whole liver RNAseq

Chronic liver inflammation and fibrosis are central to liver diseases, including the most prevalent metabolic-dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis (MASH), chronic autoimmune liver diseases and liver cancer. However, the mechanism orchestrating the co-occurrence of liver inflammation and fibrosis, both tightly associated with liver diseases, remains elusive. Here, we show that the hepatocyte derived, miR-122 regulates both, liver inflammation and fibrosis, through independent pathways, and that miR-122 is involved in tuning innate and adaptive hepatic immune responses. In parallel, we show that decrease of miR-122 is associated with liver fibrosis in advance or together with liver inflammation. We show that miR-122 regulates liver tolerance, and its absence attenuates bacterial and parasitic infections, and thus functions as a liver immune rheostat. As such, miR-122 presents a therapeutic target.