Single‐cell landscape of the intrahepatic ecosystem in alcohol‐related liver disease
Abstract Alcohol‐related liver disease (ALD) is a common chronic liver disease caused by long‐term excessive alcohol consumption and responsible for more than half of all liver‐related deaths worldwide. The molecular mechanisms associated with ALD were not fully understood. In this study, we perform...
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Wiley
2025-01-01
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| Series: | Clinical and Translational Medicine |
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| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1002/ctm2.70198 |
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| author | Xiaofang Zhao Senyan Wang Qi Liu Wenjuan Wei Xiaoyan Sun Hao Song Jing Xu Shuijun Zhang Hongyang Wang Jing Fu |
| author_facet | Xiaofang Zhao Senyan Wang Qi Liu Wenjuan Wei Xiaoyan Sun Hao Song Jing Xu Shuijun Zhang Hongyang Wang Jing Fu |
| author_sort | Xiaofang Zhao |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Alcohol‐related liver disease (ALD) is a common chronic liver disease caused by long‐term excessive alcohol consumption and responsible for more than half of all liver‐related deaths worldwide. The molecular mechanisms associated with ALD were not fully understood. In this study, we performed single‐cell RNA sequencing on liver tissues obtained from ALD patients and healthy liver donors. We identified an ALB+KRT7+ epithelial population that expressed both hepatocyte and biliary markers significantly expanded in ALD livers. The ALB+KRT7+ epithelial cells were demonstrated to have stem cell properties and malignant transformation potentials. Moreover, ALB+KRT7+ epithelium‐derived ALD organoids promote the tumour growth by activating Wnt/β‐catenin signalling of liver cancer cells. Most importantly, blocking the Wnt protein secretion or knockdown the Wnt receptor suppressed the tumour promoting effect of ALD organoids. Our study provides important insights that Wnt signalling can be targeted in patients with advanced alcohol‐related cirrhosis to prevent malignant transformation. In addition, our results also uncovered the important alterations of nonparenchymal cells, especially macrophages and T/NK populations that responsible for active inflammation responses in alcohol‐related hepatitis and immunosuppressive microenvironment in advanced cirrhosis livers, which likely facilitated the malignant progression of ALD. Key points This study provides single‐cell landscape of human liver samples across different ALD stages. The ALB+ KRT7+ epithelium were enriched in ALD patients, and the function of this epithelial population varied significantly across ALD stages. ALB+KRT7+ epithelium from advanced alcohol‐related cirrhosis had malignant transformation potential and tumour promotion activity. The comprehensive changes of parenchymal and nonparenchymal cells in the ALD livers lay a hidden danger for the further malignant progression. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-8148611a17974719a62fa7b046c5b5ed |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2001-1326 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-01-01 |
| publisher | Wiley |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Clinical and Translational Medicine |
| spelling | doaj-art-8148611a17974719a62fa7b046c5b5ed2025-01-25T04:00:38ZengWileyClinical and Translational Medicine2001-13262025-01-01151n/an/a10.1002/ctm2.70198Single‐cell landscape of the intrahepatic ecosystem in alcohol‐related liver diseaseXiaofang Zhao0Senyan Wang1Qi Liu2Wenjuan Wei3Xiaoyan Sun4Hao Song5Jing Xu6Shuijun Zhang7Hongyang Wang8Jing Fu9Translational Medicine CenterThe First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou UniversityZhengzhouHenanChinaTranslational Medicine CenterThe First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou UniversityZhengzhouHenanChinaDepartment of Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic SurgeryThe First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou UniversityZhengzhouHenanChinaTranslational Medicine CenterThe First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou UniversityZhengzhouHenanChinaTranslational Medicine CenterThe First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou UniversityZhengzhouHenanChinaTranslational Medicine CenterThe First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou UniversityZhengzhouHenanChinaTranslational Medicine CenterThe First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou UniversityZhengzhouHenanChinaDepartment of Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic SurgeryThe First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou UniversityZhengzhouHenanChinaInternational Cooperation Laboratory on Signal Transduction, National Center for Liver Cancer, Ministry of Education Key Laboratory on Signaling Regulation and Targeting Therapy of Liver Cancer, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Hepatobiliary Tumor BiologyEastern Hepatobiliary Surgery Hospital, Second Military Medical University/NAVAL Medical UniversityShanghai ChinaInternational Cooperation Laboratory on Signal Transduction, National Center for Liver Cancer, Ministry of Education Key Laboratory on Signaling Regulation and Targeting Therapy of Liver Cancer, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Hepatobiliary Tumor BiologyEastern Hepatobiliary Surgery Hospital, Second Military Medical University/NAVAL Medical UniversityShanghai ChinaAbstract Alcohol‐related liver disease (ALD) is a common chronic liver disease caused by long‐term excessive alcohol consumption and responsible for more than half of all liver‐related deaths worldwide. The molecular mechanisms associated with ALD were not fully understood. In this study, we performed single‐cell RNA sequencing on liver tissues obtained from ALD patients and healthy liver donors. We identified an ALB+KRT7+ epithelial population that expressed both hepatocyte and biliary markers significantly expanded in ALD livers. The ALB+KRT7+ epithelial cells were demonstrated to have stem cell properties and malignant transformation potentials. Moreover, ALB+KRT7+ epithelium‐derived ALD organoids promote the tumour growth by activating Wnt/β‐catenin signalling of liver cancer cells. Most importantly, blocking the Wnt protein secretion or knockdown the Wnt receptor suppressed the tumour promoting effect of ALD organoids. Our study provides important insights that Wnt signalling can be targeted in patients with advanced alcohol‐related cirrhosis to prevent malignant transformation. In addition, our results also uncovered the important alterations of nonparenchymal cells, especially macrophages and T/NK populations that responsible for active inflammation responses in alcohol‐related hepatitis and immunosuppressive microenvironment in advanced cirrhosis livers, which likely facilitated the malignant progression of ALD. Key points This study provides single‐cell landscape of human liver samples across different ALD stages. The ALB+ KRT7+ epithelium were enriched in ALD patients, and the function of this epithelial population varied significantly across ALD stages. ALB+KRT7+ epithelium from advanced alcohol‐related cirrhosis had malignant transformation potential and tumour promotion activity. The comprehensive changes of parenchymal and nonparenchymal cells in the ALD livers lay a hidden danger for the further malignant progression.https://doi.org/10.1002/ctm2.70198ALB+KRT7+ epitheliumalcohol‐related liver diseasesingle‐cell RNA‐seqWnt/β‐catenin |
| spellingShingle | Xiaofang Zhao Senyan Wang Qi Liu Wenjuan Wei Xiaoyan Sun Hao Song Jing Xu Shuijun Zhang Hongyang Wang Jing Fu Single‐cell landscape of the intrahepatic ecosystem in alcohol‐related liver disease Clinical and Translational Medicine ALB+KRT7+ epithelium alcohol‐related liver disease single‐cell RNA‐seq Wnt/β‐catenin |
| title | Single‐cell landscape of the intrahepatic ecosystem in alcohol‐related liver disease |
| title_full | Single‐cell landscape of the intrahepatic ecosystem in alcohol‐related liver disease |
| title_fullStr | Single‐cell landscape of the intrahepatic ecosystem in alcohol‐related liver disease |
| title_full_unstemmed | Single‐cell landscape of the intrahepatic ecosystem in alcohol‐related liver disease |
| title_short | Single‐cell landscape of the intrahepatic ecosystem in alcohol‐related liver disease |
| title_sort | single cell landscape of the intrahepatic ecosystem in alcohol related liver disease |
| topic | ALB+KRT7+ epithelium alcohol‐related liver disease single‐cell RNA‐seq Wnt/β‐catenin |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1002/ctm2.70198 |
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