# Autophagy in liver injury

> **NIH NIH R01** · WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY · 2024 · $446,945

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT
Ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury in the liver occurs during liver resection and transplantation. Steatotic livers are
highly susceptible to I/R injury than lean livers. No therapeutic strategies are currently available to attenuate I/R
injury in the patients with steatotic livers. mitoNEET (mNT) is an evolutionarily conserved mitochondrial outer
membrane protein containing a unique 2Fe-2S cluster that is tetrahedrally coordinated by 3 Cysteine and 1
Histidine. This small mitochondrial protein regulates redox, bioenergetics, iron homeostasis and autophagy, all
of which are indispensable in liver survival after I/R. It is unknown how hepatic mNT is affected by steatosis and
I/R. In this application, we will test the hypothesis that the accumulation of nonfunctional mNT sensitizes steatotic
livers to I/R injury. Here we have the three independent but complementary Aims. In Aim 1, we will use mouse
hepatocytes to investigate molecular mechanisms behind heightened I/R injury in steatotic livers. In Aim 2, we
will extend in vitro findings from isolated mouse hepatocytes to an in vivo model of mouse hepatic I/R. In Aim 3,
using discarded human livers, we will investigate molecular mechanisms and test the efficacy and safety of
potential therapeutic strategies.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10783039
- **Project number:** 5R01DK079879-13
- **Recipient organization:** WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** Jae-Sung Kim
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** $446,945
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2009-03-05 → 2027-01-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10783039

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10783039, Autophagy in liver injury (5R01DK079879-13). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-08-17 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10783039. Licensed CC0.

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