RNA-seq of human hepatic arteries in a study of primary sclerosing cholangitis

PSC is a chronic inflammatory condition of the biliary tree causing biliary strictures and fibrosis and predisposes to cholangiocarcinoma. Traditionally it is considered a primary disorder of the bile duct epithelia. Here we investigate whether injury to the arterial blood supply may contribute to PSC. Hepatic arteries were collected from 8 patients at the time of liver transplantation: 4 with PSC and 4 disease controls. Samples were used for RNA-sequencing, differential expression and pathways analyses.