Neuregulin 4 suppresses NASH-HCC development by restraining tumor-prone liver microenvironment

The mammalian liver comprises heterogeneous cell types within its tissue microenvironment that undergo pathophysiological reprogramming in disease states, such as non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH). Patients with NASH are at an increased risk for the development of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). However, the mo-lecular and cellular nature of liver microenvironment remodeling that links NASH to liver carcinogenesis re-mains obscure. Here, we show that diet-induced NASH is characterized by the induction of tumor-associated macrophage (TAM)-like macrophages and exhaustion of cytotoxic CD8+ T cells in the liver. The adipocyte-derived endocrine factor Neuregulin 4 (NRG4) serves as a hormonal checkpoint that restrains this patholog-ical reprogramming during NASH. NRG4 deficiency exacerbated the induction of tumor-prone liver immune microenvironment and NASH-related HCC, whereas transgenic NRG4 overexpression elicited protective ef-fects in mice. In a therapeutic setting, recombinant NRG4-Fc fusion protein exhibited remarkable potency in suppressing HCC and prolonged survival in the treated mice. These findings pave the way for therapeutic intervention of liver cancer by targeting the NRG4 hormonal checkpoint.

Automated summary

This study reveals that NASH leads to the induction of tumor-associated macrophages and depletion of cytotoxic T cells in the liver. Adipocyte-derived endocrine factor NRG4 plays a role in restraining this pathological reprogramming during NASH. NRG4 deficiency may exacerbate the development of tumor-prone liver immune microenvironment and NASH-related HCC, while NRG4 overexpression could have protective effects in mice. Recombinant NRG4-Fc fusion protein shows remarkable potency in suppressing HCC and prolonging survival in treated mice.