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Updated: Jul 15, 2025

Optimized Analysis of In Vivo and In Vitro Hepatic Steatosis
Published on: March 11, 2017
Metabolic crosstalk between skeletal muscle cells and liver through IRF4-FSTL1 in nonalcoholic steatohepatitis
Shanshan Guo1, Yonghao Feng1, Xiaopeng Zhu2
1Department of Endocrinology and Metabolism, State Key Laboratory of Genetic Engineering, School of Life Sciences, Huashan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200040, China.
Abstract:
Inter-organ crosstalk has gained increasing attention in recent times; however, the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. In this study, we elucidate an endocrine pathway that is regulated by skeletal muscle interferon regulatory factor (IRF) 4, which manipulates liver pathology. Skeletal muscle specific IRF4 knockout (F4MKO) mice exhibited ameliorated hepatic steatosis, inflammation, and fibrosis, without changes in body weight, when put on a nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) diet. Proteomics analysis results suggested that follistatin-like protein 1 (FSTL1) may constitute a link between muscles and the liver. Dual luciferase assays showed that IRF4 can transcriptionally regulate FSTL1. Further, inducing FSTL1 expression in the muscles of F4MKO mice is sufficient to restore liver pathology. In addition, co-culture experiments confirmed that FSTL1 plays a distinct role in various liver cell types via different receptors. Finally, we observed that the serum FSTL1 level is positively correlated with NASH progression in humans. These data indicate a signaling pathway involving IRF4-FSTL1-DIP2A/CD14, that links skeletal muscle cells to the liver in the pathogenesis of NASH.
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