Department of Biochemistry, School of Medicine, Dokkyo Medical University.
Institute of Gene Research, Yamaguchi University Science Research Center.
Cell Struct Funct. 2024 Oct 26;49(2):83-99. doi: 10.1247/csf.24046. Epub 2024 Sep 26.
The liver is a complex organ with a highly organized structure in which tight junctions (TJs) play an important role in maintaining their function by regulating barrier properties and cellular polarity. Dysfunction of TJs is associated with liver diseases, including progressive familial intrahepatic cholestasis (PFIC). In this study, we investigated the molecular alterations in a liver-specific ZO-1 and ZO-2 double-knockout (DKO) mouse model, which exhibits features resembling those of PFIC4 patients with mutations in the ZO-2 gene. RNA-seq analysis revealed the upregulation of genes involved in the oxidative stress response, xenobiotic metabolism, and cholesterol metabolism in DKO livers. Conversely, the expression of genes regulated by HNF4α was lower in DKO livers than in the wild-type controls. Furthermore, age-associated analysis elucidated the timing and progression of these pathway changes as well as alterations in molecules related to TJs and apical polarity. Our research uncovered previously unknown implications of ZO-1 and ZO-2 in liver physiology and provides new insights into the molecular pathogenesis of PFIC4 and other tight junction-related liver diseases. These findings contribute to a better understanding of the complex mechanisms underlying liver function and dysfunction and may lead to the development of novel therapeutic strategies for liver diseases associated with tight junction impairment.Key words: tight junctions, ZO-1/ZO-2 knockout mouse, liver, transcriptome analysis, molecular pathological progression.
肝脏是一个具有高度组织化结构的复杂器官,其中紧密连接(TJs)通过调节屏障特性和细胞极性在维持其功能方面发挥着重要作用。TJs 的功能障碍与肝脏疾病有关,包括进行性家族性肝内胆汁淤积症(PFIC)。在这项研究中,我们研究了肝脏特异性 ZO-1 和 ZO-2 双敲除(DKO)小鼠模型中的分子改变,该模型表现出与 ZO-2 基因突变的 PFIC4 患者相似的特征。RNA-seq 分析显示,DKO 肝脏中与氧化应激反应、外源性代谢和胆固醇代谢相关的基因上调。相反,DKO 肝脏中受 HNF4α 调节的基因表达低于野生型对照。此外,年龄相关分析阐明了这些途径变化以及与 TJs 和顶端极性相关的分子变化的时间和进展。我们的研究揭示了 ZO-1 和 ZO-2 在肝脏生理学中的先前未知意义,并为 PFIC4 和其他与紧密连接相关的肝脏疾病的分子发病机制提供了新的见解。这些发现有助于更好地理解肝脏功能和功能障碍的复杂机制,并可能为与紧密连接损伤相关的肝脏疾病开发新的治疗策略。
关键词:紧密连接;ZO-1/ZO-2 敲除小鼠;肝脏;转录组分析;分子病理进展。
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