The Journal of Clinical Investigation · 3 authors, 1 centre
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This narrative review discusses a preclinical study showing that the nuclear receptor LRH-1 directly induces the enzyme asparagine synthetase (ASNS) to produce asparagine, a nonessential amino acid that protects mouse livers from chemical injury without affecting proliferation.
This narrative review discusses a preclinical mouse study by Sun et al. investigating mechanisms of hepatocyte survival after acute liver injury. The authors describe that the nuclear receptor liver receptor homolog-1 (LRH-1) directly induces expression of asparagine synthetase (ASNS), leading to de novo synthesis of the nonessential amino acid asparagine from glutamine. Genetic models show that LRH-1 activation increases ASNS and protects against liver damage from CCl4 and acetaminophen, while ASNS knockout exacerbates injury. The protective effect is attributed to asparagine, not other amino acids. It highlights implications for understanding amino acid signaling in cell survival and the potential for nutritional interventions like glutamine or asparagine supplementation.
