DNA methylation of angiotensin II receptor gene in nonalcoholic steatohepatitis-related liver fibrosis

Abstract

AIM To clarify whether Agtr1a methylation is involved in the development of nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH)-related liver fibrosis in adult rats. METHODS A choline-deficient amino acid (CDAA) diet model was employed for methylation analysis of NASH-related liver fibrosis. Agtr1a methylation levels were measured in the livers of CDAA- and control choline-sufficient amino acid (CSAA)-fed rats for 8 and 12 wk using quantitative methylation-specific PCR. Hepatic stellate cells (HSCs) were isolated by collagenase digestion of the liver, followed by centrifugation of the crude cell suspension through a density gradient. Agtr1amethylation and its gene expression were also analyzed during the activation of HSCs. RESULTS The mean levels of Agtrla methylation in the livers of CDAA-fed rats (11.5% and 18.6% at 8 and 12 wk, respectively) tended to be higher (P = 0.06 and 0.09, respectively) than those in the livers of CSAA-fed rats (2.1% and 5.3% at 8 and 12 wk, respectively). Agtr1a was not methylated at all in quiescent HSCs, but was clearly methylated in activated HSCs (13.8%, P < 0.01). Interestingly, although Agtr1awas hypermethylated, the Agtr1amRNA level increased up to 2.2-fold (P < 0.05) in activated HSCs compared with that in quiescent HSCs, suggesting that Agtr1a methylation did not silence its expression but instead had the potential to upregulate its expression. These findings indicate that Agtr1ame-thylation and its upregulation of gene expression are associated with the development of NASH-related liver fibrosis. CONCLUSION This is the first study to show that DNA methylation is potentially involved in the regulation of a renin-angiotensin system-related gene expression during liver fibrosis.