Project description:Abstinence is beneficial for patients with alcohol-associated liver disease (ALD), but disease resolution after alcohol cessation occurs slowly and only in a subset of patients. Mechanisms of fibrosis resolution in ALD are not yet fully understood. Previous work highlights the importance of liver niche remodeling around areas of fibrosis that involves protein and metabolite mediated cell-cell crosstalk between hepatocytes and non-parenchymal cells. We aimed to study the mechanisms of ALD resolution using spatial transcriptomics. We found that retinoic acid metabolism strongly associated with improved fibrosis resolution in a mouse model of ALD. In agreement with this finding, mice treated with RAR agonist AM580 after alcohol cessation showed improved fibrosis resolution. Spatial transcriptomics analysis of agonist treated mice and controls suggested that RAR activation dramatically altered liver niches thus promoting pro-resolving changes in liver cells.
Project description:Nicotinamide mononucleotide adenylyltransferase 1 (NMNAT1), an NAD+ synthetase in Preiss-Handler and salvage pathways, governs nuclear NAD+ homeostasis. This study investigated the role of NMNAT1 on alcohol-associated liver disease (ALD). Decreased NMNAT1 expression and activity were observed in the liver of alcohol-associated hepatitis patients and either liver or primary hepatocytes from ALD mice. F-box and WD repeat domain containing 7 (FBXW7)-regulated interferon regulatory factor 1 (IRF1) ubiquitination degradation contributed to alcohol-inhibited NMNAT1 transcriptional level. Hepatic NMNAT1 knockout aggravated alcohol-induced hepatic NAD+ decline and further hepatic steatosis and liver injury. Metabolomics and transcriptomics interaction revealed that cysteine sulfinic acid decarboxylase (CSAD)-regulated taurine pathway was involved in NMNAT1-disrupted hepatic lipid metabolism in ALD. Hepatic CSAD overexpression or taurine supply attenuated hepatic NMNAT1 knockout-aggravated ALD, respectively. Hepatic NMNAT1 loss inhibited NMN-protected ALD. Replenishing hepatic NMNAT1 reversed liver lipid accumulation in ALD mice. These findings identified NMNAT1 as a promising therapeutic target for ALD.
Project description:Recently, alcohol consumption in metabolic associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) patients is increasing its incidence. However the pathophysiological mechanisms triggering liver damage in this condition remain unclear. In the present study we aimed to elucidate liver phenotype and gut-liver crosstalk in the context of SLD induced by simultaneous and deleterious association of alcohol and metabolic risk factors.
Project description:Mitochondrial MATα1 is selectively depleted in alcohol-associated liver disease through a mechanism that involves the isomerase PIN1 and the kinase CK2. Alcohol activates CK2, which phosphorylates MATα1 at Ser114 facilitating interaction with PIN1, thereby inhibiting its mitochondrial localization. Blocking PIN1-MATα1 interaction increased mitochondrial MATα1 levels and protected against alcohol-induced mitochondrial dysfunction.
Project description:Alcohol-associated liver disease (ALD) is a major cause of alcohol related mortality. The specific mechanisms responsible for ALD development and progression are not fully understood, and there is limited therapy for any stage of ALD. Sex differences are often disregarded in in genetic and mechanistic studies. We aimed to take an unbiased approach to define sex specific pathways in livers exposed to alcohol. METHODS: Mice were fed LieberDeCarli alcohol liquid diet for 3 weeks. To identify the role of Kdm5b and Kdm5c we injected mice with AAV-shControl at 2x10^11 gc per mouse or AAV-shKdm5b and AAV-Kdm5c vectors at 10^11 gc per mouse. To assess the role of AhR we injected mice with AAV-shControl or AAV-shAhR vectors at 10^11 gc per mouse. RESULTS: We found several pathways affected by alcohol in sex specific way and identified KDM5 demethylases as contributors to that specificity.
Project description:Abstinence is an important therapeutic intervention for patients with alcohol-associated liver disease (ALD). However, fibrosis improvement after cessation is not uniform and some patients do not improve. We aimed to use scATAC-seq analysis in a mouse model of ALD to define the mechanism of poor ALD resolution. We analyzed differentially accessible regions in livers from control, ALD, or 4 weeks post alcohol cessation mice and identified transcription factors activated in ALD that remained activated after alcohol withdrawal. The top hit was C/EBPβ. We found that hepatocyte specific Cebpb knockout prevented ALD development, while knockout at the time of alcohol cessation promoted fibrosis resolution.
Project description:To investigate the the liver transcriptome at peak injury and during early and late resolution from alcohol-induced liver injury in mice