Department of Parasitology and Microbiology, School of Medicine, Nantong University, Nantong, Jiangsu Province, 226001, People's Republic of China.
Parasitology. 2011 Jul;138(8):1003-10. doi: 10.1017/S0031182011000667. Epub 2011 Jun 17.
n order to investigate the dynamics of Septin4 (Sept4) expression and its function in the formation of fibrotic livers in mice infected with Schistosoma japonicum, we constructed the mouse model of S. japonicum egg-induced liver fibrosis for 24 weeks. Immunohistochemical staining, qRT-PCR and Western blot were used to detect the expression of Sept4 and α-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA). We found Sept4 localized in the perisinusoidal space where hepatic stellate cells (HSCs) distribute in the periphery of circumoval granulomas and the portal venule. The expression of Sept4 and α-SMA had a similar significant tendency of an up-regulation to a peak at 12 weeks post-infection (p.i.) followed by a down-regulation. At 24 weeks p.i. both were at a low level. These results suggest that Sept4 and α-SMA may interact together in HSCs. Based on this evidence, we hypothesize that Sept4 seems to be involved in the formation of inflammatory granulomata and subsequent liver fibrosis by regulating HSCs activation.
为了研究Septin4（Sept4）在日本血吸虫感染小鼠纤维化肝脏形成中的表达动态及其功能，我们构建了 24 周日本血吸虫卵诱导的肝纤维化小鼠模型。免疫组织化学染色、qRT-PCR 和 Western blot 用于检测 Sept4 和α-平滑肌肌动蛋白（α-SMA）的表达。我们发现 Sept4 定位于窦周间隙，其中肝星状细胞（HSCs）分布在环卵肉芽肿的外围和门脉小静脉周围。Sept4 和α-SMA 的表达呈相似的上调趋势，在感染后 12 周达到峰值，随后下调。在感染后 24 周时，两者均处于低水平。这些结果表明 Sept4 和α-SMA 可能在 HSCs 中相互作用。基于这一证据，我们假设 Sept4 通过调节 HSCs 的激活似乎参与了炎症性肉芽肿的形成和随后的肝纤维化。
