1.Effect of macrophage lipolysis-stimulated lipoprotein receptor deficiency on a mouse model of metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis
Hang MENG ; Qianfeng JIA ; Shanshan DU ; Jiashu XU ; Yongfeng GONG ; Cai MA
Journal of Clinical Hepatology 2026;42(9):2093-2105
ObjectiveTo investigate whether macrophage lipolysis-stimulated lipoprotein receptor (LSR) deficiency affects the progression of metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis (MASH) by activating the Yes-associated protein (YAP) signaling pathway. MethodsMale wild-type (WT) mice and macrophage-specific Lsr knockout (LsrMφKO, KO) mice, with an age of 8 weeks and similar body weights, were selected and fed with a normal diet, a high-fat diet (HFD), or a high-fat high-cholesterol (HFHC) diet for 30 weeks. HE staining and oil red O staining were used to evaluate liver pathological changes; immunofluorescent staining was used to measure the expression levels of F4/80 and α-smooth muscle actin; RT-qPCR and Western blot were used to measure the levels of markers associated with lipid metabolism, inflammation, and fibrosis. Bone marrow transplantation rescue experiments (WT→KO vs KO→KO groups) were conducted to explore the functional role of LSR in macrophages. At the cellular level, hepatic macrophages were isolated from WT and KO mice to measure the expression levels of YAP signaling pathway-related proteins and their downstream target genes, and in addition, these cells were treated in vitro with verteporfin (VP), a specific inhibitor of YAP, to verify the regulatory effect of this pathway on the expression of inflammatory factors. The independent samples t-test was used for comparison of normally distributed measurement data between two groups, and the Mann-Whitney U test was used for comparison of non-normally distributed measurement data. ResultsUnder the condition of normal diet, there were no significant differences in hepatic indicators between WT and KO mice. KO mice fed an HFD or HFHC diet showed a significant increase in hepatic lipid droplet accumulation, accompanied by lipid metabolism disorder and significant increases in the levels of indicators associated with inflammation and fibrosis (P<0.05). Bone marrow transplantation experiments confirmed that compared with the KO→KO group, the WT→KO group had significant alleviation of liver injury (P<0.05). Mechanistic studies showed that there were significant reductions in the levels of phosphorylated large tumor suppressor kinase 1 (LATS1) and phosphorylated YAP and significant increases in the expression levels of total YAP protein and its downstream target genes in hepatic macrophages of KO mice (P<0.05). In vitro VP intervention significantly inhibited the expression levels of inflammatory factors in hepatic macrophages isolated from KO mice (P<0.05). ConclusionMacrophage LSR deficiency activates the YAP signaling pathway by inhibiting LATS1/2 kinase activity and promotes the expression of inflammatory factors, thereby accelerating the progression of liver injury in a mouse model of MASH.
2.The expressions of HSFl and XAF1 in endometrial carcinoma and their correlation analysis
Zhuo ZHOU ; Jia LI ; Qianfeng ZHANG ; Jianfang ZHANG ; Jian WANG ; Biliang CHEN
Journal of Xi'an Jiaotong University(Medical Sciences) 2015;(2):231-234
ABSTRACT:Objective To test the expressions of heat shock transcription factor 1 (HSF1 )and XIAP-associated factor 1 (XAF1 )in different endometrial tissues,and analyze the association between their expressions and the clinicopathological features of this malignancy.Methods The expressions of HSF1 and XAF1 in 64 cases of endometria1 carcinoma (EC group)and 33 cases of normal endometrial tissues (NE group)were detected with immunohistochemistry S-P method.The correlation was observed.Results The positive expression rate of HSF1 was much higher in EC group than in NE group (76.6% vs .36.4%,P <0.05).The positive rate of XAF1 was 31.2% in EC group and 72.7% in NE group (P <0.05).The positive expressions of HSF1 and different subgroups of histological grade,myometrial invasion and lymph node metastasis were significantly different (P <0.05)in EC group.The positive expressions of XAF1 and different subgroups of histological grade,myometrial invasion,clinical stage and lymph node metastasis were significantly different (P < 0.05 )in EC group.There was a negative correlation between HSF1 and XAF1 in EC group (P <0.05).Conclusion In EC group,the high expression of HSF1 may inhibit the growth of XAF1 expression,cause excessive growth of cancer cells,reduce the apoptosis of cancer cells,and finally lead to the further development of tumors.

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