Evidence mapPaperPMID 39789010Full record

ArticleNature communications2025

Alleviation of liver fibrosis by inhibiting a non-canonical ATF4-regulated enhancer program in hepatic stellate cells.

Li-Xian Yang, Chuangye Qi, Si Lu, Xiang-Shi Ye, Parnaz Merikhian, Du-Yu Zhang, Tao Yao, Jiang-Sha Zhao, Ying Wu, Yongshi Jia and 6 more

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Nature communications, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 19 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
19citing papers in PubMed
field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

19 citing papers in PubMed.

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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

16 authors.

Li-Xian Yang *Zhejiang Key Laboratory of Pancreatic Disease, The First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang Key Laboratory of Frontier Medical Research on Cancer Metabolism, Institute of Translational Medicine, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China.
Chuangye Qi *Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, McGovern Medical School, University of Texas Health Science Center, Houston, TX, USA.
Si Lu *Zhejiang Key Laboratory of Pancreatic Disease, The First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang Key Laboratory of Frontier Medical Research on Cancer Metabolism, Institute of Translational Medicine, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China.
Xiang-Shi Ye *Zhejiang Key Laboratory of Pancreatic Disease, The First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang Key Laboratory of Frontier Medical Research on Cancer Metabolism, Institute of Translational Medicine, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China.
Parnaz MerikhianDepartment of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, McGovern Medical School, University of Texas Health Science Center, Houston, TX, USA.
Du-Yu ZhangZhejiang Key Laboratory of Pancreatic Disease, The First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang Key Laboratory of Frontier Medical Research on Cancer Metabolism, Institute of Translational Medicine, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China.
Tao YaoZhejiang Key Laboratory of Pancreatic Disease, The First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang Key Laboratory of Frontier Medical Research on Cancer Metabolism, Institute of Translational Medicine, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China.
Jiang-Sha ZhaoZhejiang Key Laboratory of Pancreatic Disease, The First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang Key Laboratory of Frontier Medical Research on Cancer Metabolism, Institute of Translational Medicine, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-3642-9269
Ying WuCollege of Life Sciences, Zhejiang Chinese Medical University, Hangzhou, China.ORCID http://orcid.org/0009-0008-1808-3349
Yongshi JiaCancer Center, Department of Radiation Oncology, Zhejiang Provincial People's Hospital, Affiliated People's Hospital, Hangzhou Medical College, Hangzhou, China.
Bo ShanZhejiang Key Laboratory of Pancreatic Disease, The First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang Key Laboratory of Frontier Medical Research on Cancer Metabolism, Institute of Translational Medicine, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-1675-5809
Jinghai ChenDepartment of Cardiology of Second Affiliated Hospital, State Key Laboratory of Transvascular Implantation Devices, Heart Regeneration and Repair Key Laboratory of Zhejiang Province, Institute of Translational Medicine, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-5401-047X
Xiaozhou MouClinical Research Institute, Zhejiang Provincial People's Hospital, People's Hospital of Hangzhou Medical College, Hangzhou, China.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-3234-1737
Jia YouSchool of Life Sciences, Westlake University, Hangzhou, China. youjia@westlake.edu.cn.ORCID http://orcid.org/0009-0001-2931-0905
Wenbo LiDepartment of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, McGovern Medical School, University of Texas Health Science Center, Houston, TX, USA. wenbo.li@uth.tmc.edu.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-9042-5664
Yu-Xiong FengZhejiang Key Laboratory of Pancreatic Disease, The First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang Key Laboratory of Frontier Medical Research on Cancer Metabolism, Institute of Translational Medicine, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China. yxfeng@zju.edu.cn.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-9086-4448

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Liver fibrosis is a critical liver disease that can progress to more severe manifestations, such as cirrhosis, yet no effective targeted therapies are available. Here, we identify that ATF4, a master transcription factor in ER stress response, promotes liver fibrosis by facilitating a stress response-independent epigenetic program in hepatic stellate cells (HSCs). Unlike its canonical role in regulating UPR genes during ER stress, ATF4 activates epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) gene transcription under fibrogenic conditions. HSC-specific depletion of ATF4 suppresses liver fibrosis in vivo. Mechanistically, TGFβ resets ATF4 to orchestrate a unique enhancer program for the transcriptional activation of pro-fibrotic EMT genes. Analysis of human data confirms a strong correlation between HSC ATF4 expression and liver fibrosis progression. Importantly, a small molecule inhibitor targeting ATF4 translation effectively mitigates liver fibrosis. Together, our findings identify a mechanism promoting liver fibrosis and reveal new opportunities for treating this otherwise non-targetable disease.

Indexed as

Activating Transcription Factor 4Epithelial-Mesenchymal TransitionHepatic Stellate CellsLiver CirrhosisAnimalsEndoplasmic Reticulum StressEpigenesis, GeneticHumansMaleMiceMice, Inbred C57BLTransforming Growth Factor betaActivating Transcription Factor 4ATF4 protein, humanAtf4 protein, mouseTransforming Growth Factor beta

Identifiers

PMID39789010
PMCPMC11718104

What Socratic holds

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LicenceCC BY-NC-ND
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Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.