Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a consequence of sedentary life style and high fat diets with an estimated prevalence of about 30% in western countries. It is associated with insulin resi Show more
Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a consequence of sedentary life style and high fat diets with an estimated prevalence of about 30% in western countries. It is associated with insulin resistance, obesity, glucose intolerance and drug toxicity. Additionally, polymorphisms within, e.g., APOC3, PNPLA3, NCAN, TM6SF2 and PPP1R3B, correlate with NAFLD. Several studies have already investigated later stages of the disease. This study explores the early steatosis stage of NAFLD with the aim of identifying molecular mechanisms underlying the etiology of NAFLD. We analyzed liver biopsies and serum samples from patients with high- and low-grade steatosis (also pre-disease states) employing transcriptomics, ELISA-based serum protein analyses and metabolomics. Here, we provide a detailed description of the various related datasets produced in the course of this study. These datasets may help other researchers find new clues for the etiology of NAFLD and the mechanisms underlying its progression to more severe disease states. Show less
Protein-protein interaction maps provide a valuable framework for a better understanding of the functional organization of the proteome. To detect interacting pairs of human proteins systematically, a Show more
Protein-protein interaction maps provide a valuable framework for a better understanding of the functional organization of the proteome. To detect interacting pairs of human proteins systematically, a protein matrix of 4456 baits and 5632 preys was screened by automated yeast two-hybrid (Y2H) interaction mating. We identified 3186 mostly novel interactions among 1705 proteins, resulting in a large, highly connected network. Independent pull-down and co-immunoprecipitation assays validated the overall quality of the Y2H interactions. Using topological and GO criteria, a scoring system was developed to define 911 high-confidence interactions among 401 proteins. Furthermore, the network was searched for interactions linking uncharacterized gene products and human disease proteins to regulatory cellular pathways. Two novel Axin-1 interactions were validated experimentally, characterizing ANP32A and CRMP1 as modulators of Wnt signaling. Systematic human protein interaction screens can lead to a more comprehensive understanding of protein function and cellular processes. Show less