TY - JOUR
T1 - Liver sinusoidal endothelial cell expressed vascular cell adhesion molecule 1 promotes liver fibrosis
AU - Guo, Qianqian
AU - Furuta, Kunimaro
AU - Islam, Shahidul
AU - Caporarello, Nunzia
AU - Kostallari, Enis
AU - Dielis, Kobe
AU - Tschumperlin, Daniel J.
AU - Hirsova, Petra
AU - Ibrahim, Samar H.
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
Copyright © 2022 Guo, Furuta, Islam, Caporarello, Kostallari, Dielis, Tschumperlin, Hirsova and Ibrahim.
PY - 2022/8/25
Y1 - 2022/8/25
N2 - Background: During liver injury, liver sinusoidal endothelial cells (LSECs) dysfunction and capillarization promote liver fibrosis. We have previously reported that the LSEC vascular cell adhesion molecule 1 (VCAM1) plays a key role in liver inflammation in nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) and we now aim to uncover its role in LSEC capillarization and liver fibrosis. Methods: Wild-type C57BL/6J mice were fed either chow or high fat, fructose and cholesterol diet to induce NASH and treated with either anti-VCAM1 neutralizing antibody or control isotype antibody. Inducible endothelial cell-specific Vcam1 deleted mice (Vcam1Δend) and control mice (Vcam1fl/fl) were fed choline-deficient high-fat diet (CD-HFD) to induce NASH or injected with carbon tetrachloride to induce liver fibrosis. LSECs isolated from Vcam1fl/fl or Vcam1Δend and hepatic stellate cells (HSCs) isolated from wild-type mice were cocultured in a 3-D system or a μ-Slide 2 well co-culture system. Results: Immunostaining for Lyve1 (marker of differentiated LSECs) was reduced in Vcam1fl/fl mice and restored in Vcam1Δend mice in both NASH and liver fibrosis models. Co-immunostaining showed increased α-smooth muscle actin in the livers of Vcam1fl/fl mice in areas lacking Lyve1. Furthermore, scanning electron microscopy showed reduced LSEC fenestrae in the Vcam1fl/fl mice but not Vcam1Δend mice in both injury models, suggesting that VCAM1 promotes LSEC capillarization during liver injury. HSCs profibrogenic markers were reduced when cocultured with LSECs from CD-HFD fed Vcam1Δend mice compared to Vcam1fl/fl mice. Furthermore, recombinant VCAM1 activated the Yes-associated protein 1 pathway and induced a fibrogenic phenotype in HSCs in vitro, supporting the profibrogenic role of LSEC VCAM1. Conclusion: VCAM1 is not just a scaffold for leukocyte adhesion during liver injury, but also a modulator of LSEC capillarization and liver fibrosis.
AB - Background: During liver injury, liver sinusoidal endothelial cells (LSECs) dysfunction and capillarization promote liver fibrosis. We have previously reported that the LSEC vascular cell adhesion molecule 1 (VCAM1) plays a key role in liver inflammation in nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) and we now aim to uncover its role in LSEC capillarization and liver fibrosis. Methods: Wild-type C57BL/6J mice were fed either chow or high fat, fructose and cholesterol diet to induce NASH and treated with either anti-VCAM1 neutralizing antibody or control isotype antibody. Inducible endothelial cell-specific Vcam1 deleted mice (Vcam1Δend) and control mice (Vcam1fl/fl) were fed choline-deficient high-fat diet (CD-HFD) to induce NASH or injected with carbon tetrachloride to induce liver fibrosis. LSECs isolated from Vcam1fl/fl or Vcam1Δend and hepatic stellate cells (HSCs) isolated from wild-type mice were cocultured in a 3-D system or a μ-Slide 2 well co-culture system. Results: Immunostaining for Lyve1 (marker of differentiated LSECs) was reduced in Vcam1fl/fl mice and restored in Vcam1Δend mice in both NASH and liver fibrosis models. Co-immunostaining showed increased α-smooth muscle actin in the livers of Vcam1fl/fl mice in areas lacking Lyve1. Furthermore, scanning electron microscopy showed reduced LSEC fenestrae in the Vcam1fl/fl mice but not Vcam1Δend mice in both injury models, suggesting that VCAM1 promotes LSEC capillarization during liver injury. HSCs profibrogenic markers were reduced when cocultured with LSECs from CD-HFD fed Vcam1Δend mice compared to Vcam1fl/fl mice. Furthermore, recombinant VCAM1 activated the Yes-associated protein 1 pathway and induced a fibrogenic phenotype in HSCs in vitro, supporting the profibrogenic role of LSEC VCAM1. Conclusion: VCAM1 is not just a scaffold for leukocyte adhesion during liver injury, but also a modulator of LSEC capillarization and liver fibrosis.
KW - fibrosis
KW - hepatic stellate cells (HSCs)
KW - inflammation
KW - liver sinusoidal endothelial cells (LSECs)
KW - nonalcoholic steatohepatitis - NASH
KW - vascular cell adhesion molecule 1 (VCAM1)
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U2 - 10.3389/fimmu.2022.983255
DO - 10.3389/fimmu.2022.983255
M3 - Article
C2 - 36091042
AN - SCOPUS:85137743345
SN - 1664-3224
VL - 13
JO - Frontiers in immunology
JF - Frontiers in immunology
M1 - 983255
ER -