Inflammation has been shown to induce the progression of fibrosis in response to liver injury. Among inflammatory cells, macrophages and lymphocytes play major roles in both the constitution and resolution of liver fibrosis. The chemokine receptor CCR2 is involved in the recruitment of monocytes to injury sites, and it is known to be induced during the progression of fibrosis in humans. However, its specific role during this process has not yet been unveiled. We first demonstrated that, compared with wild-type mice, CCR2 knockout animals presented a delay in liver injury after acute CCl 4 injection, accompanied by a reduction in infiltrating macrophage populations. We then induced fibrosis using repeated injections of CCl 4 and observed a significantly lower level of fibrotic scars at the peak of fibrosis in mutant animals compared with control mice. This diminished fibrosis was associated with a reduction in F4/ 80 ؉ CD11b ؉ and CD11c ؉ populations at the sites of injury. Subsequent analysis of the kinetics of the resolution of fibrosis showed that fibrosis rapidly regressed in wild-type, but not in CCR2 ؊/؊ mice. The persistence of hepatic injury in mutant animals was correlated with sustained tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase-1 mRNA expression levels and a reduction in matrix metalloproteinase-2 and matrix metalloproteinase-13 expression levels. In conclusion, these findings underline the role of the CCR2 signaling pathway in both the constitution and resolution of liver fibrotic scars.

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the third leading cause of cancer-related death worldwide. Its pathogenesis is frequently linked to liver inflammation. Gain-of-function mutations in the gene encoding β-catenin are frequent genetic modifications found in human HCCs. Thus, we investigated whether inflammation was a component of β-catenin-induced tumorigenesis using genetically modified mouse models that recapitulated the stages of initiation and progression of this tumoral process. Oncogenic β-catenin signaling was found to induce an inflammatory program in hepatocytes that involved direct transcriptional control by β-catenin and activation of the NF-κB pathway. This led to a specific inflammatory response, the intensity of which determined the degree of tumor aggressiveness. The chemokine-like chemotactic factor leukocyte cell-derived chemotaxin 2 (LECT2) and invariant NKT (iNKT) cells were identified as key interconnected effectors of liver β-catenin-induced inflammation. In genetic deletion models lacking the gene encoding LECT2 or iNKT cells, hepatic β-catenin signaling triggered the formation of highly malignant HCCs with lung metastasis. Thus, our results identify inflammation as a key player in β-catenin-induced liver tumorigenesis. We provide strong evidence that, by activating pro-and antiinflammatory mediators, β-catenin signaling produces an inflammatory microenvironment that has an impact on tumoral development. Our data are consistent with the fact that most β-catenin-activated HCCs are of better prognosis.