Bu Kyung-Bin, Kim Min, Shin Min Kyoung, Lee Seung-Ho, Sung Jung-Suk
Department of Life Science, Dongguk University-Seoul, Goyang 10326, Republic of Korea.
Int J Mol Sci. 2024 Jan 22;25(2):1324. doi: 10.3390/ijms25021324.
Metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) is caused by lipid accumulation within the liver. The pathogenesis underlying its development is poorly understood. Benzo[a]pyrene (B[a]P) is a polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon and a group 1 carcinogen. The aryl hydrocarbon receptor activation by B[a]P induces cytochrome P450 (CYP) enzymes, contributing to hepatic lipid accumulation. However, the molecular mechanism through which the B[a]P-mediated induction of CYP enzymes causes hepatic lipid accumulation is unknown. This research was conducted to elucidate the role of CYP1B1 in regulating B[a]P-induced lipid accumulation within hepatocytes. B[a]P increased hepatic lipid accumulation, which was mitigated by CYP1B1 knockdown. An increase in the mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) by B[a]P was specifically reduced by CYP1B1 knockdown. The reduction of mTOR increased the expression of autophagic flux-related genes and promoted phagolysosome formation. Both the expression and translocation of TFE3, a central regulator of lipophagy, were induced, along with the expression of lipophagy-related genes. Conversely, enhanced mTOR activity reduced TFE3 expression and translocation, which reduced the expression of lipophagy-related genes, diminished phagolysosome production, and increased lipid accumulation. Our results indicate that B[a]P-induced hepatic lipid accumulation is caused by CYP1B1-induced mTOR and the reduction of lipophagy, thereby introducing novel targets and mechanisms to provide insights for understanding B[a]P-induced MASLD.
代谢功能障碍相关脂肪性肝病(MASLD)是由肝脏内脂质蓄积引起的。其发病机制尚不清楚。苯并[a]芘(B[a]P)是一种多环芳烃,属于1类致癌物。B[a]P激活芳烃受体可诱导细胞色素P450(CYP)酶,导致肝脏脂质蓄积。然而,B[a]P介导的CYP酶诱导导致肝脏脂质蓄积的分子机制尚不清楚。本研究旨在阐明CYP1B1在调节B[a]P诱导的肝细胞脂质蓄积中的作用。B[a]P增加了肝脏脂质蓄积,而CYP1B1基因敲低可减轻这种蓄积。CYP1B1基因敲低特异性降低了B[a]P引起的雷帕霉素哺乳动物靶蛋白(mTOR)的增加。mTOR的降低增加了自噬通量相关基因的表达并促进了吞噬溶酶体的形成。脂质自噬的核心调节因子TFE3的表达和易位均被诱导,同时脂质自噬相关基因的表达也被诱导。相反,增强的mTOR活性降低了TFE3的表达和易位,从而降低了脂质自噬相关基因的表达,减少了吞噬溶酶体的产生,并增加了脂质蓄积。我们的结果表明,B[a]P诱导的肝脏脂质蓄积是由CYP1B1诱导的mTOR和脂质自噬的减少引起的,从而引入了新的靶点和机制,为理解B[a]P诱导的MASLD提供了见解。