Retinoic Acid Receptor‐β Is Downregulated in Hepatocellular Carcinoma and Cirrhosis and Its Expression Inhibits Myosin‐Driven Activation and Durotaxis in Hepatic Stellate Cells
Open accessAbstract
Hepatic stellate cells (HSCs) are essential perisinusoidal cells in both healthy and diseased liver. HSCs modulate extracellular matrix (ECM) homeostasis when quiescent, but in liver fibrosis, HSCs become activated and promote excess deposition of ECM molecules and tissue stiffening via force generation and mechanosensing. In hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), activated HSCs infiltrate the stroma and migrate to the tumor core to facilitate paracrine signaling with cancer cells. Because the function of HSCs is known to be modulated by retinoids, we investigated the expression profile of retinoic acid receptor beta (RAR‐β) in patients with cirrhosis and HCC, as well as the effects of RAR‐β activation in HSCs. We found that RAR‐β expression is significantly reduced in cirrhotic and HCC tissues. Using a comprehensive set of biophysical methods combined with cellular and molecular biology, we have elucidated the biomechanical mechanism by which all trans‐retinoic acid promotes HSC deactivation via RAR‐β‐dependent transcriptional downregulation of myosin light chain 2 expression. Furthermore, this also abrogated mechanically driven migration toward stiffer substrates. Conclusion: Targeting mechanotransduction in HSCs at the transcriptional level may offer therapeutic options for a range of liver diseases.
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Activation of RAR in HSCs, specifically RAR-β, results in downregulation of MLC-2 expression, which plays a pivotal role in ECM deposition.
“The activation of RAR in HSCs, specifically RAR-β (NR1B2), results in a downregulation of myosin light chain-2 (MLC-2) expression, which plays a pivotal role in ECM deposition.[178]”
From Nuclear receptors in liver fibrosis (2021) · cites this paper as [178]
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- Authors
- Cortes, E., Lachowski, D., Rice, A., Chronopoulos, A., Robinson, B., Thorpe, S., Lee, D. A., Possamai, L. A., Wang, H., Pinato, D. J., & del Río Hernández, A. E.
- Affiliations
- Cellular and Molecular Biomechanics Laboratory, Department of Bioengineering,Imperial College London,London,United Kingdom
- Imperial College London (GB)
- Queen Mary University of London (GB)
- Tongji University (CN)
- Hammersmith Hospital (GB)
- Corresponding author
- Pinato, David J
- ORCID
- Venue
- Hepatology
- Published
- 2018-12-17
- Volume
- 69
- Issue
- 2
- Pages
- 785-802
- ISSN
- 0270-9139 (ISSN-L)
- 1527-3350
- OpenAlex
- W2884101007
- Cited by
- 64
- References
- 47
- Citations by year
- 2026: 5 · 2025: 7 · 2024: 9 · 2023: 9 · 2022: 7 · 2021: 8 · 2020: 8 · 2019: 5 · 2018: 6
- FWCI
- 4.23
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- bronze
- doi.org
- Licence
- Locations
- Hepatology (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Queen Mary Research Online (Queen Mary University of London) (submittedVersion)
- Spiral (Imperial College London) (submittedVersion)
- Funders
- Health Research
- Cancer Research UK
- National Institute for Health and Care Research (CL-2015-21-010, CL-2015-21-002)
- Academy of Medical Sciences (SGL017\1027)
- Imperial College London
- Imperial Experimental Cancer Medicine Centre
- Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BB/N018532/1)
- NIHR Imperial Biomedical Research Centre
- FP7 Ideas: European Research Council (282051)
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Hepatology › Liver physiology and pathology
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Hepatology › Hepatocellular Carcinoma Treatment and Prognosis
- Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Cell Biology › Cellular Mechanics and Interactions
- Keywords
- retinoic acid receptor beta, hepatocellular carcinoma, liver cirrhosis, hepatic stellate cells, myosin light chain 2, mechanotransduction, durotaxis, extracellular matrix stiffness, liver fibrosis, retinoic acid
- MeSH terms
- Animals, Cell Movement, Carcinoma, Hepatocellular, Humans, Liver Cirrhosis, Experimental, Liver Neoplasms, Tretinoin, Case-Control Studies, Extracellular Matrix Proteins, Receptors, Retinoic Acid, Myosin Light Chains, Cardiac Myosins, Mechanotransduction, Cellular, Mice, Hepatic Stellate Cells, Cellular Microenvironment, Primary Cell Culture
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