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377 Publications visible to you, out of a total of 377

Abstract (Expand)

OBJECTIVE: The rs641738C>T variant located near the membrane-bound O-acyltransferase domain containing 7 (MBOAT7) locus is associated with fibrosis in liver diseases, including non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), alcohol-related liver disease, hepatitis B and C. We aim to understand the mechanism by which the rs641738C>T variant contributes to pathogenesis of NAFLD. DESIGN: Mice with hepatocyte-specific deletion of MBOAT7 (Mboat7(Deltahep)) were generated and livers were characterised by histology, flow cytometry, qPCR, RNA sequencing and lipidomics. We analysed the association of rs641738C>T genotype with liver inflammation and fibrosis in 846 NAFLD patients and obtained genotype-specific liver lipidomes from 280 human biopsies. RESULTS: Allelic imbalance analysis of heterozygous human liver samples pointed to lower expression of the MBOAT7 transcript on the rs641738C>T haplotype. Mboat7(Deltahep) mice showed spontaneous steatosis characterised by increased hepatic cholesterol ester content after 10 weeks. After 6 weeks on a high fat, methionine-low, choline-deficient diet, mice developed increased hepatic fibrosis as measured by picrosirius staining (p<0.05), hydroxyproline content (p<0.05) and transcriptomics, while the inflammatory cell populations and inflammatory mediators were minimally affected. In a human biopsied NAFLD cohort, MBOAT7 rs641738C>T was associated with fibrosis (p=0.004) independent of the presence of histological inflammation. Liver lipidomes of Mboat7(Deltahep) mice and human rs641738TT carriers with fibrosis showed increased total lysophosphatidylinositol levels. The altered lysophosphatidylinositol and phosphatidylinositol subspecies in MBOAT7(Deltahep) livers and human rs641738TT carriers were similar. CONCLUSION: Mboat7 deficiency in mice and human points to an inflammation-independent pathway of liver fibrosis that may be mediated by lipid signalling and a potentially targetable treatment option in NAFLD.

Authors: V. R. Thangapandi, O. Knittelfelder, M. Brosch, E. Patsenker, O. Vvedenskaya, S. Buch, S. Hinz, A. Hendricks, M. Nati, A. Herrmann, D. R. Rekhade, T. Berg, M. Matz-Soja, K. Huse, E. Klipp, J. K. Pauling, J. A. Wodke, J. Miranda Ackerman, M. V. Bonin, E. Aigner, C. Datz, W. von Schonfels, S. Nehring, S. Zeissig, C. Rocken, A. Dahl, T. Chavakis, F. Stickel, A. Shevchenko, C. Schafmayer, J. Hampe, P. Subramanian

Date Published: 26th Jun 2020

Publication Type: Journal

Abstract (Expand)

A standardized approach to annotating computational biomedical models and their associated files can facilitate model reuse and reproducibility among research groups, enhance search and retrieval of models and data, and enable semantic comparisons between models. Motivated by these potential benefits and guided by consensus across the COmputational Modeling in BIology NEtwork (COMBINE) community, we have developed a specification for encoding annotations in Open Modeling and EXchange (OMEX)-formatted archives. Distributing modeling projects within these archives is a best practice established by COMBINE, and the OMEX metadata specification presented here provides a harmonized, community-driven approach for annotating a variety of standardized model and data representation formats within an archive. The specification primarily includes technical guidelines for encoding archive metadata, so that software tools can more easily utilize and exchange it, thereby spurring broad advancements in model reuse, discovery, and semantic analyses.

Authors: Maxwell L. Neal, John H. Gennari, Dagmar Waltemath, David P. Nickerson, Matthias König

Date Published: 25th Jun 2020

Publication Type: Journal

Abstract (Expand)

Small‐molecule flux in tissue‐microdomains is essential for organ function, but knowledge of this process is scant due to the lack of suitable methods. We developed two independent techniques that allow the quantification of advection (flow) and diffusion in individual bile canaliculi and in interlobular bile ducts of intact livers in living mice, namely Fluorescence Loss After Photoactivation (FLAP) and Intravital Arbitrary Region Image Correlation Spectroscopy (IVARICS). The results challenge the prevailing ‘mechano‐osmotic’ theory of canalicular bile flow. After active transport across hepatocyte membranes bile acids are transported in the canaliculi primarily by diffusion. Only in the interlobular ducts, diffusion is augmented by regulatable advection. Photoactivation of fluorescein bis‐(5‐carboxymethoxy‐2‐nitrobenzyl)‐ether (CMNB‐caged fluorescein) in entire lobules demonstrated the establishment of diffusive gradients in the bile canalicular network and the sink function of interlobular ducts. In contrast to the bile canalicular network, vectorial transport was detected and quantified in the mesh of interlobular bile ducts. In conclusion, the liver consists of a diffusion dominated canalicular domain, where hepatocytes secrete small molecules and generate a concentration gradient and a flow‐augmented ductular domain, where regulated water influx creates unidirectional advection that augments the diffusive flux.

Authors: Nachiket Vartak, Georgia Guenther, Florian Joly, Amruta Damle‐Vartak, Gudrun Wibbelt, Jörns Fickel, Simone Jörs, Brigitte Begher‐Tibbe, Adrian Friebel, Kasimir Wansing, Ahmed Ghallab, Marie Rosselin, Noemie Boissier, Irene Vignon‐Clementel, Christian Hedberg, Fabian Geisler, Heribert Hofer, Peter Jansen, Stefan Hoehme, Dirk Drasdo, Jan G. Hengstler

Date Published: 19th Jun 2020

Publication Type: Journal

Abstract (Expand)

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Little is known about genetic factors that affect development of alcohol-related cirrhosis. We performed a genome-wide association study (GWAS) of samples from the United Kingdom Biobank (UKB) to identify polymorphisms associated with risk of alcohol-related liver disease. METHODS: We performed a GWAS of 35,839 participants in the UKB with high intake of alcohol against markers of hepatic fibrosis (FIB-4, APRI, and Forns index scores) and hepatocellular injury (levels of aminotransferases). Loci identified in the discovery analysis were tested for their association with alcohol-related cirrhosis in 3 separate European cohorts (phase 1 validation cohort; n=2545). Variants associated with alcohol-related cirrhosis in the validation at a false discovery rate of less than 20% were then directly genotyped in 2 additional European validation cohorts (phase 2 validation, n=2068). RESULTS: In the GWAS of the discovery cohort, we identified 50 independent risk loci with genome-wide significance (P < 5 x 10(-8)). Nine of these loci were significantly associated with alcohol-related cirrhosis in the phase 1 validation cohort; 6 of these 9 loci were significantly associated with alcohol-related cirrhosis in phase 2 validation cohort, at a false discovery rate below 5%. The loci included variants in the mitochondrial amidoxime reducing component 1 gene (MARC1) and the heterogeneous nuclear ribonucleoprotein U like 1 gene (HNRNPUL1). After we adjusted for age, sex, body mass index, and type-2 diabetes in the phase 2 validation cohort, the minor A allele of MARC1:rs2642438 was associated with reduced risk of alcohol-related cirrhosis (adjusted odds ratio, 0.76; P=.0027); conversely, the minor C allele of HNRNPUL1:rs15052 was associated with an increased risk of alcohol-related cirrhosis (adjusted odds ratio, 1.30; P=.020). CONCLUSIONS: In a GWAS of samples from the UKB, we identified and validated (in 5 European cohorts) single-nucleotide polymorphisms that affect risk of alcohol-related cirrhosis in opposite directions: the minor A allele in MARC1:rs2642438 decreases risk, whereas the minor C allele in HNRNPUL1:rs15052 increases risk.

Authors: H. Innes, S. Buch, S. Hutchinson, I. N. Guha, J. R. Morling, E. Barnes, W. Irving, E. Forrest, V. Pedergnan, D. Goldberg, E. Aspinall, S. Barclay, P. Hayes, J. Dillon, H. D. Nischalke, P. Lutz, U. Spengler, J. Fischer, T. Berg, M. Brosch, F. Eyer, C. Datz, S. Mueller, T. Peccerella, P. Deltenre, A. Marot, M. Soyka, A. McQuillin, M. Y. Morgan, J. Hampe, F. Stickel

Date Published: 16th Jun 2020

Publication Type: Journal

Abstract (Expand)

PK-DB is a database and web interface for pharmacokinetics data and information from clinical trials as well as pre-clinical research. PK-DB allows to curate pharmacokinetics data integrated with the corresponding meta-information. PK-DB is available at https://pk-db.com

Authors: Matthias König, Jan Grzegorzewski

Date Published: 1st Jun 2020

Publication Type: Misc

Abstract

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Authors: Stefan Hoehme, Rolf Gebhardt, JG Hengstler, D. Drasdo

Date Published: 18th May 2020

Publication Type: Misc

Abstract

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Authors: Adrian Friebel, Tim Johann, Dirk Drasdo, Stefan Hoehme

Date Published: 18th May 2020

Publication Type: Misc

Abstract

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Authors: Bjoern Goldenbogen, Stephan O. Adler, Oliver Bodeit, Judith AH Wodke, Aviv Korman, Lasse Bonn, Ximena Martinez de la Escalera, Johanna E L Haffner, Maria Krantz, Maxim Karnetzki, Ivo Maintz, Lisa Mallis, Rafael U Moran Torres, Hannah Prawitz, Patrick Segelitz, Martin Seeger, Rune Linding, Edda Klipp

Date Published: 6th May 2020

Publication Type: Unpublished

Abstract (Expand)

Lipid-based RNA nanocarriers have been recently accepted as a novel therapeutic option in humans, thus increasing the therapeutic options for patients. Tailored nanomedicines will enable to treat chronic liver disease (CLD) and end-stage liver cancer, disorders with high mortality and few treatment options. Here, we investigated the curative potential of gene therapy of a key molecule in CLD, the c-Jun N-terminal kinase-2 (Jnk2). Delivery to hepatocytes was achieved using a lipid-based clinically employable siRNA formulation that includes a cationic aminolipid to knockdown Jnk2 (named siJnk2). After assessing the therapeutic potential of siJnk2 treatment, non-invasive imaging demonstrated reduced apoptotic cell death and improved hepatocarcinogenesis was evidenced by improved liver parenchyma as well as ameliorated markers of hepatic damage, reduced fibrogenesis in 1-year-old mice. Strikingly, chronic siJnk2 treatment reduced premalignant nodules, indicative of tumor initiation. Furthermore, siJnk2 treatment led to a significant activation of the immune cell compartment. In conclusion, Jnk2 knockdown in hepatocytes ameliorated hepatitis, fibrogenesis, and initiation of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), and hence might be a suitable therapeutic option, to define novel molecular targets for precision medicine in CLD.

Authors: Marius Maximilian Woitok, Miguel Eugenio Zoubek, Dennis Doleschel, Matthias Bartneck, Mohamed Ramadan Mohamed, Fabian Kießling, Wiltrud Lederle, Christian Trautwein, Francisco Javier Cubero

Date Published: 1st May 2020

Publication Type: Journal

Abstract (Expand)

BACKGROUND: The extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) pathway regulates cell growth, and is hyper-activated and associated with drug resistance in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Metabolic pathways are profoundly dysregulated in HCC. Whether an altered metabolic state is linked to activated ERK pathway and drug response in HCC is unaddressed. METHODS: We deprived HCC cells of glutamine to induce metabolic alterations and performed various assays, including metabolomics (with (13)C-glucose isotope tracing), microarray analysis, and cell proliferation assays. Glutamine-deprived cells were also treated with kinase inhibitors (e.g. Sorafenib, Erlotinib, U0126 amongst other MEK inhibitors). We performed bioinformatics analysis and stratification of HCC tumour microarrays to determine upregulated ERK gene signatures in patients. FINDINGS: In a subset of HCC cells, the withdrawal of glutamine triggers a severe metabolic alteration and ERK phosphorylation (pERK). This is accompanied by resistance to the anti-proliferative effect of kinase inhibitors, despite pERK inhibition. High intracellular serine is a consistent feature of an altered metabolic state and contributes to pERK induction and the kinase inhibitor resistance. Blocking the ERK pathway facilitates cell proliferation by reprogramming metabolism, notably enhancing aerobic glycolysis. We have identified 24 highly expressed ERK gene signatures that their combined expression strongly indicates a dysregulated metabolic gene network in human HCC tissues. INTERPRETATION: A severely compromised metabolism lead to ERK pathway induction, and primes some HCC cells to pro-survival phenotypes upon ERK pathway blockade. Our findings offer novel insights for understanding, predicting and overcoming drug resistance in liver cancer patients. FUND: DFG, BMBF and Sino-German Cooperation Project.

Authors: Z. C. Nwosu, W. Pioronska, N. Battello, A. D. Zimmer, B. Dewidar, M. Han, S. Pereira, B. Blagojevic, D. Castven, V. Charlestin, P. Holenya, J. Lochead, C. De La Torre, N. Gretz, P. Sajjakulnukit, L. Zhang, M. H. Ward, J. U. Marquardt, M. P. di Magliano, C. A. Lyssiotis, J. Sleeman, S. Wolfl, M. P. Ebert, C. Meyer, U. Hofmann, S. Dooley

Date Published: 25th Apr 2020

Publication Type: Not specified

Abstract (Expand)

How epithelial cells coordinate their polarity to form functional tissues is an open question in cell biology. Here, we characterize a unique type of polarity found in liver tissue, nematic cell polarity, which is different from vectorial cell polarity in simple, sheet-like epithelia. We propose a conceptual and algorithmic framework to characterize complex patterns of polarity proteins on the surface of a cell in terms of a multipole expansion. To rigorously quantify previously observed tissue-level patterns of nematic cell polarity (Morales-Navarette et al., eLife 8:e44860, 2019), we introduce the concept of co-orientational order parameters, which generalize the known biaxial order parameters of the theory of liquid crystals. Applying these concepts to three-dimensional reconstructions of single cells from high-resolution imaging data of mouse liver tissue, we show that the axes of nematic cell polarity of hepatocytes exhibit local coordination and are aligned with the biaxially anisotropic sinusoidal network for blood transport. Our study characterizes liver tissue as a biological example of a biaxial liquid crystal. The general methodology developed here could be applied to other tissues or in-vitro organoids.

Authors: Andre Scholich, Simon Syga, Hernan Morales-Navarrete, Fabian Segovia Miranda, Hidenori Nonaka, Kirstin Meyer, Walter de Back, Lutz Brusch, Yannis Kalaidzidis, Marino Zerial, Frank Julicher, Benjamin M. Friedrich

Date Published: 22nd Apr 2020

Publication Type: Not specified

Abstract (Expand)

BACKGROUND & AIMS: Zone-dependent differences in the expression of metabolic enzymes along the porto-central axis of the acinus are a long-known feature of liver metabolism. A prominent example is the preferential localization of the enzyme glutamine synthetase in pericentral hepatocytes, where it converts potentially toxic ammonia to the valuable amino acid glutamine. However, with the exception of a few key regulatory enzymes, a comprehensive and quantitative assessment of zonal differences in the abundance of metabolic enzymes and much more importantly, an estimation of the associated functional differences between portal and central hepatocytes is missing thus far. APPROACH & RESULTS: We addressed this problem by establishing a new method for the separation of periportal and pericentral hepatocytes that yields sufficiently pure fractions of both cell populations. Quantitative shotgun proteomics identified hundreds of differentially expressed enzymes in the two cell populations. We used zone-specific proteomics data for scaling of the maximal activities to generate portal and central instantiations of a comprehensive kinetic model of central hepatic metabolism (Hepatokin1). CONCLUSION: The model simulations revealed significant portal-to-central differences in almost all metabolic pathways involving carbohydrates, fatty acids, amino acids and detoxification.

Authors: N. Berndt, E. Kolbe, R. Gajowski, J. Eckstein, F. Ott, D. Meierhofer, H. G. Holzhutter, M. Matz-Soja

Date Published: 14th Apr 2020

Publication Type: Not specified

Abstract (Expand)

Protein modification with ISG15 (ISGylation) represents a major type I IFN-induced antimicrobial system. Common mechanisms of action and species-specific aspects of ISGylation, however, are still ill defined and controversial. We used a multiphasic coxsackievirus B3 (CV) infection model with a first wave resulting in hepatic injury of the liver, followed by a second wave culminating in cardiac damage. This study shows that ISGylation sets nonhematopoietic cells into a resistant state, being indispensable for CV control, which is accomplished by synergistic activity of ISG15 on antiviral IFIT1/3 proteins. Concurrent with altered energy demands, ISG15 also adapts liver metabolism during infection. Shotgun proteomics, in combination with metabolic network modeling, revealed that ISG15 increases the oxidative capacity and promotes gluconeogenesis in liver cells. Cells lacking the activity of the ISG15-specific protease USP18 exhibit increased resistance to clinically relevant CV strains, therefore suggesting that stabilizing ISGylation by inhibiting USP18 could be exploited for CV-associated human pathologies.

Authors: M. Kespohl, C. Bredow, K. Klingel, M. Voss, A. Paeschke, M. Zickler, W. Poller, Z. Kaya, J. Eckstein, H. Fechner, J. Spranger, M. Fahling, E. K. Wirth, L. Radoshevich, F. Thery, F. Impens, N. Berndt, K. P. Knobeloch, A. Beling

Date Published: 21st Mar 2020

Publication Type: Not specified

Abstract (Expand)

Maintenance of tissue extracellular matrix (ECM) and its biomechanical properties for tissue engineering is one of the substantial challenges in the field of decellularization and recellularization. Preservation of the organ-specific biomatrix is crucial for successful recellularization to support cell survival, proliferation, and functionality. However, understanding ECM properties with and without its inhabiting cells as well as the transition between the two states lacks appropriate test methods capable of quantifying bulk viscoelastic parameters in soft tissues. We used compact magnetic resonance elastography (MRE) with 400, 500, and 600 Hz driving frequency to investigate rat liver specimens for quantification of viscoelastic property changes resulting from decellularization. Tissue structures in native and decellularized livers were characterized by collagen and elastin quantification, histological analysis, and scanning electron microscopy. Decellularization did not affect the integrity of microanatomy and structural composition of liver ECM but was found to be associated with increases in the relative amounts of collagen by 83-fold (37.4 +/- 17.5 vs. 0.5 +/- 0.01 mug/mg, p = 0.0002) and elastin by approx. 3-fold (404.1 +/- 139.6 vs. 151.0 +/- 132.3 mug/mg, p = 0.0046). Decellularization reduced storage modulus by approx. 9-fold (from 4.9 +/- 0.8 kPa to 0.5 +/- 0.5 kPa, p < 0.0001) and loss modulus by approx. 7-fold (3.6 kPa to 0.5 kPa, p < 0.0001), indicating a marked loss of global tissue rigidity as well as a property shift from solid towards more fluid tissue behavior (p = 0.0097). Our results suggest that the rigidity of liver tissue is largely determined by cellular components, which are replaced by fluid-filled spaces when cells are removed. This leads to an overall increase in tissue fluidity and a viscous drag within the relatively sparse remaining ECM. Compact MRE is an excellent tool for quantifying the mechanical properties of decellularized biological tissue and a promising candidate for useful applications in tissue engineering.

Authors: H. Everwien, A. Ariza de Schellenberger, N. Haep, H. Tzschatzsch, J. Pratschke, I. M. Sauer, J. Braun, K. H. Hillebrandt, I. Sack

Date Published: 17th Mar 2020

Publication Type: Not specified

Abstract

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Authors: C. Lieven, M. E. Beber, B. G. Olivier, F. T. Bergmann, M. Ataman, P. Babaei, J. A. Bartell, L. M. Blank, S. Chauhan, K. Correia, C. Diener, A. Drager, B. E. Ebert, J. N. Edirisinghe, J. P. Faria, A. M. Feist, G. Fengos, R. M. T. Fleming, B. Garcia-Jimenez, V. Hatzimanikatis, W. van Helvoirt, C. S. Henry, H. Hermjakob, M. J. Herrgard, A. Kaafarani, H. U. Kim, Z. King, S. Klamt, E. Klipp, J. J. Koehorst, M. Konig, M. Lakshmanan, D. Y. Lee, S. Y. Lee, S. Lee, N. E. Lewis, F. Liu, H. Ma, D. Machado, R. Mahadevan, P. Maia, A. Mardinoglu, G. L. Medlock, J. M. Monk, J. Nielsen, L. K. Nielsen, J. Nogales, I. Nookaew, B. O. Palsson, J. A. Papin, K. R. Patil, M. Poolman, N. D. Price, O. Resendis-Antonio, A. Richelle, I. Rocha, B. J. Sanchez, P. J. Schaap, R. S. Malik Sheriff, S. Shoaie, N. Sonnenschein, B. Teusink, P. Vilaca, J. O. Vik, J. A. H. Wodke, J. C. Xavier, Q. Yuan, M. Zakhartsev, C. Zhang

Date Published: 4th Mar 2020

Publication Type: Journal

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