Long noncoding RNA in liver diseases

Kenji Takahashi, Irene Yan, Hiroaki Haga, Tushar Patel – 3 February 2014 – The identification of the presence of large RNA transcripts that do not code for proteins but that may have biological functions has provided an important new perspective in gene regulation. These long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) are being increasingly recognized to contribute to many biological processes through diverse mechanisms. The roles of these emerging genes are being recognized across kingdoms.

Gene expression signature for biliary atresia and a role for interleukin‐8 in pathogenesis of experimental disease

Kazuhiko Bessho, Reena Mourya, Pranavkumar Shivakumar, Stephanie Walters, John C. Magee, Marepalli Rao, Anil G. Jegga, Jorge A. Bezerra – 3 February 2014 – Biliary atresia (BA) is a progressive fibroinflammatory obstruction of extrahepatic bile ducts that presents as neonatal cholestasis. Due to the overlap in clinical, biochemical, and histological features with other causes of cholestasis, the diagnosis requires an intraoperative cholangiogram. Thus, we determined whether diseased livers express a gene expression signature unique to BA.

Plasmacytoid dendritic cell‐derived IFN‐α promotes murine liver ischemia/reperfusion injury by induction of hepatocyte IRF‐1

Antonino Castellaneta, Osamu Yoshida, Shoko Kimura, Shinichiro Yokota, David A. Geller, Noriko Murase, Angus W. Thomson – 3 February 2014 – Plasmacytoid dendritic cells (pDC) constitute the body's principal source of type I interferon (IFN) and are comparatively abundant in the liver. Among various cytokines implicated in liver ischemia and reperfusion (I/R) injury, type I IFNs have been described recently as playing an essential role in its pathogenesis.

Mesodermal mesenchymal cells give rise to myofibroblasts, but not epithelial cells, in mouse liver injury

Ingrid Lua, David James, Jiaohong Wang, Kasper S. Wang, Kinji Asahina – 1 February 2014 – Hepatic stellate cells (HSCs) and portal fibroblasts (PFs) are believed to be the major source of myofibroblasts that participate in fibrogenesis by way of synthesis of proinflammatory cytokines and extracellular matrices. Previous lineage tracing studies using MesP1Cre and Rosa26lacZflox mice demonstrated that MesP1+ mesoderm gives rise to mesothelial cells (MCs), which differentiate into HSCs and PFs during liver development.

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