scholarly journals Long Non-Coding RNAs Involved in Progression of Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease to Steatohepatitis

Cells ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (8) ◽  
pp. 1883
Author(s):  
Biljana Atanasovska ◽  
Sander S. Rensen ◽  
Glenn Marsman ◽  
Ronit Shiri-Sverdlov ◽  
Sebo Withoff ◽  
...  

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is the most prevalent chronic liver disease and is characterized by different stages varying from benign fat accumulation to non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) that may progress to cirrhosis and liver cancer. In recent years, a regulatory role of long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) in NAFLD has emerged. Therefore, we aimed to characterize the still poorly understood lncRNA contribution to disease progression. Transcriptome analysis in 60 human liver samples with various degrees of NAFLD/NASH was combined with a functional genomics experiment in an in vitro model where we exposed HepG2 cells to free fatty acids (FFA) to induce steatosis, then stimulated them with tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNFα) to mimic inflammation. Bioinformatics analyses provided a functional prediction of novel lncRNAs. We further functionally characterized the involvement of one novel lncRNA in the nuclear-factor-kappa B (NF-κB) signaling pathway by its silencing in Hepatoma G2 (HepG2) cells. We identified 730 protein-coding genes and 18 lncRNAs that responded to FFA/TNFα and associated with human NASH phenotypes with consistent effect direction, with most being linked to inflammation. One novel intergenic lncRNA, designated lncTNF, was 20-fold up-regulated upon TNFα stimulation in HepG2 cells and positively correlated with lobular inflammation in human liver samples. Silencing lncTNF in HepG2 cells reduced NF-κB activity and suppressed expression of the NF-κB target genes A20 and NFKBIA. The lncTNF we identified in the NF-κB signaling pathway may represent a novel target for controlling liver inflammation.

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yingying Liu ◽  
Xinkui Liu ◽  
Wei Zhou ◽  
Jingyuan Zhang ◽  
Siyu Guo ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a common chronic liver disease that imposes a huge economic burden on global public health. And the gut-liver axis theory supports the therapeutic role of intestinal flora in the development and progression of NAFLD. To this end, we designed bioinformatics study on the relationship between intestinal flora disorder and NAFLD, so as to explore the molecular mechanism of intestinal flora interfering with NAFLD. Methods Differentially expressed genes for NAFLD were obtained from GEO database. And the disease genes for NAFLD and intestinal flora disorder were obtained from the disease databases. Using string 11.0 database to establish protein-protein interaction network relationship and cytoscape 3.7.2 software visualization. Cytoscape plug-in MCODE and cytoHubba were used to screen the potential genes of intestinal flora disorder and NAFLD, so as to obtain potential targets for intestinal flora to interfere in the occurrence and process of NAFLD. Enrichment analysis of potential targets was carried out using R 4.0.2 software. Results The results showed that PTGS2, SPINK1 and C5AR1 may be the key genes for intestinal flora to interfere with NAFLD. CCL2, IL6, IL1B and FOS may be key genes for the development and progression of NAFLD. The gene function is mainly reflected in basic biological processes, including the regulation of metabolic process, epithelial development and immune influence. The pathway is mainly related to signal transduction, immune regulation and physiological metabolism. The TNF signaling pathway, AGE-RAGE signaling pathway in the diabetic activity, and NF-Kappa B signaling pathways are important pathways for intestinal flora to interfere with NAFLD. Conclusion According to the analysis results, there is a certain correlation between intestinal flora disorder and NAFLD. It is speculated that the mechanism by which intestinal flora may interfere with the occurrence and development of NAFLD is mainly related to inflammatory response and insulin resistance. Nevertheless, further research is needed to explore the specific molecular mechanisms.


RSC Advances ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (67) ◽  
pp. 39394-39404 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jing-Yi Liu ◽  
Yi-Chen Zhang ◽  
Li-Ni Song ◽  
Lin Zhang ◽  
Fang-Yuan Yang ◽  
...  

Inflammation constitutes an important component of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document