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TRIM56 protects against nonalcoholic fatty liver disease by promoting the degradation of fatty acid synthase
Suowen Xu, … , Yan-Xiao Ji, Jianping Weng
Suowen Xu, … , Yan-Xiao Ji, Jianping Weng
Published January 11, 2024
Citation Information: J Clin Invest. 2024;134(5):e166149. https://doi.org/10.1172/JCI166149.
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Research Article Hepatology

TRIM56 protects against nonalcoholic fatty liver disease by promoting the degradation of fatty acid synthase

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Abstract

Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) encompasses a disease continuum from simple steatosis to nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH). However, there are currently no approved pharmacotherapies for NAFLD, although several drugs are in advanced stages of clinical development. Because of the complex pathophysiology and heterogeneity of NAFLD, the identification of potential therapeutic targets is clinically important. Here, we demonstrated that tripartite motif 56 (TRIM56) protein abundance was markedly downregulated in the livers of individuals with NAFLD and of mice fed a high-fat diet. Hepatocyte-specific ablation of TRIM56 exacerbated the progression of NAFLD, while hepatic TRIM56 overexpression suppressed it. Integrative analyses of interactome and transcriptome profiling revealed a pivotal role of TRIM56 in lipid metabolism and identified the lipogenesis factor fatty acid synthase (FASN) as a direct binding partner of TRIM56. TRIM56 directly interacted with FASN and triggered its K48-linked ubiquitination–dependent degradation. Finally, using artificial intelligence–based virtual screening, we discovered an orally bioavailable small-molecule inhibitor of FASN (named FASstatin) that potentiates TRIM56-mediated FASN ubiquitination. Therapeutic administration of FASstatin improved NAFLD and NASH pathologies in mice with an optimal safety, tolerability, and pharmacokinetics profile. Our findings provide proof of concept that targeting the TRIM56/FASN axis in hepatocytes may offer potential therapeutic avenues to treat NAFLD.

Authors

Suowen Xu, Xiumei Wu, Sichen Wang, Mengyun Xu, Tingyu Fang, Xiaoxuan Ma, Meijie Chen, Jiajun Fu, Juan Guo, Song Tian, Tian Tian, Xu Cheng, Hailong Yang, Junjie Zhou, Zhenya Wang, Yanjun Yin, Wen Xu, Fen Xu, Jinhua Yan, Zhihua Wang, Sihui Luo, Xiao-Jing Zhang, Yan-Xiao Ji, Jianping Weng

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Figure 9

FASstatin protects against NAFLD and NASH with good safety and oral bioavailability.

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FASstatin protects against NAFLD and NASH with good safety and oral bioa...
(A and B) The NAFLD model was established by feeding male C57BL/6J mice a HFD for 16 weeks. Thereafter, mice were orally administered vehicle or FASstatin (50 mg/kg/d) for an additional 8 weeks, concurrently with HFD feeding. FASN protein expression in livers and white adipose tissue (WAT) of NAFLD mice treated with vehicle or FASstatinin 2 groups of mice (n = 5–6, 6). (B) Western blot analysis of FASN protein expression in WAT of NAFLD mice treated with vehicle or FASstatin as described in A (n = 5). (C) Body weight, liver weight, and WAT weight of mice as described in A (n = 8). One-way ANOVA followed by Bonferroni’s post hoc test. (D) Representative images of H&E-stained (top) and Oil Red O–stained staining(bottom) of liver sections from 2 groups of miceNCD- or HFD-fed mice treated with vehicle or FASstatin for 8 weeks (n = 6). Scale bars: 50 μm. (E) TG content per gram of liver from the indicated groups of mice fed a HFDdetermination (n = 8). Two-tailed Student’s t test. (F) Serum levels of TG and TC in vehicle- and FASstatin-treated mice (n = 8). Two-tailed Student’s t test. (G) Serum levels of ALT and AST in vehicle- and FASstatin-treated mice (n = 8). Two-tailed Student’s t test. (H) Pharmacokinetic characterization of FASstatin in the plasma of C57BL/6J mice after a single dose of FASstatin administered via oral gavage (50 mg/kg). Plasma was harvested at the indicated time point, and the concentration-time curve (T1/2) was plotted (n = 3). The bioavailability factor (F) was calculated. (I) Pathway enrichment analysis of liver tissues from vehicle- or FASstatin-treated mice fed a HFD (n = 3). (J) GSEA analysis of the indicated pathways (n = 3). (K) Heatmap analysis of differentially expressed genes in liver tissues from HFD mice treated with vehicle or FASstatin (n = 3). (L) Effect of FASstatin on FASN protein expression in liver tissues from mice fed a CDAHFD (n = 6). Male C57BL/6J mice were fed a CDAHFD for 2 weeks before treatment with vehicle or FASstatin (50 mg/kg/d, i.g.) for an additional 4 weeks. (M) Effect of FASstatin on liver weight, body weight and the liver weight/body weight ratio in mice fed a CDAHFD as described in L (n = 8). Two-tailed Student’s t test. (N) Effect of FASstatin on liver pathology (H&E staining), hepatic steatosis (Oil Red O staining), and fibrogenesis (Picrosirius red staining of vehicle- and FASstatin-treated NASH mice). NAS and fibrosis score was calculated (n = 6). Scale bars: 50 μm. Mann-Whitney U test. (O) Effect of FASstatin on serum TC, ALT, and AST levels (n = 8). Two-tailed Student’s t test (E–G, M, and O). *P < 0.05, **P < 0.01, and ***P < 0.001 (C, E–G, and M–O).

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