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Wang Y, Wang P, Yu Y, Huang E, Yao Y, Guo D, Peng H, Tian B, Zheng Q, Jia M, Wang J, Wu X, Cheng J, Liu H, Wang QK, Xu C. Hepatocyte Ninjurin2 promotes hepatic stellate cell activation and liver fibrosis through the IGF1R/EGR1/PDGF-BB signaling pathway. Metabolism 2023; 140:155380. [PMID: 36549436 DOI: 10.1016/j.metabol.2022.155380] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/19/2022] [Revised: 11/25/2022] [Accepted: 12/15/2022] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Liver fibrogenesis is orchestrated by the paracrine signaling interaction between several resident cell types regulating the activation of hepatic stellate cells (HSCs). However, the molecular mechanisms underlying paracrine regulation are largely unknown. The aim of this study is to elucidate the role of Ninjurin2 in the crosstalk between hepatocytes and HSCs and better understand the implications of Ninjurin2 in liver fibrosis. METHODS Ninj2 knockout mice (Ninj2-/-) and hepatocyte-specific Ninj2 overexpression mice (Ninj2Hep-tg) were constructed and followed by the induction of liver fibrosis using methionine- and choline-deficient (MCD) diet. The relationship between Ninjurin2 and liver fibrosis phenotype was evaluated in vivo by measurement of fibrotic markers and related genes. We used an in vitro transwell cell co-culture model to examine the impact of Ninjurin2 in hepatocytes on the crosstalk to HSCs. The interaction of Ninjurin2 and IGF1R and the regulation of PI3K-AKT-EGR1 were analyzed in vivo and in vitro. Finally, an inhibitory Ninjurin2 peptide was injected intravenously via the tail vein to investigate whether inhibiting of Ninjurin2 cascade can attenuate MCD diet-induced liver fibrosis in mice. RESULTS We found that hepatic Ninjurin2 expression was significantly increased in fibrotic human liver and MCD diet-induced liver injury mouse models. In the mouse model, hepatocyte-specific overexpression of Ninj2 exacerbates MCD-induced liver fibrosis, while global Ninj2 knockout reverses the phenotype. To mimic hepatocyte-HSC crosstalk during liver fibrosis, we used co-culture systems containing hepatocytes and HSCs and determined that Ninjurin2 overexpression in hepatocytes directly activates HSCs in vitro. Mechanistically, Ninjurin2 directly interacts with insulin-like growth factor 1 receptor (IGF1R) and increases the hepatocyte secretion of the fibrogenic cytokine, platelet-derived growth factor-BB (PDGF-BB) through IGF1R-PI3K-AKT-EGR1 cascade. Inhibition of PDGFRB signaling in HSCs can abolish the profibrogenic effect of Ninjurin2. In addition, we demonstrated that a specific inhibitory Ninjurin2 peptide containing an N-terminal adhesion motif mitigates liver fibrosis and improves hepatic function in the mouse models by negatively regulating the sensitivity of IGF1R to IGF1 in hepatocytes. CONCLUSION Hepatic Ninjurin2 plays a key role in liver fibrosis through paracrine regulation of PDGF-BB/PDGFRB signaling in HSCs, and the results suggesting Ninjurin2 may be a potential therapeutic target.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yifan Wang
- Center for Human Genome Research, Key Laboratory of Molecular Biophysics of the Ministry of Education, College of Life Science and Technology, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei 430074, China
| | - Pengyun Wang
- Liyuan Hospital of Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430077, China
| | - Yubing Yu
- Center for Human Genome Research, Key Laboratory of Molecular Biophysics of the Ministry of Education, College of Life Science and Technology, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei 430074, China
| | - Erwen Huang
- Faculty of Forensic Medicine, Guangdong Province Translational Forensic Medicine Engineering Technology Research Center, Zhongshan School of Medicine, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou 510080, China
| | - Yufeng Yao
- Center for Human Genome Research, Key Laboratory of Molecular Biophysics of the Ministry of Education, College of Life Science and Technology, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei 430074, China
| | - Di Guo
- Center for Human Genome Research, Key Laboratory of Molecular Biophysics of the Ministry of Education, College of Life Science and Technology, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei 430074, China
| | - Huixin Peng
- Center for Human Genome Research, Key Laboratory of Molecular Biophysics of the Ministry of Education, College of Life Science and Technology, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei 430074, China
| | - Beijia Tian
- Center for Human Genome Research, Key Laboratory of Molecular Biophysics of the Ministry of Education, College of Life Science and Technology, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei 430074, China
| | - Qian Zheng
- Center for Human Genome Research, Key Laboratory of Molecular Biophysics of the Ministry of Education, College of Life Science and Technology, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei 430074, China
| | - Mengru Jia
- Center for Human Genome Research, Key Laboratory of Molecular Biophysics of the Ministry of Education, College of Life Science and Technology, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei 430074, China
| | - Jing Wang
- Center for Human Genome Research, Key Laboratory of Molecular Biophysics of the Ministry of Education, College of Life Science and Technology, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei 430074, China
| | - Xinna Wu
- Center for Human Genome Research, Key Laboratory of Molecular Biophysics of the Ministry of Education, College of Life Science and Technology, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei 430074, China
| | - Jianding Cheng
- Faculty of Forensic Medicine, Guangdong Province Translational Forensic Medicine Engineering Technology Research Center, Zhongshan School of Medicine, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou 510080, China
| | - Huiying Liu
- College of Pulmonary and Critical Medicine, Chinese PLA General Hospital, Beijing, China
| | - Qing K Wang
- Center for Human Genome Research, Key Laboratory of Molecular Biophysics of the Ministry of Education, College of Life Science and Technology, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei 430074, China.
| | - Chengqi Xu
- Center for Human Genome Research, Key Laboratory of Molecular Biophysics of the Ministry of Education, College of Life Science and Technology, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei 430074, China.
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Chusilp S, Lee C, Li B, Lee D, Yamoto M, Ganji N, Vejchapipat P, Pierro A. Human amniotic fluid stem cells attenuate cholangiocyte apoptosis in a bile duct injury model of liver ductal organoids. J Pediatr Surg 2021; 56:11-16. [PMID: 33129508 DOI: 10.1016/j.jpedsurg.2020.09.043] [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: 09/03/2020] [Accepted: 09/22/2020] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
PURPOSE Biliary atresia (BA) is a fibro-obliterative cholangiopathy that involves both extrahepatic and intrahepatic bile ducts in infants. Cholangiocyte apoptosis has an influence on the fibrogenesis process of bile ducts and the progression of liver fibrosis in BA. Human amniotic fluid stem cells (hAFSCs) are multipotent cells that have ability to inhibit cell apoptosis. We aimed to investigate whether hAFSCs have the potential to attenuate cholangiocyte apoptosis and injury induced fibrogenic response in our ex vivo bile duct injury model of liver ductal organoids. METHODS The anti-apoptotic effect of hAFSCs was tested in the acetaminophen-induced injury model of neonatal mouse liver ductal organoids (AUP #42681) by using direct and indirect co-culture systems. Cell apoptosis and proliferation were evaluated by immunofluorescent staining. Expression of fibrogenic cytokines was analyzed by RT-qPCR. Data were compared using one-way ANOVA with post hoc test. RESULTS In our injury model, liver ductal organoids that were treated with hAFSCs in both direct and indirect co-culture systems had a significantly smaller number of apoptotic cholangiocytes and decreased expression of fibrogenic cytokines, transforming growth factor beta-1 (TGF-β1) and platelet-derived growth factor-BB (PDGF-BB). Moreover, hAFSCs increased cholangiocyte proliferation in injured organoids. CONCLUSION hAFSCs have the ability to protect the organoids from injury by decreasing cholangiocyte apoptosis and promoting cholangiocyte proliferation. This protective ability of hAFSCs leads to inhibition of the fibrogenic response in the injured organoids. hAFSCs have high therapeutic potential to attenuate liver fibrogenesis in cholangiopathic diseases such as BA.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sinobol Chusilp
- Division of General and Thoracic Surgery, Translational Medicine Program, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON M5G 1X8, Canada; Division of Pediatric Surgery, Department of Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, Khon Kaen University, Khon Kaen 40002, Thailand
| | - Carol Lee
- Division of General and Thoracic Surgery, Translational Medicine Program, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON M5G 1X8, Canada
| | - Bo Li
- Division of General and Thoracic Surgery, Translational Medicine Program, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON M5G 1X8, Canada
| | - Dorothy Lee
- Division of General and Thoracic Surgery, Translational Medicine Program, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON M5G 1X8, Canada
| | - Masaya Yamoto
- Division of General and Thoracic Surgery, Translational Medicine Program, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON M5G 1X8, Canada
| | - Niloofar Ganji
- Division of General and Thoracic Surgery, Translational Medicine Program, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON M5G 1X8, Canada
| | - Paisarn Vejchapipat
- Division of Pediatric Surgery, Department of Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok 10330, Thailand
| | - Agostino Pierro
- Division of General and Thoracic Surgery, Translational Medicine Program, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON M5G 1X8, Canada.
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Chusilp S, Lee C, Li B, Lee D, Yamoto M, Ganji N, Vejchapipat P, Pierro A. A novel model of injured liver ductal organoids to investigate cholangiocyte apoptosis with relevance to biliary atresia. Pediatr Surg Int 2020; 36:1471-1479. [PMID: 33084932 DOI: 10.1007/s00383-020-04765-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [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] [Accepted: 10/09/2020] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
PURPOSE The fibrogenic process in cholangiopathic diseases such as biliary atresia (BA) involves bile duct injury and apoptosis of cholangiocytes, which leads to the progression of liver fibrosis into liver cirrhosis and can result in end-staged liver disease. Recent advances in the development of organoids or mini-organ structures have allowed us to create an ex vivo injury model of the bile duct that mimics bile duct injury in BA. The aim of this experimental study was to develop a novel model of injured intrahepatic cholangiocytes as this can be relevant to BA. Our new model is important for studying the pathophysiological response of bile ducts to injury and the role of cholangiocytes in initiating the fibrogenic cascade. In addition, it has the potential to be used as a tool for developing new treatment strategies for BA. METHODS Liver ductal organoids were generated from the liver of healthy neonatal mouse pups. Intrahepatic bile duct fragments were isolated and cultured in Matrigel dome. Injury was induced in the organoids by administration of acetaminophen in culture medium. The organoids were then evaluated for fibrogenic cytokines expression, cell apoptosis marker and cell proliferation marker. RESULTS Organoids generated from intrahepatic bile duct fragments organized themselves into single-layer epithelial spheroids with lumen on the inside mimicking in vivo bile ducts. After 24-h exposure to acetaminophen, cholangiocytes in the organoids responded to the injury by increasing expression of fibrogenic cytokines, transforming growth factor beta-1 (TGF-β1) and platelet-derived growth factor-BB (PDGF-BB). This fibrogenic response of injured organoids was associated with increased cholangiocyte apoptosis and decreased cholangiocyte proliferation. CONCLUSION To our knowledge this is the first description of cholangiocyte injury in the organoids derived from intrahepatic bile ducts. Our injury model demonstrated that cholangiocyte apoptosis and its fibrogenic response may play a role in initiation of the fibrogenic process in cholangiopathic diseases such as BA. These findings are important for the development of novel therapy to reduce cholangiocyte apoptosis and to halt the early fibrogenic cascade in liver fibrogenesis. This novel injury model can prove very valuable for future research in biliary atresia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sinobol Chusilp
- Division of General and Thoracic Surgery, The Hospital for Sick Children, University of Toronto, 1526-555 University Ave, Toronto, ON, M5G 1X8, Canada.,Division of Pediatric Surgery, Department of Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, Khon Kaen University, Khon Kaen, 40002, Thailand
| | - Carol Lee
- Division of General and Thoracic Surgery, The Hospital for Sick Children, University of Toronto, 1526-555 University Ave, Toronto, ON, M5G 1X8, Canada
| | - Bo Li
- Division of General and Thoracic Surgery, The Hospital for Sick Children, University of Toronto, 1526-555 University Ave, Toronto, ON, M5G 1X8, Canada
| | - Dorothy Lee
- Division of General and Thoracic Surgery, The Hospital for Sick Children, University of Toronto, 1526-555 University Ave, Toronto, ON, M5G 1X8, Canada
| | - Masaya Yamoto
- Division of General and Thoracic Surgery, The Hospital for Sick Children, University of Toronto, 1526-555 University Ave, Toronto, ON, M5G 1X8, Canada
| | - Niloofar Ganji
- Division of General and Thoracic Surgery, The Hospital for Sick Children, University of Toronto, 1526-555 University Ave, Toronto, ON, M5G 1X8, Canada
| | - Paisarn Vejchapipat
- Division of Pediatric Surgery, Department of Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, 10330, Thailand
| | - Agostino Pierro
- Division of General and Thoracic Surgery, The Hospital for Sick Children, University of Toronto, 1526-555 University Ave, Toronto, ON, M5G 1X8, Canada.
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