Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Elsevier
Résumé : International audience
Primary hepatocyte cultures are now considered as convenient models for in vitro analyzing liver drug transport. However, if primary human and rat hepatocytes have been well-characterized with respect to drug transporter expression and regulation, much less is known for primary mouse hepatocytes. The present study was therefore designed to gain insights about this point. The profile of sinusoidal and canalicular drug transporter mRNA expression in short time (4h)-cultured mouse hepatocytes was found to be highly correlated with that of freshly isolated hepatocytes; by contrast, those of counterparts cultured for a longer time (until 4days) either in monolayer configurations on plastic or collagen or in sandwich configuration with matrigel were profoundly altered: uptake drug transporters such as Oct1, Oatps and Oat2 were thus down-regulated, whereas most of efflux transporters such as Mdr1a/b, Mrp3, Mrp4 and Bcrp were induced. Moreover, short time-cultured hepatocytes exhibited the highest levels of sinusoidal influx transporter activities. Transporter-mediated drug secretion into canalicular networks was however only observed in sandwich-cultured hepatocytes. Mouse hepatocytes cultured either in monolayer or sandwich configurations were finally shown to exhibit up-regulation of referent transporters in response to exposure to prototypical activators of the drug sensing receptors pregnane X receptor, aryl hydrocarbon receptor or constitutive androstane receptor. Taken together, these data demonstrate the feasibility of using primary mouse hepatocytes for investigating potential interactions of xenobiotics with hepatic transporter activity or regulation, provided that adequate culture conditions are retained.
ISSN: 0928-0987

inserm-00823243
http://www.hal.inserm.fr/inserm-00823243
DOI : 10.1016/j.ejps.2013.01.013
PUBMED : 23396053

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Endocrine Society
Résumé : International audience
Transcriptional regulation by the estrogen receptor-alpha(ER) has been investigated mainly in breast cancer cell lines, but estrogens such as 17 beta-estradiol (E2) exert numerous extrareproductive effects, particularly in the liver, where E2 exhibits both protective metabolic and deleterious thrombotic actions. To analyze the direct and early transcriptional effects of estrogens in the liver, we determined the E2-sensitive transcriptome and ER cistrome in mice after acute administration of E2 or placebo. These analyses revealed the early induction of genes involved in lipid metabolism, which fits with the crucial role of ER in the prevention of liver steatosis. Characterization of the chromatin state of ER binding sites (BSs) in mice expressing or not ER demonstrated that ER is not required per se for the establishment and/or maintenance of chromatin modifications at the majority of its BSs. This is presumably a consequence of a strong overlap between ER and hepatocyte nuclear factor 4 alpha BSs. In contrast, 40% of the BSs of the pioneer factor forkhead box protein a (Foxa2) were dependent upon ER expression, and ER expression also affected the distribution of nucleosomes harboring dimethylated lysine 4 of Histone H3 around Foxa2 BSs. We finally show that, in addition to a network of liver-specific transcription factors including CCAAT/enhancer-binding protein and hepatocyte nuclear factor 4 alpha, ER might be required for proper Foxa2 function in this tissue.
ISSN: 0888-8809

hal-01357623
https://hal-univ-rennes1.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01357623
https://hal-univ-rennes1.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01357623/document
https://hal-univ-rennes1.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01357623/file/Changes%20in%20gene%20expression%201%20and%20Estrogen%20Receptor_accepted.pdf
DOI : 10.1210/me.2015-1311

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD
Résumé : International audience
In two swordtail species of the genus Xiphophorus, the onset of puberty has been shown to be modulated at the P locus by sequence polymorphism and gene copy-number variation affecting the type 4 melanocortin hormone receptor Mc4r. The system works through the interaction of two allelic types, one encoding wild type and the other dominant-negative receptors. We have analyzed the structure and evolution of the P locus in the platyfish Xiphophorus maculatus, where as many as nine alleles of P determining the onset of sexual maturity in males and females, fecundity in females, and adult size in males are located on both the X and Y chromosomes in a region linked to the master sex-determining locus. In this species, mc4r has been amplified to up to 10 copies on both the X and Y chromosomes through recent large serial duplications. Subsequently, mc4r paralogues have diverged considerably into many different subtypes. Certain copies have acquired new untranslated regions through genomic rearrangements, and transposable element insertions and other mutations have accumulated in promoter regions, possibly explaining observed deviations from the classical mc4r transcriptional pattern. In the mc4r-coding sequence, in-frame insertions and deletions as well as nonsense and missense mutations have generated a high diversity of Mc4r-predicted proteins. Most of these variants are expressed in embryos, adults, and/or tumors. Functional receptor characterization demonstrated major divergence in pharmacological behavior for Mc4r receptors encoded by different copies of platyfish mc4r, with differences in constitutive activity as well as binding and stimulation by hormones. The high degree of allelic and copy-number variation observed between individuals can explain the high level of polymorphism for sexual maturation, fecundity, and body size in the platyfish: multiple combinations of Mc4r variants with different biochemical properties might interact to modulate the melanocortin signaling that regulates the hypothalamus-pituitary-gonadal axis.
GENETICS

hal-01544912
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01544912
DOI : 10.1534/genetics.113.155952

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD American Society for Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics (ASPET)
Résumé : International audience
Most human hepatocyte cell lines lack a substantial set of liver-specific functions, especially major cytochrome P450 (P450)-related enzyme activities, making them unrepresentative of in vivo hepatocytes. We have used the HepaRG cells, derived from a human hepatocellular carcinoma, which exhibit a high differentiation pattern after 2 weeks at confluency to determine whether they could mimic human hepatocytes for drug metabolism and toxicity studies. We show that when passaged at low density, these cells reversed to an undifferentiated morphology, actively divided, and, after having reached confluency, formed typical hepatocyte-like colonies surrounded by biliary epithelial-like cells. By contrast, when seeded at high density, hepatocyte-like clusters retained their typical differentiated morphology. Transcripts of various nuclear receptors (aryl hydrocarbon receptor, pregnane X receptor, constitutive androstane receptor, peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor alpha), P450s (CYP1A2, 2C9, 2D6, 2E1, 3A4), phase 2 enzymes (UGT1A1, GSTA1, GSTA4, GSTM1), and other liver-specific functions were estimated by reverse transcriptase-quantitative polymerase chain reaction and were found to be expressed, for most of them, at comparable levels in both confluent differentiated and high-density differentiated HepaRG cells and in cultured primary human hepatocytes. For several transcripts, the levels were strongly increased in the presence of 2% dimethyl sulfoxide. Measurement of basal activities of several P450s and their response to prototypical inducers as well as analysis of metabolic profiles and cytotoxicity of several compounds confirmed the functional resemblance of HepaRG cells to primary cultured human hepatocytes. In conclusion, HepaRG cells constitute the first human hepatoma cell line expressing high levels of the major P450s involved in xenobiotic metabolism and represent a reliable surrogate to human hepatocytes for drug metabolism and toxicity studies.
ISSN: 0090-9556

hal-00702085
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00702085
DOI : 10.1124/dmd.105.006759
PUBMED : 16204462

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Elsevier
Résumé : International audience
All-trans retinoic acid (atRA) is the active form of vitamin A, known to activate retinoid receptors, especially the heterodimer retinoid X receptor (RXR):retinoic acid receptor (RAR) that otherwise may play a role in regulation of some drug transporters. The present study was designed to characterize the nature of human hepatic transporters that may be targeted by atRA and the heterodimer RXR:RAR. Exposure of human hepatoma HepaRG cells and primary human hepatocytes to 5μM atRA down-regulated mRNA levels of various sinusoidal solute carrier (SLC) influx transporters, including organic anion transporting polypeptide (OATP) 2B1, OATP1B1, organic cation transporter (OCT) 1 and organic anion transporter (OAT) 2, and induced those of the canalicular breast cancer resistance protein (BCRP). The retinoid concomitantly reduced protein expression of OATP2B1 and OATP1B1 and activity of OATPs and OCT1 and induced BCRP protein expression in HepaRG cells. Some transporters such as OATP1B3 and the bile salt export pump (BSEP) were however down-regulated by atRA in primary human hepatocytes, but induced in HepaRG cells, thus pointing out discrepancies between these two liver cell models in terms of detoxifying protein regulation. atRA-mediated repressions of OATP2B1, OATP1B1, OAT2 and OCT1 mRNA expression were finally shown to be counteracted by knocking-down expression of RARα and RXRα through siRNA transfection in HepaRG cells. atRA thus differentially regulated human hepatic drug transporters, mainly in a RXR:RAR-dependent manner, therefore establishing retinoids and retinoid receptors as modulators of liver drug transporter expression.
ISSN: 0928-0987

inserm-00804935
http://www.hal.inserm.fr/inserm-00804935
DOI : 10.1016/j.ejps.2013.01.005
PUBMED : 23352986

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Elsevier
Résumé : International audience
The Liver X Receptors (LXRs) α and β and the Peroxisome Proliferator-Activated Receptor α (PPARα) are transcription factors that belong to class II nuclear receptors. They drive the expression of genes involved in hepatic lipid homeostasis and therefore are important targets for the prevention and treatment of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). LXRs and PPARα are regulated by endogenous ligands, oxysterols and fatty acid derived molecules, respectively. In the liver, pharmacological activation of LXRs leads to the over-expression of genes involved in de novo lipogenesis, while PPARα is critical for fatty acid catabolism in nutrient deprivation. Even if these two nuclear receptors seemed to play opposite parts, recent studies have highlighted that PPARα also influence the expression of genes involved in fatty acids synthesis. In this study, we used pharmacological approaches and genetically engineered mice to investigate the cross-talk between LXRs and PPARα in the regulation of genes responsible for lipogenesis. We first investigated the effect of T0901317 and fenofibrate, two synthetic agonists of LXRs and PPARα, respectively. As expected, T0901317 and fenofibrate induce expression of genes involved LXR-dependent and PPARα-dependent lipogenic responses. Considering such overlapping effect, we then tested whether LXR agonist may influence PPARα driven response and vice versa. We show that the lack of PPARα does not influence the effects of T0901317 on lipogenic genes expression. However, PPARα deficiency prevents the up-regulation of genes involved in ω-hydroxylation that are induced by the LXR agonist. In addition, over-expression of lipogenic genes in response to fenofibrate is decreased in LXR knockout mice as well as the expression of PPARα target genes involved in fatty acid oxidation. Altogether, our work provides in vivo evidence for a central interconnection between nuclear receptors that drive hepatic lipid metabolism in response to oxysterol and fatty acids.
ISSN: 0300-9084

inserm-00872582
http://www.hal.inserm.fr/inserm-00872582
DOI : 10.1016/j.biochi.2012.09.028
PUBMED : 23063693

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD
Résumé : International audience
Human hepatoma cells may represent a valuable alternative to the use of human hepatocytes for studying hepatic drug transporters, which is now a regulatory issue during drug development. In the present work, we have characterized hepatic drug transporter expression, activity and regulation in human hepatoma HuH-7 cells, in order to determine the potential relevance of these cells for drug transport assays. HuH-7 cells displayed notable multidrug resistance-associated protein (MRP) activity, presumed to reflect expression of various hepatic MRPs, including MRP2. By contrast, they failed to display functional activities of the uptake transporters sodium taurocholate co-transporting polypeptide (NTCP), organic anion-transporting polypeptides (OATPs) and organic cation transporter 1 (OCT1), and of the canalicular transporters P-glycoprotein and breast cancer resistance protein (BCRP). Concomitantly, mRNA expressions of various sinusoidal and canalicular hepatic drug transporters were not detected (NTCP, OATP1B1, organic anion transporter 2 (OAT2), OCT1 and bile salt export pump) or were found to be lower (OATP1B3, OATP2B1, multidrug and toxin extrusion protein 1, BCRP and MRP3) in hepatoma HuH-7 cells than those found in human hepatocytes, whereas other transporters such as OAT7, MRP4 and MRP5 were up-regulated. HuH-7 cells additionally exhibited farnesoid X receptor (FXR)- and nuclear factor erythroid
Pharmaceutics

hal-01477210
https://hal-univ-rennes1.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01477210
DOI : 10.3390/pharmaceutics9010003
PUBMED : 28036031