Submitted on November 29, 2004
Accepted on April 4, 2005
NF-
B activation in Kupffer cells after partial hepatectomy
Liu Yang1, Scott T. Magness1, Ramon Bataller1, Richard A. Rippe1, and David A. Brenner1*
1 Department of Medicine, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
* To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: dab2106{at}columbia.edu.
The transcription factor NF-
B is activated during liver regeneration after partial
hepatectomy. However, the physiological role and cellular localization of NF-B
activation are unresolved. In this study we use an adenoviral vector expressing a mutated
form of IêBá to inhibit NF-B activity during liver regeneration. Following partial
hepatectomy in mice, introduction of Ad5IêB, but not a control virus (Ad5GFP), resulted
in increased liver injury and decreased hepatocyte proliferation. Hepatocyte apoptosis was
not observed. To investigate the kinetics and cellular localization of NF-B-induced
transcription during liver regeneration, we generated a transgenic mouse expressing the
enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP) under the transcriptional control of NF-B
cis-elements (cis-NF-B-EGFP). During liver regeneration, EGFP expression was
detected within 12 h and primarily located in Kupffer cells. Our data demonstrate that
activation of NF-B initially occurs in Kupffer cells following partial hepatectomy in
mice.
