| 1. |
- Caddeo, Andrea, et al.
(författare)
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Molecular analysis of three known and one novel LPL variants in patients with type I hyperlipoproteinemia.
- 2018
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Ingår i: Nutrition, metabolism, and cardiovascular diseases : NMCD. - : Elsevier BV. - 1590-3729 .- 0939-4753. ; 28, s. 158-164
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Type I hyperlipoproteinemia, also known as familial chylomicronemia syndrome (FCS), is a rare autosomal recessive disorder caused by variants in LPL, APOC2, APOA5, LMF1 or GPIHBP1 genes. The aim of this study was to identify novel variants in the LPL gene causing lipoprotein lipase deficiency and to understand the molecular mechanisms.A total of 3 individuals with severe hypertriglyceridemia and recurrent pancreatitis were selected from the Lipid Clinic at Sahlgrenska University Hospital and LPL was sequenced. Invitro experiments were performed in human embryonic kidney 293T/17 (HEK293T/17) cells transiently transfected with wild type or mutant LPL plasmids. Cell lysates and media were used to analyze LPL synthesis and secretion. Media were used to measure LPL activity. Patient 1 was compound heterozygous for three known variants: c.337T>C (W113R), c.644G>A (G215E) and c.1211T>G (M404R); patient 2 was heterozygous for the known variant c.658A>C (S220R) while patient 3 was homozygous for a novel variant in the exon 5 c.679G>T (V227F). All the LPL variants identified were loss-of-function variants and resulted in a substantial reduction in the secretion of LPL protein.We characterized at the molecular level three known and one novel LPL variants causing type I hyperlipoproteinemia showing that all these variants are pathogenic.
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| 2. |
- Dutta, Tanmoy, 1998, et al.
(författare)
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Mitochondrial amidoxime-reducing component 1 p.Ala165Thr increases protein degradation mediated by the proteasome.
- 2024
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Ingår i: Liver international. - 1478-3223. ; 44:5, s. 1219-1232
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) is a global health concern with no effective and specific drug treatment available. The rs2642438 minor allele in mitochondrial amidoxime-reducing component 1 (MARC1) results in an aminoacidic substitution (p.Ala165Thr) and associates with protection against MASLD. However, the mechanisms behind this protective effect are unknown. In this study, we examined the consequences of this aminoacidic substitution on protein stability and subcellular localization.We overexpressed the human MARC1 A165 (wild-type) or 165T (mutant) invivo in mice and invitro in human hepatoma cells (HepG2 and HuH-7), generated several mutants at position 165 by insitu mutagenesis and then examined protein levels. We also generated HepG2 cells stably overexpressing MARC1 A165 or 165T to test the effect of this substitution on MARC1 subcellular localization.MARC1 165T overexpression resulted in lower protein levels than A165 both invivo and invitro. Similarly, any mutant at position 165 showed lower protein levels compared to the wild-type protein. We showed that the 165T mutant protein is polyubiquitinated and its degradation is accelerated through lysine-48 ubiquitin-mediated proteasomal degradation. We also showed that the 165T substitution does not affect the MARC1 subcellular localization.This study shows that alanine at position 165 in MARC1 is crucial for protein stability, and the threonine substitution at this position leads to a hypomorphic protein variant due to lower protein levels. Our result supports the notion that lowering hepatic MARC1 protein level may be a successful therapeutic strategy for treating MASLD.
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| 3. |
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| 4. |
- Lindén, Daniel, 1971, et al.
(författare)
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Pnpla3 silencing with antisense oligonucleotides ameliorates nonalcoholic steatohepatitis and fibrosis in Pnpla3 I148M knock-in mice.
- 2019
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Ingår i: Molecular metabolism. - : Elsevier BV. - 2212-8778. ; 22:April, s. 49-61
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is becoming a leading cause of advanced chronic liver disease. The progression of NAFLD, including nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), has a strong genetic component, and the most robust contributor is the patatin-like phospholipase domain-containing 3 (PNPLA3) rs738409 encoding the 148M protein sequence variant. We hypothesized that suppressing the expression of the PNPLA3 148M mutant protein would exert a beneficial effect on the entire spectrum of NAFLD.We examined the effects of liver-targeted GalNAc3-conjugated antisense oligonucleotide (ASO)-mediated silencing of Pnpla3 in a knock-in mouse model in which we introduced the human PNPLA3 I148M mutation.ASO-mediated silencing of Pnpla3 reduced liver steatosis (p=0.038) in homozygous Pnpla3 148M/M knock-in mutant mice but not in wild-type littermates fed a steatogenic high-sucrose diet. In mice fed a NASH-inducing diet, ASO-mediated silencing of Pnpla3 reduced liver steatosis score and NAFLD activity score independent of the Pnpla3 genotype, while reductions in liver inflammation score (p=0.018) and fibrosis stage (p=0.031) were observed only in the Pnpla3 knock-in 148M/M mutant mice. These responses were accompanied by reduced liver levels of Mcp1 (p=0.026) and Timp2 (p=0.007) specifically in the mutant knock-in mice. This may reduce levels of chemokine attracting inflammatory cells and increase the collagenolytic activity during tissue regeneration.This study provides the first evidence that a Pnpla3 ASO therapy can improve all features of NAFLD, including liver fibrosis, and suppress the expression of a strong innate genetic risk factor, Pnpla3 148M, which may open up a precision medicine approach in NASH.
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| 5. |
- Mancina, Rosellina Margherita, et al.
(författare)
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PSD3 downregulation confers protection against fatty liver disease.
- 2022
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Ingår i: Nature metabolism. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 2522-5812. ; 4:1, s. 60-75
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Fatty liver disease (FLD) is a growing health issue with burdening unmet clinical needs. FLD has a genetic component but, despite the common variants already identified, there is still a missing heritability component. Using a candidate gene approach, we identify a locus (rs71519934) at the Pleckstrin and Sec7 domain-containing 3 (PSD3) gene resulting in a leucine to threonine substitution at position 186 of the protein (L186T) that reduces susceptibility to the entire spectrum of FLD in individuals at risk. PSD3 downregulation by short interfering RNA reduces intracellular lipid content in primary human hepatocytes cultured in two and three dimensions, and in human and rodent hepatoma cells. Consistent with this, Psd3 downregulation by antisense oligonucleotides in vivo protects against FLD in mice fed a non-alcoholic steatohepatitis-inducing diet. Thus, translating these results to humans, PSD3 downregulation might be a future therapeutic option for treating FLD.
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| 6. |
- Pingitore, Piero, 1986, et al.
(författare)
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Human Multilineage 3D Spheroids as a Model of Liver Steatosis and Fibrosis.
- 2019
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Ingår i: International journal of molecular sciences. - : MDPI AG. - 1422-0067. ; 20:7
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is the most common liver disorder in western countries. Despite the high prevalence of NAFLD, the underlying biology of the disease progression is not clear, and there are no approved drugs to treat non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), the most advanced form of the disease. Thus, there is an urgent need for developing advanced in vitro human cellular systems to study disease mechanisms and drug responses. We attempted to create an organoid system genetically predisposed to NAFLD and to induce steatosis and fibrosis in it by adding free fatty acids. We used multilineage 3D spheroids composed by hepatocytes (HepG2) and hepatic stellate cells (LX-2) with a physiological ratio (24:1). HepG2 and LX-2 cells are homozygotes for the PNPLA3 I148M sequence variant, the strongest genetic determinant of NAFLD. We demonstrate that hepatic stellate cells facilitate the compactness of 3D spheroids. Then, we show that the spheroids develop accumulations of fat and collagen upon exposure to free fatty acids. Finally, this accumulation was rescued by incubating spheroids with liraglutide or elafibranor, drugs that are in clinical trials for the treatment of NASH. In conclusion, we have established a simple, easy to handle, in vitro model of genetically induced NAFLD consisting of multilineage 3D spheroids. This tool may be used to understand molecular mechanisms involved in the early stages of fibrogenesis induced by lipid accumulation. Moreover, it may be used to identify new compounds to treat NASH using high-throughput drug screening.
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| 7. |
- Sasidharan, Kavitha, et al.
(författare)
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IL32 downregulation lowers triglycerides and type I collagen in di-lineage human primary liver organoids.
- 2024
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Ingår i: Cell reports. Medicine. - 2666-3791. ; 5:1
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Steatotic liver disease (SLD) prevails as the most common chronic liver disease yet lack approved treatments due to incomplete understanding of pathogenesis. Recently, elevated hepatic and circulating interleukin 32 (IL-32) levels were found in individuals with severe SLD. However, the mechanistic link between IL-32 and intracellular triglyceride metabolism remains to be elucidated. We demonstrate invitro that incubation with IL-32β protein leads to an increase in intracellular triglyceride synthesis, while downregulation of IL32 by small interfering RNA leads to lower triglyceride synthesis and secretion in organoids from human primary hepatocytes. This reduction requires the upregulation of Phospholipase A2 group IIA (PLA2G2A). Furthermore, downregulation of IL32 results in lower intracellular type I collagen levels in di-lineage human primary hepatic organoids. Finally, we identify a genetic variant of IL32 (rs76580947) associated with lower circulating IL-32 and protection against SLD measured by non-invasive tests. These data suggest that IL32 downregulation may be beneficial against SLD.
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| 8. |
- Sasidharan, Kavitha
(författare)
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Translational genetics identifies a novel target to treat fatty liver disease
- 2023
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Fatty liver disease (FLD) is rapidly prevailing as the most common liver disease worldwide, with an estimated of one-quarter of the global population affected. Environmental and genetic determinants contribute to FLD susceptibility. The application of human and molecular genetics to drug discovery has leveraged effective molecules to treat human disease. In this thesis, we describe for the first time a genetic variant in PSD3, conferring protection against the entire spectrum of FLD. In addition, we characterized a 3D in vitro spheroid system composed of hepatocytes and hepatic stellate cells. This model allowed us to understand the molecular genetics underlaying the genetic association of the PSD3 variant. FLD progresses from steatosis to fibrosis that culminates in cirrhosis, and this progression is not well understood. Although animal models are widely used in preclinical studies on FLD, they have limitations making the translation to humans challenging. In Paper I, we created a multilineage 3D organoid system composed of immortalized human hepatocytes (HepG2) and hepatic stellate cells, (LX-2). Upon exposure to fatty acids, they acquire a phenotype of steatosis in turn resulting in fibrosis. This phenotype was rescued when treated with drug compounds, thus establishing an in vitro model able to mimic human FLD. In Paper II, we used a candidate gene approach and identified a genetic variant in the PSD3 gene (rs71519934) that results in leucine to threonine substitution at position 186 of the protein protecting against the entire spectrum of fatty liver disease (FLD). Downregulation of PSD3 with short interfering RNA (siRNA) lowered intracellular triglycerides in primary human hepatocytes when cultured both in 2D and 3D spheroids and resulted in lower de novo triglyceride synthesis and apolipoprotein secretion in rat and human hepatoma cells. Moreover, downregulation of Psd3 by antisense oligonucleotides (ASO) protected mice fed a non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH)-inducing diet against FLD In conclusion, this thesis reports the identification and validation of the PSD3 genetic variant and its downregulation that confer protection against FLD. The validation was performed with several tools, including our 3D spheroid models, which offer an advantage over classical 2D culture systems. This has broadened our knowledge and understanding of the pathophysiology of FLD and of PSD3 as a potential therapeutic target to treat FLD.
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| 9. |
- Schwartz, B. E., et al.
(författare)
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Discovery and Targeting of the Signaling Controls of PNPLA3 to Effectively Reduce Transcription, Expression, and Function in Pre-Clinical NAFLD/NASH Settings
- 2020
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Ingår i: Cells. - : MDPI AG. - 2073-4409. ; 9:10
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) are emerging worldwide epidemics, projected to become the leading cause of liver transplants. The strongest genetic risk factor for NAFLD/NASH susceptibility and progression is a single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) in the patatin-like phospholipase domain-containing 3 gene (PNPLA3), rs738409, encoding the missense mutation I148M. This aminoacidic substitution interferes with the normal remodeling of lipid droplets in hepatocytes. It is also thought to play a key role in promoting liver fibrosis by inhibiting the release of retinol from hepatic stellate cells. Reducing PNPLA3 levels in individuals homozygous for 148M may be an effective treatment for the entire spectrum of NAFLD, based on gene dosage analysis in the human population, as well as the protective effect of another naturally occurring SNP (rs2294918) in PNPLA3 which, when co-inherited, reduces PNPLA3 mRNA levels to 50% and counteracts disease risk. By screening a clinical compound library targeting specific signaling pathways active in primary human hepatocytes, we identified momelotinib, a drug evaluated in clinical trials to treat myelofibrosis, as a potent down-regulator of PNPLA3 expression, across all genotypes. We found that momelotinib treatment yielded >80% reduction in PNPLA3 mRNA in human primary hepatocytes and stellate cells, as well as in vivo via acute and chronic treatment of WT mice. Using a human multilineage 3D spheroid model of NASH homozygous for the PNPLA3 mutant protein, we additionally show that it decreases PNPLA3 mRNA as well as intracellular lipid content. Furthermore, we show that the effects on PNPLA3 coincide with changes in chromatin accessibility within regulatory regions of the PNPLA3 locus, consistent with inhibition occurring at the level of transcription. In addition to its primary reported targets, the JAK kinases, momelotinib inhibits several non-JAK kinases, including ACVR1. Using a combination of targeted siRNA knockdowns and signaling pathway perturbations, we show that momelotinib reduces the expression of the PNPLA3 gene largely through the inhibition of BMP signaling rather than the JAK/STAT pathway. Overall, our work identified momelotinib as a potential NASH therapeutic and uncovered previously unrecognized connections between signaling pathways and PNPLA3. These pathways may be exploited by drug modalities to "tune down" the level of gene expression, and therefore offer a potential therapeutic benefit to a high at-risk subset of NAFLD/NASH patients.
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