Expression patterns and action analysis of genes associated with physiological responses during rat liver regeneration: Innate immune response.
OBJECTIVE
To study the relationship between innate immune response and liver regeneration (LR) at transcriptional level.


METHODS
Genes associated with innate immunity response were obtained by collecting the data from databases and retrieving articles. Gene expression changes in rat regenerating liver were detected by rat genome 230 2.0 array.


RESULTS
A total of 85 genes were found to be associated with LR. The initially and totally expressed number of genes at the phases of initiation [0.5-4 h after partial hepatectomy (PH)], transition from G0 to G1 (4-6 h after PH), cell proliferation (6-66 h after PH), cell differentiation and structure-function reconstruction (66-168 h after PH) was 36, 9, 47, 4 and 36, 26, 78, 50, respectively, illustrating that the associated genes were mainly triggered at the initial phase of LR and worked at different phases. According to their expression similarity, these genes were classified into 5 types: 41 up-regulated, 4 predominantly up-regulated, 26 down-regulated, 6 predominantly down-regulated, and 8 approximately up/down-regulated genes, respectively. The expression of these genes was up-regulated 350 times and down-regulated 129 times respectively, demonstrating that the expression of most genes was enhanced while the expression of a small number of genes was decreased during LR. Their time relevance was classified into 14 groups, showing that the cellular physiological and biochemical activities during LR were staggered. According to the gene expression patterns, they were classified into 28 types, indicating that the cellular physiological and biochemical activities were diverse and complicated during LR.


CONCLUSIONS
Congenital cellular immunity is enhanced mainly in the forepart, prophase and anaphase of LR while congenital molecular immunity is increased dominantly in the forepart and anaphase of LR. A total of 85 genes associated with LR play an important role in innate immunity.
Chen
Guang-Wen
GW
College of Life Science, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, Gansu Province, China.
Zhang
Ming-Zhen
MZ
Zhao
Li-Feng
LF
Xu
Cun-Shuan
CS
D000818:Animals; D049109:Cell Proliferation; D005260:Female; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation / Q000502:physiology*; D005802:Genes, MHC Class II / Q000235:genetics* / Q000502:physiology*; D006498:Hepatectomy; D008099:Liver / Q000166:cytology / Q000601:surgery; D008115:Liver Regeneration / Q000235:genetics* / Q000502:physiology*; D008297:Male; D011897:Random Allocation; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D013997:Time Factors; D014158:Transcription, Genetic / Q000502:physiology