title: p59fyn is associated with the development of hepatic steatosis due to chronic ethanol consumption.
abstract: p59fyn, a protein tyrosine kinase belonging to the src-family, is involved in the regulatory mechanism of acute response to ethanol in the central nervous system. A previous report showed an association between src-family kinase activity and fatty acid oxidation, and it also reported that hepatic free fatty acid levels were low in Fyn-/- mice. We examined, using Fyn-/- mice whether Fyn is also involved in fatty acid metabolism and the development of pathological changes in the liver in response to chronic ethanol consumption. C57BL/6J Fyn-/- and Fyn+/+ mice were fed for 8 weeks with either a liquid diet comprising ethanol or one in which the calories from ethanol were replaced with carbohydrates. Chronic ethanol consumption for 8 weeks resulted in remarkable hepatic steatosis in Fyn+/+ mice but not in Fyn-/- mice. Chronic ethanol consumption induced a significant decrease in hepatic FFA and triglyceride levels in Fyn-/- mice. Levels of interleukin-6, which is associated with the enhancement of fatty acid oxidation, was also increased significantly in the livers of ethanol-fed Fyn-/- mice. The results suggest that Fyn is involved in the enhancement of fatty acid oxidation and the development of hepatic steatosis caused by chronic ethanol consumption.
authors.affiliation: Department of Gastroenteroloy and Hepatology, Osaka Medical College, 2-7 Daigaku-machi, Takatsuki, Osaka 569-8686, Japan.
authors.forename: Shinya
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Fukunishi
authors.forename: Yasuhiro
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Tsuda
authors.forename: Atsushi
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Takeshita
authors.forename: Hideo
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Fukui
authors.forename: Katsuhiko
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Miyaji
authors.forename: Akira
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Fukuda
authors.forename: Kazuhide
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Higuchi