Riboflavin Kinase Inhibitor 1 (RKIP1): A Potential Modifier of Fibrogenesis in Liver and Heart

Background: Recently we observed that long-term administration of carbon tetrachloride (CCl4) induces fibrosis in both liver and heart in the mouse. To dissect common and organ-specific mechanisms of fibrosis, we challenged BXD recombinant inbred lines with CCl4. BXD lines represent a genetic reference population (GRP) that is genetically mosaic but homozygous for all loci. Our aim was to identify potential candidate genes with effects on hepatic and cardiac fibrogenesis. Methods and results: Thirty BXD lines were used as a GRP for genome-wide quantitative trait loci (QTL)-analyses. Fibrosis was induced by CCl4…