An essential role in liver development for transcription factor XBP-1

  • Genes Dev. 2000 Jan 15;14(2):152-7.
A M Reimold  1 ,  A Etkin ,  I Clauss ,  A Perkins ,  D S Friend ,  J Zhang ,  H F Horton ,  A Scott ,  S H Orkin ,  M C Byrne ,  M J Grusby ,  L H Glimcher
Affiliations
  • 1. Department of Immunology and Infectious Diseases, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts 02115 USA.
PMID: 10652269
Abstract

XBP-1 is a CREB/ATF family transcription factor highly expressed in hepatocellular carcinomas. Here we report that XBP-1 is essential for liver growth. Mice lacking XBP-1 displayed hypoplastic fetal livers, whose reduced hematopoiesis resulted in death from anemia. Nevertheless, XBP-1-deficient hematopoietic progenitors had no cell-autonomous defect in differentiation. Rather, hepatocyte development itself was severely impaired by two measures: diminished growth rate and prominent Apoptosis. Specific target genes of XBP-1 in the liver were identified as alphaFP, which may be a regulator of hepatocyte growth, and three acute phase protein family members. Therefore, XBP-1 is a transcription factor essential for hepatocyte growth.