MAPK信号通路基因在小鼠肝再生中的表达谱变化

为了分析丝裂原活化蛋白激酶(Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases,MAPK)信号通路基因在肝再生中的表达图谱,以及探讨MAPK信号通路在肝再生中的作用,文章利用四氯化碳(Carbon Tetrachloride,CCl4)诱导的小鼠肝损伤再生模型对MAPK信号通路基因的表达进行检测.首先,采用CCl4腹腔注射的方法建立小鼠肝损伤再生模型,通过肝脏切片HE染色和测定血清中谷丙转氨酶活性确认模型的质量,然后,在注射CCl4后的第0、0.5、1.5、4.5、7 d分别采集小鼠肝脏样本,应用Affymetrix公司的小鼠基因表达芯片,检测MAPK信号通路中93个基因的差异表达图谱,并用荧光实时定量PCR法验证芯片检测的结果.结果表明,在芯片检测到的93个MAPK信号通路基因中,有31个在肝再生中有不同程度差异表达,且经荧光实时定量RT-PCR检测的结果与基因芯片的结果相符合.基因表达谱芯片技术可以筛选出肝再生中差异表达的基因,在小鼠肝再生中的第0.5和1.5 d,MAPK信号通路中表达水平上调的基因增多,而在第4.5和7 d,则表达水平下调的基因明显增多.这一结果表明MAPK信号通路对肝再生不同阶段的双重调控作用.

Differential expression of MAPK-pathway genes during liver regeneration of mouse.

To investigate the different expression profiles of MAPK pathway genes and their corresponding functions during liver regeneration, we used a CCl4 induced mouse liver regeneration model in this study. Mouse was injected with CCl4 in the abdominal cavity to cause damage in the liver and followed by liver histology examination and measurement of serum ALT levels in blood sample collected at 0, 0.5, 1.5, 4.5, and 7 d after CCl4 injection. Differentially expressed genes in the MAPK pathway during liver regeneration were analyzed using mouse cDNA microarray method (Affymetrix). The results obtained were further subjected to hierarchical clustering study and were validated with real-time PCR. Microarray hybridization identified 31 out of the 93 MAPK pathway component genes, which have significantly altered their expression levels during liver regeneration. Among them, both up- and down-regulated genes were classified into various groups according to clustering studies and functional analysis. At the initial stage of liver regeneration, the number of up-regulated genes was greater than the down-regulated genes, while at the late stage the situation was reversed. Our results suggest that MAPK pathway might play different regulatory roles in responding to different stages of liver regeneration.