Influence of the AhR/AhRR pathway and environmental chemicals in diet-induced liver damage and fibrosis (P06)

• Subject Area: Immunology ; Endocrinology, Diabetology, Metabolism
• Term: since 2021
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 432325352

We found that global AhR- as well as AhRR- deficient mice are protected from diet-induced obesity (DIO) and do not accumulate TCA cycle intermediates. Although mice lacking either AhR or AhRR in myeloid cells showed normal weight gain in DIO, deficiency of AhRR reduced hepatosteatosis as well as liver damage. In contrast, mice with a myeloid cell-specific knockout of the AhR developed fibrosis in the liver. We now aim to study the crosstalk between myeloid cells and hepatic stellate cells, known to be associated with the development of liver fibrosis.

• DFG Programme: Collaborative Research Centres
• Subproject of: SFB 1454: Metaflammation and Cellular Programming
• Applicant Institution: Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität Bonn
• Project Head: Professorin Dr. Irmgard Förster