Fibrotic liver microenvironment promotes Dll4 and SDF-1-dependent T-cell lineage development.

ABSTRACT: The reconstitution of the T-cell repertoire and quantity is a major challenge in the clinical management of HIV infection/AIDS, cancer, and aging-associated diseases. We previously showed that autologous bone marrow transfusion (BMT) via the hepatic portal vein could effectively restore CD4⁺ T-cell count in AIDS patients also suffering from decompensated liver cirrhosis. In the current study, we characterized T-cell reconstitution in a mouse model of liver fibrosis induced by CCl₄ and found that T-cell reconstitution after BMT via hepatic portal vein was also greatly enhanced. The expression of Dll4 (Delta-like 4), which plays an important role in T-cell progenitor expansion, was elevated in hepatocytes of fibrotic livers when compared to normal livers. This upregulat

SUBMITTER: Gong Z 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6549170 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature