Chemogenomic Screening in a Patient-Derived 3D Fatty Liver Disease Model Reveals the CHRM1-TRPM8 Axis as a Novel Module for Targeted Intervention.
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Youhanna S, Kemas AM, Wright SC, Zhong Y, Klumpp B, Klein K, Motso A, Michel M, Ziegler N, Shang M, Sabatier P, Kannt A, Sheng H, Oliva-Vilarnau N, Büttner FA, Seashore-Ludlow B, Schreiner J, Windbergs M, Cornillet M, Björkström NK, Hülsmeier AJ, Hornemann T, Olsen JV, Wang Y, Gramignoli R, Sundström M, Lauschke VM
Adv Sci (Weinh) 12 (3) e2407572 [2025-01-00; online 2024-11-28]
Metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis (MASH) is a leading cause of chronic liver disease with few therapeutic options. To narrow the translational gap in the development of pharmacological MASH treatments, a 3D liver model from primary human hepatocytes and non-parenchymal cells derived from patients with histologically confirmed MASH was established. The model closely mirrors disease-relevant endpoints, such as steatosis, inflammation and fibrosis, and multi-omics analyses show excellent alignment with biopsy data from 306 MASH patients and 77 controls. By combining high-content imaging with scalable biochemical assays and chemogenomic screening, multiple novel targets with anti-steatotic, anti-inflammatory, and anti-fibrotic effects are identified. Among these, activation of the muscarinic M1 receptor (CHRM1) and inhibition of the TRPM8 cation channel result in strong anti-fibrotic effects, which are confirmed using orthogonal genetic assays. Strikingly, using biosensors based on bioluminescence resonance energy transfer, a functional interaction along a novel MASH signaling axis in which CHRM1 inhibits TRPM8 via Gq/11 and phospholipase C-mediated depletion of phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate can be demonstrated. Combined, this study presents the first patient-derived 3D MASH model, identifies a novel signaling module with anti-fibrotic effects, and highlights the potential of organotypic culture systems for phenotype-based chemogenomic drug target identification at scale.
PubMed 39605182
DOI 10.1002/advs.202407572
Crossref 10.1002/advs.202407572