Suppression of innate immunity (natural killer cell/interferon‐γ) in the advanced stages of liver fibrosis in mice

Won‐Il Jeong, Ogyi Park, Yang‐Gun Suh, Jin‐Seok Byun, So‐Young Park, Earl Choi, Ja‐Kyung Kim, Hyojin Ko, Hua Wang, Andrew M. Miller, Bin Gao – 12 January 2011 – Activation of innate immunity (natural killer [NK] cell/interferon‐γ [IFN‐γ]) has been shown to play an important role in antiviral and antitumor defenses as well as antifibrogenesis. However, little is known about the regulation of innate immunity during chronic liver injury.

Hedgehog activity, epithelial‐mesenchymal transitions, and biliary dysmorphogenesis in biliary atresia

Alessia Omenetti, Lee M. Bass, Robert A. Anders, Maria G. Clemente, Heather Francis, Cynthia D. Guy, Shannon McCall, Steve S. Choi, Gianfranco Alpini, Kathleen B. Schwarz, Anna Mae Diehl, Peter F. Whitington – 12 January 2011 – Biliary atresia (BA) is notable for marked ductular reaction and rapid development of fibrosis. Activation of the Hedgehog (Hh) pathway promotes the expansion of populations of immature epithelial cells that coexpress mesenchymal markers and may be profibrogenic.

Nuclear receptors in liver disease

Martin Wagner, Gernot Zollner, Michael Trauner – 12 January 2011 – Nuclear receptors are ligand‐activated transcriptional regulators of several key aspects of hepatic physiology and pathophysiology. As such, nuclear receptors control a large variety of metabolic processes including hepatic lipid metabolism, drug disposition, bile acid homeostasis, as well as liver regeneration, inflammation, fibrosis, cell differentiation, and tumor formation. Derangements of nuclear receptor regulation and genetic variants may contribute to the pathogenesis and progression of liver diseases.

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