Five batches of primary human hepatocytes were treated with 50 μmol/l chenodeoxycholic acid (CDCA) for 24 or 48 h. Total RNA was extracted, size fractionated and subjected to Next Generation Sequencing to generate mRNA and miRNA profiles.
Expression of 738 genes and 52 miRNAs were CDCA dependently decreased, whereas 1566 genes and 29 miRNAs were significantly increased in hepatocytes. Distinct gene clusters controlling BA and lipid homeostasis (FGF(R), APO and FABP family members, HMGCS2) and drug metabolism (CYP, UGT and SULT family members) were significantly modulated by CDCA. Importantly, CDCA affected distinct microRNAs, including miR-34a, -505, -885, -1260 and -552 that systematically correlated in expression with gene clusters responsible for bile acid, lipid and drug homeostasis incorporating genes, such as e.g. SLCO1B1, SLC22A7, FGF19, CYP2E1, CYP1A2, APO family members and FOXO3.
Bile acids significantly modulate metabolic and drug associated gene networks that are connected to distinct shifts in the microRNAome These findings give novel insights on how BA enfold metabolic and system toxic effects.