目的:我们旨在揭示snail1在肝纤维化中的分子机制。
方法:使用四氯化碳(CCl4)诱导小鼠肝纤维化模型,通过评估血清丙氨酸氨基转移酶(ALT)和天冬氨酸氨基转移酶(AST)水平,评估肝脏病理改变。用转化生长因子(TGF)-β1刺激大鼠肝星状细胞(HSC-T6),然后评估细胞活力和迁移。通过免疫组织化学定量snail1、ALKBH5和赖氨酸特异性脱甲基酶4C(KDM4C)的水平,westernblot,或逆转录定量聚合酶链反应,除了α-平滑肌肌动蛋白(SMA),抗I型胶原α1(COL1A1),波形蛋白,和E-cadherin.评估了可光活化的核糖核苷增强的交联和免疫沉淀以及RNA稳定性,以确定ALKBH5和snail1之间的关系。使用染色质免疫沉淀法确定了KDM4C结合的ALKBH5启动子的变化以及ALKBH5启动子上组蛋白H3赖氨酸9三甲基化(H3K9me3)的富集。
结果:在纤维化小鼠中,snail1上调,而ALKBH5和KDM4C下调。KDM4C过表达降低血清ALT和AST水平,肝损伤,和α-SMA,COL1A1和VIMENTIN表达,但E-cadherin表达增加。然而,同时过表达snail1可以逆转上述趋势.在暴露于TGF-β1的HSC-T6细胞中,ALKBH5过表达削弱了细胞活力和迁移,下调α-SMA,COL1A1和VIMENTIN,E-CADHERIN上调,并降低了snail1的m6A修饰及其mRNA稳定性。KDM4C通过降低H3K9me3水平增加ALKBH5表达,但通过调节ALKBH5/snail1轴抑制HSC-T6细胞活化。
结论:KDM4C降低H3K9me3甲基化以上调ALKBH5并随后抑制snail1,最终阻碍肝纤维化。
OBJECTIVE: We aimed to disclose the molecular mechanism of snail1 in liver fibrosis.
METHODS: Carbon tetrachloride (CCl4) was used to induce a liver fibrosis model in mice whereby serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) levels were evaluated, and liver pathological alternations were assessed. Rat hepatic stellate cells (HSC-T6) were irritated with transforming growth factor (TGF)-β1, followed by assessment of cell viability and migration. The levels of snail1, ALKBH5, and lysine specific demethylase 4C (KDM4C) were quantified by immunohistochemistry, western blot, or reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction, in addition to α-smooth muscle actin (SMA), anti-collagen type I α1 (COL1A1), vimentin, and E-cadherin. Photoactivatable ribonucleoside-enhanced crosslinking and immunoprecipitation and RNA stability were evaluated to determine the relationship between ALKBH5 and snail1. Changes in KDM4C-bound ALKBH5 promoter and enrichment of histone H3 lysine 9 trimethylation (H3K9me3) at the ALKBH5 promoter were determined using chromatin immunoprecipitation.
RESULTS: In fibrosis mice, snail1 was upregulated while ALKBH5 and KDM4C were downregulated. KDM4C overexpression reduced serum ALT and AST levels, liver injury, and α-SMA, COL1A1 and VIMENTIN expressions but increased E-cadherin expression. However, the aforementioned trends were reversed by concurrent overexpression of snail1. In HSC-T6 cells exposed to TGF-β1, ALKBH5 overexpression weakened cell viability and migration, downregulated α-SMA, COL1A1 and VIMENTIN, upregulated E-CADHERIN, and decreased m6A modification of snail1 and its mRNA stability. KDM4C increased ALKBH5 expression by lowering H3K9me3 level, but inhibited HSC-T6 cell activation by regulating the ALKBH5/snail1 axis.
CONCLUSIONS: KDM4C decreases H3K9me3 methylation to upregulate ALKBH5 and subsequently inhibits snail1, ultimately impeding liver fibrosis.