A crucial role of bone morphogenetic protein signaling in the wound healing response in acute liver injury induced by carbon tetrachloride.
Background. Acute liver injury induced by administration of carbon tetrachloride (CCl(4)) has used a model of wound repair in the rat liver. Previously, we reported transient expression of bone morphogenetic protein (Bmp) 2 or Bmp4 at 6-24 h after CCl(4) treatment, suggesting a role of BMP signaling in the wound healing response in the injured liver. In the present study, we investigated the biological meaning of the transient Bmp expression in liver injury. Methods. Using conditional knockout mice carrying a floxed exon in the BMP receptor 1A gene, we determined the hepatic gene expressions and proliferative activity following CCl(4)-treated liver. Results. We observed retardation of the healing response in the knockout mice treated with CCl(4), including aggravated histological feature and reduced expressions of the albumin and Tdo2 genes, and a particular decrease in the proliferative activity shown by Ki-67 immunohistochemistry. Conclusion. Our findings suggest a crucial role of BMP signaling in the amelioration of acute liver injury.
Department of Molecular Biology, School of Life Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Tottori University, Nishi-cho, Yonago 683-8503, Japan.
Nao
N
Oumi
Kumiko Amano
KA
Taniguchi
Ayumi Miyashita
AM
Kanai
Mayu
M
Yasunaga
Tomoko
T
Nakanishi
Kenzo
K
Sato