The role of HNF4α and hepatocyte de-differentiation in sepsis

We hypothesis that sepsis lethality is mainly caused by a reduction in ketogenesis and accumulation of lipids in circulation and peripheral organs, which may contribute to organ dysfunction and failure. In this project, we will demonstrate that in sepsis, HNF4α fails to perform its tasks, causing hepatocytes to de-differentiate and lose metabolic functions by downregulating the responsible transcriptional regulators.