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Journal of Hematology & Oncology Jan 2021Key hepatic molecules linking gut dysbiosis and hepatocarcinogenesis remain largely unknown. Gut-derived gut microbiota contains pathogen-associated molecular patterns...
BACKGROUND
Key hepatic molecules linking gut dysbiosis and hepatocarcinogenesis remain largely unknown. Gut-derived gut microbiota contains pathogen-associated molecular patterns (PAMPs) that may circulate into the liver and, consequently, be recognized by hepatic pattern recognition receptors (PRRs). NOD2, a general intracellular PRR, recognizes muramyl dipeptide (MDP), present in both gram (+) and gram (-) bacteria. Here, we investigated the role of NOD2 as a molecular sensor translating gut dysbiosis signaling into hepatocarcinogenesis.
METHODS
NOD2 expression was measured in clinical hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) samples using qPCR (80 pairs), western blotting (30 pairs) and immunostaining (141 pairs). The role of NOD2 in hepatocarcinogenesis was examined in the hepatocyte-specific Nod2-knockout (Nod2), Rip2-knockout (Rip2), Lamin A/C-knockout (Lamn) and Rip2/Lamin A/C double-knockout (Rip2/Lamn) mice models of diethylnitrosamine (DEN)/CCl-induced HCC.
RESULTS
NOD2 was upregulated and activated in HCC samples, and high NOD2 expression correlated with poor prognosis in HCC patients. Hepatic NOD2 deletion in vivo decreased DEN/CCl-induced HCC by reducing the inflammatory response, DNA damage and genomic instability. NOD2 activation increased liver inflammation via RIP2-dependent activation of the MAPK, NF-κB and STAT3 pathways. Notably, a novel RIP2-independent mechanism was discovered, whereby NOD2 activation induces the nuclear autophagy pathway. We showed that NOD2 undergoes nuclear transport and directly binds to a component of nuclear laminae, lamin A/C, to promote its protein degradation, leading to impaired DNA damage repair and increased genomic instability.
CONCLUSIONS
We reveal a novel bridge, bacterial sensor NOD2, linking gut-derived microbial metabolites to hepatocarcinogenesis via induction of the inflammatory response and nuclear autophagy. Thus, we propose hepatic NOD2 as a promising therapeutic target against HCC.
Topics: Animals; Autophagy; Carcinogenesis; Carcinoma, Hepatocellular; DNA Damage; Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic; Gene Knockout Techniques; Humans; Inflammation; Liver Neoplasms; Mice; Nod2 Signaling Adaptor Protein; Receptor-Interacting Protein Serine-Threonine Kinase 2
PubMed: 33413510
DOI: 10.1186/s13045-020-01028-4 -
Comprehensive Physiology Jan 2013Hepatocytes, like other epithelia, are situated at the interface between the organism's exterior and the underlying internal milieu and organize the vectorial exchange... (Review)
Review
Hepatocytes, like other epithelia, are situated at the interface between the organism's exterior and the underlying internal milieu and organize the vectorial exchange of macromolecules between these two spaces. To mediate this function, epithelial cells, including hepatocytes, are polarized with distinct luminal domains that are separated by tight junctions from lateral domains engaged in cell-cell adhesion and from basal domains that interact with the underlying extracellular matrix. Despite these universal principles, hepatocytes distinguish themselves from other nonstriated epithelia by their multipolar organization. Each hepatocyte participates in multiple, narrow lumina, the bile canaliculi, and has multiple basal surfaces that face the endothelial lining. Hepatocytes also differ in the mechanism of luminal protein trafficking from other epithelia studied. They lack polarized protein secretion to the luminal domain and target single-spanning and glycosylphosphatidylinositol-anchored bile canalicular membrane proteins via transcytosis from the basolateral domain. We compare this unique hepatic polarity phenotype with that of the more common columnar epithelial organization and review our current knowledge of the signaling mechanisms and the organization of polarized protein trafficking that govern the establishment and maintenance of hepatic polarity. The serine/threonine kinase LKB1, which is activated by the bile acid taurocholate and, in turn, activates adenosine monophosphate kinase-related kinases including AMPK1/2 and Par1 paralogues has emerged as a key determinant of hepatic polarity. We propose that the absence of a hepatocyte basal lamina and differences in cell-cell adhesion signaling that determine the positioning of tight junctions are two crucial determinants for the distinct hepatic and columnar polarity phenotypes.
Topics: Animals; Cell Adhesion; Cell Polarity; Hepatocytes; Humans; Intercellular Junctions; Liver; Phenotype
PubMed: 23720287
DOI: 10.1002/cphy.c120009 -
Anatomical Record (Hoboken, N.J. : 2007) Aug 2021The blood circulates through the hepatic sinusoids delivering nutrients and oxygen to the liver parenchyma and drains into the hepatic central vein, yet the structures... (Review)
Review
The blood circulates through the hepatic sinusoids delivering nutrients and oxygen to the liver parenchyma and drains into the hepatic central vein, yet the structures and phenotypes of these vessels are distinctively different. Sinusoidal endothelial cells are uniquely fenestrated, lack basal lamina and possess organelles involved in endocytosis, pinocytosis, degradation, synthesis and secretion. Hepatic central veins are nonfenestrated but are also active in synthesis and secretion. Endothelial cells of sinusoids and central veins secrete angiocrines that play respective roles in hepatic regeneration and metabolic homeostasis. The list of markers for identifying sinusoidal endothelial cells is long and their terminologies are complex. Further, their uses vary in different investigations and, in some instances, could be confusing. Central vein markers are fewer but more distinctive. Here we analyze and categorize the molecular pathways/modules associated with the sinusoid-mediated liver regeneration in response to partial hepatectomy and chemical-induced acute or chronic injury. Similarly, we highlight the findings that central vein-derived angiocrines interact with Wnt/β-catenin in perivenous hepatocytes to direct gene expression and maintain pericentral metabolic zonation. The proposal that perivenous hepatocytes behave as stem/progenitor cells to provoke hepatic homeostatic cell renewal is reevaluated and newer concepts of broad zonal distribution of hepatocyte proliferation in liver homeostasis and regeneration are updated. Thus, this review integrates the structures, biology and physiology of liver sinusoids and central veins in mediating hepatic regeneration and metabolic homeostasis.
Topics: Biomarkers; Capillaries; Endothelial Cells; Hepatocytes; Homeostasis; Humans; Liver; Liver Regeneration
PubMed: 33135318
DOI: 10.1002/ar.24560 -
Biology Oct 2020Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a burgeoning public health problem worldwide. Despite its tremendous significance for public health, we lack a comprehensive... (Review)
Review
Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a burgeoning public health problem worldwide. Despite its tremendous significance for public health, we lack a comprehensive understanding of the pathogenic mechanisms of NAFLD and its more advanced stage, nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH). Identification of novel pathways or cellular mechanisms that regulate liver lipid metabolism has profound implications for the understanding of the pathology of NAFLD and NASH. The nuclear envelope is topologically connected to the ER, where protein synthesis and lipid synthesis occurs. Emerging evidence points toward that the nuclear lamins and nuclear membrane-associated proteins are involved in lipid metabolism and homeostasis. We review published reports that link these nuclear envelope proteins to lipid metabolism. In particular, we focus on the recent work demonstrating the essential roles for the nuclear envelope-localized torsinA/lamina-associated polypeptide (LAP1) complex in hepatic steatosis, lipid secretion, and NASH development. We also discuss plausible pathogenic mechanisms by which the loss of either protein in hepatocytes leads to hepatic dyslipidemia and NASH development.
PubMed: 33076344
DOI: 10.3390/biology9100338 -
Anatomical Record (Hoboken, N.J. : 2007) Jun 2008Morphological changes in the hepatic sinusoid with old age are increasingly recognized. These include thickening and defenestration of the liver sinusoidal endothelial... (Review)
Review
Morphological changes in the hepatic sinusoid with old age are increasingly recognized. These include thickening and defenestration of the liver sinusoidal endothelial cell, sporadic deposition of collagen and basal lamina in the extracellular space of Disse, and increased numbers of fat engorged, nonactivated stellate cells. In addition, there is endothelial up-regulation of von Willebrand factor and ICAM-1 with reduced expression of caveolin-1. These changes have been termed age-related pseudocapillarization. The effects of old age on Kupffer cells are inconsistent, but impaired responsiveness is likely. There are functional implications of these aging changes in the hepatic sinusoid. There is reduced sinusoidal perfusion, which will impair the hepatic clearance of highly extracted substrates. Blood clearance of a variety of waste macromolecules takes place in liver sinusoidal endothelial cells (LSECs). Previous studies indicated either that aging had no effect, or reduced the endocytic capacity of LSECs. However, a recent study in mice showed reduced endocytosis in pericentral regions of the liver lobules. Reduced endocytosis may increase systemic exposure to potential harmful waste macromolecules such as advanced glycation end products Loss of fenestrations leads to impaired transfer of lipoproteins from blood to hepatocytes. This provides a mechanism for impaired chylomicron remnant clearance and postprandial hyperlipidemia associated with old age. Given the extensive range of substrates metabolized by the liver, age-related changes in the hepatic sinusoid and microcirculation have important systemic implications for aging and age-related diseases.
Topics: Aging; Animals; Corrosion Casting; Endocytosis; Endothelial Cells; Humans; Kupffer Cells; Liver; Liver Circulation; Microcirculation; Microscopy, Electron
PubMed: 18484614
DOI: 10.1002/ar.20661 -
International Journal of Molecular... Aug 2023Age and sex influence serum cholesterol levels, but the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. To investigate further, we measured cholesterol, precursors (surrogate...
Age and sex influence serum cholesterol levels, but the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. To investigate further, we measured cholesterol, precursors (surrogate synthesis markers), degradation products (oxysterols and bile acid precursors) in serum, the liver, jejunum, and ileum, as well as serum plant sterols (intestinal absorption markers) in male and female Wistar rats (4 and 24 months old). The analysis of histomorphometric and oxidative stress parameters (superoxide dismutase, catalase, glutathione-related enzyme activities, lipid peroxide, and protein carbonyl concentrations) in the liver and jejunum offered further insights into the age- and sex-related differences. The hepatic gene expression analysis included AR, ERα, and sex-specific growth hormone-regulated (Cyp2c11 and Cyp2c12) and thyroid-responsive (Dio1, Tbg, and Spot 14) genes by qPCR. We observed age-related changes in both sexes, with greater prominence in females. Aged females had significantly higher serum cholesterol ( < 0.05), jejunum cholesterol ( < 0.05), and serum plant sterols ( < 0.05). They exhibited poorer hepato-intestinal health compared with males, which was characterized by mild liver dysfunction (hydropic degeneration, increased serum ALT, < 0.05, and decreased activity of some antioxidant defense enzymes, < 0.05), mononuclear inflammation in the jejunal lamina propria, and age-related decreases in jejunal catalase and glutathione peroxidase activity ( < 0.05). Aged females showed increased levels of 27-hydroxycholesterol ( < 0.05) and upregulated ERα gene expression ( < 0.05) in the liver. Our study suggests that the more significant age-related increase in serum cholesterol in females is associated with poorer hepato-intestinal health and increased jejunal cholesterol absorption. The local increase in 27-hydroxycholesterol during aging might reduce the hepatoprotective effects of endogenous estrogen in the female liver.
Topics: Female; Male; Rats; Animals; Catalase; Estrogen Receptor alpha; Rats, Wistar; Liver; Aging
PubMed: 37628805
DOI: 10.3390/ijms241612624 -
Anatomical Record (Hoboken, N.J. : 2007) Aug 2017Basement membranes provide structural support to epithelium, endothelium, muscles, fat cells, Schwann cells, and axons. Basement membranes are multifunctional: they... (Review)
Review
Basement membranes provide structural support to epithelium, endothelium, muscles, fat cells, Schwann cells, and axons. Basement membranes are multifunctional: they modulate cellular behavior, regulate organogenesis, promote tissue repair, form a barrier to filtration and tumor metastasis, bind growth factors, and mediate angiogenesis. All basement membranes contain type IV collagen (Col IV), laminin, nidogen, and perlecan. Col IV and laminin self-assemble into two independent supramolecular networks that are linked to nidogen and perlecan to form a morphological discernable basement membrane/basal lamina. The triple helical region, 7S domain and NCI domain of Col IV, laminin and laminin fragment P1 have been evaluated as noninvasive fibrosis biomarkers of alcoholic liver disease, viral hepatitis, and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease. Elevated serum Col IV and laminin are related to degrees of fibrosis and severity of hepatitis, and may reflect hepatic basement membrane metabolism. But the serum assays have not been linked to disclosing the anatomical sites and lobular distribution of perisinusoidal basement membrane formation in the liver. Hepatic sinusoids normally lack a basement membrane, although Col IV is a normal matrix component of the space of Disse. In liver disease, laminin deposits in the space of Disse and codistributes with Col IV, forming a perisinusoidal basement membrane. Concomitantly, the sinusoidal endothelium loses its fenestrae and is transformed into vascular type endothelium. These changes lead to capillarization of hepatic sinusoids, a significant pathology that impairs hepatic function. Accordingly, codistribution of Col IV and laminin serves as histochemical marker of perisinusoidal basement membrane formation in liver disease. Anat Rec, 300:1371-1390, 2017. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Topics: Animals; Biomarkers; Collagen Type IV; Fibrosis; Humans; Laminin; Liver Diseases
PubMed: 28187500
DOI: 10.1002/ar.23567 -
Genes Jul 2021Acquisition of cellular fate during development is initiated and maintained by well-coordinated patterns of gene expression that are dictated by the epigenetic landscape...
Acquisition of cellular fate during development is initiated and maintained by well-coordinated patterns of gene expression that are dictated by the epigenetic landscape and genome organization in the nucleus. While the epigenetic marks that mediate developmental gene expression patterns during organogenesis have been well studied, less is known about how epigenetic marks influence nuclear organization during development. This study examines the relationship between nuclear structure, chromatin accessibility, DNA methylation, and gene expression during hepatic outgrowth in zebrafish larvae. We investigate the relationship between these features using mutants that lack DNA methylation. Hepatocyte nuclear morphology was established coincident with hepatocyte differentiation at 80 h post-fertilization (hpf), and nuclear shape and size continued to change until the conclusion of outgrowth and morphogenesis at 120 hpf. Integrating ATAC-Seq analysis with DNA methylation profiling of zebrafish livers at 120 hpf showed that closed and highly methylated chromatin occupies most transposable elements and that open chromatin correlated with gene expression. DNA hypomethylation, due to mutation of genes encoding ubiquitin-like, containing PHD and RING Finger Domains 1 () and DNA methyltransferase (), did not block hepatocyte differentiation, but had dramatic effects on nuclear organization. Hepatocytes in mutants have large, deformed nuclei with multiple nucleoli, downregulation of nucleolar genes, and a complete lack of the nuclear lamina. Loss of lamin B2 staining was phenocopied by mutation. Together, these data show that hepatocyte nuclear morphogenesis coincides with organ morphogenesis and outgrowth, and that DNA methylation directs chromatin organization, and, in turn, hepatocyte nuclear shape and size during liver development.
Topics: Animals; Cell Differentiation; Cell Nucleus; Chromatin; Chromatin Assembly and Disassembly; DNA (Cytosine-5-)-Methyltransferase 1; DNA Methylation; Epigenesis, Genetic; Gene Expression; Hepatocytes; Larva; Liver; Organogenesis; Trans-Activators; Zebrafish; Zebrafish Proteins
PubMed: 34356097
DOI: 10.3390/genes12071081 -
The Journal of Clinical Investigation Aug 2019Deciphering novel pathways regulating liver lipid content has profound implications for understanding the pathophysiology of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease and...
Deciphering novel pathways regulating liver lipid content has profound implications for understanding the pathophysiology of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease and nonalcoholic steatohepatitis. Recent evidence suggests that the nuclear envelope is a site of regulation of lipid metabolism but there is limited appreciation of the responsible mechanisms and molecular components within this organelle. We showed that conditional hepatocyte deletion of the inner nuclear membrane protein lamina-associated polypeptide 1 (LAP1) caused defective VLDL secretion and steatosis, including intranuclear lipid accumulation. LAP1 binds to and activates torsinA, an AAA+ ATPase that resides in the perinuclear space and continuous main ER. Deletion of torsinA from mouse hepatocytes caused even greater reductions in VLDL secretion and profound steatosis. Both of these mutant mouse lines developed hepatic steatosis and subsequent steatohepatitis on a regular chow diet in the absence of whole-body insulin resistance or obesity. Our results establish an essential role for the nuclear envelope-localized torsinA-LAP1 complex in hepatic VLDL secretion and suggest that the torsinA pathway participates in the pathophysiology of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease.
Topics: Animals; Carrier Proteins; Hepatocytes; Lipid Metabolism; Lipoproteins, VLDL; Membrane Proteins; Mice; Mice, Knockout; Molecular Chaperones; Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease; Nuclear Envelope
PubMed: 31408437
DOI: 10.1172/JCI129769