Thymosin-β4 (Tβ4) blunts PDGF-dependent phosphorylation and binding of AKT to actin in hepatic stellate cells.

ABSTRACT: Hepatic stellate cell transdifferentiation is a key event in the fibrogenic cascade. Therefore, attempts to prevent and/or revert the myofibroblastic phenotype could result in novel therapeutic approaches to treat liver cirrhosis. The expression of platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF)-β receptor and the proliferative response to platelet-derived growth factor-ββ (PDGF-ββ) are hallmarks of the transdifferentiation of hepatic stellate cells (HSC). In this communication, we investigated whether thymosin-β4 (Tβ4), a chemokine expressed by HSC could prevent PDGF-BB-mediated proliferation and migration of cultured HSC. Using early passages of human HSC, we showed that Tβ4 inhibited cell proliferation and migration and prevented the expression of PDGF-β receptor (PDGF-βr), α-smooth muscle actin

SUBMITTER: Reyes-Gordillo K 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3081167 | biostudies-literature | 2011 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature