RNA-seq analysis of fibrotic livers from Treg specific Amphiregulin KO mice.

Using murine model of carbon tetrachloride (CCl4) induced liver fibrosis model, we studied about the anti-fibrotic role of regulatory T (Treg) cells in chronic liver fibrosis. To investigate the molecular mechanism of anti-fibrotic effect of Treg cells, we focused Treg-derived amphiregulin, which have protective function against tissue injury and fibrosis. The goals of this study are to investigate the Treg-drived amphiregulin effect in liver fibrosis. We carried out RNA-seq analysis of whole livers tissue following seven mice groups; Foxp3-YFP-Cre Areg-flox(+/-) and Foxp3-YFP-Cre Areg-flox(+/+) mice treated with CCl4 for 0 weeks , 2 weeks and 6 weeks, and Foxp3-DTR-eGFP mice treated with CCl4 for 6 weeks with diphtheria toxin. As a results, there are no remarkable difference in gene expression including fibrosis marker at any time points between Areg-flox(+/+) mice and Areg-flox(+/-) mice. These show Treg-derived amphiregulin is dispensable for the suppression of CCl4-induced liver fibrosis.