Regulatory effects of G3BP2 on activation， proliferation， and migratory capacity in hepatic stellate cells
10.19405/j.cnki.issn1000–1492.2026.03.016
- VernacularTitle:G3BP2对肝星状细胞活化、增殖与迁移能力的影响
- Author:
Qiqi DONG
1
;
Wenjie SUN
1
;
Minghui LI
1
;
Jingjing YANG
2
;
Renpeng ZHOU
1
;
Wei HU
1
;
Chao LU
1
Author Information
1. School of Pharmaceutical Sciences， Anhui Medical University， Hefei 230032
2. Department of Clinical Pharmacology， The Second Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University， Hefei 230601
- Publication Type:Journal Article
- Keywords:
G3BP2;
HSCs;
stress granules;
proliferation;
migration;
hepatic fibrosis
- From:
Acta Universitatis Medicinalis Anhui
2026;61(3):501-508
- CountryChina
- Language:Chinese
-
Abstract:
ObjectiveTo investigate the role of Ras-GTPase-activating protein SH3 domain-binding protein 2 （G3BP2） in regulating the activation， proliferation， and migration of hepatic stellate cells （HSCs）. MethodsThe mouse HSCs （JS-1 cell line） were treated with 5 μg/L transforming growth factor-beta 1（TGF-β1） for 24 hours to establish an HSC activation and proliferation model. A G3BP2 knockdown system was constructed using siRNA interference technology. The experiment was divided into four groups： Control， TGF-β1 treatment， TGF-β1+si-NC， and TGF-β1+ G3BP2-siRNA. The expression levels of key fibrosis indicators， including type I collagen （Collagen I）， α-smooth muscle actin （α-SMA）， and G3BP2， were detected by Western blot and RT-qPCR. Cell proliferation activity was assessed using the CCK-8 proliferation assay kit and EdU fluorescence labeling technology. Cell migration ability was analyzed by scratch wound healing assay and Transwell migration assay. The formation level of stress granules was quantified by immunofluorescence microscopy to investigate the effects of G3BP2 on stress granule formation in activated HSCs. ResultsStimulation with TGF-β1 upregulated the expression of G3BP2 in JS-1 cells （RT-qPCR： P0.000 1； Western blot： P0.000 1）， while a downward trend in its expression was observed in the G3BP2‑silenced group （RT-qPCR： P0.01； Western blot： P0.000 1）. Compared with the control group， the TGF-β1 group exhibited increased protein expression levels of α-SMA and Collagen I （RT-qPCR： both P0.01； Western blot： P0.01 and P0.05， respectively）， concomitant with an increased number of stress granules and enhanced cell proliferation and migration capacity （all P0.001）. The experimental results demonstrated that G3BP2 knockout effectively reversed the aforementioned phenotypes， with the G3BP2-silenced group showing reduced expression of fibrotic markers （all P0.01）， decreased stress granule formation （P0.01）， and reduced cell proliferation and migration capacity （all P0.05）， compared to the negative control group. ConclusionG3BP2 enhances the activation， proliferation， and migration of HSCs by promoting the formation of stress granules， thereby accelerating the pathological progression of liver fibrosis. This suggests that stress granules may serve as important regulators in controlling the activation， proliferation， and migration of HSCs.
