Hepatic stellate cell-specific platelet-derived growth factor receptor α loss reduces fibrosis and promotes repair following hepatocellular injury

Platelet-derived growth factor receptor α (PDGFRα) plays roles in cell survival, proliferation, and differentiation, however its function in chronic liver injury sequelae like fibrosis is unknown. Hepatic stellate cells (HSCs), the primary mediators of fibrosis, undergo activation, which entails differentiation to myofibroblasts, prolif eration, migration and collagen deposition, partially in response to PDGFs. To examine the role of PDGFRα in HSCs, we bred lecithin retinol acyltransferase (Lrat)-Cre recombinase and Pdgfra-floxed mice to generate Lrat-Cre Pdgfra-/- (KO) animals which were subjected to chronic liver injury through carbon tetrachloride (CCl4) treatment, bile duct ligation (BDL), and 0.1% 3,5-diethoxycarbonyl-1,4-dihydrocollidine (DDC).

Source: American Journal of Pathology - June 28, 2020 Category: Pathology Authors: Alexander Kikuchi, Sucha Singh, Minakshi Poddar, Toshimasa Nakao, Heidi Marie Schmidt, Jenesis D. Gayden, Toshifumi Sato, Gavin E. Arteel, Satdarshan P. Monga Source Type: research