Browsing by Author "Liu, Wanqing"

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    1-Alpha, 25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 alters the pharmacokinetics of mycophenolic acid in renal transplant recipients by regulating two extrahepatic UDP-glucuronosyltransferases 1A8 and 1A10
    (Elsevier, 2016-12) Wang, Xiaoliang; Wang, Hongwei; Shen, Bing; Overholser, Brian R.; Cooper, Bruce R.; Lu, Yinghao; Tang, Huamei; Zhou, Chongzhi; Sun, Xing; Zhong, Lin; Favus, Murray J.; Decker, Brian S.; Liu, Wanqing; Peng, Zhihai; Department of Medicine, IU School of Medicine
    Mycophenolic acid (MPA) is an important immunosuppressant broadly used in renal transplantation. However, the large inter-patient variability in mycophenolic acid (MPA) pharmacokinetics (PK) limits its use. We hypothesize that extrahepatic metabolism of MPA may have significant impact on MPA PK variability. Two intestinal UDP-glucuronosyltransferases 1A8 and 1A10 plays critical role in MPA metabolism. Both in silico and previous genome-wide analyses suggested that vitamin D (VD) may regulate intestinal UGT1A expression. We validated the VD response elements (VDREs) across the UGT1A locus with chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) and luciferase reporter assays. The impact of 1-alpha,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 (D3) on UGT1A8 and UGT1A10 transcription and on MPA glucuronidation was tested in human intestinal cell lines LS180, Caco-2 and HCT-116. The correlation between transcription levels of VD receptor (VDR) and the two UGT genes were examined in human normal colorectal tissue samples (n = 73). PK alterations of MPA following the parent drug, mycophenolate mofetil (MMF), and D3 treatment was assessed among renal transplant recipients (n = 10). Our ChIP assay validate three VDREs which were further demonstrated as transcriptional enhancers with the luciferase assays. D3 treatment significantly increased transcription of both UGT genes as well as MPA glucuronidation in cells. The VDR mRNA level was highly correlated with that of both UGT1A8 and UGT1A10 in human colorectal tissue. D3 treatment in patients led to about 40% reduction in both AUC0-12 and Cmax while over 70% elevation of total clearance of MPA. Our study suggested a significant regulatory role of VD on MPA metabolism and PK via modulating extrahepatic UGT activity.
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    ADH1B*2 is Associated With Reduced Severity of Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease in Adults, Independent of Alcohol Consumption
    (Elsevier, 2020) Vilar-Gomez, Eduardo; Sookoian, Silvia; Pirola, Carlos Jose; Liang, Tiebing; Gawrieh, Samer; Cummings, Oscar; Liu, Wanqing; Chalasani, Naga; Medicine, School of Medicine
    Background & Aims Alcohol dehydrogenase 1B (ADH1B) is involved in alcohol metabolism. The allele A ( ADH1B*2) of rs1229984: A>G variant in ADH1B is associated a higher alcohol metabolizing activity, compared to the ancestral allele G ( ADH1B*1). Moderate alcohol consumption is associated with reduced severity of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), based on histologic analysis, compared with no alcohol consumption. However, it is unclear whether ADH1B*2 modifies the relationship between moderate alcohol consumption and severity of NAFLD. We examined the association between ADH1B*2 and moderate alcohol consumption and histologic severity of NAFLD. Methods We collected data from 1557 multi-ethnic adult patients with biopsy-proven NAFLD enrolled into 4 different studies conducted by the NASH Clinical Research Network. Histories of alcohol consumption were obtained from answers to standardized questionnaires. Liver biopsies were analyzed by histology and scored centrally according to the NASH CRN criteria. We performed covariate adjusted logistic regressions to identify associations between histologic features of NAFLD severity and moderate alcohol consumption and/or ADH1B*2. Results A higher proportion of Asians/Pacific Islanders/Hawaiians carried the ADH1B*2 allele (86%) than other racial groups (4%–13%). However, the study population comprised mostly non-Hispanic whites (1153 patients, 74%), so the primary analysis focused on this group. Among them, 433 were moderate drinkers and 90 were ADH1B*2 carriers. After we adjusted for confounders, including alcohol consumption status, ADH1B*2 was associated with lower frequency of steatohepatitis (odds ratio [OR], 0.52; P<.01) or fibrosis (odds ratio, 0.69; P=.050) compared with ADH1B*1. Moderate alcohol consumption (g/day) reduced the severity of NAFLD in patients with ADH1B*1 or ADH1B*2. However, ADH1B*2, compared to ADH1B*1, was associated with a reduced risk of definite NASH ( ADH1B*2 OR, 0.80; P<.01 vs ADH1B*1 OR, 0.96; P=.036) and a reduced risk of an NAFLD activity score of 4 or higher ( ADH1B*2 OR, 0.83; P=.012 vs ADH1B*1 OR, 0.96; P=.048) ( P<.01 for the difference in the effect of moderate alcohol consumption between alleles). The relationship between body mass index and NAFLD severity was significantly modified by ADH1B*2, even after we controlled for alcohol consumption. Conclusions ADH1B*2 reduces the risk of NASH and fibrosis in adults with NAFLD regardless of alcohol consumption status. ADH1B*2 might modify the association between high body mass index and NAFLD severity.
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    Fatty acid desaturase 1 gene polymorphisms control human hepatic lipid composition
    (Wiley, 2015-01) Wang, Libo; Athinarayanan, Shaminie; Jiang, Guanglong; Chalasani, Naga; Zhang, Min; Liu, Wanqing; Department of Medical and Molecular Genetics, IU School of Medicine
    Fatty acid desaturase (FADS) genes and their variants have been associated with multiple metabolic phenotypes, including liver enzymes and hepatic fat accumulation, but the detailed mechanism remains unclear. We aimed to delineate the role of FADSs in modulating lipid composition in human liver. We performed a targeted lipidomic analysis of a variety of phospholipids, sphingolipids, and ceramides among 154 human liver tissue samples. The associations between previously genome-wide association studies (GWASs)-identified six FADS single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), and these lipid levels as well as total hepatic fat content (HFC) were tested. The potential function of these SNPs in regulating transcription of three FADS genes (FADS1, FADS2, and FADS3) in the locus was also investigated. We found that though these SNPs were in high linkage disequilibrium (r(2) > 0.8), the rare alleles of these SNPs were consistently and significantly associated with the accumulation of multiple long-chain fatty acids (LCFAs), with C47H85O13P (C36:4), a phosphatidylinositol (PI), and C43H80O8PN (C38:3), a phosphatidylethanolamine (PE), reached the Bonferroni corrected significance (P < 3 × 10(-4)). Meanwhile, these SNPs were significantly associated with increased ratios between the more saturated and relatively less saturated forms of LCFAs, especially between PEs, PIs, and phosphatidylcholines (PCs; P ≤ 3.5 × 10(-6)). These alleles were also associated with increased total HFC (P < 0.05). Further analyses revealed that these alleles were associated with decreased hepatic expression of FADS1 (P = 0.0018 for rs174556), but not FADS2 or FADS3 (P > 0.05). CONCLUSION: Our findings revealed critical insight into the mechanism underlying FADS1 and its polymorphisms in modulating hepatic lipid deposition by altering gene transcription and controlling lipid composition in human livers.
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    Fatty Acid Desaturase 1 Influences Hepatic Lipid Homeostasis by Modulating the PPARα‐FGF21 Axis
    (Wiley, 2020-12-25) Athinarayanan, Shaminie; Fan, Yang-Yi; Wang, Xiaokun; Callaway, Evelyn; Cai, Defeng; Chalasani, Naga; Chapkin, Robert S.; Liu, Wanqing; Medicine, School of Medicine
    The fatty acid desaturase 1 (FADS1), also known as delta-5 desaturase (D5D), is one of the rate-limiting enzymes involved in the desaturation and elongation cascade of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) to generate long-chain PUFAs (LC-PUFAs). Reduced function of D5D and decreased hepatic FADS1 expression, as well as low levels of LC-PUFAs, were associated with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease. However, the causal role of D5D in hepatic lipid homeostasis remains unclear. In this study, we hypothesized that down-regulation of FADS1 increases susceptibility to hepatic lipid accumulation. We used in vitro and in vivo models to test this hypothesis and to delineate the molecular mechanisms mediating the effect of reduced FADS1 function. Our study demonstrated that FADS1 knockdown significantly reduced cellular levels of LC-PUFAs and increased lipid accumulation and lipid droplet formation in HepG2 cells. The lipid accumulation was associated with significant alterations in multiple pathways involved in lipid homeostasis, especially fatty acid oxidation. These effects were demonstrated to be mediated by the reduced function of the peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor alpha (PPARα)-fibroblast growth factor 21 (FGF21) axis, which can be reversed by treatment with docosahexaenoic acid, PPARα agonist, or FGF21. In vivo, FADS1-knockout mice fed with high-fat diet developed increased hepatic steatosis as compared with their wild-type littermates. Molecular analyses of the mouse liver tissue largely corroborated the observations in vitro, especially along with reduced protein expression of PPARα and FGF21. Conclusion: Collectively, these results suggest that dysregulation in FADS1 alters liver lipid homeostasis in the liver by down-regulating the PPARα-FGF21 signaling axis.
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    In a pilot study, reduced fatty acid desaturase 1 function was associated with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease and response to treatment in children
    (Springer Nature, 2018-11) Nobili, Valerio; Alisi, Anna; Liu, Zhipeng; Liang, Tiebing; Crudele, Annalisa; Raponi, Massimiliano; Lin, Jingmei; Chalasani, Naga P.; Liu, Wanqing; Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, School of Medicine
    BACKGROUND: FADS1 gene encodes delta 5 desaturase, a rate-limiting enzyme in the metabolism of n-3 and n-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs). Minor alleles of FADS1 locus polymorphisms are associated with reduced FADS1 expression and intra-hepatic fat accumulation. However, the relationship between FADS1 expression and pediatric nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) risk remains to be explored. METHODS: We analyzed FADS1 transcription levels and their association with intra-hepatic fat and histology in children, and we performed pathway enrichment analysis on transcriptomic profiles associated with FADS1 polymorphisms. We also evaluated the weight of FADS1 alleles on the response to combined docosahexaenoic acid, choline, and vitamin E (DHA-CHO-VE) treatment. RESULTS: FADS1 mRNA level was significantly and inversely associated with intra-hepatic fat (p = 0.004), degree of steatosis (p = 0.03), fibrosis (p = 0.05), and NASH (p = 0.008) among pediatric livers. Transcriptomics demonstrated a significant enrichment of a number of pathways strongly related to NAFLD (e.g., liver damage, fibrosis, and hepatic stellate cell activation). Compared to children who are common allele homozygotes, children with FADS1 minor alleles had a greater reduction in steatosis, fibrosis, and NAFLD activity score after DHA-CHO-VE. CONCLUSION: This study suggests that decreased FADS1 expression may be associated with NAFLD in children but an increased response to DHA-CHO-VE.
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    Integrated miR-mRNA Network Underlying Hepatic Fat Accumulation in Humans
    Srivastava, Rajneesh; Wang, Xiaoliang; Lin, Jingmei; Wei, Rongrong; Chaturvedi, Praneet; Chalasani, Naga P.; Janga, Sarath Chandra; Liu, Wanqing
    Background: An integrate miRs and mRNAs analysis in the development of Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD) and Non-Alcoholic Steatohepatitis (NASH) is lacking. We aimed to identify miRs as well as the miR-mRNA regulatory network involved in hepatic fat accumulation and human NAFLD. Materials and Methods: Hepatic fat content (HFC) was measured, and liver histology was characterized for 73 liver tissue samples. MicroRNAs and mRNAs significantly associated with HFC were identified based on genome-wide mRNA and miR expression profiling data. These miRs and mRNAs were further used to build miR-mRNA association networks in NAFLD and normal samples based on the potential miR-mRNA targeting, as well as to conduct a pathway enrichment analysis. Results: We identified 62 miRs significantly correlated with HFC (p<0.05), with miR-518b and miR-19b demonstrated to be the most significant positive and negative correlation with HFC, respectively (p<0.008 for both). Many miRs that were previously associated with NAFLD/NASH were also observed. Integrated network analysis indicated that a few miRs-30b*, 616, 17*, 129-5p, 204, and 20a controlled >80% of HFC-associated mRNAs in this network, and the regulation network was significantly rewired from normal to NAFLD. Pathway analyses revealed that inflammation pathways mediated by chemokine and cytokine signaling, Wnt signaling, lntegrin signaling and Natural killer cell mediated cytotoxicity were enriched (p<0.05) in hepatic fat accumulation.
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    Integrative omics analysis identifies macrophage migration inhibitory factor signaling pathways underlying human hepatic fibrogenesis and fibrosis
    (Wolters Kluwer, 2019-03-01) Liu, Zhipeng; Chalasani, Naga; Lin, Jingmei; Gawrieh, Samer; He, Yuan; Tseng, Yan J.; Liu, Wanqing; Medicine, School of Medicine
    The genetic basis underlying liver fibrosis remains largely unknown. We conducted a study to identify genetic alleles and underlying pathways associated with hepatic fibrogenesis and fibrosis at the genome-wide level in 121 human livers. By accepting a liberal significance level of P<1e-4, we identified 73 and 71 candidate loci respectively affecting the variability in alpha-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA) levels (fibrogenesis) and total collagen content (fibrosis). The top genetic loci associated with the two markers were BAZA1 and NOL10 for α-SMA expression and FAM46A for total collagen content (P<1e-6). We further investigated the relationship between the candidate loci and the nearby gene transcription levels (cis-expression quantitative trait loci) in the same liver samples. We found that 44 candidate loci for α-SMA expression and 44 for total collagen content were also associated with the transcription of the nearby genes (P<0.05). Pathway analyses of these genes indicated that macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF) related pathway is significantly associated with fibrogenesis and fibrosis, though different genes were enriched for each marker. The association between the single nucleotide polymorphisms, MIF and α-SMA showed that decreased MIF expression is correlated with increased α-SMA expression, suggesting that variations in MIF locus might affect the susceptibility of fibrogenesis through controlling MIF gene expression. In summary, our study identified candidate alleles and pathways underlying both fibrogenesis and fibrosis in human livers. Our bioinformatics analyses suggested MIF pathway as a strong candidate involved in liver fibrosis, thus further investigation for the role of the MIF pathway in liver fibrosis is warranted. The study was reviewed and approved by the Institutional Review Board (IRB) of Wayne State University (approval No. 201842) on May 17, 2018.
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    MicroRNA 362-3p Reduces hERG-related Current and Inhibits Breast Cancer Cells Proliferation
    (International Institute of Anticancer Research, 2019-12) Assiri, Abdullah A.; Mourad, Noha; Shao, Minghai; Kiel, Patrick; Liu, Wanqing; Skaar, Todd C.; Overholser, Brian R.; Pharmacology and Toxicology, School of Medicine
    Background/Aim: hERG potassium channels enhance tumor invasiveness and breast cancer proliferation. MicroRNA (miRNA) dysregulation during cancer controls gene regulation. The objective of this study was to identify miRNAs that regulate hERG expression in breast cancer. Materials and Methods: Putative miRNAs targeting hERG were identified by bioinformatic approaches and screened using a 3’UTR luciferase assay. Functional assessments of endogenous hERG regulation were made using whole-cell electrophysiology, proliferation assays, and cell-cycle analyses following miRNA, hERG siRNA, or control transfection. Results: miR-362-3p targeted hERG 3’UTR and was associated with higher survival rates in patients with breast cancer (HR=0.39, 95%CI=0.18-0.82). Enhanced miR-362-3p expression reduced hERG expression, peak current, and cell proliferation in cultured breast cancer cells (p<0.05). Conclusion: miR-362-3p mediates the transcriptional regulation of hERG and is associated with survival in breast cancer. The potential for miR-362-3p to serve as a biomarker and inform therapeutic strategies warrants further investigation.
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    Oxidized Derivatives of Linoleic Acid in Pediatric Metabolic Syndrome: Is Their Pathogenic Role Modulated by the Genetic Background and the Gut Microbiota?
    (Mary Ann Liebert, 2018-11-30) Tricò, Domenico; Di Sessa, Anna; Caprio, Sonia; Chalasani, Naga; Liu, Wanqing; Liang, Tiebing; Graf, Joerg; Herzog, Raimund I.; Johnson, Casey D.; Umano, Giuseppina Rosaria; Feldstein, Ariel E.; Santoro, Nicola; Medicine, School of Medicine
    We tested whether oxidized linoleic acid metabolites (OXLAM) are associated with pediatric metabolic syndrome (MetS) and a proatherogenic lipoprotein profile in 122 obese adolescents. Furthermore, we examined whether genetic and metagenomic factors can modulate plasma OXLAM concentrations by genotyping the fatty acid desaturase 1/2 (FADS) gene and by characterizing the gut microbiota. Subjects with MetS (n = 50) showed higher concentrations of 9- and 13-oxo-octadecadienoic acid (9- and 13-oxo-ODE) than subjects without MetS (n = 72). Both metabolites were associated with an adverse lipoprotein profile that was characterized by elevated very small-dense low-density lipoprotein (p < 0.005) and large very low-density lipoprotein particles (p = 0.01). Plasma 9- and 13-oxo-ODE were higher in subjects carrying the haplotype AA of the FADS gene cluster (p = 0.030 and p = 0.048, respectively). Furthermore, the reduced gut bacterial load was associated with higher 9-oxo-ODE concentrations (p = 0.035). This is the first study showing that high plasma OXLAM concentrations are associated with MetS and suggesting that the leading factors for high plasma concentrations of OXLAM might be the genetic background and the composition of the gut microbiota. In conclusion, high concentrations of 9- and 13-oxo-ODE, which may be the result of a genetic predisposition and a reduced gut bacterial load, are associated with MetS and with a proatherogenic lipoprotein profile in obese adolescents.
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    Relationship between Differential Hepatic microRNA Expression and Decreased Hepatic Cytochrome P450 3A Activity in Cirrhosis
    (2013-09) Vuppalanchi, Raj; Liang, Tiebing; Goswami, Chirayu Pankaj; Nalamasu, Rohit; Li, Lang; Jones, David; Wei, Rongrong; Liu, Wanqing; Sarasani, Vishal; Janga, Sarath Chandra; Chalasani, Naga
    Background and Aim Liver cirrhosis is associated with decreased hepatic cytochrome P4503A (CYP3A) activity but the pathogenesis of this phenomenon is not well elucidated. In this study, we examined if certain microRNAs (miRNA) are associated with decreased hepatic CYP3A activity in cirrhosis. Methods Hepatic CYP3A activity and miRNA microarray expression profiles were measured in cirrhotic (n=28) and normal (n=12) liver tissue. Hepatic CYP3A activity was measured via midazolam hydroxylation in human liver microsomes. Additionally, hepatic CYP3A4 protein concentration and the expression of CYP3A4 mRNA were measured. Analyses were conducted to identify miRNAs which were differentially expressed between two groups but also were significantly associated with lower hepatic CYP3A activity. Results Hepatic CYP3A activity in cirrhotic livers was 1.7-fold lower than in the normal livers (0.28 ± 0.06 vs. 0.47 ± 0.07mL* min-1*mg protein-1 (mean ± SEM), P=0.02). Six microRNAs (miR-155, miR-454, miR-582-5p, let-7f-1*, miR-181d, and miR-500) had >1.2-fold increase in cirrhotic livers and also had significant negative correlation with hepatic CYP3A activity (range of r = -0.44 to -0.52, P <0.05). Notably, miR-155, a known regulator of liver inflammation, had the highest fold increase in cirrhotic livers (2.2-fold, P=4.16E-08) and significantly correlated with hepatic CYP3A activity (r=-0.50, P=0.017). The relative expression (2-ΔΔCt mean ± SEM) of hepatic CYP3A4 mRNA was significantly higher in cirrhotic livers (21.76 ± 2.65 vs. 5.91 ± 1.29, P=2.04E-07) but their levels did not significantly correlate with hepatic CYP3A activity (r=-0.43, P=0.08). Conclusion The strong association between certain miRNAs, notably miR-155, and lower hepatic CYP3A activity suggest that altered miRNA expression may regulate hepatic CYP3A activity.