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Zhx2 protects the liver from high‐fat induced liver damage
Author(s) -
Fleishaker Erica Leigh,
Peterson Martha,
Spear Brett
Publication year - 2010
Publication title -
the faseb journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.709
H-Index - 277
eISSN - 1530-6860
pISSN - 0892-6638
DOI - 10.1096/fasebj.24.1_supplement.849.3
Subject(s) - nonalcoholic fatty liver disease , hyperlipidemia , biology , steatosis , endocrinology , obesity , medicine , phenotype , fatty liver , gene , disease , biochemistry , diabetes mellitus
Obesity is a significant and growing health concern in the US due to its associated risks, including atherosclerosis and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease. A recent genetic study, identified a QTL on mouse chromosome 15, called hyplip2, associated with hyperlipidemia and increased atherosclerotic lesions (ATVB, 24:1928). We have found that the zinc‐finger and homeoboxes 2 (Zhx2) gene (PNAS, 102:396) is responsible for the hyplip2 phenotype. The objective of this study is to understand the role of Zhx2 in liver function during a high fat diet. BALB/c (wild‐type Zhx2) and BALB/cJ (mutant Zhx2) female mice were fed a normal or high fat diet. AFP mRNA and serum ALT levels were elevated in BALB/cJ on the high fat diet compared to all other groups. Hepatic TNF mRNA levels increased in response to the high fat diet but were not significantly different between the two strains. CYP8B1 (involved in bile acid synthesis) mRNA levels were higher in BALB/cJ than BALB/c on the high fat diet. This data suggests that Zhx2 may protect the liver from high fat‐induced damage and involved in regulating lipid metabolic enzymes.