Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42360143›Full record

ArticleeLife2026

Differential regulation of hepatic macrophage fate by Chi3l1 in metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease.

Jia He, Bo Chen, Weiju Lu, Xiong Wang, Ruoxue Yang, Chengxiang Deng, Xiane Zhu, Keqin Wang, Lang Wang, Cheng Xie and 6 more

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in eLife, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
3citing 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

3 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Review
  2. Article
  3. Review
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.

Jia HeYunnan Key Laboratory of Cell Metabolism and Diseases, Center for Life Sciences, School of Life Sciences, Yunnan University, Kunming, China.
Bo ChenYunnan Key Laboratory of Cell Metabolism and Diseases, Center for Life Sciences, School of Life Sciences, Yunnan University, Kunming, China.
Weiju LuYunnan Key Laboratory of Cell Metabolism and Diseases, Center for Life Sciences, School of Life Sciences, Yunnan University, Kunming, China.
Xiong WangYunnan Key Laboratory of Cell Metabolism and Diseases, Center for Life Sciences, School of Life Sciences, Yunnan University, Kunming, China.
Ruoxue YangYunnan Key Laboratory of Cell Metabolism and Diseases, Center for Life Sciences, School of Life Sciences, Yunnan University, Kunming, China.
Chengxiang DengYunnan Key Laboratory of Cell Metabolism and Diseases, Center for Life Sciences, School of Life Sciences, Yunnan University, Kunming, China.
Xiane ZhuYunnan Key Laboratory of Cell Metabolism and Diseases, Center for Life Sciences, School of Life Sciences, Yunnan University, Kunming, China.
Keqin WangYunnan Key Laboratory of Cell Metabolism and Diseases, Center for Life Sciences, School of Life Sciences, Yunnan University, Kunming, China.
Lang WangYunnan Key Laboratory of Cell Metabolism and Diseases, Center for Life Sciences, School of Life Sciences, Yunnan University, Kunming, China.
Cheng XieYunnan Key Laboratory of Cell Metabolism and Diseases, Center for Life Sciences, School of Life Sciences, Yunnan University, Kunming, China.
Rui LiYunnan Key Laboratory of Cell Metabolism and Diseases, Center for Life Sciences, School of Life Sciences, Yunnan University, Kunming, China.
Xiaokang LuBio-X Center for Interdisciplinary Innovation, Yunnan University, Kunming, China.
Ruizhi YangYunnan Key Laboratory of Cell Metabolism and Diseases, Center for Life Sciences, School of Life Sciences, Yunnan University, Kunming, China.
Cheng PengYunnan Key Laboratory of Cell Metabolism and Diseases, Center for Life Sciences, School of Life Sciences, Yunnan University, Kunming, China.
Canpeng LiBio-X Center for Interdisciplinary Innovation, Yunnan University, Kunming, China.
Zhao ShanYunnan Key Laboratory of Cell Metabolism and Diseases, Center for Life Sciences, School of Life Sciences, Yunnan University, Kunming, China.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5064-1023

Funding

National Natural Science Foundation of China 32071129National Natural Science Foundation of China 82570734Yunnan Province Science and Technology Department C619300A086
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) progression involves the replacement of protective embryo-derived Kupffer cells (KCs) by inflammatory monocyte-derived macrophages (MoMFs), yet the regulatory mechanisms remain unclear. Here, we identify chitinase 3-like 1 (Chi3l1/YKL-40) as a critical metabolic regulator of hepatic macrophage fate. We observed high expression of Chi3l1 in both KCs and MoMFs during MASLD development. Genetic deletion of Chi3l1 specifically in KCs significantly exacerbated MASLD severity and metabolic dysfunction, whereas MoMF-specific Chi3l1 deletion showed minimal metabolic effects. Mechanistic studies revealed that this cell type-specific regulation arises from differential metabolic requirements: KCs display elevated glucose metabolism compared to MoMFs. Chi3l1 directly interacts with glucose to inhibit its cellular uptake, thereby selectively protecting glucose-dependent KCs from metabolic stress-induced cell death while having negligible effects on less glucose-dependent MoMFs. These findings uncover a novel Chi3l1-mediated metabolic checkpoint that preferentially maintains KCs populations through glucose metabolism modulation, providing important new insights into the pathogenesis of MASLD and potential therapeutic strategies targeting macrophage-specific metabolic pathways.

Indexed as

Chitinase-3-Like Protein 1Fatty LiverKupffer CellsLiverMacrophagesAnimalsGlucoseMiceChil1 protein, mouseChitinase-3-Like Protein 1GlucoseChi3l1kupffer cellsMASLDmedicinemonocytes-derived macrophagesmouse

Identifiers

PMID42360143
PMCPMC13309125

What Socratic holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

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.