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Hu S, Mahadevan A, Elysee IF, Choi J, Souchet NR, Bae GH, Taboada AK, Sanketi B, Duhamel GE, Sevier CS, Tao G, Kurpios NA. The asymmetric Pitx2 gene regulates gut muscular-lacteal development and protects against fatty liver disease. Cell Rep 2021; 37:110030. [PMID: 34818545 PMCID: PMC8650168 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2021.110030] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [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] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/28/2020] [Revised: 08/19/2021] [Accepted: 10/29/2021] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Intestinal lacteals are essential lymphatic channels for absorption and transport of dietary lipids and drive the pathogenesis of debilitating metabolic diseases. However, organ-specific mechanisms linking lymphatic dysfunction to disease etiology remain largely unknown. In this study, we uncover an intestinal lymphatic program that is linked to the left-right (LR) asymmetric transcription factor Pitx2. We show that deletion of the asymmetric Pitx2 enhancer ASE alters normal lacteal development through the lacteal-associated contractile smooth muscle lineage. ASE deletion leads to abnormal muscle morphogenesis induced by oxidative stress, resulting in impaired lacteal extension and defective lymphatic system-dependent lipid transport. Surprisingly, activation of lymphatic system-independent trafficking directs dietary lipids from the gut directly to the liver, causing diet-induced fatty liver disease. Our study reveals the molecular mechanism linking gut lymphatic function to the earliest symmetry-breaking Pitx2 and highlights the important relationship between intestinal lymphangiogenesis and the gut-liver axis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shing Hu
- Department of Molecular Medicine, College of Veterinary Medicine, Cornell, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA
| | - Aparna Mahadevan
- Department of Molecular Medicine, College of Veterinary Medicine, Cornell, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA
| | - Isaac F Elysee
- Department of Molecular Medicine, College of Veterinary Medicine, Cornell, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA
| | - Joseph Choi
- Department of Molecular Medicine, College of Veterinary Medicine, Cornell, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA
| | - Nathan R Souchet
- Department of Molecular Medicine, College of Veterinary Medicine, Cornell, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA
| | - Gloria H Bae
- Department of Molecular Medicine, College of Veterinary Medicine, Cornell, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA
| | - Alessandra K Taboada
- Department of Molecular Medicine, College of Veterinary Medicine, Cornell, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA
| | - Bhargav Sanketi
- Department of Molecular Medicine, College of Veterinary Medicine, Cornell, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA
| | - Gerald E Duhamel
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, Cornell, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA
| | - Carolyn S Sevier
- Department of Molecular Medicine, College of Veterinary Medicine, Cornell, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA
| | - Ge Tao
- Department of Regenerative Medicine and Cell Biology, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC 29425, USA
| | - Natasza A Kurpios
- Department of Molecular Medicine, College of Veterinary Medicine, Cornell, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA.
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