Targeted Deletion of Thymosin Beta 4 in Hepatic Stellate Cells Ameliorates Liver Fibrosis in a Transgenic Mouse Model

Kim J, Lee C, Han J, Jeong H, Wang S, Choi YH, Jung Y · Cells

Deleting Tβ4 reduced liver injury and fibrosis by suppressing Hedgehog signalling, and putting it back restored the fibrosis — so in this organ endogenous Tβ4 drives scarring rather than preventing it.

Population

Conditional Tβ4-knockout mice with liver fibrosis induced by four carbon tetrachloride injections over 20 days or by bile duct ligation for three weeks, four to five per group

Intervention

Selective deletion of Tβ4 in activated hepatic stellate cells; re-expression by adeno-associated virus

Comparator

Littermate controls

Limitations

Hepatic stellate cells specifically, in a short-term injury model the authors flag as a limitation; other groups report Tβ4 inhibiting stellate-cell activation, so the liver literature is itself split. Korean National Research Foundation funding, no conflict.