P0973 : Quercetin ameliorates MCD-induced non-alcoholic fatty liver disease in mice by modulating inflammatory, oxidative/nitrosative stress and lipid metabolism-related gene deregulation via the PI3K/AKT pathway

Quercetin ameliorates dysregulation of lipid metabolism genes via the PI3K/AKT pathway in a diet-induced mouse model of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease

Scope Flavonoids and related compounds seem to have favorable effects on nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) progression, although the exact mechanisms implicated are poorly understood. In this study, we aimed to investigate the effect of the flanovol quercetin on gene expression deregulation involved in the development of NAFLD, as well as the possible implication of phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K)/AKT pathway modulation. Methods and results We used an in vivo model based on methionine- and choline-deficient (MCD) diet-fed mice and an in vitro model consisting of Huh7 cells incubated with MCD medium. MCD-fed mice showed classical pathophysiological characteristics of nonalcoholic…

Development of primary human NSCLC patient derived xenograft and organoids models as a precision approach to tumor treatment

Mechanisms of the Development of Allergy (MeDALL) : Introducing novel concepts in allergy phenotypes

Asthma, rhinitis, and eczema are complex diseases with multiple genetic and environmental factors interlinked through IgE-associated and non–IgE-associated mechanisms. Mechanisms of the Development of ALLergy (MeDALL; EU FP7-CP-IP; project no: 261357; 2010-2015) studied the complex links of allergic diseases at the clinical and mechanistic levels by linking epidemiologic, clinical, and mechanistic research, including in vivo and in vitro models. MeDALL integrated 14 European birth cohorts, including 44,010 participants and 160 cohort follow-ups between pregnancy and age 20 years. Thirteen thousand children were prospectively followed after puberty by using a newly standardized MeDALL Core Q…

Hepatocyte vitamin D receptor regulates lipid metabolism and mediates experimental diet-induced steatosis.

Background & Aims The pathogenesis and progression of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is still incompletely understood. Several nuclear receptors play a role in liver lipid metabolism and can promote hepatosteatosis, but the possible role of vitamin D receptor (VDR) in NAFLD has not been investigated. Methods The expression of liver VDR was investigated in apolipoprotein E knockout ( apoE −/− ) mice on a high fat diet, in wild-type mice on methionine and choline deficient diet and in NAFLD patients with hepatosteatosis and non-alcoholic steatohepatitis. The relevance of VDR was assessed in apoE −/− mice by deletion of VDR or paricalcitol treatment and in human HepG2 cells by VDR t…

The human liver fatty acid binding protein (FABP1) gene is activated by FOXA1 and PPARα; and repressed by C/EBPα: Implications in FABP1 down-regulation in nonalcoholic fatty liver disease

Liver fatty acid binding protein (FABP1) prevents lipotoxicity of free fatty acids and regulates fatty acid trafficking and partition. Our objective is to investigate the transcription factors controlling the human FABP1 gene and their regulation in nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). Adenovirus-mediated expression of multiple transcription factors in HepG2 cells and cultured human hepatocytes demonstrated that FOXA1 and PPARα are among the most effective activators of human FABP1, whereas C/EBPα is a major dominant repressor. Moreover, FOXA1 and PPARα induced re-distribution of FABP1 protein and increased cytoplasmic expression. Reporter assays demonstrated that the major basal activ…

CCAAT/Enhancer-binding Protein α (C/EBPα) and Hepatocyte Nuclear Factor 4α (HNF4α) Synergistically Cooperate with Constitutive Androstane Receptor to Transactivate the Human Cytochrome P450 2B6 (CYP2B6) Gene

The transcription of tissue-specific and inducible genes is usually subject to the dynamic control of multiple activators. Dedifferentiated hepatic cell lines lose the expression of tissue-specific activators and many characteristic hepatic genes, such as drug-metabolizing cytochrome P450. Here we demonstrate that by combining adenoviral vectors for CCAAT/enhancer-binding protein α (C/EBPα), hepatocyte nuclear factor 4α (HNF4α), and constitutive androstane receptor, the CYP2B6 expression and inducibility by CITCO are restored in human hepatoma HepG2 cells at levels similar to those in cultured human hepatocytes. Moreover, several other phase I and II genes are simultaneously activated, whic…

165P Baseline circulating myeloid-derived suppressor cells correlate with neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio and overall survival in advanced non-small cell lung cancer patients treated with immune checkpoint inhibitors

Foxa1 reduces lipid accumulation in human hepatocytes and is down-regulated in nonalcoholic fatty liver.

Triglyceride accumulation in nonalcoholic fatty liver (NAFL) results from unbalanced lipid metabolism which, in the liver, is controlled by several transcription factors. The Foxa subfamily of winged helix/forkhead box (Fox) transcription factors comprises three members which play important roles in controlling both metabolism and homeostasis through the regulation of multiple target genes in the liver, pancreas and adipose tissue. In the mouse liver, Foxa2 is repressed by insulin and mediates fasting responses. Unlike Foxa2 however, the role of Foxa1 in the liver has not yet been investigated in detail. In this study, we evaluate the role of Foxa1 in two human liver cell models, primary cu…

Transfection of Primary Hepatocytes with Liver-Enriched Transcription Factors Using Adenoviral Vectors

Primary cultured hepatocytes are probably the best model to study endogenous metabolic pathways, toxicity, or drug metabolism. Many of these studies require expression of ectopic genes. It would be desirable to use a method of transfection that allows dose-response studies, high efficiency of transfection, and the possibility to express several genes at the same time. Adenoviral vectors fulfill these requirements, becoming a valuable tool for primary hepatocyte transfection. Moreover, they are easy to generate and do not require a high level of biocontainment. In the present chapter, we describe the generation, cloning, amplification, and purification of an adenoviral vector capable of infe…

Modulation of protein synthesis and degradation maintains proteostasis during yeast growth at different temperatures

To understand how cells regulate each step in the flow of gene expression is one of the most fundamental goals in molecular biology. In this work, we have investigated several protein turnover-related steps in the context of gene expression regulation in response to changes in external temperature in model yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. We have found that the regulation of protein homeostasis is stricter than mRNA homeostasis. Although global translation and protein degradation rates are found to increase with temperature, the increase of the catalytic activity of ribosomes is higher than the global translation rate suggesting that yeast cells adapt the amount of translational machinery to…

Endothelin-1-Mediated Drug Resistance in EGFR-Mutant Non-Small Cell Lung Carcinoma.

Abstract Progression on therapy in non-small cell lung carcinoma (NSCLC) is often evaluated radiographically, however, image-based evaluation of said therapies may not distinguish disease progression due to intrinsic tumor drug resistance or inefficient tumor penetration of the drugs. Here we report that the inhibition of mutated EGFR promotes the secretion of a potent vasoconstrictor, endothelin-1 (EDN1), which continues to increase as the cells become resistant with a mesenchymal phenotype. As EDN1 and its receptor (EDNR) is linked to cancer progression, EDNR-antagonists have been evaluated in several clinical trials with disappointing results. These trials were based on a hypothesis that…

Severe Chronic Allergic (and Related) Diseases: A Uniform Approach – A MeDALL – GA<sup>2</sup>LEN – ARIA Position Paper

Concepts of disease severity, activity, control and responsiveness to treatment are linked but different. Severity refers to the loss of function of the organs induced by the disease process or to the occurrence of severe acute exacerbations. Severity may vary over time and needs regular follow-up. Control is the degree to which therapy goals are currently met. These concepts have evolved over time for asthma in guidelines, task forces or consensus meetings. The aim of this paper is to generalize the approach of the uniform definition of severe asthma presented to WHO for chronic allergic and associated diseases (rhinitis, chronic rhinosinusitis, chronic urticaria and atopic dermatitis) in …

Repression of the nuclear receptor small heterodimer partner by steatotic drugs and in advanced nonalcoholic fatty liver disease.

The small heterodimer partner (SHP) (NR0B2) is an atypical nuclear receptor that lacks a DNA-binding domain. It interacts with and inhibits many transcription factors, affecting key metabolic processes, including bile acid, cholesterol, fatty acid, and drug metabolism. Our aim was to determine the influence of steatotic drugs and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) on SHP expression and investigate the potential mechanisms. SHP was found to be repressed by steatotic drugs (valproate, doxycycline, tetracycline, and cyclosporin A) in cultured hepatic cells and the livers of different animal models of NAFLD: iatrogenic (tetracycline-treated rats), genetic (glycine N-methyltransferase-defi…

Stability of PEI–DNA and DOTAP–DNA complexes: effect of alkaline pH, heparin and serum

Abstract DNA complexes formed with nonviral vectors such as polyethylenimine (PEI) or 1,2-dioleoyl-3-trimethylammonium-propane (DOTAP) are widely used in gene therapy. These complexes prevent the interaction of DNA with the fluorescent probes usually employed to quantify DNA. We thus studied the procedures for DNA quantification from DNA complexes as well as their stability in the presence of DNase or mouse, rat and human sera. Release of the DNA from its complexes was accomplished by increasing the pH of the medium (from 7.3 to 13.4) or by adding heparin. The stability against degradation was tested in vitro, by incubating the complexes at 37°C in the presence of DNase I and sera from the …

Hydrodynamic liver gene transfer mechanism involves transient sinusoidal blood stasis and massive hepatocyte endocytic vesicles

The present study contributes to clarify the mechanism underlying the high efficacy of hepatocyte gene transfer mediated by hydrodynamic injection. Gene transfer experiments were performed employing the hAAT gene, and the efficacy and differential identification in mouse plasma of human transgene versus mouse gene was assessed by ELISA and proteomic procedures, respectively. By applying different experimental strategies such as cumulative dose-response efficacy, hemodynamic changes reflected by venous pressures, intravital microscopy, and morphological changes established by transmission electron microscopy, we found that: (a) cumulative multiple doses of transgene by hydrodynamic injection…

Understanding the complexity of IgE-related phenotypes from childhood to young adulthood: A Mechanisms of the Development of Allergy (MeDALL) seminar.

Mechanisms of the Development of Allergy (MeDALL), a Seventh Framework Program European Union project, aims to generate novel knowledge on the mechanisms of initiation of allergy. Precise phenotypes of IgE-mediated allergic diseases will be defined in MeDALL. As part of MeDALL, a scientific seminar was held on January 24, 2011, to review current knowledge on the IgE-related phenotypes and to explore how a multidisciplinary effort could result in a new integrative translational approach. This article provides a summary of the meeting. It develops challenges in IgE-related phenotypes and new clinical and epidemiologic approaches to the investigation of allergic phenotypes, including cluster a…

Inhibition of VEGF expression through blockade of Hif1a and STAT3 signalling mediates the anti-angiogenic effect of melatonin in HepG2 liver cancer cells.

Background: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) growth relies on angiogenesis via vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) release. Hypoxia within tumour environment leads to intracellular stabilisation of hypoxia inducible factor 1 alpha (Hif1α) and signal transducer and activator of transcription (STAT3). Melatonin induces apoptosis in HCC, and shows anti-angiogenic features in several tumours. In this study, we used human HepG2 liver cancer cells as an in vitro model to investigate the anti-angiogenic effects of melatonin. Methods: HepG2 cells were treated with melatonin under normoxic or CoCl2-induced hypoxia. Gene expression was analysed by RT–qPCR and western blot. Melatonin-induced anti-…

Nut1/Hos1 and Sas2/Rpd3 control the H3 acetylation of two different sets of osmotic stress-induced genes

Epigenetic information is able to interact with the cellular environment and could be especially useful for reprograming gene expression in response to a physiological perturbation. In fact the genes induced or repressed by osmotic stress undergo significant changes in terms of the levels of various histone modifications, especially in the acetylation levels of histone H3. Exposing yeast to high osmolarity results in the activation of stress-activated protein kinase Hog1, which plays a central role in gene expression control. We evaluated the connection between the presence of Hog1 and changes in histone H3 acetylation in stress-regulated genes. We found a parallel increase in the acetylati…

Paving the way of systems biology and precision medicine in allergic diseases: the Me DALL success story

MeDALL (Mechanisms of the Development of ALLergy; EU FP7-CP-IP; Project No: 261357; 2010-2015) has proposed an innovative approach to develop early indicators for the prediction, diagnosis, prevention and targets for therapy. MeDALL has linked epidemiological, clinical and basic research using a stepwise, large-scale and integrative approach: MeDALL data of precisely phenotyped children followed in 14 birth cohorts spread across Europe were combined with systems biology (omics, IgE measurement using microarrays) and environmental data. Multimorbidity in the same child is more common than expected by chance alone, suggesting that these diseases share causal mechanisms irrespective of IgE sen…

Asialofetuin Liposomes for Receptor-Mediated Gene Transfer into Hepatic Cells

Publisher Summary The liver is an excellent organ for gene transfer in treating a wide variety of diseases that affect liver function. It is an ideal organ for a high amount of expression of therapeutic genes and efficient systemic distribution of the resulting therapeutic proteins secreted into the bloodstream. For strategies of liver-destined gene therapy, the liver sinusoid endothelium contains pores with a mean diameter of 100 nm, which allow small vectors to leave the blood circulation and reach the hepatocytes. The preparation of asialofetuin–liposomes targeted to hepatocytes can be made by covalent coupling of asialofetuin glycoprotein (ASF) onto the liposome surface, by the use of h…

Nut1/Hos1 and Sas2/Rpd3 control the H3 acetylation of two different sets of osmotic stress-induced genes

Epigenetic information is able to interact with the cellular environment and could be especially useful for reprograming gene expression in response to a physiological perturbation. In fact the genes induced or repressed by osmotic stress undergo significant changes in terms of the levels of various histone modifications, especially in the acetylation levels of histone H3. Exposing yeast to high osmolarity results in the activation of stress-activated protein kinase Hog1, which plays a central role in gene expression control. We evaluated the connection between the presence of Hog1 and changes in histone H3 acetylation in stress-regulated genes. We found a parallel increase in the acetylati…