Transcriptomic signatures of progressive and regressive liver fibrosis and portal hypertension

作者：Oleksandr Petrenko, Philipp Königshofer, Ksenia Brusilovskaya, Benedikt Hofer, Katharina Bareiner, Benedikt Simbrunner, Frank Jühling, Thomas F. Baumert, Joachim Lupberger, Michael Trauner, Stefan G. Kauschke, Larissa Pfisterer, Eric J. Simon, André F. Rendeiro, Laura de Rooij, Philipp Schwabl, Thomas Reiberger · 发表于：iScience · 年份：2024 · DOI：10.1016/j.isci.2024.109301 · 被引用次数：11 · 研究领域：Liver Disease Diagnosis and Treatment、Liver physiology and pathology、Liver Disease and Transplantation

Persistent liver injury triggers a fibrogenic program that causes pathologic remodeling of the hepatic microenvironment (i.e., liver fibrosis) and portal hypertension. The dynamics of gene regulation during liver disease progression and early regression remain understudied. Here, we generated hepatic transcriptome profiles in two well-established liver disease models at peak fibrosis and during spontaneous regression after the removal of the inducing agents. We linked the dynamics of key disease readouts, such as portal pressure, collagen area, and transaminase levels, to differentially expressed genes, enabling the identification of transcriptomic signatures of progressive vs. regressive liver fibrosis and portal hypertension. These candidate biomarkers (e.g., Tcf4 , Mmp7 , Trem2 , Spp1 , Scube1 , Islr ) were validated in RNA sequencing datasets of patients with cirrhosis and portal hypertension, and those cured from hepatitis C infection. Finally, deconvolution identified major cell types and suggested an association of macrophage and portal hepatocyte signatures with portal hypertension and fibrosis area.