PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - Chen, Liming
AU  - Wang, Pei
AU  - Manautou, José E.
AU  - Zhong, Xiao-bo
TI  - Knockdown of Long Noncoding RNAs Hepatocyte Nuclear Factor 1<em>α</em> Antisense RNA 1 and Hepatocyte Nuclear Factor 4<em>α</em> Antisense RNA 1 Alters Susceptibility of Acetaminophen-Induced Cytotoxicity in HepaRG Cells
AID  - 10.1124/mol.119.118778
DP  - 2020 Apr 01
TA  - Molecular Pharmacology
PG  - 278--286
VI  - 97
IP  - 4
4099  - http://molpharm.aspetjournals.org/content/97/4/278.short
4100  - http://molpharm.aspetjournals.org/content/97/4/278.full
SO  - Mol Pharmacol2020 Apr 01; 97
AB  - Acetaminophen (APAP) is a commonly used over-the-counter drug for its analgesic and antipyretic effects. However, APAP overdose leads to severe APAP-induced liver injury (AILI) and even death as a result of the accumulation of N-acetyl-p-benzoquinone imine, the toxic metabolite of APAP generated by cytochrome P450s (P450s). Long noncoding RNAs HNF1α antisense RNA 1 (HNF1α-AS1) and HNF4α antisense RNA 1 (HNF4α-AS1) are regulatory RNAs involved in the regulation of P450 expression in both mRNA and protein levels. This study aims to determine the impact of HNF1α-AS1 and HNF4α-AS1 on AILI. Small hairpin RNAs were used to knock down HNF1α-AS1 and HNF4α-AS1 in HepaRG cells. Knockdown of these lncRNAs altered APAP-induced cytotoxicity, indicated by MTT and LDH assays. Specifically, HNF1α-AS1 knockdown decreased APAP toxicity with increased cell viability and decreased LDH release, whereas HNF4α-AS1 knockdown exacerbated APAP toxicity, with opposite effects in the MTT and LDH assays. Alterations on gene expression by knockdown of HNF1α-AS1 and HNF4α-AS1 were examined in several APAP metabolic pathways, including CYP1A2, CYP2E1, CYP3A4, UGT1A1, UGT1A9, SULT1A1, GSTP1, and GSTT1. Knockdown of HNF1α-AS1 decreased mRNA expression of CYP1A2, 2E1, and 3A4 by 0.71-fold, 0.35-fold, and 0.31-fold, respectively, whereas knockdown of HNF4α-AS1 induced mRNAs of CYP1A2, 2E1, and 3A4 by 1.3-fold, 1.95-fold, and 1.9-fold, respectively. These changes were also observed in protein levels. Knockdown of HNF1α-AS1 and HNF4α-AS1 had limited effects on the mRNA expression of UGT1A1, UGT1A9, SULT1A1, GSTP1, and GSTT1. Altogether, our study suggests that HNF1α-AS1 and HNF4α-AS1 affected AILI mainly through alterations of P450–mediated APAP biotransformation in HepaRG cells, indicating an important role of the lncRNAs in AILI.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT The current research identified two lncRNAs, hepatocyte nuclear factor 1α antisense RNA 1 and hepatocyte nuclear factor 4α antisense RNA 1, which were able to affect susceptibility of acetaminophen (APAP)-induced liver injury in HepaRG cells, possibly through regulating the expression of APAP-metabolizing cytochrome P450 enzymes. This discovery added new factors, lncRNAs, which can be used to predict cytochrome P450–mediated drug metabolism and drug-induced toxicity.