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HORMONES AND SIGNALING

Disruption of transforming growth factor- signaling by curcumin induces gene expression of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor- in rat hepatic stellate cells

¹Department of Pathology, School of Medicine, St. Louis University, St. Louis, Missouri; and ²Department of Pharmacology, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China

Submitted 10 May 2006 ; accepted in final form 28 August 2006

Activation of hepatic stellate cells (HSC), the major effectors of hepatic fibrogenesis, is coupled with sequential alterations in gene expression, including an increase in receptors for transforming growth factor- (TGF-) and a dramatic reduction in the peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor- (PPAR-). The relationship between them remains obscure. We previously demonstrated that curcumin induced gene expression of PPAR- in activated HSC, leading to reducing cell proliferation, inducing apoptosis and suppressing expression of extracellular matrix genes. The underlying molecular mechanisms are largely unknown. We recently observed that stimulation of PPAR- activation suppressed gene expression of TGF- receptors in activated HSC, leading to the interruption of TGF- signaling. This observation supported our assumption of an antagonistic relationship between PPAR- activation and TGF- signaling in HSC. In this study, we further hypothesize that TGF- signaling might negatively regulate gene expression of PPAR- in activated HSC. The present report demonstrates that exogenous TGF-1 inhibits gene expression of PPAR- in activated HSC, which is eliminated by the pretreatment with curcumin likely by interrupting TGF- signaling. Transfection assays further indicate that blocking TGF- signaling by dominant negative type II TGF- receptor increases the promoter activity of PPAR- gene. Promoter deletion assays, site-directed mutageneses, and gel shift assays localize two Smad binding elements (SBEs) in the PPAR- gene promoter, acting as curcumin response elements and negatively regulating the promoter activity in passaged HSC. The Smad3/4 protein complex specifically binds to the SBEs. Overexpression of Smad4 dose dependently eliminates the inhibitory effects of curcumin on the PPAR- gene promoter and TGF- signaling. Taken together, these results demonstrate that the interruption of TGF- signaling by curcumin induces gene expression of PPAR- in activated HSC in vitro. Our studies provide novel insights into the molecular mechanisms of curcumin in the induction of PPAR- gene expression and in the inhibition of HSC activation.

collagen; fibrogenesis; phytochemicals; signal transduction

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