Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 17, 2026

Induction of an Inflammatory Response in Primary Hepatocyte Cultures from Mice
Published on: March 10, 2017
The c-Rel subunit of nuclear factor-kappaB regulates murine liver inflammation, wound-healing, and hepatocyte
Roben G Gieling1, Ahmed M Elsharkawy, Jorge H Caamaño
1Liver Research Group, Institute of Cellular Medicine, 4th Floor, Cookson Building, Medical School, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne NE2 4HH, United Kingdom. roben.gieling@ncl.ac.uk
Unlabelled:
In this study, we determined the role of the nuclear factor-kappaB (NF-kappaB) subunit c-Rel in liver injury and regeneration. In response to toxic injury of the liver, c-Rel null (c-rel(-/-)) mice displayed a defect in the neutrophilic inflammatory response, associated with impaired induction of RANTES (Regulated upon Activation, Normal T-cell Expressed, and Secreted; also known as CCL5). The subsequent fibrogenic/wound-healing response to both chronic carbon tetrachloride and bile duct ligation induced injury was also impaired and this was associated with deficiencies in the expression of fibrogenic genes, collagen I and alpha-smooth muscle actin, by hepatic stellate cells. We additionally report that c-Rel is required for the normal proliferative regeneration of hepatocytes in response to toxic injury and partial hepatectomy. Absence of c-Rel was associated with blunted and delayed induction of forkhead box M1 (FoxM1) and its downstream targets cyclin B1 and Cdc25C. Furthermore, isolated c-rel(-/-) hepatocytes expressed reduced levels of FoxM1 and a reduced rate of basal and epidermal growth factor-induced DNA synthesis. Chromatin immunoprecipitation revealed that c-Rel binding to the FoxM1 promoter is induced in the regenerating liver.
Conclusion:
c-Rel has multiple functions in the control of liver homeostasis and regeneration and is a transcriptional regulator of FoxM1 and compensatory hepatocyte proliferation.
More Related Videos
11:44Long Term Intravital Multiphoton Microscopy Imaging of Immune Cells in Healthy and Diseased Liver Using CXCR6.Gfp Reporter Mice
Published on: March 24, 2015
10:57NF-κB-dependent Luciferase Activation and Quantification of Gene Expression in Salmonella Infected Tissue Culture Cells
Published on: January 12, 2020
Related Concept Videos
NF-κB-dependent Signaling Pathway
NF-κB-dependent Signaling Mechanism
The heterodimer of NF-κB...
Liver Regeneration
Cells of Liver
The liver comprises four major types of cells— hepatocytes, stellate, Kupffer, and sinusoidal endothelial cells. The hepatocytes are large...
NF-kB-dependent Signaling Pathway
NF-κB-dependent Signaling Mechanism
The heterodimer of NF-κB...
Regulation of Nuclear Protein Sorting
Co-activators and Co-repressors
TGF - β Signaling Pathway