Analysis of lysophosphatidic acid (LPA) receptor and LPA-induced endometrial prostaglandin-endoperoxide synthase 2 expression in the porcine uterus

Lysophosphatidic acid (LPA), a simple phospholipid-derived mediator with diverse biological actions, acts through the specific G protein-coupled receptors endothelial differentiation gene (EDG) 2, EDG4, EDG7, and GPR23. Recent studies indicate a critical role for LPA receptor signaling in embryo implantation. To understand how LPA acts in the uterus during pregnancy in pigs, we evaluated: 1) spatial and temporal expression of LPA receptors in the uterine endometrium during the estrous cycle and pregnancy and in early-stage concepti, 2) LPA levels in uterine luminal fluids from d 12 of the estrous cycle and pregnancy, 3) effects of steroid hormones on EDG7 mRNA levels, and 4) effects of LPA on prostaglandin-endoperoxide synthase 2 (PTGS2) mRNA levels in the uterine endometrium using explant cultures. Of the four receptors, EDG7 was dominant, and its expression was regulated by pregnancy stage and status. EDG7 expression was highest on d 12 pregnancy, and localized to the luminal and glandular epithelium, and EDG7 mRNA levels were elevated by estrogen in the endometrium. EDG7 expression was also detected in concepti of d 12 and 15. LPA with various fatty acyl groups was present in the uterine lumen on d 12 of both the estrous cycle and pregnancy. LPA increased PTGS2 mRNA abundance in the uterine endometrium. These results indicate that LPA produced in the uterine endometrium may play a critical role in uterine endometrial function and conceptus development through EDG7-mediated PTGS2 expression during implantation and establishment of pregnancy in pigs.     

Modulation of myocardial contractility by lysophosphatidic acid (LPA)

Lysophosphatidic acid (LPA) is a phospholipid messenger, which is released from activated platelets and leukocytes. This study examined the effects of LPA on myocardial contractility and characterized the signal transduction pathway involved in these effects. Functional effects of LPA were determined in isolated, electrically driven human myocardial preparations and rat cardiac myocytes. In human atrial and ventricular myocardial preparations, LPA (100 micromol/l) decreased isoprenaline (0.03 micromol/l) enhanced force of contraction by 17 +/- 2% and 28 +/- 3%, respectively. The effect of LPA was attenuated by suramin (1 mmol/l). In isolated rat cardiomyocytes, LPA (1-100 micromol/l) concentration dependently abolished isoprenaline (0.03 micromol/l) induced increase in cell shortening. This antiadrenergic effect was blunted after pretreatment with pertussis toxin (5 microg/ml, 12 h). Forskolin (10 micromol/l) stimulated adenylyl cyclase activity was inhibited by LPA in human myocardial membranes. PCR analysis of human atrial and ventricular cDNAs revealed the expression of two cognate LPA receptors: EDG-2 and EDG-7. Our results suggest that LPA exerts antiadrenergic effects on force of contraction in human and rodent myocardium via a Galpha(i/o) protein-mediated mechanism, most probably by LPA binding to the mammalian LPA receptors EDG-2 and/or EDG-7. This newly discovered action of LPA might be of pathophysiological importance in conditions like myocardial ischemia or inflammatory disorders when LPA release is enhanced.     

Mechanism of impaired regeneration of fatty liver in mouse partial hepatectomy model

BACKGROUND AND AIM: The mechanism of injury in steatotic liver under pathological conditions been extensively examined. However, the mechanism of an impaired regeneration is still not well understood. The aim of this study was to analyze the mechanism of impaired regeneration of steatotic liver after partial hepatectomy (PH). METHODS: db/db fatty mice and lean littermates were used for the experiments. Following 70% PH, the survival rate and recovery of liver mass were examined. Liver tissue was histologically examined and analyzed by western blotting and RT-PCR. RESULTS: Of 35 db/db mice, 25 died within 48 h of PH, while all of the control mice survived. Liver regeneration of surviving db/db mice was largely impaired. In db/db mice, mitosis of hepatocytes after PH was disturbed, even though proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) expression (G1 to S phase marker) in hepatocytes was equally observed in both mice groups. Interestingly, phosphorylation of Cdc2 in db/db mice was suppressed by reduced expression of Wee1 and Myt1, which phosphorylate Cdc2 in S to G2 phase. CONCLUSIONS: In steatotic liver, cell-cycle-related proliferative disorders occurred at mid-S phase after PCNA expression. Reduced expression of Wee1 and Myt1 kinases may therefore maintain Cdc2 in an unphosphorylated state and block cell cycle progression in mid-S phase. These kinases may be critical factors involved in the impaired liver regeneration in fatty liver.     

Altered hepatic triglyceride content after partial hepatectomy without impaired liver regeneration in multiple murine genetic models

Liver regeneration is impaired following partial hepatectomy (PH) in mice with genetic obesity and hepatic steatosis and also in wild-type mice fed a high-fat diet. These findings contrast with other data showing that liver regeneration is impaired in mice in which hepatic lipid accumulation is suppressed by either pharmacologic leptin administration or by disrupted glucocorticoid signaling. These latter findings suggest that hepatic steatosis may actually be required for normal liver regeneration. We have reexamined this relationship using several murine models of altered hepatic lipid metabolism. Liver fatty acid (FA) binding protein knockout mice manifested reduced hepatic triglyceride (TG) content compared to controls, with no effect on liver regeneration or hepatocyte proliferation. Examination of early adipogenic messenger RNAs revealed comparable induction in liver from both genotypes despite reduced hepatic steatosis. Following PH, hepatic TG was reduced in intestine-specific microsomal TG transfer protein deleter mice, which fail to absorb dietary fat, increased in peroxisome proliferator activated receptor alpha knockout mice, which exhibit defective FA oxidation, and unchanged (from wild-type mice) in liver-specific FA synthase knockout mice in which endogenous hepatic FA synthesis is impaired. Hepatic TG increased in the regenerating liver in all models, even in animals in which lipid accumulation is genetically constrained. However, in no model -- and over a >90-fold range of hepatic TG content -- was liver regeneration significantly impaired following PH. CONCLUSION: Although hepatic TG content is widely variable and increases during liver regeneration, alterations in neither exogenous or endogenous lipid metabolic pathways, demonstrated to promote or diminish hepatic steatosis, influence hepatocyte proliferation.     

Expression and function of lysophosphatidic acid LPA1 receptor in prostate cancer cells

The bioactive phospholipid lysophosphatidic acid (LPA) promotes cell proliferation, survival, and migration by acting on cognate G protein-coupled receptors named LPA(1), LPA(2), and LPA(3). We profiled gene expression of LPA receptors in androgen-dependent and androgen-insensitive prostate cancer cells and found that LPA(1) gene is differentially expressed in androgen-insensitive and LPA-responsive but not androgen-dependent and LPA-resistant cells. In human prostate specimens, expression of LPA(1) gene was significantly higher in the cancer compared with the benign tissues. The androgen-dependent LNCaP cells do not express LPA(1) and do not proliferate in response to LPA stimulation, implying LPA(1) transduces cell growth signals. Accordingly, stable expression of LPA(1) in LNCaP cells rendered them responsive to LPA-induced cell proliferation and decreased their doubling time in serum. Implantation of LNCaP-LPA(1) cells resulted in increased rate of tumor growth in animals compared with those tumors that developed from the wild-type cells. Growth of LNCaP cells depends on androgen receptor activation, and we show that LPA(1) transduces Galphai-dependent signals to promote nuclear localization of androgen receptor and cell proliferation. In addition, treatment with bicalutamide inhibited LPA-induced cell cycle progression and proliferation of LNCaP-LPA(1) cells. These results suggest the possible utility of LPA(1) as a drug target to interfere with progression of prostate cancer.     

Segmental cholangitis impairs hepatic regeneration capacity after partial hepatectomy in rats

Background:

Patients with hilar cholangiocarcinoma or hepatolithiasis often develop segmental cholangitis (SC), but it is unclear whether hepatectomy for patients with SC can be performed safely.

Methods:

Rats were subjected to segmental bile duct ligation (SBDL) with LPS (SC group) or a saline (Sham group) infusion into the bile duct of the ligated lobes. The rats were sacrificed at 3, 24 and 48 h after the SBDL. For another experiment, the rats were subjected to partial hepatectomy (PHx) for the ligated lobes. Hepatic regeneration rates and the expression of regeneration-associated genes were evaluated.

Results:

In the SC group, severe parenchymal damage was observed in the acute phase (3 h). Altered gene expression in the liver in response to biliary infection occurred not only in the infected lobes but also in the non-infected lobes. In the rats of the SC group, both the hepatic regeneration rate and serum HGF levels were significantly lower than in the Sham group.

Conclusion:

These results clearly demonstrate that SC impairs the regeneration capacity of the contralateral remnant liver. Therefore, hepatectomy should be avoided for patients with SC even if it occurs in the part of the liver to be resected.     

Stereotyped fetal brain disorganization is induced by hypoxia and requires lysophosphatidic acid receptor 1 (LPA1) signaling

Fetal hypoxia is a common risk factor that has been associated with a range of CNS disorders including epilepsy, schizophrenia, and autism. Cellular and molecular mechanisms through which hypoxia may damage the developing brain are incompletely understood but are likely to involve disruption of the laminar organization of the cerebral cortex. Lysophosphatidic acid (LPA) is a bioactive lipid capable of cortical influences via one or more of six cognate G protein-coupled receptors, LPA(1-6), several of which are enriched in fetal neural progenitor cells (NPCs). Here we report that fetal hypoxia induces cortical disruption via increased LPA(1) signaling involving stereotyped effects on NPCs: N-cadherin disruption, displacement of mitotic NPCs, and impaired neuronal migration, as assessed both ex vivo and in vivo. Importantly, genetic removal or pharmacological inhibition of LPA(1) prevented the occurrence of these hypoxia-induced phenomena. Hypoxia resulted in overactivation of LPA(1) through selective inhibition of G protein-coupled receptor kinase 2 expression and activation of downstream pathways including G(αi) and Ras-related C3 botulinum toxin substrate 1. These data identify stereotyped and selective hypoxia-induced cerebral cortical disruption requiring LPA(1) signaling, inhibition of which can reduce or prevent disease-associated sequelae, and may take us closer to therapeutic treatment of fetal hypoxia-induced CNS disorders and possibly other forms of hypoxic injury.     

Fibrin-mediated integrin signaling plays a critical role in hepatic regeneration after partial hepatectomy in mice

Background. The regenerative capacity of the liver is critical for proper responses to injury. Fibrin extracellular matrix (ECM) deposition is a common response to insult and contributes to inflammatory liver injury. However, the role of this matrix in hepatic regeneration has not been determined. Objective. The purpose of this study was first to determine the role of fibrin ECM in hepatic regeneration followed by the role of the fibrin-binding α_vβ₃ integrin in mediating this effect.Material and methods. C57Bl/6J (WT) or PAI-1 knockout (KO) mice underwent 70% partial hepatectomy (PHx); plasma and histologic indices of regeneration were determined, as well as expression of key genes involved in hepatic regeneration.Results. PHx promoted transient fibrin deposition by activating coagulation and concomitantly decreasing fibrinolysis. Inhibiting fibrin deposition, either by blocking thrombin (hirudin) in WT mice or by knocking out PAI-1, was associated with a decrease in hepatocyte proliferation after PHx. This strongly suggested a role for fibrin ECM in liver regeneration. To investigate if a_vß₃ integrin mediates this action, we tested the effects of the anti-α_vβ₃ cyclic peptide RGDfV in animals after PHx. As was observed with inhibition of fibrin deposition, competitive inhibition of α_vβ₃ integrin delayed regeneration after PHx, while not affecting fibrin deposition. These effects of RGDfV correlated with impaired angiogenesis and STAT3 signaling, as well as transient endothelial dysfunction. In conclusion, these data suggest that α_vβ₃ integrin plays an important role in coordinating hepatocyte division during liver regeneration after PHx via crosstalk with fibrin ECM.     

Mechanism of liver regeneration after partial hepatectomy using mouse cDNA microarray

BACKGROUND/AIMS: The liver has the capacity to regenerate after partial hepatectomy. In order to clarify the mechanism of liver regeneration, we observed the initial stage, especially the mechanism of gene expression during progress from G0 to S phase (0-24 h), and attempted to identify new genes controlling progress to the S phase. METHODS: We applied large-scale gene expression analysis with complementary DNA microarrays in mouse hepatectomy models to clarify the mechanism of liver regeneration after partial hepatectomy. RESULTS: As a result, 23 new immediate-early gene candidates such as interleukin-1 receptor associated kinase-1 and karyopherin alpha-1, which are involved in transportation within the nucleus, were discovered. Candidates for new genes concerned with the progress to the S phase were discovered: inhibitor of DNA binding 2 (ID2) and inhibitor of DNA binding 3 (ID3), both new liver regeneration factors that promoted progress to the S phase, and GADD45 gamma (growth arrest and DNA-damage-inducible protein) as a factor inhibiting that process. CONCLUSIONS: The above results not only suggest the importance of NFkappaB in the initial stage of liver regeneration but also points to the orderly maintenance of the proliferation of the cells in liver regeneration.     

Effects of heparin on hepatic regeneration and function after partial hepatectomy in rats

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Plasma-kallikrein clearance during liver regeneration after partial hepatectomy in the rat

Abstract: Aims/Background: The liver clears circulating plasma-kallikrein through a receptor-mediated endocytosis process: an initial fast phase is followed by a slow exponential phase. Methods: To determine whether the clearance rate of plasma-kallikrein is affected during liver regeneration, we perfused isolated rat livers with rat plasma-kallikrein (rPK) at 0, 1, 2, 3 and 7 days after partial hepatectomy or sham operation. Results: Liver regeneration was followed by the expression of the proliferating-cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) labeling index. The serum concentration of α₂-macroglobulin, an acute phase protein in rats, was measured. At day 1, the fast phase of rPK clearance rate increased in hepatectomized rats when compared with day 0 (4.9±0.4 and 3.7±0.4 mU/g liver · min, p<0.05). However, at day 2, the rPK fast phase clearance rate dropped significantly (2.6±0.2, p<0.05), when compared with day 1. No difference was found among the sham groups at different days of hepatectomy. These changes seem to be independent of the acute phase reaction. The regenerative liver weight increased continuously during the observation period. PCNA expression increased significantly after hepatectomy, with maximal PCNA-labeling indices at days 1 and 2, declining thereafter. Conclusion: The rPK fast phase clearance rate changes during liver regeneration, with a zenith occurring when PCNA labeling index is maximal (day 1) and a nadir occurring at the mitotic phase (day 2).     

重组人肝再生增强因子对大鼠肝部分切除后肝再生的影响

目的观察原核表达的重组人肝再生增强因子（rhALR）对大鼠肝再生的影响。方法按Higgins方法进行大鼠34％肝切除。术后4-6h各实验组大鼠经腹腔注射rhALR剂量分别为50μg、100μg、200μg、400μg、800μg,对照组给生理盐水。术后30h杀鼠取肝,增殖核抗原（PCNA）免疫组化染色和HE染色,进行肝细胞核PCNA阳性细胞计数和有丝分裂计数。结果rhALR能促进肝部分切除后大鼠肝细胞的有丝分裂和细胞核PCNA的表达,并呈现一定的剂量依赖关系。结论rhALR能促进在鼠肝再生和肝细胞增殖。     

5-羟色胺2A受体阻断剂对大鼠肝脏再生的影响

目的观察5-羟色胺2A受体阻断剂酮色林对大鼠肝部分切除后肝再生的影响,了解5-羟色胺及其受体在肝脏再生中的作用。方法 80只雄性Wistar大鼠随机分为实验组和对照组。采用肝大部分切除术建立肝再生模型,术后16 h分别给予腹腔内注射酮色林（实验组）和生理盐水（对照组）,采用免疫组化及流式细胞技术动态观察并比较两组大鼠术后24、36、48、72 h肝脏Ki67、增殖细胞核抗原的表达情况。结果大鼠肝大部切除术后24、36 h肝脏表达Ki67、增殖细胞核抗原最为活跃,而后表达逐渐下降。实验组大鼠肝脏表达Ki67、增殖细胞核抗原较对照组显著下降（P〈0.05）。结论 5-羟色胺2A受体阻断剂酮色林显著抑制大鼠肝大部切除术后的肝脏再生,说明5-羟色胺具有一定的促进肝再生的作用,2A受体是其重要的信号传导受体之一。