietnam
| | - Le Thi Thanh Thuy
- Department of HepatologyGraduate School of MedicineOsaka City UniversityOsakaJapan
| | - Vu Ngoc Hieu
- Department of HepatologyGraduate School of MedicineOsaka City UniversityOsakaJapan
| | - Hoang Hai
- Department of HepatologyGraduate School of MedicineOsaka City UniversityOsakaJapan
| | - Dinh Viet Hoang
- Department of HepatologyGraduate School of MedicineOsaka City UniversityOsakaJapan
| | | | - Tuong Thi Van Thuy
- Biological Resources Vinmec Tissue BankVinmec Healthcare SystemHanoiVietnam
| | - Tohru Komiya
- Department of BiologyFaculty of ScienceOsaka City UniversityOsakaJapan
| | - Krista Rombouts
- Regenerative Medicine and Fibrosis GroupInstitute for Liver and Digestive HealthUniversity College LondonRoyal Free HospitalLondonUnited Kingdom
| | - Minh Phuong Dong
- Department of HepatologyGraduate School of MedicineOsaka City UniversityOsakaJapan
| | - Ngo Vinh Hanh
- Department of HepatologyGraduate School of MedicineOsaka City UniversityOsakaJapan
| | - Truong Huu Hoang
- Department of HepatologyGraduate School of MedicineOsaka City UniversityOsakaJapan
| | | | - Atsuko Daikoku
- Department of HepatologyGraduate School of MedicineOsaka City UniversityOsakaJapan
| | - Chiho Kadono
- Department of HepatologyGraduate School of MedicineOsaka City UniversityOsakaJapan
| | - Daisuke Oikawa
- Department of PathobiochemistryGraduate School of MedicineOsaka City UniversityOsakaJapan
| | - Katsutoshi Yoshizato
- Academic Advisor’s OfficePhoenixBio Co., Ltd.HiroshimaJapan,Endowed Laboratory of Synthetic BiologyGraduate School of MedicineOsaka City UniversityOsakaJapan
| | - Fuminori Tokunaga
- Department of PathobiochemistryGraduate School of MedicineOsaka City UniversityOsakaJapan
| | - Massimo Pinzani
- Regenerative Medicine and Fibrosis GroupInstitute for Liver and Digestive HealthUniversity College LondonRoyal Free HospitalLondonUnited Kingdom
| | - Norifumi Kawada
- Department of HepatologyGraduate School of MedicineOsaka City UniversityOsakaJapan,Regenerative Medicine and Fibrosis GroupInstitute for Liver and Digestive HealthUniversity College LondonRoyal Free HospitalLondonUnited Kingdom
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8
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Böttcher K, Longato L, Marrone G, Mazza G, Ghemtio L, Hall A, Luong TV, Caruso S, Viollet B, Zucman-Rossi J, Pinzani M, Rombouts K. AICAR and compound C negatively modulate HCC-induced primary human hepatic stellate cell activation in vitro. Am J Physiol Gastrointest Liver Physiol 2021; 320:G543-G556. [PMID: 33406006 DOI: 10.1152/ajpgi.00262.2020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/31/2023]
Abstract
Tumor stroma and microenvironment have been shown to affect hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) growth, with activated hepatic stellate cells (HSC) as a major contributor in this process. Recent evidence suggests that the energy sensor adenosine monophosphate-activated kinase (AMPK) may mediate a series of essential processes during carcinogenesis and HCC progression. Here, we investigated the effect of different HCC cell lines with known TP53 or CTNBB1 mutations on primary human HSC activation, proliferation, and AMPK activation. We show that conditioned media obtained from multiple HCC cell lines differently modulate human hepatic stellate cell (hHSC) proliferation and hHSC AMPK activity in a paracrine manner. Pharmacological treatment of hHSC with AICAR and Compound C inhibited the HCC-induced proliferation/activation of hHSC through AMPK-dependent and AMPK-independent mechanisms, which was further confirmed using mouse embryonic fibroblasts (MEFs) deficient of both catalytic AMPKα isoforms (AMPKα1/α2-/-) and wild type (wt) MEF. Both compounds induced S-phase cell-cycle arrest and, in addition, AICAR inhibited the mTORC1 pathway by inhibiting phosphorylation of 4E-BP1 and S6 in hHSC and wt MEF. Data mining of the Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and the Liver Cancer (LICA-FR) showed that AMPKα1 (PRKAA1) and AMPKα2 (PRKAA2) expression differed depending on the mutation (TP53 or CTNNB1), tumor grading, and G1-G6 classification, reflecting the heterogeneity in human HCC. Overall, we provide evidence that AMPK modulating pharmacological agents negatively modulate HCC-induced hHSC activation and may therefore provide a novel approach to target the mutual, tumor-promoting interactions between hHSC and HCC.NEW & NOTEWORTHY HCC is marked by genetic heterogeneity and activated hepatic stellate cells (HSC) are considered key players during HCC development. The paracrine effect of different HCC cell lines on the activation of primary hHSC was accompanied by differential AMPK activation depending on the HCC line used. Pharmacological treatment inhibited the HCC-induced hHSC activation through AMPK-dependent and AMPK-independent mechanisms. This heterogenic effect on HCC-induced AMPK activation was confirmed by data mining TCGA and LICA-FR databases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katrin Böttcher
- Regenerative Medicine and Fibrosis Group, Institute for Liver and Digestive Health, University College London, Royal Free Campus, London, United Kingdom.,Sheila Sherlock Liver Centre, Royal Free Hospital, London, United Kingdom
| | - Lisa Longato
- Regenerative Medicine and Fibrosis Group, Institute for Liver and Digestive Health, University College London, Royal Free Campus, London, United Kingdom
| | - Giusi Marrone
- Regenerative Medicine and Fibrosis Group, Institute for Liver and Digestive Health, University College London, Royal Free Campus, London, United Kingdom
| | - Giuseppe Mazza
- Regenerative Medicine and Fibrosis Group, Institute for Liver and Digestive Health, University College London, Royal Free Campus, London, United Kingdom
| | - Leo Ghemtio
- Drug Research Program, Division of Pharmaceutical Biosciences, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Andrew Hall
- Sheila Sherlock Liver Centre, Royal Free Hospital, London, United Kingdom.,Department of Cellular Pathology, Royal Free Hospital, London, United Kingdom
| | - Tu Vinh Luong
- Department of Cellular Pathology, Royal Free Hospital, London, United Kingdom
| | - Stefano Caruso
- Centre de Recherche des Cordeliers, INSERM, Functional Genomics of Solid Tumors Laboratory, Sorbonne Université, Université de Paris, Paris, France
| | - Benoit Viollet
- Université de Paris, Institut Cochin, CNRS, INSERM, Paris, France
| | - Jessica Zucman-Rossi
- Centre de Recherche des Cordeliers, INSERM, Functional Genomics of Solid Tumors Laboratory, Sorbonne Université, Université de Paris, Paris, France.,Hôpital Européen Georges Pompidou, Assistance Publique-Hôpitaux de Paris, Paris, France
| | - Massimo Pinzani
- Regenerative Medicine and Fibrosis Group, Institute for Liver and Digestive Health, University College London, Royal Free Campus, London, United Kingdom.,Sheila Sherlock Liver Centre, Royal Free Hospital, London, United Kingdom
| | - Krista Rombouts
- Regenerative Medicine and Fibrosis Group, Institute for Liver and Digestive Health, University College London, Royal Free Campus, London, United Kingdom
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9
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Lulli M, Del Coco L, Mello T, Sukowati C, Madiai S, Gragnani L, Forte P, Fanizzi FP, Mazzocca A, Rombouts K, Galli A, Carloni V. DNA Damage Response Protein CHK2 Regulates Metabolism in Liver Cancer. Cancer Res 2021; 81:2861-2873. [PMID: 33762357 DOI: 10.1158/0008-5472.can-20-3134] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/17/2020] [Revised: 02/15/2021] [Accepted: 03/22/2021] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Defective mitosis with chromosome missegregation can have a dramatic effect on genome integrity by causing DNA damage, activation of the DNA damage response (DDR), and chromosomal instability. Although this is an energy-dependent process, mechanisms linking DDR to cellular metabolism are unknown. Here we show that checkpoint kinase 2 (CHK2), a central effector of DDR, regulates cellular energy production by affecting glycolysis and mitochondrial functions. Patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) had increased CHK2 mRNA in blood, which was associated with elevated tricarboxylic acid cycle (TCA) metabolites. CHK2 controlled expression of succinate dehydrogenase (SDH) and intervened with mitochondrial functions. DNA damage and CHK2 promoted SDH activity marked by increased succinate oxidation through the TCA cycle; this was confirmed in a transgenic model of HCC with elevated DNA damage. Mitochondrial analysis identified CHK2-controlled expression of SDH as key in sustaining reactive oxygen species production. Cells with DNA damage and elevated CHK2 relied significantly on glycolysis for ATP production due to dysfunctional mitochondria, which was abolished by CHK2 knockdown. This represents a vulnerability created by the DNA damage response that could be exploited for development of new therapies. SIGNIFICANCE: This study uncovers a link between a central effector of DNA damage response, CHK2, and cellular metabolism, revealing potential therapeutic strategies for targeting hepatocellular carcinoma.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matteo Lulli
- Department of Experimental and Clinical Biomedical Sciences "Mario Serio", General Pathology Unit, University of Florence, Florence, Italy
| | - Laura Del Coco
- Dipartimento di Scienze e Tecnologie Biologiche ed Ambientali, University of Salento, Lecce, Italy
| | - Tommaso Mello
- Department of Experimental and Clinical Biomedical Sciences "Mario Serio", Gastroenterology Unit, University of Florence, Florence, Italy
| | - Caecilia Sukowati
- Fondazione Italiana Fegato, AREA Science Park, Trieste, Italy, Laboratory of Molecular Biology and DNA repair, Department of Medicine (DAME), University of Udine, Udine, Italy
| | - Stefania Madiai
- Department of Experimental and Clinical Medicine, University of Florence, Florence, Italy
| | - Laura Gragnani
- Department of Experimental and Clinical Medicine, University of Florence, Florence, Italy
| | - Paolo Forte
- Department of Experimental and Clinical Biomedical Sciences "Mario Serio", Gastroenterology Unit, University of Florence, Florence, Italy
| | - Francesco Paolo Fanizzi
- Dipartimento di Scienze e Tecnologie Biologiche ed Ambientali, University of Salento, Lecce, Italy.,Consorzio Interuniversitario di Ricerca in Chimica dei Metalli nei Sistemi Biologici (CIRCMSB), Bari, Italy
| | - Antonio Mazzocca
- Interdisciplinary Department of Medicine, University of Bari, School of Medicine, Bari, Italy
| | - Krista Rombouts
- University College London (UCL) Institute for Liver & Digestive Health, London, United Kingdom
| | - Andrea Galli
- Department of Experimental and Clinical Biomedical Sciences "Mario Serio", Gastroenterology Unit, University of Florence, Florence, Italy
| | - Vinicio Carloni
- Department of Experimental and Clinical Medicine, University of Florence, Florence, Italy.
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10
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Laskaratos FM, Levi A, Schwach G, Pfragner R, Hall A, Xia D, von Stempel C, Bretherton J, Thanapirom K, Alexander S, Ogunbiyi O, Watkins J, Luong TV, Toumpanakis C, Mandair D, Caplin M, Rombouts K. Transcriptomic Profiling of In Vitro Tumor-Stromal Cell Paracrine Crosstalk Identifies Involvement of the Integrin Signaling Pathway in the Pathogenesis of Mesenteric Fibrosis in Human Small Intestinal Neuroendocrine Neoplasms. Front Oncol 2021; 11:629665. [PMID: 33718208 PMCID: PMC7943728 DOI: 10.3389/fonc.2021.629665] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/15/2020] [Accepted: 01/15/2021] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Aim Analysis of the pathophysiology of mesenteric fibrosis (MF) in small intestinal neuroendocrine tumors (SI-NETs) in an in vitro paracrine model and in human SI-NET tissue samples. Methods An indirect co-culture model of SI-NET cells KRJ-I and P-STS with stromal cells HEK293 was designed to evaluate the paracrine effects on cell metabolic activity, gene expression by RT2 PCR Profilers to analyse cancer and fibrosis related genes, and RNA sequencing. The integrin signaling pathway, a specific Ingenuity enriched pathway, was further explored in a cohort of human SI-NET tissues by performing protein analysis and immunohistochemistry. Results RT Profiler array analysis demonstrated several genes to be significantly up- or down-regulated in a cell specific manner as a result of the paracrine effect. This was further confirmed by employing RNA sequencing revealing multiple signaling pathways involved in carcinogenesis and fibrogenesis that were significantly affected in these cell lines. A significant upregulation in the expression of various integrin pathway – related genes was identified in the mesenteric mass of fibrotic SI-NET as confirmed by RT-qPCR and immunohistochemistry. Protein analysis demonstrated downstream activation of the MAPK and mTOR pathways in some patients with fibrotic SI-NETs. Conclusion This study has provided the first comprehensive analysis of the crosstalk of SI-NET cells with stromal cells. A novel pathway – the integrin pathway – was identified and further validated and confirmed in a cohort of human SI-NET tissue featured by a dual role in fibrogenesis/carcinogenesis within the neoplastic fibrotic microenvironment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Faidon-Marios Laskaratos
- Neuroendocrine Tumour Unit, ENETS Centre of Excellence, Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust, London, United Kingdom.,Regenerative Medicine and Fibrosis Group, Institute for Liver and Digestive Health, Royal Free Hospital, University College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Ana Levi
- Regenerative Medicine and Fibrosis Group, Institute for Liver and Digestive Health, Royal Free Hospital, University College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Gert Schwach
- Otto Loewi Research Center, Medical University of Graz, Graz, Austria
| | - Roswitha Pfragner
- Otto Loewi Research Center, Medical University of Graz, Graz, Austria
| | - Andrew Hall
- Academic Centre for Cellular Pathology, Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust, London, United Kingdom
| | - Dong Xia
- Royal Veterinary College, University of London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Conrad von Stempel
- Radiology Department, Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust, London, United Kingdom
| | - Josephine Bretherton
- Radiology Department, Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust, London, United Kingdom
| | - Kessarin Thanapirom
- Regenerative Medicine and Fibrosis Group, Institute for Liver and Digestive Health, Royal Free Hospital, University College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Sarah Alexander
- Academic Centre for Cellular Pathology, Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust, London, United Kingdom
| | - Olagunju Ogunbiyi
- Department of Colorectal Surgery, Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust, London, United Kingdom
| | - Jennifer Watkins
- Academic Centre for Cellular Pathology, Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust, London, United Kingdom
| | - Tu Vinh Luong
- Academic Centre for Cellular Pathology, Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust, London, United Kingdom
| | - Christos Toumpanakis
- Neuroendocrine Tumour Unit, ENETS Centre of Excellence, Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust, London, United Kingdom
| | - Dalvinder Mandair
- Neuroendocrine Tumour Unit, ENETS Centre of Excellence, Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust, London, United Kingdom
| | - Martyn Caplin
- Neuroendocrine Tumour Unit, ENETS Centre of Excellence, Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust, London, United Kingdom
| | - Krista Rombouts
- Regenerative Medicine and Fibrosis Group, Institute for Liver and Digestive Health, Royal Free Hospital, University College London, London, United Kingdom
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11
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Barcena-Varela M, Paish H, Alvarez L, Uriarte I, Latasa MU, Santamaria E, Recalde M, Garate M, Claveria A, Colyn L, Arechederra M, Iraburu MJ, Milkiewicz M, Milkiewicz P, Sangro B, Robinson SM, French J, Pardo-Saganta A, Oyarzabal J, Prosper F, Rombouts K, Oakley F, Mann J, Berasain C, Avila MA, G Fernandez-Barrena M. Epigenetic mechanisms and metabolic reprogramming in fibrogenesis: dual targeting of G9a and DNMT1 for the inhibition of liver fibrosis. Gut 2021; 70:388-400. [PMID: 32327527 DOI: 10.1136/gutjnl-2019-320205] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/31/2019] [Revised: 03/16/2020] [Accepted: 03/29/2020] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Hepatic stellate cells (HSC) transdifferentiation into myofibroblasts is central to fibrogenesis. Epigenetic mechanisms, including histone and DNA methylation, play a key role in this process. Concerted action between histone and DNA-mehyltransferases like G9a and DNMT1 is a common theme in gene expression regulation. We aimed to study the efficacy of CM272, a first-in-class dual and reversible G9a/DNMT1 inhibitor, in halting fibrogenesis. DESIGN G9a and DNMT1 were analysed in cirrhotic human livers, mouse models of liver fibrosis and cultured mouse HSC. G9a and DNMT1 expression was knocked down or inhibited with CM272 in human HSC (hHSC), and transcriptomic responses to transforming growth factor-β1 (TGFβ1) were examined. Glycolytic metabolism and mitochondrial function were analysed with Seahorse-XF technology. Gene expression regulation was analysed by chromatin immunoprecipitation and methylation-specific PCR. Antifibrogenic activity and safety of CM272 were studied in mouse chronic CCl4 administration and bile duct ligation (BDL), and in human precision-cut liver slices (PCLSs) in a new bioreactor technology. RESULTS G9a and DNMT1 were detected in stromal cells in areas of active fibrosis in human and mouse livers. G9a and DNMT1 expression was induced during mouse HSC activation, and TGFβ1 triggered their chromatin recruitment in hHSC. G9a/DNMT1 knockdown and CM272 inhibited TGFβ1 fibrogenic responses in hHSC. TGFβ1-mediated profibrogenic metabolic reprogramming was abrogated by CM272, which restored gluconeogenic gene expression and mitochondrial function through on-target epigenetic effects. CM272 inhibited fibrogenesis in mice and PCLSs without toxicity. CONCLUSIONS Dual G9a/DNMT1 inhibition by compounds like CM272 may be a novel therapeutic strategy for treating liver fibrosis.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Hannah Paish
- Newcastle Fibrosis Research Group, Institute of Cellular Medicine, Newcastle University Faculty of Medical Sciences, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK
| | - Laura Alvarez
- Hepatology Program, CIMA, University of Navarra, IdiSNA, Pamplona, Spain
| | - Iker Uriarte
- Hepatology Program, CIMA, University of Navarra, IdiSNA, Pamplona, Spain.,Clinica Universidad de Navarra, CIBERehd, Pamplona, Spain
| | - Maria U Latasa
- Hepatology Program, CIMA, University of Navarra, IdiSNA, Pamplona, Spain
| | - Eva Santamaria
- Hepatology Program, CIMA, University of Navarra, IdiSNA, Pamplona, Spain.,Clinica Universidad de Navarra, CIBERehd, Pamplona, Spain
| | - Miriam Recalde
- Hepatology Program, CIMA, University of Navarra, IdiSNA, Pamplona, Spain
| | - Maria Garate
- Hepatology Program, CIMA, University of Navarra, IdiSNA, Pamplona, Spain
| | - Alex Claveria
- Hepatology Program, CIMA, University of Navarra, IdiSNA, Pamplona, Spain
| | - Leticia Colyn
- Hepatology Program, CIMA, University of Navarra, IdiSNA, Pamplona, Spain
| | - Maria Arechederra
- Hepatology Program, CIMA, University of Navarra, IdiSNA, Pamplona, Spain
| | - Maria J Iraburu
- Department of Biochemistry and Genetics, University of Navarra, Pamplona, Navarra, Spain
| | | | - Piotr Milkiewicz
- Department of General, Transplant and Liver Surgery, Warsaw Medical University, Szczecin, Poland
| | - Bruno Sangro
- Clinica Universidad de Navarra, CIBERehd, Pamplona, Spain.,Liver Unit. Department of Internal Medicine, Clinica Universidad de Navarra, IdisNA, Pamplona, Spain
| | - Stuart M Robinson
- North East's Hepato-Pancreato-Biliary (HPB) Centre, Newcatle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Newcastle, UK
| | - Jeremy French
- North East's Hepato-Pancreato-Biliary (HPB) Centre, Newcatle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Newcastle, UK
| | | | - Julen Oyarzabal
- Molecular Therapies Program, Cima, University of Navarra, Pamplona, Spain
| | - Felipe Prosper
- Oncohematology and Cell Therapy Programs, CIMA, University of Navarra, IdiSNA, Pamplona, Spain
| | - Krista Rombouts
- Institute for Liver and Digestive Health, Royal Free, University College London, UCL, London, UK
| | - Fiona Oakley
- Newcastle Fibrosis Research Group, Institute of Cellular Medicine, Newcastle University Faculty of Medical Sciences, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK
| | - Jelena Mann
- Newcastle Fibrosis Research Group, Institute of Cellular Medicine, Newcastle University Faculty of Medical Sciences, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK
| | - Carmen Berasain
- Hepatology Program, CIMA, University of Navarra, IdiSNA, Pamplona, Spain.,Clinica Universidad de Navarra, CIBERehd, Pamplona, Spain
| | - Matias A Avila
- Hepatology Program, CIMA, University of Navarra, IdiSNA, Pamplona, Spain .,Clinica Universidad de Navarra, CIBERehd, Pamplona, Spain
| | - Maite G Fernandez-Barrena
- CIBEREHD, Madrid, Spain .,Hepatology Program, Centro de Investigacion Medica Aplicada, Pamplona, Navarra, Spain
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12
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Linz B, Hauge Thostrup A, Saljic A, Rombouts K, Wirth K, Hohl M, Linz D, Jespersen T. Pharmacological inhibition of acetylcholine-regulated potassium current (IK,ACh) and associated A1- and M2-pathways prevent atrial arrhythmogenic changes in a rat model for obstructive sleep apnea. Eur Heart J 2020. [DOI: 10.1093/ehjci/ehaa946.3701] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Abstract
Background
In obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), intermittent hypoxemia and intrathoracic pressure fluctuations may increase vagal tone and adenosine release, potentially resulting in an increased acetylcholine-regulated potassium current (IK,ACh). Here we elucidated acute atrial electrophysiological effects of obstructive respiratory events simulated by intermittent negative upper airway pressure (INAP) and the role of atrial IKACh activation by A1-receptor and M2-receptor activation.
Methods
In sedated spontaneously breathing rats (2% isoflurane), either IK,ACh-inhibitor (XAF-1407: 1mg/kg), M2-receptor inhibitor (atropine; 1μg/kg), A1-receptor inhibitor (Rolofylline; 1μg/kg) or a buffer-based vehicle was perfused (Control). INAP was applied non-invasively by a negative pressure device 14 times throughout 70 minutes. Simulated apneas were maintained for one minute with a four minute resting period. Atrial effective refractory period (AERP) and atrial activation time were acquired by a programmed atrial pacing protocol before, during and after applied INAP throughout the study.
Results
Independent of IK,Ach-inhibition, single INAP applications prolonged transiently atrial activation times (Control: INAP vs. pre-INAP p=0.034; XAF-1407: INAP vs. pre-INAP p=0.039). In control-rats, seventy minutes of repetitive INAP decreased AERP by 15.45±0.06% (vs. baseline p=0.0015), which was reversible upon 1 hour of recovery. AERP shortening correlated with the cumulative pressure applied per body weight (Pearson r=−0.773; p=0.025). Whilst only XAF-1407 and atropine increased baseline AERP, all drug interventions, XAF-1407, atropine and Rolofylline could prevent INAP-associated AERP shortening (end INAP-protocol vs. respective baseline XAF-1407 p=0.994; atropine p=0.984; Rolofylline p=0.951). Drops in oxygen saturation and applied INAP were comparable in all groups.
Conclusion
Short-term simulated OSA is associated with progressive AERP shortening, which was determined by the cumulative negative airway pressure applied. This potentially represents an important insight in future OSA treatment. Pharmacological IK,ACh inhibition prevented INAP-associated AERP-shortening suggesting an involvement in acute atrial arrhythmogenesis in OSA. However, if IK,Ach and its potential upstream activating A1- and M2-pathway pose a pharmacological treatment target for OSA-patients with AF, requires further investigation.
Funding Acknowledgement
Type of funding source: None
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Affiliation(s)
- B Linz
- University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | | | - A Saljic
- University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - K Rombouts
- University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - K Wirth
- Sanofi-Aventis Deutschland GmbH, Frankfurt, Germany
| | - M Hohl
- Saarland University Hospital, Klinik für Innere Medizin III, Kardiologie und Angiologie, Universitätsklinikum des Saarlandes, Homburg, Germany
| | - D Linz
- Cardiovascular Research Institute Maastricht (CARIM), Maastricht, Netherlands (The)
| | - T Jespersen
- University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
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13
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Pavlović N, Calitz C, Thanapirom K, Mazza G, Rombouts K, Gerwins P, Heindryckx F. Inhibiting IRE1α-endonuclease activity decreases tumor burden in a mouse model for hepatocellular carcinoma. eLife 2020; 9:e55865. [PMID: 33103995 PMCID: PMC7661042 DOI: 10.7554/elife.55865] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/09/2020] [Accepted: 10/26/2020] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a liver tumor that usually arises in patients with cirrhosis. Hepatic stellate cells are key players in the progression of HCC, as they create a fibrotic micro-environment and produce growth factors and cytokines that enhance tumor cell proliferation and migration. We assessed the role of endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress in the cross-talk between stellate cells and HCC cells. Mice with a fibrotic HCC were treated with the IRE1α-inhibitor 4μ8C, which reduced tumor burden and collagen deposition. By co-culturing HCC-cells with stellate cells, we found that HCC-cells activate IREα in stellate cells, thereby contributing to their activation. Inhibiting IRE1α blocked stellate cell activation, which then decreased proliferation and migration of tumor cells in different in vitro 2D and 3D co-cultures. In addition, we also observed cell-line-specific direct effects of inhibiting IRE1α in tumor cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nataša Pavlović
- Department of Medical Cell Biology, Uppsala UniversityUppsalaSweden
| | - Carlemi Calitz
- Department of Medical Cell Biology, Uppsala UniversityUppsalaSweden
| | - Kess Thanapirom
- Regenerative Medicine & Fibrosis Group, Institute for Liver and Digestive Health, University College LondonLondonUnited Kingdom
| | - Guiseppe Mazza
- Regenerative Medicine & Fibrosis Group, Institute for Liver and Digestive Health, University College LondonLondonUnited Kingdom
| | - Krista Rombouts
- Regenerative Medicine & Fibrosis Group, Institute for Liver and Digestive Health, University College LondonLondonUnited Kingdom
| | - Pär Gerwins
- Department of Medical Cell Biology, Uppsala UniversityUppsalaSweden
- Department of Radiology, Uppsala University HospitalUppsalaSweden
| | - Femke Heindryckx
- Department of Medical Cell Biology, Uppsala UniversityUppsalaSweden
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14
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Linz B, Rombouts K, Thostrup AH, Hohl M, Wirth K, Linz D, Jespersen T. 741Pharmacological inhibition of the acetylcholine-regulated potassium channel (IK,ACh) prevents atrial arrhythmogenic changes in a rat model for obstructive sleep apnea. Europace 2020. [DOI: 10.1093/europace/euaa162.052] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Abstract
Background
In obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), intermittent hypoxemia and intrathoracic pressure fluctuations may increase vagal tone, resulting in an increased acetylcholine-regulated potassium current (IK,ACh). Here we elucidated acute atrial electrophysiological effects of obstructive respiratory events simulated by intermittent negative upper airway pressure (INAP) and the role of atrial IKACh activation.
Methods
In sedated spontaneously breathing rats (2% isoflurane), either IK,ACh-inhibitor (XAF-1407: 1mg/kg) or a buffer-based vehicle was perfused (Control). INAP was applied non-invasively by a negative pressure device 14 times throughout 70 minutes. Simulated apneas were maintained for one minute with a four minute resting period. Atrial effective refractory period (AERP), inducible atrial fibrillation (AF)-durations and atrial activation time were acquired by a programmed atrial pacing protocol before, during and after applied INAP throughout the study.
Results
During single INAP applications atrial activation times prolonged transiently in both groups (Control: INAP vs. pre-INAP p = 0.034; XAF-1407: INAP vs. pre-INAP p = 0.039). In control-rats, seventy minutes of repetitive INAP prolonged P-wave duration (+10.8 ± 2.7% vs. baseline, p = 0.008) and decreased AERP by 14.6 ± 3.1% (vs. baseline p = 0.001). AERP shortening correlated with the cumulative pressure applied per body weight (Pearson r= -0.773; p= 0.025). XAF-1407 could prevent P-wave prolongation and AERP shortening. Inducible AF-durations (CTR 0.94 ± 0.34s vs. XAF-1407 0.1 ± 0.09s p = 0.049) were shorter in XAF-1407 treated rats. Drops in oxygen saturation or applied INAP were comparable in control and XAF-1407 rats.
Conclusion
Short-term simulated OSA is associated with AF-related arrhythmogenic changes, which could be prevented by pharmacological IK,ACh inhibition. Moreover, the cumulative negative airway pressure applied determined aERP shortening and may represent a target for OSA treatment. These findings have important implications for the antiarrhythmic management of AF patients with OSA.
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Affiliation(s)
- B Linz
- University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - K Rombouts
- University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | | | - M Hohl
- Saarland University Hospital, Klinik für Innere Medizin III, Kardiologie und Angiologie, Universitätsklinikum des Saarlandes, Homburg, Germany
| | - K Wirth
- Sanofi-Aventis Deutschland GmbH, Frankfurt, Germany
| | - D Linz
- Cardiovascular Research Institute Maastricht (CARIM), Maastricht, Netherlands (The)
| | - T Jespersen
- University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
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15
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Becares N, Gage MC, Voisin M, Shrestha E, Martin-Gutierrez L, Liang N, Louie R, Pourcet B, Pello OM, Luong TV, Goñi S, Pichardo-Almarza C, Røberg-Larsen H, Diaz-Zuccarini V, Steffensen KR, O'Brien A, Garabedian MJ, Rombouts K, Treuter E, Pineda-Torra I. Impaired LXRα Phosphorylation Attenuates Progression of Fatty Liver Disease. Cell Rep 2020; 26:984-995.e6. [PMID: 30673619 PMCID: PMC6344342 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2018.12.094] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/11/2018] [Revised: 11/01/2018] [Accepted: 12/20/2018] [Indexed: 01/21/2023] Open
Abstract
Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a very common indication for liver transplantation. How fat-rich diets promote progression from fatty liver to more damaging inflammatory and fibrotic stages is poorly understood. Here, we show that disrupting phosphorylation at Ser196 (S196A) in the liver X receptor alpha (LXRα, NR1H3) retards NAFLD progression in mice on a high-fat-high-cholesterol diet. Mechanistically, this is explained by key histone acetylation (H3K27) and transcriptional changes in pro-fibrotic and pro-inflammatory genes. Furthermore, S196A-LXRα expression reveals the regulation of novel diet-specific LXRα-responsive genes, including the induction of Ces1f, implicated in the breakdown of hepatic lipids. This involves induced H3K27 acetylation and altered LXR and TBLR1 cofactor occupancy at the Ces1f gene in S196A fatty livers. Overall, impaired Ser196-LXRα phosphorylation acts as a novel nutritional molecular sensor that profoundly alters the hepatic H3K27 acetylome and transcriptome during NAFLD progression placing LXRα phosphorylation as an alternative anti-inflammatory or anti-fibrotic therapeutic target. LXRαS196A induces liver steatosis and prevents cholesterol accumulation LXRαS196A reduces progression to hepatic inflammation and fibrosis LXRαS196A modulates hepatic chromatin acetylation LXRαS196A reveals unique dual LXRα phosphorylation and diet-responsive genes
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Affiliation(s)
- Natalia Becares
- Centre of Cardiometabolic Medicine, Division of Medicine, University College of London, London WC1 E6JF, UK
| | - Matthew C Gage
- Centre of Cardiometabolic Medicine, Division of Medicine, University College of London, London WC1 E6JF, UK
| | - Maud Voisin
- Department of Microbiology, New York University School of Medicine, New York, NY 10016, USA
| | - Elina Shrestha
- Department of Microbiology, New York University School of Medicine, New York, NY 10016, USA
| | - Lucia Martin-Gutierrez
- Centre of Cardiometabolic Medicine, Division of Medicine, University College of London, London WC1 E6JF, UK
| | - Ning Liang
- Karolinska Institute, Centre for Innovative Medicine (CIMED), Department of Biosciences and Nutrition, 14183 Huddinge, Sweden
| | - Rikah Louie
- Centre of Cardiometabolic Medicine, Division of Medicine, University College of London, London WC1 E6JF, UK
| | - Benoit Pourcet
- Centre of Cardiometabolic Medicine, Division of Medicine, University College of London, London WC1 E6JF, UK
| | - Oscar M Pello
- Centre of Cardiometabolic Medicine, Division of Medicine, University College of London, London WC1 E6JF, UK
| | - Tu Vinh Luong
- Department of Cellular Pathology, Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust, London NW3 2QG, UK
| | - Saioa Goñi
- Department of Microbiology, New York University School of Medicine, New York, NY 10016, USA
| | | | | | | | - Knut R Steffensen
- Division of Clinical Chemistry, Department of Laboratory Medicine, Karolinska Institute, 14186 Huddinge, Sweden
| | - Alastair O'Brien
- Centre of Cardiometabolic Medicine, Division of Medicine, University College of London, London WC1 E6JF, UK
| | - Michael J Garabedian
- Department of Microbiology, New York University School of Medicine, New York, NY 10016, USA
| | - Krista Rombouts
- Institute for Liver & Digestive Health, University College London, Royal Free, London NW3 2PF, UK
| | - Eckardt Treuter
- Karolinska Institute, Centre for Innovative Medicine (CIMED), Department of Biosciences and Nutrition, 14183 Huddinge, Sweden
| | - Inés Pineda-Torra
- Centre of Cardiometabolic Medicine, Division of Medicine, University College of London, London WC1 E6JF, UK.
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16
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Laskaratos FM, Mandair D, Hall A, Alexander S, von Stempel C, Bretherton J, Luong T, Watkins J, Ogunbiyi O, Rombouts K, Caplin M, Toumpanakis C. Clinicopathological correlations of mesenteric fibrosis and evaluation of a novel biomarker for fibrosis detection in small bowel neuroendocrine neoplasms. Endocrine 2020; 67:718-726. [PMID: 31598848 PMCID: PMC7054371 DOI: 10.1007/s12020-019-02107-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/26/2019] [Accepted: 09/27/2019] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
PURPOSE Mesenteric fibrosis (MF) in small intestinal neuroendocrine neoplasms (SINENs) is often associated with significant morbidity and mortality. The detection of MF is usually based on radiological criteria, but no previous studies have attempted a prospective, multidimensional assessment of mesenteric desmoplasia to determine the accuracy of radiological measurements. There is also a lack of non-invasive biomarkers for the detection of image-negative MF. METHODS A multidimensional assessment of MF incorporating radiological, surgical and histological parameters was performed in a prospective cohort of 34 patients with SINENs who underwent primary resection. Pre-operative blood samples were collected in 20 cases to evaluate a set of five profibrotic circulating transcripts-the "fibrosome"-that is included as an "omic" component of the NETest. RESULTS There was a significant correlation between radiological and surgical assessments of MF (p < 0.05). However, there were several cases of image-negative MF. The NETest-fibrosome demonstrated an accuracy of 100% for the detection of microscopic MF. CONCLUSIONS The detection of MF by radiological criteria has limitations. The NETest-fibrosome is a promising biomarker for fibrosis detection and further validation of these results would be needed in larger, multicentre studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Faidon-Marios Laskaratos
- Neuroendocrine Tumour Unit, Centre for Gastroenterology, ENETS Centre of Excellence, Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust and University College London, London, UK.
| | - Dalvinder Mandair
- Neuroendocrine Tumour Unit, Centre for Gastroenterology, ENETS Centre of Excellence, Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust and University College London, London, UK
| | - Andrew Hall
- Department of Cellular Pathology, Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK
| | - Sarah Alexander
- Department of Cellular Pathology, Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK
| | - Conrad von Stempel
- Department of Radiology, Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK
| | | | - TuVinh Luong
- Department of Cellular Pathology, Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK
| | - Jennifer Watkins
- Department of Cellular Pathology, Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK
| | - Olagunju Ogunbiyi
- Department of Colorectal Surgery, Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK
| | - Krista Rombouts
- Regenerative Medicine & Fibrosis Group, Institute for Liver and Digestive Health, Division of Medicine, University College London, London, UK
| | - Martyn Caplin
- Neuroendocrine Tumour Unit, Centre for Gastroenterology, ENETS Centre of Excellence, Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust and University College London, London, UK
| | - Christos Toumpanakis
- Neuroendocrine Tumour Unit, Centre for Gastroenterology, ENETS Centre of Excellence, Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust and University College London, London, UK
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17
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De Chiara F, Thomsen KL, Habtesion A, Jones H, Davies N, Gracia-Sancho J, Manicardi N, Hall A, Andreola F, Paish HL, Reed LH, Watson AA, Leslie J, Oakley F, Rombouts K, Mookerjee RP, Mann J, Jalan R. Ammonia Scavenging Prevents Progression of Fibrosis in Experimental Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease. Hepatology 2020; 71:874-892. [PMID: 31378982 DOI: 10.1002/hep.30890] [Citation(s) in RCA: 50] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/24/2019] [Accepted: 07/07/2019] [Indexed: 01/10/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND AIMS In nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), fibrosis is the most important factor contributing to NAFLD-associated morbidity and mortality. Prevention of progression and reduction in fibrosis are the main aims of treatment. Even in early stages of NAFLD, hepatic and systemic hyperammonemia is evident. This is due to reduced urea synthesis; and as ammonia is known to activate hepatic stellate cells, we hypothesized that ammonia may be involved in the progression of fibrosis in NAFLD. APPROACH AND RESULTS In a high-fat, high-cholesterol diet-induced rodent model of NAFLD, we observed a progressive stepwise reduction in the expression and activity of urea cycle enzymes resulting in hyperammonemia, evidence of hepatic stellate cell activation, and progressive fibrosis. In primary, cultured hepatocytes and precision-cut liver slices we demonstrated increased gene expression of profibrogenic markers after lipid and/or ammonia exposure. Lowering of ammonia with the ammonia scavenger ornithine phenylacetate prevented hepatocyte cell death and significantly reduced the development of fibrosis both in vitro in the liver slices and in vivo in a rodent model. The prevention of fibrosis in the rodent model was associated with restoration of urea cycle enzyme activity and function, reduced hepatic ammonia, and markers of inflammation. CONCLUSIONS The results of this study suggest that hepatic steatosis results in hyperammonemia, which is associated with progression of hepatic fibrosis. Reduction of ammonia levels prevented progression of fibrosis, providing a potential treatment for NAFLD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Francesco De Chiara
- UCL Institute of Liver and Digestive Health, University College London, London, UK
| | - Karen Louise Thomsen
- UCL Institute of Liver and Digestive Health, University College London, London, UK.,Department of Hepatology & Gastroenterology, Aarhus University Hospital, Aarhus, Denmark
| | - Abeba Habtesion
- UCL Institute of Liver and Digestive Health, University College London, London, UK
| | - Helen Jones
- UCL Institute of Liver and Digestive Health, University College London, London, UK
| | - Nathan Davies
- UCL Institute of Liver and Digestive Health, University College London, London, UK
| | - Jordi Gracia-Sancho
- Liver Vascular Biology Research Group, IDIBAPS Biomedical Research Institute & CIBEREHD, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Nicolò Manicardi
- Liver Vascular Biology Research Group, IDIBAPS Biomedical Research Institute & CIBEREHD, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Andrew Hall
- UCL Institute of Liver and Digestive Health, University College London, London, UK
| | - Fausto Andreola
- UCL Institute of Liver and Digestive Health, University College London, London, UK
| | - Hannah L Paish
- Newcastle Fibrosis Research Group, Institute of Cellular Medicine, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK
| | - Lee H Reed
- Newcastle Fibrosis Research Group, Institute of Cellular Medicine, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK
| | - Abigail A Watson
- Newcastle Fibrosis Research Group, Institute of Cellular Medicine, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK
| | - Jack Leslie
- Newcastle Fibrosis Research Group, Institute of Cellular Medicine, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK
| | - Fiona Oakley
- Newcastle Fibrosis Research Group, Institute of Cellular Medicine, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK
| | - Krista Rombouts
- UCL Institute of Liver and Digestive Health, University College London, London, UK
| | | | - Jelena Mann
- Newcastle Fibrosis Research Group, Institute of Cellular Medicine, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK
| | - Rajiv Jalan
- UCL Institute of Liver and Digestive Health, University College London, London, UK
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18
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Kostrzewski T, Maraver P, Ouro-Gnao L, Levi A, Snow S, Miedzik A, Rombouts K, Hughes D. A Microphysiological System for Studying Nonalcoholic Steatohepatitis. Hepatol Commun 2019; 4:77-91. [PMID: 31909357 PMCID: PMC6939502 DOI: 10.1002/hep4.1450] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/23/2019] [Accepted: 10/25/2019] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) is the most severe form of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), which to date has no approved drug treatments. There is an urgent need for better understanding of the genetic and molecular pathways that underlie NAFLD/NASH, and currently available preclinical models, be they in vivo or in vitro, do not fully represent key aspects of the human disease state. We have developed a human in vitro co‐culture NASH model using primary human hepatocytes, Kupffer cells and hepatic stellate cells, which are cultured together as microtissues in a perfused three‐dimensional microphysiological system (MPS). The microtissues were cultured in medium containing free fatty acids for at least 2 weeks, to induce a NASH‐like phenotype. The co‐culture microtissues within the MPS display a NASH‐like phenotype, showing key features of the disease including hepatic fat accumulation, the production of an inflammatory milieu, and the expression of profibrotic markers. Addition of lipopolysaccharide resulted in a more pro‐inflammatory milieu. In the model, obeticholic acid ameliorated the NASH phenotype. Microtissues were formed from both wild‐type and patatin‐like phospholipase domain containing 3 (PNPLA3) I148M mutant hepatic stellate cells. Stellate cells carrying the mutation enhanced the overall disease state of the model and in particular produced a more pro‐inflammatory milieu. Conclusion: The MPS model displays a phenotype akin to advanced NAFLD or NASH and has utility as a tool for exploring mechanisms underlying the disease. Furthermore, we demonstrate that in co‐culture the PNPLA3 I148M mutation alone can cause hepatic stellate cells to enhance the overall NASH disease phenotype.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Paloma Maraver
- CN Bio Innovations Ltd. Welwyn Garden City Hertfordshire United Kingdom
| | - Larissa Ouro-Gnao
- CN Bio Innovations Ltd. Welwyn Garden City Hertfordshire United Kingdom
| | - Ana Levi
- Institute for Liver and Digestive Health, Regenerative Medicine and Fibrosis Group, Royal Free University College London United Kingdom
| | - Sophie Snow
- CN Bio Innovations Ltd. Welwyn Garden City Hertfordshire United Kingdom
| | - Alina Miedzik
- CN Bio Innovations Ltd. Welwyn Garden City Hertfordshire United Kingdom
| | - Krista Rombouts
- Institute for Liver and Digestive Health, Regenerative Medicine and Fibrosis Group, Royal Free University College London United Kingdom
| | - David Hughes
- CN Bio Innovations Ltd. Welwyn Garden City Hertfordshire United Kingdom
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19
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Giuffrida P, Curti M, Al-Akkad W, Biel C, Crowley C, Frenguelli L, Telese A, Hall A, Tamburrino D, Spoletini G, Fusai G, Tinozzi FP, Pietrabissa A, Corazza GR, De Coppi P, Pinzani M, Di Sabatino A, Rombouts K, Mazza G. Decellularized Human Gut as a Natural 3D Platform for Research in Intestinal Fibrosis. Inflamm Bowel Dis 2019; 25:1740-1750. [PMID: 31199863 DOI: 10.1093/ibd/izz115] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/21/2019] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The current methodologies for the identification of therapeutic targets for inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) are limited to conventional 2-dimensional (2D) cell cultures and animal models. The use of 3D decellularized human intestinal scaffolds obtained from surgically resected intestine and engineered with human intestinal cells may provide a major advancement in the development of innovative intestinal disease models. The aim of the present study was to design and validate a decellularization protocol for the production of acellular 3D extracellular matrix (ECM) scaffolds from the human duodenum. METHODS Scaffolds were characterized by verifying the preservation of the ECM protein composition and 3D architecture of the native intestine and were employed for tissue engineering with primary human intestinal myofibroblasts for up to 14 days. RESULTS Engrafted cells showed the ability to grow and remodel the surrounding ECM. mRNA expression of key genes involved in ECM turnover was significantly different when comparing primary human intestinal myofibroblasts cultured in 3D scaffolds with those cultured in standard 2D cultures on plastic dishes. Moreover, incubation with key profibrogenic growth factors such as TGFβ1 and PDGF-BB resulted in markedly different effects in standard 2D vs 3D cultures, further emphasizing the importance of using 3D cell cultures. CONCLUSIONS These results confirm the feasibility of 3D culture of human intestinal myofibroblasts in intestinal ECM scaffolds as an innovative platform for disease modeling, biomarker discovery, and drug testing in intestinal fibrosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paolo Giuffrida
- Regenerative Medicine & Fibrosis Group, Institute for Liver & Digestive Health, University College London, Royal Free Hospital, London, UK.,First Department of Internal Medicine, San Matteo Hospital Foundation, University of Pavia, Pavia, Italy
| | - Marco Curti
- Regenerative Medicine & Fibrosis Group, Institute for Liver & Digestive Health, University College London, Royal Free Hospital, London, UK.,First Department of Internal Medicine, San Matteo Hospital Foundation, University of Pavia, Pavia, Italy
| | - Walid Al-Akkad
- Regenerative Medicine & Fibrosis Group, Institute for Liver & Digestive Health, University College London, Royal Free Hospital, London, UK
| | - Carin Biel
- Regenerative Medicine & Fibrosis Group, Institute for Liver & Digestive Health, University College London, Royal Free Hospital, London, UK
| | - Claire Crowley
- Stem Cells and Regenerative Medicine Section, Developmental Biology and Cancer Programme, UCL Institute for Child Health, Great Ormond Street Hospital, University College London, London, UK
| | - Luca Frenguelli
- Regenerative Medicine & Fibrosis Group, Institute for Liver & Digestive Health, University College London, Royal Free Hospital, London, UK
| | - Andrea Telese
- Regenerative Medicine & Fibrosis Group, Institute for Liver & Digestive Health, University College London, Royal Free Hospital, London, UK
| | - Andrew Hall
- Regenerative Medicine & Fibrosis Group, Institute for Liver & Digestive Health, University College London, Royal Free Hospital, London, UK
| | - Domenico Tamburrino
- Division of Surgery, University College London, Royal Free Hospital, London, UK
| | - Gabriele Spoletini
- Division of Surgery, University College London, Royal Free Hospital, London, UK
| | - Giuseppe Fusai
- Division of Surgery, University College London, Royal Free Hospital, London, UK
| | - Francesco Paolo Tinozzi
- Department of Surgery, General Surgery II, San Matteo Hospital Foundation, University of Pavia, Pavia, Italy
| | - Andrea Pietrabissa
- Department of Surgery, General Surgery II, San Matteo Hospital Foundation, University of Pavia, Pavia, Italy
| | - Gino Roberto Corazza
- First Department of Internal Medicine, San Matteo Hospital Foundation, University of Pavia, Pavia, Italy
| | - Paolo De Coppi
- Stem Cells and Regenerative Medicine Section, Developmental Biology and Cancer Programme, UCL Institute for Child Health, Great Ormond Street Hospital, University College London, London, UK.,Specialist Neonatal and Paediatric Surgery at Great Ormond Street Hospital, London, UK
| | - Massimo Pinzani
- Regenerative Medicine & Fibrosis Group, Institute for Liver & Digestive Health, University College London, Royal Free Hospital, London, UK
| | - Antonio Di Sabatino
- Regenerative Medicine & Fibrosis Group, Institute for Liver & Digestive Health, University College London, Royal Free Hospital, London, UK.,First Department of Internal Medicine, San Matteo Hospital Foundation, University of Pavia, Pavia, Italy
| | - Krista Rombouts
- Regenerative Medicine & Fibrosis Group, Institute for Liver & Digestive Health, University College London, Royal Free Hospital, London, UK
| | - Giuseppe Mazza
- Regenerative Medicine & Fibrosis Group, Institute for Liver & Digestive Health, University College London, Royal Free Hospital, London, UK
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20
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Bárcena-Varela M, Caruso S, Llerena S, Álvarez-Sola G, Uriarte I, Latasa MU, Urtasun R, Rebouissou S, Alvarez L, Jimenez M, Santamaría E, Rodriguez-Ortigosa C, Mazza G, Rombouts K, San José-Eneriz E, Rabal O, Agirre X, Iraburu M, Santos-Laso A, Banales JM, Zucman-Rossi J, Prósper F, Oyarzabal J, Berasain C, Ávila MA, Fernández-Barrena MG. Dual Targeting of Histone Methyltransferase G9a and DNA-Methyltransferase 1 for the Treatment of Experimental Hepatocellular Carcinoma. Hepatology 2019; 69:587-603. [PMID: 30014490 DOI: 10.1002/hep.30168] [Citation(s) in RCA: 72] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/07/2018] [Accepted: 07/05/2018] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Epigenetic modifications such as DNA and histone methylation functionally cooperate in fostering tumor growth, including that of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Pharmacological targeting of these mechanisms may open new therapeutic avenues. We aimed to determine the therapeutic efficacy and potential mechanism of action of our dual G9a histone-methyltransferase and DNA-methyltransferase 1 (DNMT1) inhibitor in human HCC cells and their crosstalk with fibrogenic cells. The expression of G9a and DNMT1, along with that of their molecular adaptor ubiquitin-like with PHD and RING finger domains-1 (UHRF1), was measured in human HCCs (n = 268), peritumoral tissues (n = 154), and HCC cell lines (n = 32). We evaluated the effect of individual and combined inhibition of G9a and DNMT1 on HCC cell growth by pharmacological and genetic approaches. The activity of our lead compound, CM-272, was examined in HCC cells under normoxia and hypoxia, human hepatic stellate cells and LX2 cells, and xenograft tumors formed by HCC or combined HCC+LX2 cells. We found a significant and correlative overexpression of G9a, DNMT1, and UHRF1 in HCCs in association with poor prognosis. Independent G9a and DNMT1 pharmacological targeting synergistically inhibited HCC cell growth. CM-272 potently reduced HCC and LX2 cells proliferation and quelled tumor growth, particularly in HCC+LX2 xenografts. Mechanistically, CM-272 inhibited the metabolic adaptation of HCC cells to hypoxia and induced a differentiated phenotype in HCC and fibrogenic cells. The expression of the metabolic tumor suppressor gene fructose-1,6-bisphosphatase (FBP1), epigenetically repressed in HCC, was restored by CM-272. Conclusion: Combined targeting of G9a/DNMT1 with compounds such as CM-272 is a promising strategy for HCC treatment. Our findings also underscore the potential of differentiation therapy in HCC.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Stefano Caruso
- Functional Genomics of Solid Tumors, Inserm U1162, Université Paris Descartes, Université Paris Diderot, Université Paris 13, IUH, France
| | - Susana Llerena
- Marqués de Valdecilla University Hospital, Santander, Spain.,CIBERehd, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain
| | - Gloria Álvarez-Sola
- Hepatology Program, Cima-University of Navarra, Pamplona, Spain.,CIBERehd, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain
| | - Iker Uriarte
- Hepatology Program, Cima-University of Navarra, Pamplona, Spain.,CIBERehd, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain
| | - M Ujue Latasa
- Hepatology Program, Cima-University of Navarra, Pamplona, Spain
| | - Raquel Urtasun
- Hepatology Program, Cima-University of Navarra, Pamplona, Spain
| | - Sandra Rebouissou
- Functional Genomics of Solid Tumors, Inserm U1162, Université Paris Descartes, Université Paris Diderot, Université Paris 13, IUH, France
| | - Laura Alvarez
- Hepatology Program, Cima-University of Navarra, Pamplona, Spain
| | | | - Eva Santamaría
- CIBERehd, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain.,Instituto de Investigaciones Sanitarias de Navarra-IdiSNA, Pamplona, Spain
| | - Carlos Rodriguez-Ortigosa
- Hepatology Program, Cima-University of Navarra, Pamplona, Spain.,CIBERehd, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain.,Instituto de Investigaciones Sanitarias de Navarra-IdiSNA, Pamplona, Spain
| | - Giuseppe Mazza
- Institute for Liver and Digestive Health, University College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Krista Rombouts
- Institute for Liver and Digestive Health, University College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Edurne San José-Eneriz
- Oncohematology Program, Cima-University of Navarra, Pamplona, Spain.,Instituto de Investigaciones Sanitarias de Navarra-IdiSNA, Pamplona, Spain
| | - Obdulia Rabal
- Molecular Therapeutics Program, Cima-University of Navarra, Pamplona, Spain
| | - Xabier Agirre
- Oncohematology Program, Cima-University of Navarra, Pamplona, Spain.,Instituto de Investigaciones Sanitarias de Navarra-IdiSNA, Pamplona, Spain
| | - Maria Iraburu
- Department of Biochemistry and Genetics, University of Navarra, Pamplona, Spain
| | - Alvaro Santos-Laso
- Department of Biochemistry and Genetics, University of Navarra, Pamplona, Spain.,Biodonostia Research Institute, Donostia University Hospital, Ikerbasque, San Sebastian, Spain
| | - Jesus M Banales
- CIBERehd, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain.,Department of Biochemistry and Genetics, University of Navarra, Pamplona, Spain.,Biodonostia Research Institute, Donostia University Hospital, Ikerbasque, San Sebastian, Spain
| | - Jessica Zucman-Rossi
- Functional Genomics of Solid Tumors, Inserm U1162, Université Paris Descartes, Université Paris Diderot, Université Paris 13, IUH, France
| | - Felipe Prósper
- Oncohematology Program, Cima-University of Navarra, Pamplona, Spain.,Instituto de Investigaciones Sanitarias de Navarra-IdiSNA, Pamplona, Spain
| | - Julen Oyarzabal
- Molecular Therapeutics Program, Cima-University of Navarra, Pamplona, Spain
| | - Carmen Berasain
- Hepatology Program, Cima-University of Navarra, Pamplona, Spain.,CIBERehd, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain.,Instituto de Investigaciones Sanitarias de Navarra-IdiSNA, Pamplona, Spain
| | - Matías A Ávila
- Hepatology Program, Cima-University of Navarra, Pamplona, Spain.,CIBERehd, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain.,Instituto de Investigaciones Sanitarias de Navarra-IdiSNA, Pamplona, Spain
| | - Maite G Fernández-Barrena
- Hepatology Program, Cima-University of Navarra, Pamplona, Spain.,CIBERehd, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain.,Instituto de Investigaciones Sanitarias de Navarra-IdiSNA, Pamplona, Spain
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21
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Marrone G, De Chiara F, Böttcher K, Levi A, Dhar D, Longato L, Mazza G, Zhang Z, Marrali M, Fernández-Iglesias A, Hall A, Luong TV, Viollet B, Pinzani M, Rombouts K. The adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinase-vacuolar adenosine triphosphatase-pH axis: A key regulator of the profibrogenic phenotype of human hepatic stellate cells. Hepatology 2018; 68:1140-1153. [PMID: 29663481 DOI: 10.1002/hep.30029] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/22/2017] [Revised: 03/06/2018] [Accepted: 04/10/2018] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
UNLABELLED Liver fibrosis and cirrhosis are characterized by activation of hepatic stellate cells (HSCs), which is associated with higher intracellular pH (pHi). The vacuolar H+ adenosine-triphosphatase (v-ATPase) multisubunit complex is a key regulator of pHi homeostasis. The present work investigated the functional role of v-ATPase in primary human HSC (hHSC) activation and its modulation by specific adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinase (AMPK) subunits. We demonstrate that the expression of different v-ATPase subunits was increased in in vivo and in vitro activated hHSCs compared to nonactivated hHSCs. Specific inhibition of v-ATPase with bafilomycin and KM91104 induced a down-regulation of the HSC fibrogenic gene profile, which coincided with increased lysosomal pH, decreased pHi, activation of AMPK, reduced proliferation, and lower metabolic activity. Similarly, pharmacological activation of AMPK by treatment with diflunisal, A769662, and ZLN024 reduced the expression of v-ATPase subunits and profibrogenic markers. v-ATPase expression was differently regulated by the AMPK α1 subunit (AMPKα1) and AMPKα2, as demonstrated in mouse embryo fibroblasts specifically deficient for AMPK α subunits. In addition, activation of v-ATPase in hHSCs was shown to be AMPKα1-dependent. Accordingly, pharmacological activation of AMPK in AMPKα1-depleted hHSCs prevented v-ATPase down-regulation. Finally, we showed that v-ATPase expression was increased in fibrotic livers from bile duct-ligated mice and in human cirrhotic livers. CONCLUSION The down-regulation of v-ATPase might represent a promising target for the development of antifibrotic strategies. (Hepatology 2018).
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Affiliation(s)
- Giusi Marrone
- Regenerative Medicine & Fibrosis Group, Institute for Liver & Digestive Health, London, UK
| | - Francesco De Chiara
- Liver Failure Group, Institute for Liver & Digestive Health, University College London, Royal Free Hospital, London, UK
| | - Katrin Böttcher
- Regenerative Medicine & Fibrosis Group, Institute for Liver & Digestive Health, London, UK
| | - Ana Levi
- Regenerative Medicine & Fibrosis Group, Institute for Liver & Digestive Health, London, UK
| | - Dipok Dhar
- Regenerative Medicine & Fibrosis Group, Institute for Liver & Digestive Health, London, UK
| | - Lisa Longato
- Regenerative Medicine & Fibrosis Group, Institute for Liver & Digestive Health, London, UK
| | - Giuseppe Mazza
- Regenerative Medicine & Fibrosis Group, Institute for Liver & Digestive Health, London, UK
| | - Zhenzhen Zhang
- Regenerative Medicine & Fibrosis Group, Institute for Liver & Digestive Health, London, UK
| | - Martina Marrali
- Regenerative Medicine & Fibrosis Group, Institute for Liver & Digestive Health, London, UK
| | - Anabel Fernández-Iglesias
- Liver Vascular Biology Research Group, Barcelona Hepatic Hemodynamic Laboratory, IDIBAPS Biomedical Research Institute-CIBEREHD, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Andrew Hall
- Regenerative Medicine & Fibrosis Group, Institute for Liver & Digestive Health, London, UK
| | - Tu Vinh Luong
- Department of Cellular Pathology, Royal Free Hospital, London, UK
| | - Benoit Viollet
- INSERM, Institut Cochin.,CNRS UMR 8104, Sorbonne Paris cité, Paris, France.,Université Paris Descartes, Sorbonne Paris cité, Paris, France
| | - Massimo Pinzani
- Regenerative Medicine & Fibrosis Group, Institute for Liver & Digestive Health, London, UK
| | - Krista Rombouts
- Regenerative Medicine & Fibrosis Group, Institute for Liver & Digestive Health, London, UK
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22
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Alberts R, de Vries EMG, Goode EC, Jiang X, Sampaziotis F, Rombouts K, Böttcher K, Folseraas T, Weismüller TJ, Mason AL, Wang W, Alexander G, Alvaro D, Bergquist A, Björkström NK, Beuers U, Björnsson E, Boberg KM, Bowlus CL, Bragazzi MC, Carbone M, Chazouillères O, Cheung A, Dalekos G, Eaton J, Eksteen B, Ellinghaus D, Färkkilä M, Festen EAM, Floreani A, Franceschet I, Gotthardt DN, Hirschfield GM, van Hoek B, Holm K, Hohenester S, Hov JR, Imhann F, Invernizzi P, Juran BD, Lenzen H, Lieb W, Liu JZ, Marschall HU, Marzioni M, Melum E, Milkiewicz P, Müller T, Pares A, Rupp C, Rust C, Sandford RN, Schramm C, Schreiber S, Schrumpf E, Silverberg MS, Srivastava B, Sterneck M, Teufel A, Vallier L, Verheij J, Vila AV, de Vries B, Zachou K, Chapman RW, Manns MP, Pinzani M, Rushbrook SM, Lazaridis KN, Franke A, Anderson CA, Karlsen TH, Ponsioen CY, Weersma RK. Genetic association analysis identifies variants associated with disease progression in primary sclerosing cholangitis. Gut 2018; 67:1517-1524. [PMID: 28779025 PMCID: PMC5797498 DOI: 10.1136/gutjnl-2016-313598] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/15/2016] [Revised: 04/28/2017] [Accepted: 05/19/2017] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC) is a genetically complex, inflammatory bile duct disease of largely unknown aetiology often leading to liver transplantation or death. Little is known about the genetic contribution to the severity and progression of PSC. The aim of this study is to identify genetic variants associated with PSC disease progression and development of complications. DESIGN We collected standardised PSC subphenotypes in a large cohort of 3402 patients with PSC. After quality control, we combined 130 422 single nucleotide polymorphisms of all patients-obtained using the Illumina immunochip-with their disease subphenotypes. Using logistic regression and Cox proportional hazards models, we identified genetic variants associated with binary and time-to-event PSC subphenotypes. RESULTS We identified genetic variant rs853974 to be associated with liver transplant-free survival (p=6.07×10-9). Kaplan-Meier survival analysis showed a 50.9% (95% CI 41.5% to 59.5%) transplant-free survival for homozygous AA allele carriers of rs853974 compared with 72.8% (95% CI 69.6% to 75.7%) for GG carriers at 10 years after PSC diagnosis. For the candidate gene in the region, RSPO3, we demonstrated expression in key liver-resident effector cells, such as human and murine cholangiocytes and human hepatic stellate cells. CONCLUSION We present a large international PSC cohort, and report genetic loci associated with PSC disease progression. For liver transplant-free survival, we identified a genome-wide significant signal and demonstrated expression of the candidate gene RSPO3 in key liver-resident effector cells. This warrants further assessments of the role of this potential key PSC modifier gene.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rudi Alberts
- Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, University of Groningen and University Medical Centre Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - Elisabeth M G de Vries
- Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Academic Medical Center, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Elizabeth C Goode
- Norwich Medical School, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of East Anglia, Norwich, UK,Academic Department of Medical Genetics, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Xiaojun Jiang
- Norwegian PSC Research Center, Division of Cancer Medicine, Surgery and Transplantation, Oslo University Hospital, Rikshospitalet, Oslo, Norway,Research Institute of Internal Medicine, Oslo University Hospital, Rikshospitalet, Oslo, Norway
| | - Fotis Sampaziotis
- Department of Surgery, Wellcome Trust-Medical Research Council Stem Cell Institute, Anne McLaren Laboratory, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK,Department of Surgery, University of Cambridge and NIHR Cambridge Biomedical Research Centre, Cambridge, UK
| | - Krista Rombouts
- Institute for Liver and Digestive Health, University College London, Royal Free Hospital, London, UK
| | - Katrin Böttcher
- Institute for Liver and Digestive Health, University College London, Royal Free Hospital, London, UK
| | - Trine Folseraas
- Norwegian PSC Research Center, Division of Cancer Medicine, Surgery and Transplantation, Oslo University Hospital, Rikshospitalet, Oslo, Norway,Research Institute of Internal Medicine, Oslo University Hospital, Rikshospitalet, Oslo, Norway
| | - Tobias J Weismüller
- Department of Gastroenterology Hepatology and Endocrinology, Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany,Integrated Research and Treatment Center-Transplantation (IFB-tx) Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany
| | - Andrew L Mason
- Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
| | - Weiwei Wang
- Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
| | - Graeme Alexander
- Department of Medicine, Division of Hepatology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Domenico Alvaro
- Department of Clinical Medicine, Division of Gastroenterology, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | - Annika Bergquist
- Center for Digestive Diseases, Karolinska University Hospital, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Niklas K Björkström
- Department of Medicine Huddinge, Center for Infectious Medicine, Karolinska Institutet, Karolinska University Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Ulrich Beuers
- Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Academic Medical Center, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Einar Björnsson
- Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Landspitali University Hospital, Reykjavik, Iceland
| | - Kirsten Muri Boberg
- Norwegian PSC Research Center, Division of Cancer Medicine, Surgery and Transplantation, Oslo University Hospital, Rikshospitalet, Oslo, Norway,K G Jebsen Inflammation Research Centre and Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
| | - Christopher L Bowlus
- Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, University of California Davis, Davis, California, USA
| | - Maria C Bragazzi
- Sapienza University of Rome, Medico-Surgical Sciences and Biotechnologies, Rome, Italy
| | - Marco Carbone
- Department of Medicine and Surgery, Program for Autoimmune Liver Diseases, International Center for Digestive Health, University of Milan-Bicocca, Milan, Italy
| | | | - Angela Cheung
- General Internal Medicine, University Health Network, Toronto General Hospital, Toronto, Canada
| | - Georgios Dalekos
- Department of Medicine and Research Laboratory of Internal Medicine, Medical School, University of Thessaly, Larissa, Greece
| | - John Eaton
- Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Mayo Clinic Minnesota, Rochester, Minnesota, USA
| | - Bertus Eksteen
- Department of Medicine, Snyder Institute of Chronic Diseases, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada
| | - David Ellinghaus
- Institute of Clinical Molecular Biology, Christian-Albrechts-University, Kiel, Germany
| | - Martti Färkkilä
- Department of Medicine, Division of Gastroenterology, Helsinki University Hospital, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Eleonora A M Festen
- Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, University of Groningen and University Medical Centre Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - Annarosa Floreani
- Department of Surgical Oncological and Gastroenterological Sciences, University of Padova, Padova, Italy
| | - Irene Franceschet
- Department of Surgery Oncology and Gastroenterology, University of Padova, Padova, Italy
| | | | - Gideon M Hirschfield
- Centre for Liver Research, NIHR Biomedical Research Unit, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK
| | - Bart van Hoek
- Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Leiden University Medical Centre, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Kristian Holm
- Norwegian PSC Research Center, Division of Cancer Medicine, Surgery and Transplantation, Oslo University Hospital, Rikshospitalet, Oslo, Norway,Research Institute of Internal Medicine, Oslo University Hospital, Rikshospitalet, Oslo, Norway
| | - Simon Hohenester
- Department of Medicine II, Liver Center Munich, University of Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Johannes Roksund Hov
- Norwegian PSC Research Center, Division of Cancer Medicine, Surgery and Transplantation, Oslo University Hospital, Rikshospitalet, Oslo, Norway,Research Institute of Internal Medicine, Oslo University Hospital, Rikshospitalet, Oslo, Norway
| | - Floris Imhann
- Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, University of Groningen and University Medical Centre Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - Pietro Invernizzi
- Department of Medicine and Surgery, Program for Autoimmune Liver Diseases, International Center for Digestive Health, University of Milan-Bicocca, Milan, Italy
| | - Brian D Juran
- Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Mayo Clinic Minnesota, Rochester, Minnesota, USA
| | - Henrike Lenzen
- Department of Gastroenterology Hepatology and Endocrinology, Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany
| | - Wolfgang Lieb
- Popgen Biobank, University Hospital Schleswig-Holstein, Christian-Albrechts-University, Kiel, Germany,Institute for Epidemiology, Christian-Albrechts University, Kiel, Germany
| | - Jimmy Z Liu
- Wellcome Trust Genome Campus, Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, Cambridge, UK
| | - Hanns-Ulrich Marschall
- Department of Molecular and Clinical Medicine, Institute of Medicine, Sahlgrenska Academy, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Marco Marzioni
- Department of Gastroenterology, Università Politecnica delle Marche, Ospedali Riuniti University Hospital, Ancona, Italy
| | - Espen Melum
- Norwegian PSC Research Center, Division of Cancer Medicine, Surgery and Transplantation, Oslo University Hospital, Rikshospitalet, Oslo, Norway,Research Institute of Internal Medicine, Oslo University Hospital, Rikshospitalet, Oslo, Norway
| | - Piotr Milkiewicz
- Liver and Internal Medicine Unit, Medical University of Warsaw, Warsaw, Poland
| | - Tobias Müller
- Department of Internal Medicine Hepatology and Gastroenterology, Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Campus Virchow Klinikum, Berlin, Germany
| | - Albert Pares
- Liver Unit Hospital Clinic, IDIBAPS, CIBERehd, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Christian Rupp
- Department of Internal Medicine IV, University Hospital of Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Christian Rust
- Department of Medicine I, Krankenhaus Barmherzige Brüder, Munich, Germany
| | - Richard N Sandford
- Academic Department of Medical Genetics, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Christoph Schramm
- 1st Department of Medicine, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Stefan Schreiber
- Institute of Clinical Molecular Biology, Christian-Albrechts-University, Kiel, Germany,Department for General Internal Medicine, Christian-Albrechts-University, Kiel, Germany
| | - Erik Schrumpf
- Research Institute of Internal Medicine, Oslo University Hospital, Rikshospitalet, Oslo, Norway,Section of Gastroenterology, Department of Transplantation Medicine, Division of Cancer, Surgery and Transplantation, Oslo University Hospital, Rikshospitalet, Oslo, Norway
| | - Mark S Silverberg
- Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) Group Zane Cohen Centre for Digestive Diseases, Mount Sinai Hospital Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Brijesh Srivastava
- Academic Department of Medical Genetics, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Martina Sterneck
- Department of Hepatobiliary Surgery and Transplantation, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Andreas Teufel
- 1st Department of Medicine, University of Mainz, Mainz, Germany
| | - Ludovic Vallier
- Department of Surgery, Wellcome Trust-Medical Research Council Stem Cell Institute, Anne McLaren Laboratory, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK,Wellcome Trust Genome Campus, Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, Cambridge, UK
| | - Joanne Verheij
- Department of Pathology, Academic Medical Center, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Arnau Vich Vila
- Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, University of Groningen and University Medical Centre Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - Boudewijn de Vries
- Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, University of Groningen and University Medical Centre Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - Kalliopi Zachou
- Department of Internal Medicine, University of Thessaly, Larissa, Greece
| | | | - Roger W Chapman
- Department of Hepatology, John Radcliffe University Hospitals NHS Trust, Cambridge, UK
| | - Michael P Manns
- Department of Gastroenterology Hepatology and Endocrinology, Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany,Integrated Research and Treatment Center-Transplantation (IFB-tx) Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany
| | - Massimo Pinzani
- Institute for Liver and Digestive Health, University College London, Royal Free Hospital, London, UK
| | - Simon M Rushbrook
- Norwich Medical School, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of East Anglia, Norwich, UK
| | | | - Andre Franke
- Institute of Clinical Molecular Biology, Christian-Albrechts-University, Kiel, Germany
| | - Carl A Anderson
- Wellcome Trust Genome Campus, Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, Cambridge, UK
| | - Tom H Karlsen
- Norwegian PSC Research Center, Division of Cancer Medicine, Surgery and Transplantation, Oslo University Hospital, Rikshospitalet, Oslo, Norway,Research Institute of Internal Medicine, Oslo University Hospital, Rikshospitalet, Oslo, Norway
| | - Cyriel Y Ponsioen
- Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Academic Medical Center, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Rinse K Weersma
- Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, University of Groningen and University Medical Centre Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands
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23
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Böttcher K, Rombouts K, Saffioti F, Roccarina D, Rosselli M, Hall A, Luong T, Tsochatzis EA, Thorburn D, Pinzani M. MAIT cells are chronically activated in patients with autoimmune liver disease and promote profibrogenic hepatic stellate cell activation. Hepatology 2018; 68:172-186. [PMID: 29328499 DOI: 10.1002/hep.29782] [Citation(s) in RCA: 109] [Impact Index Per Article: 18.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/01/2017] [Revised: 11/13/2017] [Accepted: 01/09/2018] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
UNLABELLED Autoimmune liver diseases (AILDs) are chronic liver pathologies characterized by fibrosis and cirrhosis due to immune-mediated liver damage. In this study, we addressed the question whether mucosal-associated invariant T (MAIT) cells, innate-like T cells, are functionally altered in patients with AILD and whether MAIT cells can promote liver fibrosis through activation of hepatic stellate cells (HSCs). We analyzed the phenotype and function of MAIT cells from AILD patients and healthy controls by multicolor flow cytometry and investigated the interaction between human MAIT cells and primary human hepatic stellate cells (hHSCs). We show that MAIT cells are significantly decreased in peripheral blood and liver tissue of patients with AILD. Notably, MAIT cell frequency tended to decrease with increasing fibrosis stage. MAIT cells from AILD patients showed signs of exhaustion, such as impaired interferon-γ (IFN-γ) production and high ex vivo expression of the activation and exhaustion markers CD38, HLA-DR, and CTLA-4. Mechanistically, this exhausted state could be induced by repetitive stimulation of MAIT cells with the cytokines interleukin (IL)-12 and IL-18, leading to decreased IFN-γ and increased exhaustion marker expression. Of note, repetitive stimulation with IL-12 further resulted in expression of the profibrogenic cytokine IL-17A by otherwise exhausted MAIT cells. Accordingly, MAIT cells from both healthy controls and AILD patients were able to induce an activated, proinflammatory and profibrogenic phenotype in hHSCs in vitro that was partly mediated by IL-17. CONCLUSION Our data provide evidence that MAIT cells in AILD patients have evolved towards an exhausted, profibrogenic phenotype and can contribute to the development of HSC-mediated liver fibrosis. These findings reveal a cellular and molecular pathway for fibrosis development in AILD that could be exploited for antifibrotic therapy. (Hepatology 2018;68:172-186).
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Affiliation(s)
- Katrin Böttcher
- Regenerative Medicine and Fibrosis Group, Institute for Liver and Digestive Health, University College London, Royal Free Campus London, United Kingdom.,Sheila Sherlock Liver Centre, Royal Free Hospital, London, United Kingdom
| | - Krista Rombouts
- Regenerative Medicine and Fibrosis Group, Institute for Liver and Digestive Health, University College London, Royal Free Campus London, United Kingdom
| | - Francesca Saffioti
- Regenerative Medicine and Fibrosis Group, Institute for Liver and Digestive Health, University College London, Royal Free Campus London, United Kingdom.,Sheila Sherlock Liver Centre, Royal Free Hospital, London, United Kingdom.,Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, Division of Clinical and Molecular Hepatology, University Hospital of Messina, Messina, Italy
| | - Davide Roccarina
- Regenerative Medicine and Fibrosis Group, Institute for Liver and Digestive Health, University College London, Royal Free Campus London, United Kingdom.,Sheila Sherlock Liver Centre, Royal Free Hospital, London, United Kingdom
| | - Matteo Rosselli
- Regenerative Medicine and Fibrosis Group, Institute for Liver and Digestive Health, University College London, Royal Free Campus London, United Kingdom.,Sheila Sherlock Liver Centre, Royal Free Hospital, London, United Kingdom
| | - Andrew Hall
- Regenerative Medicine and Fibrosis Group, Institute for Liver and Digestive Health, University College London, Royal Free Campus London, United Kingdom
| | - TuVinh Luong
- Regenerative Medicine and Fibrosis Group, Institute for Liver and Digestive Health, University College London, Royal Free Campus London, United Kingdom.,Sheila Sherlock Liver Centre, Royal Free Hospital, London, United Kingdom
| | - Emmanuel A Tsochatzis
- Regenerative Medicine and Fibrosis Group, Institute for Liver and Digestive Health, University College London, Royal Free Campus London, United Kingdom.,Sheila Sherlock Liver Centre, Royal Free Hospital, London, United Kingdom
| | - Douglas Thorburn
- Regenerative Medicine and Fibrosis Group, Institute for Liver and Digestive Health, University College London, Royal Free Campus London, United Kingdom.,Sheila Sherlock Liver Centre, Royal Free Hospital, London, United Kingdom
| | - Massimo Pinzani
- Regenerative Medicine and Fibrosis Group, Institute for Liver and Digestive Health, University College London, Royal Free Campus London, United Kingdom.,Sheila Sherlock Liver Centre, Royal Free Hospital, London, United Kingdom
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24
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Thomsen KL, De Chiara F, Rombouts K, Vilstrup H, Andreola F, Mookerjee RP, Jalan R. Ammonia: A novel target for the treatment of non-alcoholic steatohepatitis. Med Hypotheses 2018. [PMID: 29523305 DOI: 10.1016/j.mehy.2018.02.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/06/2023]
Abstract
Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a spectrum of liver diseases ranging from steatosis, through non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) to cirrhosis. The development of fibrosis is the most important factor contributing to NASH-associated morbidity and mortality. Hepatic stellate cells (HSCs) are responsible for extracellular matrix deposition in conditions of frank hepatocellular injury and are key cells involved in the development of fibrosis. In experimental models and patients with NASH, urea cycle enzyme gene and protein expression is reduced resulting in functional reduction in the in vivo capacity for ureagenesis and subsequent hyperammonemia at a pre-cirrhotic stage. Ammonia has been shown to activate HSCs in vivo and in vitro. Hyperammonemia in the context of NASH may therefore favour the progression of fibrosis and the disease. We therefore hypothesise that ammonia is a potential target for prevention of fibrosis progression of patients with NASH.
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Affiliation(s)
- Karen Louise Thomsen
- UCL Institute for Liver and Digestive Health, University College London, United Kingdom; Department of Hepatology & Gastroenterology, Aarhus University Hospital, Denmark
| | - Francesco De Chiara
- UCL Institute for Liver and Digestive Health, University College London, United Kingdom
| | - Krista Rombouts
- UCL Institute for Liver and Digestive Health, University College London, United Kingdom
| | - Hendrik Vilstrup
- Department of Hepatology & Gastroenterology, Aarhus University Hospital, Denmark
| | - Fausto Andreola
- UCL Institute for Liver and Digestive Health, University College London, United Kingdom
| | - Rajeshwar P Mookerjee
- UCL Institute for Liver and Digestive Health, University College London, United Kingdom
| | - Rajiv Jalan
- UCL Institute for Liver and Digestive Health, University College London, United Kingdom.
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25
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Carloni V, Lulli M, Madiai S, Mello T, Hall A, Luong TV, Pinzani M, Rombouts K, Galli A. CHK2 overexpression and mislocalisation within mitotic structures enhances chromosomal instability and hepatocellular carcinoma progression. Gut 2018; 67:348-361. [PMID: 28360097 DOI: 10.1136/gutjnl-2016-313114] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/27/2016] [Revised: 03/02/2017] [Accepted: 03/04/2017] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Chromosomal instability (CIN) is the most common form of genomic instability, which promotes hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) progression by enhancing tumour heterogeneity, drug resistance and immunity escape. CIN per se is an important factor of DNA damage, sustaining structural chromosome abnormalities but the underlying mechanisms are unknown. DESIGN DNA damage response protein checkpoint kinase 2 (Chk2) expression was evaluated in an animal model of diethylnitrosamine-induced HCC characterised by DNA damage and elevated mitotic errors. Chk2 was also determined in two discrete cohorts of human HCC specimens. To assess the functional role of Chk2, gain on and loss-of-function, mutagenesis, karyotyping and immunofluorescence/live imaging were performed by using HCT116, Huh7 and human hepatocytes immortalised with hTERT gene (HuS). RESULTS We demonstrate that mitotic errors during HCC tumorigenesis cause lagging chromosomes/DNA damage and activation of Chk2. Overexpression/phosphorylation and mislocalisation within the mitotic spindle of Chk2 contributes to induce lagging chromosomes. Lagging chromosomes and mitotic activity are reversed by knockdown of Chk2. Furthermore, upregulated Chk2 maintains mitotic activity interacting with Aurora B kinase for chromosome condensation and cytokinesis. The forkhead-associated domain of Chk2 is required for Chk2 mislocalisation to mitotic structures. In addition, retinoblastoma protein phosphorylation contributes to defective mitoses. A cohort and independent validation cohort show a strong cytoplasm to nuclear Chk2 translocation in a subset of patients with HCC. CONCLUSIONS The study reveals a new mechanistic insight in the coinvolvement of Chk2 in HCC progression. These findings propose Chk2 as a putative biomarker to detect CIN in HCC providing a valuable support for clinical/therapeutical management of patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vinicio Carloni
- Department of Experimental and Clinical Medicine, University of Florence, Florence, Italy
| | - Matteo Lulli
- Department of Experimental and Clinical Biomedical Sciences, General Pathology Unit, University of Florence, Florence, Italy
| | - Stefania Madiai
- Department of Experimental and Clinical Medicine, University of Florence, Florence, Italy
| | - Tommaso Mello
- Department of Experimental and Clinical Biomedical Sciences, Gastroenterology Unit, University of Florence, Florence, Italy
| | - Andrew Hall
- Department of Cellular Pathology, Royal Free Hospital, London, UK
| | - Tu Vinh Luong
- Department of Cellular Pathology, Royal Free Hospital, London, UK
| | - Massimo Pinzani
- University College London (UCL) Institute for Liver & Digestive Health, London, UK
| | - Krista Rombouts
- University College London (UCL) Institute for Liver & Digestive Health, London, UK
| | - Andrea Galli
- Department of Experimental and Clinical Biomedical Sciences, Gastroenterology Unit, University of Florence, Florence, Italy
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26
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Lachowski D, Cortes E, Robinson B, Rice A, Rombouts K, Del Río Hernández AE. FAK controls the mechanical activation of YAP, a transcriptional regulator required for durotaxis. FASEB J 2018; 32:1099-1107. [PMID: 29070586 DOI: 10.1096/fj.201700721r] [Citation(s) in RCA: 104] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
Focal adhesion kinase (FAK) is a key molecule in focal adhesions and regulates fundamental processes in cells such as growth, survival, and migration. FAK is one of the first molecules recruited to focal adhesions in response to external mechanical stimuli and therefore is a pivotal mediator of cell mechanosignaling, and relays these stimuli to other mechanotransducers within the cytoplasm. Yes-associated protein (YAP) has been identified recently as one of these core mechanotransducers. YAP translocates to the nucleus following changes in cell mechanics to promote the expression of genes implicated in motility, apoptosis, proliferation, and organ growth. Here, we show that FAK controls the nuclear translocation and activation of YAP in response to mechanical activation and submit that the YAP-dependent process of durotaxis requires a cell with an asymmetric distribution of active and inactive FAK molecules.-Lachowski, D., Cortes, E., Robinson, B., Rice, A., Rombouts, K., Del Río Hernández, A. E. FAK controls the mechanical activation of YAP, a transcriptional regulator required for durotaxis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dariusz Lachowski
- Cellular and Molecular Biomechanics Laboratory, Department of Bioengineering, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom; and
| | - Ernesto Cortes
- Cellular and Molecular Biomechanics Laboratory, Department of Bioengineering, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom; and
| | - Benjamin Robinson
- Cellular and Molecular Biomechanics Laboratory, Department of Bioengineering, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom; and
| | - Alistair Rice
- Cellular and Molecular Biomechanics Laboratory, Department of Bioengineering, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom; and
| | - Krista Rombouts
- Regenerative Medicine and Fibrosis Group, Institute for Liver and Digestive Health, University College London, Royal Free Hospital, London, United Kingdom
| | - Armando E Del Río Hernández
- Cellular and Molecular Biomechanics Laboratory, Department of Bioengineering, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom; and
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Mazza G, Al-Akkad W, Rombouts K, Pinzani M. Liver tissue engineering: From implantable tissue to whole organ engineering. Hepatol Commun 2017; 2:131-141. [PMID: 29404520 PMCID: PMC5796330 DOI: 10.1002/hep4.1136] [Citation(s) in RCA: 77] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/02/2017] [Revised: 10/22/2017] [Accepted: 11/02/2017] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
The term “liver tissue engineering” summarizes one of the ultimate goals of modern biotechnology: the possibility of reproducing in total or in part the functions of the liver in order to treat acute or chronic liver disorders and, ultimately, create a fully functional organ to be transplanted or used as an extracorporeal device. All the technical approaches in the area of liver tissue engineering are based on allocating adult hepatocytes or stem cell‐derived hepatocyte‐like cells within a three‐dimensional structure able to ensure their survival and to maintain their functional phenotype. The hosting structure can be a construct in which hepatocytes are embedded in alginate and/or gelatin or are seeded in a pre‐arranged scaffold made with different types of biomaterials. According to a more advanced methodology termed three‐dimensional bioprinting, hepatocytes are mixed with a bio‐ink and the mixture is printed in different forms, such as tissue‐like layers or spheroids. In the last decade, efforts to engineer a cell microenvironment recapitulating the dynamic native extracellular matrix have become increasingly successful, leading to the hope of satisfying the clinical demand for tissue (or organ) repair and replacement within a reasonable timeframe. Indeed, the preclinical work performed in recent years has shown promising results, and the advancement in the biotechnology of bioreactors, ex vivo perfusion machines, and cell expansion systems associated with a better understanding of liver development and the extracellular matrix microenvironment will facilitate and expedite the translation to technical applications. (Hepatology Communications 2018;2:131–141)
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Affiliation(s)
- Giuseppe Mazza
- University College London, Division of Medicine, Institute for Liver and Digestive Health Royal Free Hospital London United Kingdom
| | - Walid Al-Akkad
- University College London, Division of Medicine, Institute for Liver and Digestive Health Royal Free Hospital London United Kingdom
| | - Krista Rombouts
- University College London, Division of Medicine, Institute for Liver and Digestive Health Royal Free Hospital London United Kingdom
| | - Massimo Pinzani
- University College London, Division of Medicine, Institute for Liver and Digestive Health Royal Free Hospital London United Kingdom
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Laskaratos F, Rombouts K, Caplin M, Toumpanakis C, Thirlwell C, Mandair D. Neuroendocrine tumors and fibrosis: An unsolved mystery? Cancer 2017; 123:4770-4790. [DOI: 10.1002/cncr.31079] [Citation(s) in RCA: 56] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/30/2017] [Revised: 09/02/2017] [Accepted: 09/25/2017] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Affiliation(s)
| | - Krista Rombouts
- Regenerative Medicine and Fibrosis Group, Institute for Liver and Digestive HealthUniversity College London, Royal Free HospitalLondon United Kingdom
| | - Martyn Caplin
- Neuroendocrine Tumour Unit, ENETS Centre of ExcellenceRoyal Free HospitalLondon United Kingdom
| | - Christos Toumpanakis
- Neuroendocrine Tumour Unit, ENETS Centre of ExcellenceRoyal Free HospitalLondon United Kingdom
| | - Christina Thirlwell
- Neuroendocrine Tumour Unit, ENETS Centre of ExcellenceRoyal Free HospitalLondon United Kingdom
- University College London Cancer InstituteUniversity College LondonLondon United Kingdom
| | - Dalvinder Mandair
- Neuroendocrine Tumour Unit, ENETS Centre of ExcellenceRoyal Free HospitalLondon United Kingdom
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Mazza G, Al-Akkad W, Rombouts K. Engineering in vitro models of hepatofibrogenesis. Adv Drug Deliv Rev 2017; 121:147-157. [PMID: 28578016 DOI: 10.1016/j.addr.2017.05.018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2017] [Revised: 05/17/2017] [Accepted: 05/26/2017] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Chronic liver disease is a major cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide marked by chronic inflammation and fibrosis/scarring, resulting in end-stage liver disease and its complications. Hepatic stellate cells (HSCs) are a dominant contributor to liver fibrosis by producing excessive extracellular matrix (ECM), irrespective of the underlying disease aetiologies, and for many decades research has focused on the development of a number of anti-fibrotic strategies targeting this cell. Despite major improvements in two-dimensional systems (2D) by using a variety of cell culture models of different complexity, an efficient anti-fibrogenic therapy has yet to be developed. The development of well-defined three-dimensional (3D) in vitro models, which mimic ECM structures as found in vivo, have demonstrated the importance of cell-matrix bio-mechanics, the complex interactions between HSCs and hepatocytes and other non-parenchymal cells, and this to improve and promote liver cell-specific functions. Henceforth, refinement of these 3D in vitro models, which reproduce the liver microenvironment, will lead to new objectives and to a possible new era in the search for antifibrogenic compounds.
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Sato-Matsubara M, Matsubara T, Daikoku A, Okina Y, Longato L, Rombouts K, Thuy LTT, Adachi J, Tomonaga T, Ikeda K, Yoshizato K, Pinzani M, Kawada N. Fibroblast growth factor 2 (FGF2) regulates cytoglobin expression and activation of human hepatic stellate cells via JNK signaling. J Biol Chem 2017; 292:18961-18972. [PMID: 28916723 PMCID: PMC5706471 DOI: 10.1074/jbc.m117.793794] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/02/2017] [Revised: 09/11/2017] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Cytoglobin (CYGB) belongs to the mammalian globin family and is exclusively expressed in hepatic stellate cells (HSCs) in the liver. In addition to its gas-binding ability, CYGB is relevant to hepatic inflammation, fibrosis, and cancer because of its anti-oxidative properties; however, the regulation of CYGB gene expression remains unknown. Here, we sought to identify factors that induce CYGB expression in HSCs and to clarify the molecular mechanism involved. We used the human HSC cell line HHSteC and primary human HSCs isolated from intact human liver tissues. In HHSteC cells, treatment with a culture supplement solution that included fibroblast growth factor 2 (FGF2) increased CYGB expression with concomitant and time-dependent α-smooth muscle actin (αSMA) down-regulation. We found that FGF2 is a key factor in inducing the alteration in both CYGB and αSMA expression in HHSteCs and primary HSCs and that FGF2 triggered the rapid phosphorylation of both c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) and c-JUN. Both the JNK inhibitor PS600125 and transfection of c-JUN-targeting siRNA abrogated FGF2-mediated CYGB induction, and conversely, c-JUN overexpression induced CYGB and reduced αSMA expression. Chromatin immunoprecipitation analyses revealed that upon FGF2 stimulation, phospho-c-JUN bound to its consensus motif (5'-TGA(C/G)TCA), located -218 to -222 bases from the transcription initiation site in the CYGB promoter. Of note, in bile duct-ligated mice, FGF2 administration ameliorated liver fibrosis and significantly reduced HSC activation. In conclusion, FGF2 triggers CYGB gene expression and deactivation of myofibroblastic human HSCs, indicating that FGF2 has therapeutic potential for managing liver fibrosis.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Tsutomu Matsubara
- Department of Anatomy and Regenerative Biology, Graduate School of Medicine, Osaka City University, Osaka 545-8585, Japan
| | | | | | - Lisa Longato
- the Regenerative Medicine and Fibrosis Group, Institute for Liver and Digestive Health, University College London, Royal Free, London NW3 2PF, United Kingdom, and
| | - Krista Rombouts
- the Regenerative Medicine and Fibrosis Group, Institute for Liver and Digestive Health, University College London, Royal Free, London NW3 2PF, United Kingdom, and
| | | | - Jun Adachi
- the Laboratory of Proteome Research, Proteome Research Center, National Institute of Biomedical Innovation, Osaka 567-0085, Japan
| | - Takeshi Tomonaga
- the Laboratory of Proteome Research, Proteome Research Center, National Institute of Biomedical Innovation, Osaka 567-0085, Japan
| | - Kazuo Ikeda
- Department of Anatomy and Regenerative Biology, Graduate School of Medicine, Osaka City University, Osaka 545-8585, Japan
| | | | - Massimo Pinzani
- the Regenerative Medicine and Fibrosis Group, Institute for Liver and Digestive Health, University College London, Royal Free, London NW3 2PF, United Kingdom, and
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Mazza G, Al-Akkad W, Telese A, Longato L, Urbani L, Robinson B, Hall A, Kong K, Frenguelli L, Marrone G, Willacy O, Shaeri M, Burns A, Malago M, Gilbertson J, Rendell N, Moore K, Hughes D, Notingher I, Jell G, Del Rio Hernandez A, De Coppi P, Rombouts K, Pinzani M. Rapid production of human liver scaffolds for functional tissue engineering by high shear stress oscillation-decellularization. Sci Rep 2017; 7:5534. [PMID: 28717194 PMCID: PMC5514140 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-017-05134-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 69] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/23/2017] [Accepted: 06/09/2017] [Indexed: 01/07/2023] Open
Abstract
The development of human liver scaffolds retaining their 3-dimensional structure and extra-cellular matrix (ECM) composition is essential for the advancement of liver tissue engineering. We report the design and validation of a new methodology for the rapid and accurate production of human acellular liver tissue cubes (ALTCs) using normal liver tissue unsuitable for transplantation. The application of high shear stress is a key methodological determinant accelerating the process of tissue decellularization while maintaining ECM protein composition, 3D-architecture and physico-chemical properties of the native tissue. ALTCs were engineered with human parenchymal and non-parenchymal liver cell lines (HepG2 and LX2 cells, respectively), human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVEC), as well as primary human hepatocytes and hepatic stellate cells. Both parenchymal and non-parenchymal liver cells grown in ALTCs exhibited markedly different gene expression when compared to standard 2D cell cultures. Remarkably, HUVEC cells naturally migrated in the ECM scaffold and spontaneously repopulated the lining of decellularized vessels. The metabolic function and protein synthesis of engineered liver scaffolds with human primary hepatocytes reseeded under dynamic conditions were maintained. These results provide a solid basis for the establishment of effective protocols aimed at recreating human liver tissue in vitro.
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Affiliation(s)
- Giuseppe Mazza
- UCL Institute for Liver and Digestive Health, Royal Free Hospital. University College London, London, UK.
| | - Walid Al-Akkad
- UCL Institute for Liver and Digestive Health, Royal Free Hospital. University College London, London, UK
| | - Andrea Telese
- UCL Institute for Liver and Digestive Health, Royal Free Hospital. University College London, London, UK
| | - Lisa Longato
- UCL Institute for Liver and Digestive Health, Royal Free Hospital. University College London, London, UK
| | - Luca Urbani
- Stem Cells and Regenerative Medicine Section, Developmental Biology and Cancer Programme, UCL Great Ormond Street Institute for Child Health. University College London, London, UK
| | - Benjamin Robinson
- Department of Bioengineering, Cellular and Molecular Biomechanics. Imperial College, London, UK
| | - Andrew Hall
- UCL Institute for Liver and Digestive Health, Royal Free Hospital. University College London, London, UK
| | - Kenny Kong
- School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK
| | - Luca Frenguelli
- UCL Institute for Liver and Digestive Health, Royal Free Hospital. University College London, London, UK
| | - Giusi Marrone
- UCL Institute for Liver and Digestive Health, Royal Free Hospital. University College London, London, UK
| | - Oliver Willacy
- UCL Institute for Liver and Digestive Health, Royal Free Hospital. University College London, London, UK
| | - Mohsen Shaeri
- CN Bio Innovations Limited. BioPark Hertfordshire, Broadwater Road, Welwyn Garden City, Hertfordshire, UK
| | - Alan Burns
- Stem Cells and Regenerative Medicine Section, Developmental Biology and Cancer Programme, UCL Great Ormond Street Institute for Child Health. University College London, London, UK
- Department of Clinical Genetics, Erasmus Medical Centre, Rotterdam, Netherlands
| | - Massimo Malago
- UCL Institute for Liver and Digestive Health, Royal Free Hospital. University College London, London, UK
| | - Janet Gilbertson
- Wolfson Drug Discovery Unit, Centre for Amyloidosis and Acute Phase Proteins, Royal Free Hospital. University College London, London, UK
| | - Nigel Rendell
- Wolfson Drug Discovery Unit, Centre for Amyloidosis and Acute Phase Proteins, Royal Free Hospital. University College London, London, UK
| | - Kevin Moore
- UCL Institute for Liver and Digestive Health, Royal Free Hospital. University College London, London, UK
| | - David Hughes
- CN Bio Innovations Limited. BioPark Hertfordshire, Broadwater Road, Welwyn Garden City, Hertfordshire, UK
| | - Ioan Notingher
- School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK
| | - Gavin Jell
- Center for Nanotechnology and Regenerative Medicine, Division of Surgery and Interventional Science. University College London, London, UK
| | | | - Paolo De Coppi
- Stem Cells and Regenerative Medicine Section, Developmental Biology and Cancer Programme, UCL Great Ormond Street Institute for Child Health. University College London, London, UK
| | - Krista Rombouts
- UCL Institute for Liver and Digestive Health, Royal Free Hospital. University College London, London, UK
| | - Massimo Pinzani
- UCL Institute for Liver and Digestive Health, Royal Free Hospital. University College London, London, UK
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Longato L, Andreola F, Davies SS, Roberts JL, Fusai G, Pinzani M, Moore K, Rombouts K. Reactive gamma-ketoaldehydes as novel activators of hepatic stellate cells in vitro. Free Radic Biol Med 2017; 102:162-173. [PMID: 27890721 DOI: 10.1016/j.freeradbiomed.2016.11.036] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/03/2016] [Revised: 11/14/2016] [Accepted: 11/21/2016] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
AIMS Products of lipid oxidation, such as 4-hydroxynonenal (4-HNE), are key activators of hepatic stellate cells (HSC) to a pro-fibrogenic phenotype. Isolevuglandins (IsoLG) are a family of acyclic γ-ketoaldehydes formed through oxidation of arachidonic acid or as by-products of the cyclooxygenase pathway. IsoLGs are highly reactive aldehydes which are efficient at forming protein adducts and cross-links at concentrations 100-fold lower than 4-hydroxynonenal. Since the contribution of IsoLGs to liver injury has not been studied, we synthesized 15-E2-IsoLG and used it to investigate whether IsoLG could induce activation of HSC. RESULTS Primary human HSC were exposed to 15-E2-IsoLG for up to 48h. Exposure to 5μM 15-E2-IsoLG in HSCs promoted cytotoxicity and apoptosis. At non-cytotoxic doses (50 pM-500nM) 15-E2-IsoLG promoted HSC activation, indicated by increased expression of α-SMA, sustained activation of ERK and JNK signaling pathways, and increased mRNA and/or protein expression of cytokines and chemokines, which was blocked by inhibitors of JNK and NF-kB. In addition, IsoLG promoted formation of reactive oxygen species, and induced an early activation of ER stress, followed by autophagy. Inhibition of autophagy partially reduced the pro-inflammatory effects of IsoLG, suggesting that it might serve as a cytoprotective response. INNOVATION This study is the first to describe the biological effects of IsoLG in primary HSC, the main drivers of hepatic fibrosis. CONCLUSIONS IsoLGs represent a newly identified class of activators of HSC in vitro, which are biologically active at concentrations as low as 500 pM, and are particularly effective at promoting a pro-inflammatory response and autophagy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lisa Longato
- Regenerative Medicine & Fibrosis Group, Institute for Liver & Digestive Health, University College London, Royal Free, London, UK
| | - Fausto Andreola
- Liver Failure Group, Institute for Liver & Digestive Health, University College of London, Royal Free, London, UK
| | - Sean S Davies
- Department of Pharmacology, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA
| | - Jackson L Roberts
- Department of Pharmacology, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA
| | - Giuseppe Fusai
- Division of Surgery, University College London, Royal Free, London, UK
| | - Massimo Pinzani
- Regenerative Medicine & Fibrosis Group, Institute for Liver & Digestive Health, University College London, Royal Free, London, UK
| | - Kevin Moore
- Regenerative Medicine & Fibrosis Group, Institute for Liver & Digestive Health, University College London, Royal Free, London, UK
| | - Krista Rombouts
- Regenerative Medicine & Fibrosis Group, Institute for Liver & Digestive Health, University College London, Royal Free, London, UK.
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Lachowski D, Cortes E, Robinson BK, Rombouts K, del Río Hernández A. Assaying the rigidity guided migration of human tumour stromal myofibroblasts (TSMs) on polyacrylamide substrates mimicking the healthy and fibrotic tissue transition boundary. Converg Sci Phys Oncol 2016. [DOI: 10.1088/2057-1739/aa4e4c] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/17/2023]
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Rombouts K, Bémeur C, Rose CF. Targeting the muscle for the treatment and prevention of hepatic encephalopathy. J Hepatol 2016; 65:876-878. [PMID: 27590353 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhep.2016.08.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/22/2016] [Revised: 08/23/2016] [Accepted: 08/25/2016] [Indexed: 02/09/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Krista Rombouts
- University College London (UCL), Institute for Liver & Digestive Health, Royal Free Hospital, London, United Kingdom.
| | - Chantal Bémeur
- Hepato-Neuro Laboratory, CRCHUM, Université de Montréal, Montréal, Quebec, Canada; Département de Nutrition, Faculté de Médecine, Université de Montréal, Montréal, Quebec, Canada.
| | - Christopher F Rose
- Hepato-Neuro Laboratory, CRCHUM, Université de Montréal, Montréal, Quebec, Canada.
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Heindryckx F, Binet F, Ponticos M, Rombouts K, Lau J, Kreuger J, Gerwins P. Endoplasmic reticulum stress enhances fibrosis through IRE1α-mediated degradation of miR-150 and XBP-1 splicing. EMBO Mol Med 2016; 8:729-44. [PMID: 27226027 PMCID: PMC4931288 DOI: 10.15252/emmm.201505925] [Citation(s) in RCA: 109] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
Abstract
ER stress results in activation of the unfolded protein response and has been implicated in the development of fibrotic diseases. In this study, we show that inhibition of the ER stress-induced IRE1α signaling pathway, using the inhibitor 4μ8C, blocks TGFβ-induced activation of myofibroblasts in vitro, reduces liver and skin fibrosis in vivo, and reverts the fibrotic phenotype of activated myofibroblasts isolated from patients with systemic sclerosis. By using IRE1α(-/-) fibroblasts and expression of IRE1α-mutant proteins lacking endoribonuclease activity, we confirmed that IRE1α plays an important role during myofibroblast activation. IRE1α was shown to cleave miR-150 and thereby to release the suppressive effect that miR-150 exerted on αSMA expression through c-Myb. Inhibition of IRE1α was also demonstrated to block ER expansion through an XBP-1-dependent pathway. Taken together, our results suggest that ER stress could be an important and conserved mechanism in the pathogenesis of fibrosis and that components of the ER stress pathway may be therapeutically relevant for treating patients with fibrotic diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Femke Heindryckx
- Department of Medical Cell Biology, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - François Binet
- Department of Medical Cell Biology, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Markella Ponticos
- Centre for Rheumatology and Connective Tissue Diseases, University College London, London, UK
| | - Krista Rombouts
- Institute for Liver and Digestive Health, University College London, London, UK
| | - Joey Lau
- Department of Medical Cell Biology, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Johan Kreuger
- Department of Medical Cell Biology, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Pär Gerwins
- Department of Medical Cell Biology, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden Department of Radiology, Uppsala University Hospital, Uppsala, Sweden
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Jalan R, De Chiara F, Balasubramaniyan V, Andreola F, Khetan V, Malago M, Pinzani M, Mookerjee RP, Rombouts K. Ammonia produces pathological changes in human hepatic stellate cells and is a target for therapy of portal hypertension. J Hepatol 2016; 64:823-33. [PMID: 26654994 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhep.2015.11.019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 59] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/08/2015] [Revised: 11/09/2015] [Accepted: 11/11/2015] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND & AIMS Hepatic stellate cells (HSCs) are vital to hepatocellular function and the liver response to injury. They share a phenotypic homology with astrocytes that are central in the pathogenesis of hepatic encephalopathy, a condition in which hyperammonemia plays a pathogenic role. This study tested the hypothesis that ammonia modulates human HSC activation in vitro and in vivo, and evaluated whether ammonia lowering, by using l-ornithine phenylacetate (OP), modifies HSC activation in vivo and reduces portal pressure in a bile duct ligation (BDL) model. METHODS Primary human HSCs were isolated and cultured. Proliferation (BrdU), metabolic activity (MTS), morphology (transmission electron, light and immunofluorescence microscopy), HSC activation markers, ability to contract, changes in oxidative status (ROS) and endoplasmic reticulum (ER) were evaluated to identify effects of ammonia challenge (50 μM, 100 μM, 300 μM) over 24-72 h. Changes in plasma ammonia levels, markers of HSC activation, portal pressure and hepatic eNOS activity were quantified in hyperammonemic BDL animals, and after OP treatment. RESULTS Pathophysiological ammonia concentrations caused significant and reversible changes in cell proliferation, metabolic activity and activation markers of hHSC in vitro. Ammonia also induced significant alterations in cellular morphology, characterised by cytoplasmic vacuolisation, ER enlargement, ROS production, hHSC contraction and changes in pro-inflammatory gene expression together with HSC-related activation markers such as α-SMA, myosin IIa, IIb, and PDGF-Rβ. Treatment with OP significantly reduced plasma ammonia (BDL 199.1 μmol/L±43.65 vs. BDL+OP 149.27 μmol/L±51.1, p<0.05) and portal pressure (BDL 14±0.6 vs. BDL+OP 11±0.3 mmHg, p<0.01), which was associated with increased eNOS activity and abrogation of HSC activation markers. CONCLUSIONS The results show for the first time that ammonia produces deleterious morphological and functional effects on HSCs in vitro. Targeting ammonia with the ammonia lowering drug OP reduces portal pressure and deactivates hHSC in vivo, highlighting the opportunity for evaluating ammonia lowering as a potential therapy in cirrhotic patients with portal hypertension.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rajiv Jalan
- Liver Failure Group, Institute for Liver & Digestive Health, University College of London, Royal Free, London, UK
| | - Francesco De Chiara
- Liver Failure Group, Institute for Liver & Digestive Health, University College of London, Royal Free, London, UK
| | - Vairappan Balasubramaniyan
- Liver Failure Group, Institute for Liver & Digestive Health, University College of London, Royal Free, London, UK
| | - Fausto Andreola
- Liver Failure Group, Institute for Liver & Digestive Health, University College of London, Royal Free, London, UK
| | - Varun Khetan
- Liver Failure Group, Institute for Liver & Digestive Health, University College of London, Royal Free, London, UK
| | - Massimo Malago
- Division of Surgery, University College London, Royal Free, London, UK
| | - Massimo Pinzani
- Regenerative Medicine & Fibrosis Group, Institute for Liver & Digestive Health, University College London, Royal Free, London, UK
| | - Rajeshwar P Mookerjee
- Liver Failure Group, Institute for Liver & Digestive Health, University College of London, Royal Free, London, UK.
| | - Krista Rombouts
- Regenerative Medicine & Fibrosis Group, Institute for Liver & Digestive Health, University College London, Royal Free, London, UK.
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Abstract
Accumulating evidence implicates phosphoinositide 4-phosphate as a regulatory molecule in its own right recruiting specific effector proteins to cellular membranes. Here, we describe biochemical and immunocytochemical methods to evaluate tetraspanin-associated phosphoinositide-4 kinases activity in primary human hepatic stellate cells (hHSC) and neoplastic hepatoblastoma cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Krista Rombouts
- Division of Medicine, Institute for Liver & Digestive Health, Royal Free Hospital, University College London (UCL), Royal Free Campus, Rowland Hill Street, London, NW3 2PF, UK.
| | - Vinicio Carloni
- Department of Experimental and Clinical Medicine, Center for Research, Transfer and High Education, DENOthe, University of Florence, Largo Brambilla 3, Florence, 50134, Italy.
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Abstract
Live-cell imaging has provided the life sciences with insights into the cell biology and dynamics. Fluorescent labeling of target molecules proves to be indispensable in this regard. In this Review, we focus on the current fluorescent labeling strategies for nucleic acids, and in particular mRNA (mRNA) and plasmid DNA (pDNA), which are of interest to a broad range of scientific fields. By giving a background of the available techniques and an evaluation of the pros and cons, we try to supply scientists with all the information needed to come to an informed choice of nucleic acid labeling strategy aimed at their particular needs.
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Affiliation(s)
- K Rombouts
- Laboratory of general biochemistry and physical pharmacy, Faculty of pharmacy and ‡Centre for Nano- and Biophotonics, Ghent University , Ghent 9000, Belgium
| | - K Braeckmans
- Laboratory of general biochemistry and physical pharmacy, Faculty of pharmacy and ‡Centre for Nano- and Biophotonics, Ghent University , Ghent 9000, Belgium
| | - K Remaut
- Laboratory of general biochemistry and physical pharmacy, Faculty of pharmacy and ‡Centre for Nano- and Biophotonics, Ghent University , Ghent 9000, Belgium
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Krista Rombouts
- Institute for Liver & Digestive Health, University College London (UCL), Royal Free Hospital, London, UK
Authors contributed equally
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Carloni V, Luong TV, Rombouts K. Hepatic stellate cells and extracellular matrix in hepatocellular carcinoma: more complicated than ever. Liver Int 2014; 34:834-43. [PMID: 24397349 DOI: 10.1111/liv.12465] [Citation(s) in RCA: 116] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/07/2013] [Accepted: 01/02/2014] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the fifth most common cancer worldwide and the third leading cause of cancer death. Recent epidemiological data indicate that the mortality rate of HCC will double over the next decades in the USA and Europe. Liver cancer progresses in a large percentage of cases during the clinical course of chronic fibro-inflammatory liver diseases leading to cirrhosis. Therefore, HCC development is regarded as the result of different environmental risk factors each involving different genetic, epigenetic- and chromosomal alterations and gene mutations. During tumour progression, the malignant hepatocytes and the activated hepatic stellate cells are accompanied by cancer-associated fibroblasts, myofibroblasts and immune cells generally called tumour stromal cells. This new and dynamic milieu further enhances the responsiveness of tumour cells towards soluble mediators secreted by tumour stromal cells, thus directly affecting the malignant hepatocytes. This results in altered molecular pathways with cell proliferation as the most important mechanism of liver cancer progression. Given this contextual complexity, it is of utmost importance to characterize the molecular pathogenesis of HCC, and to identify the dominant pathways/drivers and aberrant signalling pathways. This will allow an effective therapy for HCC that should combine strategies affecting both cancer and the tumour stromal cells. This review provides an overview of the recent challenges and issues regarding hepatic stellate cells, extracellular matrix dynamics, liver fibrosis/cirrhosis and therapy, tumour microenvironment and HCC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vinicio Carloni
- Department of Experimental and Clinical Medicine, Center for Research, Transfer and High Education, DENOthe, University of Florence, Florence, Italy
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Gentilini A, Rombouts K, Galastri S, Caligiuri A, Mingarelli E, Mello T, Marra F, Mantero S, Roncalli M, Invernizzi P, Pinzani M. Role of the stromal-derived factor-1 (SDF-1)-CXCR4 axis in the interaction between hepatic stellate cells and cholangiocarcinoma. J Hepatol 2012; 57:813-20. [PMID: 22727731 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhep.2012.06.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 66] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/09/2012] [Revised: 05/30/2012] [Accepted: 06/10/2012] [Indexed: 02/09/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUNDS & AIMS Cholangiocarcinoma (CCA) is highly fatal because of early invasion, widespread metastasis, and lack of an effective therapy. Migration, invasion, and metastasis of CCA cells are modulated by signals received from stromal cells. The SDF-1-CXCR4 axis emerges as a pivotal regulator of migration and survival of different tumor cells. The aim of the present study was to characterize the interaction between CCA cells and human hepatic stellate cells (hHSC) focusing on the role of SDF-1. METHODS The intrahepatic CCA cell line HuCCT-1 and primary hHSC were used for this study. RNA expression was examined by RTQ-PCR and protein expression by Western blotting. Immunofluorescence microscopy and immunohistochemistry were also employed. Migration of CCA cells was assessed using modified Boyden chambers. RESULTS CXCR4 was clearly expressed in CCA cells of human CCA liver specimens. SDF-1 and hHSC conditioned medium (CM) promoted HuCCT-1 cell migration, which was abrogated by pre-incubation with AMD3100, a non-peptide antagonist of the CXCR4 receptor. In addition, HuCCT-1 cells silenced for CXCR4 did not migrate in presence of SDF-1. Both P-ERK and p-AKT were implicated in HuCCT-1 migration and showed a biphasic trend under stimulation of SDF-1. Finally, SDF-1 induced apoptotic rescue of HuCCT-1 cells by binding to CXCR4. CONCLUSIONS Our study demonstrates that CCA cells migration and survival are modulated by the crosstalk between SDF-1, released by hHSC, and HuCCT-1 cells bearing CXCR4.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alessandra Gentilini
- Department of Internal Medicine, Center for Research, High Education and Transfer DENOThe, University of Florence, Italy, Largo Brambilla 3, 50134 Florence, Italy.
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Rombouts K, Mello T, Liotta F, Galli A, Caligiuri A, Annunziato F, Pinzani M. MARCKS actin-binding capacity mediates actin filament assembly during mitosis in human hepatic stellate cells. Am J Physiol Cell Physiol 2012; 303:C357-67. [PMID: 22555845 DOI: 10.1152/ajpcell.00093.2012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/10/2023]
Abstract
Cross-linking between the actin cytoskeleton and plasma membrane actin-binding proteins is a key interaction responsible for the mechanical properties of the mitotic cell. Little is known about the identity, the localization, and the function of actin filament-binding proteins during mitosis in human hepatic stellate cells (hHSC). The aim of the present study was to identify and analyze the cross talk between actin and myristoylated alanine-rich kinase C substrate (MARCKS), an important PKC substrate and actin filament-binding protein, during mitosis in primary hHSC. Confocal analysis and chromosomal fraction analysis of mitotic hHSC demonstrated that phosphorylated (P)-MARCKS displays distinct phase-dependent localizations, accumulates at the perichromosomal layer, and is a centrosomal protein belonging to the chromosomal cytosolic fraction. Aurora B kinase (AUBK), an important mitotic regulator, β-actin, and P-MARCKS concentrate at the cytokinetic midbody during cleavage furrow formation. This localization is critical since MARCKS-depletion in hHSC is characterized by a significant loss in cytosolic actin filaments and cortical β-actin that induces cell cycle inhibition and dislocation of AUBK. A depletion of AUBK in hHSC affects cell cycle, resulting in multinucleation. Quantitative live cell imaging demonstrates that the actin filament-binding capacity of MARCKS is key to regulate mitosis since the cell cycle inhibitory effect in MARCKS-depleted cells caused abnormal cell morphology and an aberrant cytokinesis, resulting in a significant increase in cell cycle time. These findings implicate that MARCKS, an important PKC substrate, is essential for proper cytokinesis and that MARCKS and its partner actin are key mitotic regulators during cell cycle in hHSC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Krista Rombouts
- Department of Internal Medicine, University of Florence, Italy.
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Rombouts K, Pinzani M. What is new in the liver sinusoids? meeting report, 16th International Symposium on Cells of the Hepatic Sinusoid (ISCHS). Fibrogenesis Tissue Repair 2011; 4:27. [PMID: 22166123 PMCID: PMC3283502 DOI: 10.1186/1755-1536-4-27] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/18/2011] [Accepted: 12/13/2011] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
Abstract
The 16th International Symposium on Cells of the Hepatic Sinusoid (ISCHS) took place in Florence, Italy on 22-24 September 2011. This symposium is a multidisciplinary meeting where new and important findings on the biology of liver cells are presented and discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Krista Rombouts
- Department of Internal Medicine, DENOThe, University of Florence, Florence, Italy.
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Aleffi S, Navari N, Delogu W, Galastri S, Novo E, Rombouts K, Pinzani M, Parola M, Marra F. Mammalian target of rapamycin mediates the angiogenic effects of leptin in human hepatic stellate cells. Am J Physiol Gastrointest Liver Physiol 2011; 301:G210-9. [PMID: 21252047 DOI: 10.1152/ajpgi.00047.2010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/31/2023]
Abstract
Leptin modulates the angiogenic properties of hepatic stellate cells (HSC), but the molecular mechanisms involved are poorly understood. We investigated the pathways regulating hypoxia-inducible factor 1α (HIF-1α) and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) in leptin-stimulated myofibroblastic HSC. Exposure to leptin enhanced the phosphorylation of TSC2 on T1462 residues and of p70 S6 kinase and the translational inhibitor 4E-binding protein-1, indicating the ability of leptin to activate the mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) pathway. Similar findings were observed when HSC were exposed to PDGF. Both leptin and PDGF increased the expression of HIF-1α and VEGF in HSC. In the presence of rapamycin, a specific mTOR inhibitor, leptin and PDGF were no longer able to activate mTOR, and expression of VEGF was reduced, whereas HIF-1α abundance was not affected. Moreover, knockdown of Raptor, a component of the mTORC1 complex, reduced the ability of leptin to increase VEGF. mTOR was also necessary for leptin- and PDGF-dependent increase in HSC migration. Leptin increased the generation of reactive oxygen species in HSC, which was reduced by NADP(H) oxidase inhibitors. Both N-acetyl cysteine and diphenylene iodonium, a NADP(H) inhibitor, inhibited the expression of HIF-1α and VEGF stimulated by leptin or PDGF. Finally, conditioned media from HSC treated with leptin or PDGF induced tube formation in cultured human umbilical vein endothelial cells. In conclusion, in HSC exposed to leptin or PDGF, increased expression of VEGF requires both activation of mTOR and generation of reactive oxygen species via NADPH-oxidase. Induction of HIF-1α requires NADP(H) oxidase but not mTOR activation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sara Aleffi
- Dipartimento di Medicina Interna, University of Florence, Italy
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Bataller R, Rombouts K, Altamirano J, Marra F. Fibrosis in alcoholic and nonalcoholic steatohepatitis. Best Pract Res Clin Gastroenterol 2011; 25:231-44. [PMID: 21497741 DOI: 10.1016/j.bpg.2011.02.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 53] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/12/2011] [Accepted: 02/18/2011] [Indexed: 01/31/2023]
Abstract
Both alcoholic and nonalcoholic steatohepatitis are relevant causes of cirrhosis and liver-related mortality. Alcohol abuse represents a major health problem in many countries, and liver disease is considered one of the most relevant causes of death related to this factor. Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease is the most common hepatic abnormality in the Western world, and progresses to cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma in a significant portion of cases. Moreover, presence of NAFLD is associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular events. In this review, we discuss the characteristics of fibrosis in alcoholic and nonalcoholic steatohepatitis, focussing on the diagnostic issues and predictive factors. In addition, the pathogenetic mechanisms responsible for appearance and progression of fibrosis in the two conditions are briefly discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ramon Bataller
- Liver Unit, Hospital Clínic, Institut d'Investigacions Biomèdiques August Pi i Sunyer (IDIBAPS) and Centro de Investigación Biomèdica en Red de Enfermedades Hepáticas y Digestivas (CIBERehd), Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain.
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Abstract
Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) has become the most common liver disease in Western countries. The more severe form of this condition, non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), may progress to cirrhosis and its complications. Fibrosis and cirrhosis are the final outcomes of all chronic liver diseases; however, some morphological and biological differences distinguish fibrosis due to NASH from the forms secondary to other causes of liver damage. Fibrosis due to NASH develops primarily in the pericentral areas, surrounding groups of hepatocytes and thickening the space of Disse. This pericellular fibrosis eventually forms septa isolating regenerating nodules. The main cell type responsible for extracellular matrix deposition is represented by hepatic stellate cells that undergo activation in conditions of liver injury enabling them to participate in the liver wound healing process. Although the profibrogenic mechanisms operating in NASH are partly in common with those observed in other chronic liver diseases, the altered pattern of circulating adipokines, oxidative stress generation and the hormonal profile associated with the metabolic syndrome might have a specific role for the induction of fibrogenesis in this condition. In this paper, we review recent developments regarding the basic mechanisms of NASH and the involvement of hepatic stellate cells in this disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Krista Rombouts
- Department of Internal Medicine, University of Florence, Florence, Italy
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Rombouts K, Lottini B, Caligiuri A, Liotta F, Mello T, Carloni V, Marra F, Pinzani M. MARCKS is a downstream effector in platelet-derived growth factor-induced cell motility in activated human hepatic stellate cells. Exp Cell Res 2008; 314:1444-54. [DOI: 10.1016/j.yexcr.2008.01.029] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/12/2007] [Revised: 01/30/2008] [Accepted: 01/30/2008] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
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Bonacchi A, Taddei ML, Petrai I, Efsen E, Defranco R, Nosi D, Torcia M, Rosini P, Formigli L, Rombouts K, Zecchi S, Milani S, Pinzani M, Laffi G, Marra F. Nuclear localization of TRK-A in liver cells. Histol Histopathol 2008; 23:327-40. [PMID: 18072090 DOI: 10.14670/hh-23.327] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
The liver represents a site of expression of neurotrophins and their receptors. We have characterized the expression and intracellular localization of the nerve growth factor (NGF) receptor, Trk-A, in liver cells in vivo and in vitro. In both normal and fibrotic liver tissue, Trk-A immunostaining was present in different cell types, including parenchymal cells and cells of the inflammatory infiltrate. In hepatocytes and activated stellate cells (HSC), Trk-A showed a predominant nuclear localization, both in the presence and absence of injury. In cultured HSC, Trk-A was found to be functional, because exposure of the cells to recombinant NGF resulted in stimulation of cell migration and activation of intracellular signaling pathways, including Ras-ERK and PI3K/Akt. Remarkably, in cultured HSC, Trk-A staining was found constitutively in the nucleus. In these cells, Trk-A could be stained only by antibodies directed against the intracellular domain but not by those recognizing the extracellular portion of Trk-A suggesting that the intracellular portion of the receptor is the major determinant of nuclear Trk-A staining. In contrast to HSC, freshly isolated hepatocytes did not show any nuclear localization of the intracellular portion of Trk-A. In pheocromocytoma cells, nuclear staining for Trk-A was not present in conditions of serum deprivation, but could be induced by exposure to NGF or to a mixture of soluble mediators. We conclude that nuclear localization of the intracellular domain of Trk-A is observed constitutively in liver cells such as HSC, while in other cell types it could be induced in response to soluble factors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrea Bonacchi
- Department of Medicina Interna, University of Florence, Italy
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Petrai I, Rombouts K, Lasagni L, Annunziato F, Cosmi L, Romanelli RG, Sagrinati C, Mazzinghi B, Pinzani M, Romagnani S, Romagnani P, Marra F. Activation of p38(MAPK) mediates the angiostatic effect of the chemokine receptor CXCR3-B. Int J Biochem Cell Biol 2008; 40:1764-74. [PMID: 18291705 DOI: 10.1016/j.biocel.2008.01.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 49] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/29/2007] [Revised: 01/03/2008] [Accepted: 01/07/2008] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
Abstract
Chemokines binding the CXCR3 receptor have been shown to inhibit angiogenesis via the CXCR3-B isoform, but the underlying molecular mechanisms are unknown. Aim of this study was to elucidate the effects of CXCR3-B on activation of members of the mitogen-activated protein kinase family, and to explore the relevance of defined signaling pathways to the angiostatic effects of CXCR3-B ligands. Human embryonic kidney (HEK) 293 cells were transfected with expression vectors encoding for CXCR3-A or CXCR3-B. In cells expressing CXCR3-A, CXCL10 (IP-10) at nanomolar concentrations induced activation of ERK, Akt, and Src, as previously described in human vascular pericytes. In HEK-293 cells expressing CXCR3-B, exposure to CXCL10 in the micromolar concentration range led to activation of the p38(MAPK) pathway, as indicated by phosphorylation of p38(MAPK) itself, and of MKK3/6 and MAPKAPK-2, that lie upstream and downstream of p38(MAPK), respectively. Similar results were obtained in cells stimulated with CXCL4 (PF4), a specific ligand of CXCR3-B. In contrast, CXCL4 was unable to activate p38(MAPK) in mock-transfected HEK-293 cells. Only a modest induction of ERK or JNK was observed upon CXCR3-B activation. In human microvascular endothelial cells, which selectively express CXCR3-B, in a cell cycle-dependent fashion, CXCL10 and CXCL4 increased the enzymatic activity of p38(MAPK). Pharmacologic inhibition of p38(MAPK) by SB302580 resulted in a significant increase in DNA synthesis and in reversal of the inhibitory action of CXCL10. In conclusion, the p38(MAPK) pathway is a downstream effector of CXCR3-B implicated in the angiostatic action of this chemokine receptor.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ilaria Petrai
- Dipartimento di Medicina Interna, University of Florence, Viale Morgagni 85, I-50134 Florence, Italy
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50
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Romanelli RG, Petrai I, Robino G, Efsen E, Novo E, Bonacchi A, Pagliai G, Grossi A, Parola M, Navari N, Delogu W, Vizzutti F, Rombouts K, Gentilini P, Laffi G, Marra F. Thrombopoietin stimulates migration and activates multiple signaling pathways in hepatoblastoma cells. Am J Physiol Gastrointest Liver Physiol 2006; 290:G120-8. [PMID: 16150872 DOI: 10.1152/ajpgi.00350.2004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 153] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/31/2023]
Abstract
Thrombopoietin (TPO), a cytokine that participates in the differentiation and maturation of megakaryocytes, is produced in the liver, but only limited information is available on the biological response of liver-derived cells to TPO. In this study, we investigated whether HepG2 cells express c-Mpl, the receptor for TPO, and whether TPO elicits biological responses and intracellular signaling in this cell type. Specific transcripts for c-Mpl were detected in HepG2 cells by RT-PCR, and expression of the protein was demonstrated by Western blot analysis and immunofluorescence. Exposure of HepG2 cells to TPO was associated with a dose-dependent increase in cell migration and chemoinvasion through Matrigel-coated filters. A checkerboard analysis showed that the effects of TPO on cell migration were dependent on both chemotaxis and chemokinesis. Exposure of HepG2 cells to TPO resulted in the activation of different members of the MAPK family, including ERK and JNK, as assessed using phosphorylation-specific antibodies and immune complex kinase assays. TPO also activated phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K) and the downstream kinase Akt in a time-dependent manner. Finally, activation of c-Mpl was associated with increased activation of nuclear factor-kappaB. With the use of specific inhibitors, tyrosine phosphorylation and activation of PI3K were found to be required for the induction of migration in response to TPO. We conclude that TPO exerts biological actions on cultured hepatoblastoma cells via activation of c-Mpl and its downstream signaling.
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Affiliation(s)
- Roberto G Romanelli
- Dipartimento di Medicina Interna, University of Florence, Viale Morgagni, 85, I-50134 Florence, Italy
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