Gene positional changes relative to the nuclear substructure during carbon tetrachloride‐induced hepatic fibrosis in rats

In the interphase nucleus the DNA of higher eukaryotes is organized in loops anchored to a substructure known as the nuclear matrix (NM). The topological relationship between gene sequences located in the DNA loops and the NM appears to be very important for nuclear physiology because processes such as replication, transcription, and processing of primary transcripts occur at macromolecular complexes located at discrete sites upon the NM. Mammalian hepatocytes rarely divide but preserve a proliferating capacity that is displayed in vivo after specific stimulus. We have previously shown that transient changes in the relative position of specific genes to the NM occur during the process of liver regeneration after partial ablation of the liver, but also that such changes correlate with the replicating status of the cells. Moreover, since chronic exposure to carbon tetrachloride (CCl 4 ) leads to bouts of hepatocyte damage and regeneration, and eventually to non‐reversible liver fibrosis in the rat, we used this animal model in order to explore if genes that show differential activity in the liver change or modify their relative position to the NM during the process of liver fibrosis induction. We found that changes in the relative position of specific genes to the NM occur during the chronic administration of CCl 4 , but also that such changes correlate with the proliferating status of the hepatocytes that goes from quiescence to regeneration to replicative senescence along the course of CCl 4 ‐induced liver fibrosis, indicating that specific configurations in the higher‐order DNA structure underlie the stages of progression towards liver fibrosis. © 2004 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.