Evidence map›Paper›PMID 37348791›Full record

ArticleJournal of hepatology2023

GARP on hepatic stellate cells is essential for the development of liver fibrosis.

Xiaolong Zhang, Pankaj Sharma, Patrick Maschmeyer, Yu Hu, Mumeng Lou, Jessica Kim, Hodaka Fujii, Derya Unutmaz, Robert F Schwabe, Florian Winau

Open access · greenAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Journal of hepatology, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 25 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
25citing papers in PubMed
6.5field-weighted citation impact, top 2% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

25 citing papers in PubMed, 32 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. The circadian clock controls hepatic stellate cell activation via a BMAL1/CK1ε/REV-ERBα/transgelin signaling pathway.Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America · 2026
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  6. Macrophage β-catenin-Ihh axis induces hepatic stellate cell activation and fibrosis in metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis.Inflammation research : official journal of the European Histamine Research Society ... [et al.] · 2026
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  13. Tissue-resident memory CD8Nature reviews. Gastroenterology & hepatology · 2025
    Review
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  18. The Immune Microenvironment: New Therapeutic Implications in Organ Fibrosis.Advanced science (Weinheim, Baden-Wurttemberg, Germany) · 2025
    Review
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  20. Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

10 authors at 4 institutions in 2 countries.

Xiaolong ZhangProgram in Cellular and Molecular Medicine, Boston Children's Hospital, Department of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.
Pankaj SharmaProgram in Cellular and Molecular Medicine, Boston Children's Hospital, Department of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.
Patrick MaschmeyerProgram in Cellular and Molecular Medicine, Boston Children's Hospital, Department of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.
Yu HuProgram in Cellular and Molecular Medicine, Boston Children's Hospital, Department of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.
Mumeng LouProgram in Cellular and Molecular Medicine, Boston Children's Hospital, Department of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.
Jessica KimProgram in Cellular and Molecular Medicine, Boston Children's Hospital, Department of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.
Hodaka FujiiDepartment of Biochemistry and Genome Biology, Hirosaki University Graduate School of Medicine, Hirosaki, Aomori, Japan.
Derya UnutmazJackson Laboratory for Genomic Medicine, Farmington, Connecticut, USA.
Robert F SchwabeDepartment of Medicine, College of Physicians and Surgeons, Institute of Human Nutrition, Columbia University, New York, USA.
Florian WinauProgram in Cellular and Molecular Medicine, Boston Children's Hospital, Department of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA. Electronic address: Florian.Winau@childrens.harvard.edu.
Boston Children's Hospital · USColumbia University · USHirosaki University · JPJackson Laboratory · US

Funding

Function of stellate cells in immunity and T cell instructionR01AI083426 · NIAID · IMMUNE DISEASE INSTITUTE, INC. · PI WINAU, FLORIAN · 2010 to 2014
$2.5M
Function of CD1a on Langerhans cells in skin inflammationR01AI136939 · NIAID · BOSTON CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL · PI WINAU, FLORIAN · 2018 to 2022
$2.2M
NIAID NIH HHS R01 AI083426NIAID NIH HHS R01 AI136939
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

BACKGROUND &

aimsGlycoprotein A repetitions predominant (GARP) is a membrane protein that functions as a latent TGF-β docking molecule. While the immune regulatory properties of GARP on blood cells have been studied, the function of GARP on tissue stromal cells remains unclear. Here, we investigate the role of GARP expressed on hepatic stellate cells (HSCs) in the development of liver fibrosis.

methodsThe function of GARP on HSCs was explored in toxin-induced and metabolic liver fibrosis models, using conditional GARP-deficient mice or a newly generated inducible system for HSC-specific gene ablation. Primary mouse and human HSCs were isolated to evaluate the contribution of GARP to the activation of latent TGF-β. Moreover, cell contraction of HSCs in the context of TGF-β activation was tested in a GARP-dependent fashion.

resultsMice lacking GARP in HSCs were protected from developing liver fibrosis. Therapeutically deleting GARP on HSCs alleviated the fibrotic process in established disease. Furthermore, natural killer T cells exacerbated hepatic fibrosis by inducing GARP expression on HSCs through IL-4 production. Mechanistically, GARP facilitated fibrogenesis by activating TGF-β and enhancing endothelin-1-mediated HSC contraction. Functional GARP was expressed on human HSCs and significantly upregulated in the livers of patients with fibrosis. Lastly, deletion of GARP on HSCs did not augment inflammation or liver damage.

conclusionsGARP expressed on HSCs drives the development of liver fibrosis via cell contraction-mediated activation of latent TGF-β. Considering that systemic blockade of TGF-β has major side effects, we highlight a therapeutic niche provided by GARP and surface-mediated TGF-β activation. Thus, our findings suggest an important role of GARP on HSCs as a promising target for the treatment of liver fibrosis. IMPACT AND IMPLICATIONS: Liver fibrosis represents a substantial and increasing public health burden globally, for which specific treatments are not available. Glycoprotein A repetitions predominant (GARP) is a membrane protein that functions as a latent TGF-β docking molecule. Here, we show that GARP expressed on hepatic stellate cells drives the development of liver fibrosis. Our findings suggest GARP as a novel target for the treatment of fibrotic disease.

Indexed as

Hepatic Stellate CellsLiver CirrhosisMembrane ProteinsAnimalsDisease Models, AnimalEndothelin-1HumansInterleukin-4MaleMiceMice, Inbred C57BLMice, KnockoutTransforming Growth Factor betaEndothelin-1Interleukin-4LRRC32 protein, humanLrrc32 protein, mouseMembrane ProteinsTransforming Growth Factor betaendothelin-1 (ET-1)GARPhepatic stellate cells (HSCs)liver fibrosisnatural killer T (NKT) cellsTGF-β

Identifiers

PMID37348791
PMCPMC10592496
OpenAlexW4381335783

What OpenQuestion holds

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.