title: Interferon tau-induced hepatocyte apoptosis in sheep.
abstract: Clinical applications of Type I interferon (IFN) are limited by adverse side effects mediated largely by unknown mechanisms. This study examined the mechanisms of acute hepatic injury in lambs treated with systemic administration of IFN-tau, a Type I IFN. Liver tissues were collected at 24, 48, or 96 hours after treatment with either IFN-tau or saline. Histopathology revealed acute hepatopathy including cellular swelling, cytoplasmic aggregates, and apoptosis in all IFN-tau-treated lambs, which were accompanied by elevation of aspartate transaminase (AST) (P <.01). The number of apoptotic hepatocytes in IFN-tau-treated lambs was higher than for control lambs (P <.001). Immunohistochemistry for proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) revealed that IFN-tau induced hepatocyte growth arrest at the G0/G1 phase of the cell cycle and that the majority of hepatocytes in S or G2 phase were eliminated by apoptosis. We investigated expression of bax-alpha and bcl-2, acting as pro- and antiapoptotic molecules, in IFN-tau-induced apoptosis. Northern blot analysis revealed increased expression of bax-alpha messenger RNA (mRNA) in IFN-tau-treated lambs (P <.01) compared with control lambs, consistent with the expression pattern for bax-alpha protein. However, there was no detectable difference in expression of bcl-2 proteins between control and IFN-tau-treated lambs. The levels of bax-alpha associated with the mitochondria also increased during IFN-tau treatment. Bax-alpha immunostaining showed scattered immunoreactive hepatocytes with morphological hallmarks of apoptosis. These results suggest that IFN-tau induces growth arrest as well as apoptosis by regulating bax-alpha expression. These pathological effects of IFN-tau on sheep liver indicate potential mechanisms of Type 1 IFN-induced hepatotoxicity in animals and humans.
authors.affiliation: Department, Texas A&M University and Texas A&M University System Health Science Center, College Station, TX 77843-2471, USA.
authors.forename: H T
authors.initials: HT
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Stoica
authors.forename: F W
authors.initials: FW
authors.lastname: Bazer
authors.forename: T L
authors.initials: TL
authors.lastname: Ott
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000998:Antiviral Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D017209:Apoptosis; D001219:Aspartate Aminotransferases / Q000378:metabolism; D002453:Cell Cycle / Q000187:drug effects; D005260:Female; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D007370:Interferon Type I / Q000494:pharmacology*; D008099:Liver / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000473:pathology / Q000502:physiology*; D008930:Mitochondria, Liver / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D011257:Pregnancy Proteins / Q000494:pharmacology*; D011518:Proto-Oncogene Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D019253:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2; D012756:Sheep; D013997:Time Factors; D015854:Up-Regulation; D051028:bcl-2-Associated X Protein
chemical_list: D000998:Antiviral Agents; D007370:Interferon Type I; D011257:Pregnancy Proteins; D011518:Proto-Oncogene Proteins; D019253:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2; D051028:bcl-2-Associated X Protein; C020947:interferon tau; D001219:Aspartate Aminotransferases