Recently, Dr. XuHonghai, attending physician of the Department of Pathology of The First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University (AHMU), served as the co-first author, published a research paper entitled “LECT2, a Ligand for Tie1, Plays a Crucial Role in Liver Fibrogenesis” in the international journal Cell. This research provides a new potential therapeutic target for liver fibrosis.
This research shows that leukocyte cell-derived chemotaxin 2 (LECT2) is a functional ligand of Tie1, a poorly characterized endothelial cell (EC)-specific orphan receptor. LECT2-Tie1 inhibits portal angiogenesis, promotes sinusoid capillarization and promotes liver fibrogenesis. This research also promotes a new concept that portal angiogenesis and sinusoid capillarization offer divergent roles in liver fibrosis. Besides these, this research concludes that targeting LECT2/Tie1 signaling may represent a potential therapeutic target for liver fibrosis, and serum LECT2 level may be a potential biomarker for the screening and diagnosis of liver fibrosis.
In recent years, The FirstAffiliated Hospitalof AHMU has published research results in three of the top international journals Cell,Science and Nature successively, showing its positive progress in building a world-class discipline.