TY - JOUR T1 - CD248/endosialin critically regulates hepatic stellate cell proliferation during chronic liver injury via a PDGF-regulated mechanism JF - Gut JO - Gut SP - 1175 LP - 1185 DO - 10.1136/gutjnl-2014-308325 VL - 65 IS - 7 AU - Annika Wilhelm AU - Victoria Aldridge AU - Debashis Haldar AU - Amy J Naylor AU - Christopher J Weston AU - Ditte Hedegaard AU - Abhilok Garg AU - Janine Fear AU - Gary M Reynolds AU - Adam P Croft AU - Neil C Henderson AU - Christopher D Buckley AU - Philip N Newsome Y1 - 2016/07/01 UR - http://gut.bmj.com/content/65/7/1175.abstract N2 - Introduction CD248 (endosialin) is a stromal cell marker expressed on fibroblasts and pericytes. During liver injury, myofibroblasts are the main source of fibrotic matrix.Objective To determine the role of CD248 in the development of liver fibrosis in the rodent and human setting.Design CD248 expression was studied by immunostaining and quantitative PCR in both normal and diseased human and murine liver tissue and isolated hepatic stellate cells (HSCs). Hepatic fibrosis was induced in CD248−/− and wild-type controls with carbon tetrachloride (CCl4) treatment.Results Expression of CD248 was seen in normal liver of humans and mice but was significantly increased in liver injury using both immunostaining and gene expression assays. CD248 was co-expressed with a range of fibroblast/HSC markers including desmin, vimentin and α-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA) in murine and human liver sections. CD248 expression was restricted to isolated primary murine and human HSC. Collagen deposition and α-SMA expression, but not inflammation and neoangiogenesis, was reduced in CD248−/− mice compared with wild-type mice after CCl4 treatment. Isolated HSC from wild-type and CD248−/− mice expressed platelet-derived growth factor receptor α (PDGFR-α) and PDGFR-β at similar levels. As expected, PDGF-BB stimulation induced proliferation of wild-type HSC, whereas CD248−/− HSC did not demonstrate a proliferative response to PDGF-BB. Abrogated PDGF signalling in CD248−/− HSC was confirmed by significantly reduced c-fos expression in CD248−/− HSC compared with wild-type HSC.Conclusions Our data show that deletion of CD248 reduces susceptibility to liver fibrosis via an effect on PDGF signalling, making it an attractive clinical target for the treatment of liver injury. ER -