NCOA5 Haploinsufficiency in Myeloid-Lineage Cells Sufficiently Causes Nonalcoholic Steatohepatitis and Hepatocellular Carcinoma

BACKGROUND & AIMS: The nuclear receptor coactivator (NCOA5) is a putative type 2 diabetes susceptibility gene. NCOA5 haploinsufficiency results in the spontaneous develop-ment of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), insulin resistance, and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in male mice; however, the cell-specific effect of NCOA5 haploinsufficiency various types of cells, including macrophages, on the develop-ment of NAFLD and HCC remains unknown. METHODS: Control and myeloid-lineage-specific Ncoa5 dele-tion (Ncoa5(Delta M/+)) mice fed a normal diet were examined for the development of NAFLD, nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), and HCC. Altered genes and signaling pathways in the intra-hepatic macrophages of Ncoa5(Delta M/+) male mice were analyzed and compared with those of obese human individuals. The role of platelet factor 4 (PF4) in macrophages and the underlying mechanism by which PF4 affects NAFLD/NASH were explored in vitro and in vivo. PF4 expression in HCC patient specimens and prognosis was examined. RESULTS: Myeloid-lineage-specific Ncoa5 deletion sufficiently causes spontaneous NASH and HCC development in male mice fed a normal diet. PF4 overexpression in Ncoa5(Delta M/+) intra-hepatic macrophages is identified as a potent mediator to trigger lipid accumulation in hepatocytes by inducing lipogenesis-promoting gene expression. The transcriptome of intrahepatic macrophages from Ncoa5(Delta M/+) male mice re-sembles that of obese human individuals. High PF4 expression correlated with poor prognosis of HCC patients and increased infiltrations of M2 macrophages, regulatory T cells, and myeloid-derived suppressor cells in HCCs. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings reveal a novel mechanism for the onset of NAFLD/NASH and HCC initiated by NCOA5-deficient macrophages, suggesting the NCOA5-PF4 axis in macrophages as a potential target for developing preventive and therapeutic interventions against NAFLD/NASH and HCC.

Automated summary

This study reveals a novel mechanism for the onset of NAFLD/NASH and HCC initiated by NCOA5-deficient macrophages, suggesting the NCOA5-PF4 axis in macrophages as a potential target for developing preventive and therapeutic interventions against NAFLD/NASH and HCC.