Abstract
Cellular stress-mediated chaperones are linked to liver macrophage activation and inflammation in alcohol-associated liver disease (ALD). In this study, we investigate the role of endoplasmic reticulum (ER) resident stress chaperone GP96/HSP90B1/GRP94, paralog of the HSP90 family, in ALD pathogenesis. We hypothesize that ER resident chaperone, heat shock protein GP96, plays a crucial role in alcohol-associated liver inflammation and contributes to liver injury. We show high expression of GP96/HSP90B1 and GRP78/HSPA5 in human alcohol-associated hepatitis livers as well as in mouse ALD livers with induction of GP96 prominent in alcohol-exposed macrophages. Myeloid-specific GP96 deficient (M-GP96KO) mice failed to induce alcohol-associated liver injury. Alcohol-fed M-GP96KO mice exhibit significant reduction in steatosis, serum endotoxin, and pro-inflammatory cytokines compared with wild-type mice. Anti-inflammatory cytokines interleukin-10 and transforming growth factor β, as well as activating transcription factor 3 and triggering receptor expressed on myeloid cells 2, markers of restorative macrophages, were higher in alcohol-fed M-GP96KO livers. M-GP96KO mice exhibit protection in a model of endotoxin-mediated liver injury in vivo, which is in agreement with reduced inflammatory responses during ex vivo lipopolysaccharide/endotoxin- stimulated bone marrow-derived macrophages from M-GP96KO mice. Furthermore, we show that liver macrophages from alcohol-fed M-GP96KO mice show compensatory induction of GRP78 messenger RNA, likely due to increased splicing of X-box binding protein-1. Finally, we show that inhibition of GP96 using a specific pharmacological agent, PU-WS13 or small interfering RNA, alleviates inflammatory responses in primary macrophages. Conclusion: Myeloid ER resident GP96 promotes alcohol-induced liver damage through activation of liver macrophage inflammatory responses, alteration in lipid homeostasis, and ER stress. These findings highlight a critical role for liver macrophage ER resident chaperone GP96/HSP90B1 in ALD, and its targeted inhibition represents a promising therapeutic approach in ALD.