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Li Y, Xu J, Lu Y, Bian H, Yang L, Wu H, Zhang X, Zhang B, Xiong M, Chang Y, Tang J, Yang F, Zhao L, Li J, Gao X, Xia M, Tan M, Li J. DRAK2 aggravates nonalcoholic fatty liver disease progression through SRSF6-associated RNA alternative splicing. Cell Metab 2021; 33:2004-2020.e9. [PMID: 34614409 DOI: 10.1016/j.cmet.2021.09.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.3] [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: 02/10/2021] [Revised: 07/26/2021] [Accepted: 09/13/2021] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) is an advanced stage of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) with serious consequences that currently lacks approved pharmacological therapies. Recent studies suggest the close relationship between the pathogenesis of NAFLD and the dysregulation of RNA splicing machinery. Here, we reveal death-associated protein kinase-related apoptosis-inducing kinase-2 (DRAK2) is markedly upregulated in the livers of both NAFLD/NASH patients and NAFLD/NASH diet-fed mice. Hepatic deletion of DRAK2 suppresses the progression of hepatic steatosis to NASH. Comprehensive analyses of the phosphoproteome and transcriptome indicated a crucial role of DRAK2 in RNA splicing and identified the splicing factor SRSF6 as a direct binding protein of DRAK2. Further studies demonstrated that binding to DRAK2 inhibits SRSF6 phosphorylation by the SRSF kinase SRPK1 and regulates alternative splicing of mitochondrial function-related genes. In conclusion, our findings reveal an indispensable role of DRAK2 in NAFLD/NASH and offer a potential therapeutic target for this disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yufeng Li
- State Key Laboratory of Drug Research, Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 201203, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Junyu Xu
- State Key Laboratory of Drug Research, Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 201203, China
| | - Yuting Lu
- State Key Laboratory of Drug Research, Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 201203, China
| | - Hua Bian
- Department of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai 200032, China; Fudan Institute for Metabolic Diseases, Shanghai 200032, China
| | - Lin Yang
- State Key Laboratory of Drug Research, Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 201203, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Honghong Wu
- State Key Laboratory of Drug Research, Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 201203, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Xinwen Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Drug Research, Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 201203, China
| | - Beilei Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Drug Research, Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 201203, China
| | - Maoqian Xiong
- Shanghai Engineering Research Center of Molecular Therapeutics and New Drug Development, School of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering, East China Normal University, Shanghai 200062, China
| | - Yafei Chang
- Department of Bioinformatics and Biostatistics, School of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240, China
| | - Jie Tang
- Shanghai Engineering Research Center of Molecular Therapeutics and New Drug Development, School of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering, East China Normal University, Shanghai 200062, China
| | - Fan Yang
- Shanghai Engineering Research Center of Molecular Therapeutics and New Drug Development, School of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering, East China Normal University, Shanghai 200062, China
| | - Lei Zhao
- State Key Laboratory of Drug Research, Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 201203, China
| | - Jing Li
- Department of Bioinformatics and Biostatistics, School of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240, China
| | - Xin Gao
- Department of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai 200032, China; Fudan Institute for Metabolic Diseases, Shanghai 200032, China
| | - Mingfeng Xia
- Department of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai 200032, China; Fudan Institute for Metabolic Diseases, Shanghai 200032, China.
| | - Minjia Tan
- State Key Laboratory of Drug Research, Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 201203, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China.
| | - Jingya Li
- State Key Laboratory of Drug Research, Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 201203, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China; School of Pharmaceutical Science and Technology, Hangzhou Institute for Advanced Study, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hangzhou 310024, China.
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