Autophagy releases lipid that promotes fibrogenesis by activated hepatic stellate cells in mice and in human tissues.

ABSTRACT:

Background & aims

The pathogenesis of liver fibrosis involves activation of hepatic stellate cells, which is associated with depletion of intracellular lipid droplets. When hepatocytes undergo autophagy, intracellular lipids are degraded in lysosomes. We investigated whether autophagy also promotes loss of lipids in hepatic stellate cells to provide energy for their activation and extended these findings to other fibrogenic cells.

Methods

We analyzed hepatic stellate cells from C57BL/6 wild-type, Atg7(F/F), and Atg7(F/F)-GFAP-Cre mice, as well as the mouse stellate cell line JS1. Fibrosis was induced in mice using CCl(4) or thioacetamide (TAA); liver tissues and stellate cells were analyzed. Autophagy was blocked in fibrogenic cells from liver and other tissues using small i

SUBMITTER: Hernandez-Gea V 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3439519 | biostudies-literature | 2012 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature