{"title":"Interleukin-17A educated hepatic stellate cells promote hepatocellular carcinoma occurrence through fibroblast activation protein expression","authors":"Jun-Sheng Ni, Si-Yuan Fu, Zong-Yan Wang, Wen-Bin Ding, Jian Huang, Xing-Gang Guo, Fang-Ming Gu","doi":"10.1002/jgm.3693","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<div>\n \n \n <section>\n \n <h3> Background</h3>\n \n <p>Liver cancer is typified by a complex inflammatory tumor microenvironment, where an array of cytokines and stromal cells orchestrate a milieu that significantly influences tumorigenesis. Interleukin-17A (IL-17A), a pivotal pro-inflammatory cytokine predominantly secreted by Th17 cells, is known to play a substantial role in the etiology and progression of liver cancer. However, the precise mechanism by which IL-17A engages with hepatic stellate cells (HSCs) to facilitate the development of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) remains to be fully elucidated. This investigation seeks to unravel the interplay between IL-17A and HSCs in the context of HCC.</p>\n </section>\n \n <section>\n \n <h3> Methods</h3>\n \n <p>An HCC model was established in male Sprague–Dawley rats using diethylnitrosamine to explore the roles of IL-17A and HSCs in HCC pathogenesis. In vivo overexpression of <i>Il17a</i> was achieved using adeno-associated virus. A suite of molecular techniques, including RT-qPCR, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays, Western blotting, cell counting kit-8 assays and colony formation assays, was employed for in vitro analyses.</p>\n </section>\n \n <section>\n \n <h3> Results</h3>\n \n <p>The study findings indicate that IL-17A is a key mediator in HCC promotion, primarily through the activation of hepatic progenitor cells (HPCs). This pro-tumorigenic influence appears to be mediated by HSCs, rather than through a direct effect on HPCs. Notably, IL-17A-induced expression of fibroblast activation protein (FAP) in HSCs emerged as a critical factor in HCC progression. Silencing <i>Fap</i> in IL-17A-stimulated HSCs was observed to reverse the HCC-promoting effects of HSCs.</p>\n </section>\n \n <section>\n \n <h3> Conclusions</h3>\n \n <p>The collective evidence from this study implicates the IL-17A/FAP signaling axis within HSCs as a contributor to HCC development by enhancing HPC activation. These findings bolster the potential of IL-17A as a diagnostic and preventative target for HCC, offering new avenues for therapeutic intervention.</p>\n </section>\n </div>","PeriodicalId":56122,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Gene Medicine","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":3.2000,"publicationDate":"2024-06-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Journal of Gene Medicine","FirstCategoryId":"3","ListUrlMain":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/jgm.3693","RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q2","JCRName":"BIOTECHNOLOGY & APPLIED MICROBIOLOGY","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Background
Liver cancer is typified by a complex inflammatory tumor microenvironment, where an array of cytokines and stromal cells orchestrate a milieu that significantly influences tumorigenesis. Interleukin-17A (IL-17A), a pivotal pro-inflammatory cytokine predominantly secreted by Th17 cells, is known to play a substantial role in the etiology and progression of liver cancer. However, the precise mechanism by which IL-17A engages with hepatic stellate cells (HSCs) to facilitate the development of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) remains to be fully elucidated. This investigation seeks to unravel the interplay between IL-17A and HSCs in the context of HCC.
Methods
An HCC model was established in male Sprague–Dawley rats using diethylnitrosamine to explore the roles of IL-17A and HSCs in HCC pathogenesis. In vivo overexpression of Il17a was achieved using adeno-associated virus. A suite of molecular techniques, including RT-qPCR, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays, Western blotting, cell counting kit-8 assays and colony formation assays, was employed for in vitro analyses.
Results
The study findings indicate that IL-17A is a key mediator in HCC promotion, primarily through the activation of hepatic progenitor cells (HPCs). This pro-tumorigenic influence appears to be mediated by HSCs, rather than through a direct effect on HPCs. Notably, IL-17A-induced expression of fibroblast activation protein (FAP) in HSCs emerged as a critical factor in HCC progression. Silencing Fap in IL-17A-stimulated HSCs was observed to reverse the HCC-promoting effects of HSCs.
Conclusions
The collective evidence from this study implicates the IL-17A/FAP signaling axis within HSCs as a contributor to HCC development by enhancing HPC activation. These findings bolster the potential of IL-17A as a diagnostic and preventative target for HCC, offering new avenues for therapeutic intervention.
期刊介绍:
The aims and scope of The Journal of Gene Medicine include cutting-edge science of gene transfer and its applications in gene and cell therapy, genome editing with precision nucleases, epigenetic modifications of host genome by small molecules, siRNA, microRNA and other noncoding RNAs as therapeutic gene-modulating agents or targets, biomarkers for precision medicine, and gene-based prognostic/diagnostic studies.
Key areas of interest are the design of novel synthetic and viral vectors, novel therapeutic nucleic acids such as mRNA, modified microRNAs and siRNAs, antagomirs, aptamers, antisense and exon-skipping agents, refined genome editing tools using nucleic acid /protein combinations, physically or biologically targeted delivery and gene modulation, ex vivo or in vivo pharmacological studies including animal models, and human clinical trials.
Papers presenting research into the mechanisms underlying transfer and action of gene medicines, the application of the new technologies for stem cell modification or nucleic acid based vaccines, the identification of new genetic or epigenetic variations as biomarkers to direct precision medicine, and the preclinical/clinical development of gene/expression signatures indicative of diagnosis or predictive of prognosis are also encouraged.