Letter to the Editor
Copyright ©The Author(s) 2025. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.
World J Gastroenterol. Apr 14, 2025; 31(14): 104523
Published online Apr 14, 2025. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v31.i14.104523
Mixed lineage kinase domain-like protein in liver diseases: Cell-type-specific functions and dual roles
Ming-Xing Liang, Ying Zhou, Su-Qun Li, Wan-Sheng Xiang, Zong-Qin Pan, Ying-Hua Chen, Yi-Huai He
Ming-Xing Liang, Ying Zhou, Su-Qun Li, Wan-Sheng Xiang, Ying-Hua Chen, Yi-Huai He, Department of Infectious Diseases, Affiliated Hospital of Zunyi Medical University, Zunyi 563000, Guizhou Province, China
Zong-Qin Pan, Department of Infectious Diseases, People’s Hospital Qiandongnan Miao and Dong Autonomous Prefecture, Kaili 556000, Guizhou Province, China
Co-first authors: Ming-Xing Liang and Ying Zhou.
Author contributions: Liang MX, Zhou Y, Li SQ, Xiang WS, Pan ZQ, Chen YH, and He YH contributed to this paper; Liang MX, Zhou Y, and He YH designed the overall concept and outline of the manuscript, contributed to the writing, and editing the manuscript and review of literature; Li SQ, Xiang WS, Pan ZQ, and Chen YH contributed to the discussion and design of the manuscript; He YH revised the manuscript; All authors have read and approved the final manuscript.
Supported by the Science and Technology Planning Projects of Guizhou Province, No. QKHJC-ZK[2022]YB642; Health Research Project of Guizhou Province, No. gzwkj2024-324, and No. gzwkj2024-103; WBE Liver Fibrosis Foundation, No. CFHPC2025028; Beijing Liver and Gallbladder Mutual Aid Public Welfare Foundation Artificial Liver Special Fund, No. iGandanF-1082024-Rgg018; and Student Innovation and Entrepreneurship Training Program of Zunyi Medical University, No. S2024106612360.
Conflict-of-interest statement: The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.
Open Access: This article is an open-access article that was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: https://creativecommons.org/Licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Corresponding author: Yi-Huai He, MD, Doctor, Department of Infectious Diseases, Affiliated Hospital of Zunyi Medical University, No. 149 Dalian Road, Huichuan District, Zunyi 563000, Guizhou Province, China. 993565989@qq.com
Received: December 24, 2024
Revised: February 25, 2025
Accepted: March 13, 2025
Published online: April 14, 2025
Processing time: 108 Days and 22.1 Hours
Core Tip

Core Tip: Mixed lineage kinase domain-like protein (MLKL) functions to mediate necroptosis, inhibit autophagy, and regulate inflammatory responses. The MLKL exhibits different functions in various types of liver cells, leading to diverse manifestations of different liver diseases. This complexity not only brings challenges in understanding the roles of MLKL in liver diseases, but also presents an obstacle in developing therapeutic strategies for targeting MLKL. Here, we briefly review the functions of MLKL and analyze its specific roles in different types of liver cells, aiming to provide clear strategies for precisely targeting MLKL in the treatment of liver diseases.