Lipids in Health and Disease (Apr 2021)

TWIST2 and the PPAR signaling pathway are important in the progression of nonalcoholic steatohepatitis

  • Yanmei Zhang,
  • Xiaoxiao Ge,
  • Yongqing Li,
  • Bingyang Zhang,
  • Peijun Wang,
  • Mingju Hao,
  • Peng Gao,
  • Yueyi Zhao,
  • Tao Sun,
  • Sumei Lu,
  • Wanshan Ma

DOI
https://doi.org/10.1186/s12944-021-01458-0
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 20, no. 1
pp. 1 – 13

Abstract

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Abstract Background To investigate the roles of the transcription factors twist family bHLH transcription factor 1 (TWIST1), twist family bHLH transcription factor 2 (TWIST2), and peroxisome proliferator activated receptor gamma (PPARγ) in the progression of nonalcoholic steatohepatitis. Methods The protein levels of TWIST1, TWIST2 and PPARγ were determined in the serum of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) patients and healthy controls by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). An in vivo model for fatty liver was established by feeding C57BL/6 J mice a high-fat diet (HFD). An in vitro model of steatosis was established by treating LO-2 cells with oleic acid (OA). RNA sequencing was performed on untreated and OA-treated LO-2 cells followed by TWIST1, TWIST2 and PPARγ gene mRNA levels analysis, Gene Ontology (GO) enrichment and pathway analysis. Results The TWIST2 serum protein levels decreased significantly in all fatty liver groups (P < 0.05), while TWIST1 varied. TWIST2 tended to be lower in mice fed an HFD and was significantly lower at 3 months. Similarly, in the in vitro model, the TWIST2 protein level was downregulated significantly at 48 and 72 h after OA treatment. RNA sequencing of LO-2 cells showed an approximately 2.3-fold decrease in TWIST2, with no obvious change in TWIST1 and PPARγ. The PPAR signaling pathway was enriched, with 4 genes upregulated in OA-treated cells (P = 0.0018). The interleukin (IL)-17 and tumor necrosis factor (TNF) signaling pathways were enriched in OA-treated cells. Conclusions The results provide evidence that the TWIST2 and PPAR signaling pathways are important in NAFLD and shed light on a potential mechanism of steatosis.

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