Title: Vitamin D3/VDR alleviates double-stranded RNA virus -induced biliary epithelial cell
damage by inhibiting autophagy
Version: 3 Date: 24 Oct 2024
Reviewer's report:
In this study, the authors mainly explored the role of VDR in the pathogenesis of BA, and the
1,25(OH)2D3/VDR pathway reduces double-stranded RNA virus-induced biliary epithelial cell
damage by inhibiting autophagy. They demonstrated that VDR downregulation is a marker of
poor prognosis in BA patients. Overall, there are several issues the authors need to solve to
further improve the manuscript.
Major:
1. Base on the Fig2A and Fig3A, the transfection efficiency is low both in the overexpressed
plasmid and siRNA experiments. Please provide more detail information of transfection
experiments, or  provide long exposure and short exposure WB data.
2. Some slices are missing in the consecutive sections of liver tissue of Fig1A.
Minor:
1. “In the liver, VDR is mainly expressed in liver parenchymal cells and especially hepatic non-
parenchymal cells such as hepatic stellate cells, sinus endothelial cells, Kupffer cells, and bile
duct epithelial cells”, the logic is incorrect.
2. In the third sentence of “VDR activators may provide an effective approach for the treatment
of BA”, the two groups with different results were written with the same name.
3. The names of genes and protein should be uniformed. For examples, P62 and p62, p53 and
SCR and Scr”.
Title: Vitamin D3/VDR alleviates double-stranded RNA virus -induced biliary epithelial cell
damage by inhibiting autophagy
Version: 3 Date: 24 Oct 2024
Reviewer's report:
In this study, the authors mainly explored the role of VDR in the pathogenesis of BA, and the
1,25(OH)2D3/VDR pathway reduces double-stranded RNA virus-induced biliary epithelial cell
damage by inhibiting autophagy. They demonstrated that VDR downregulation is a marker of
poor prognosis in BA patients. Overall, there are several issues the authors need to solve to
further improve the manuscript.
Major:
1. Base on the Fig2A and Fig3A, the transfection efficiency is low both in the overexpressed
plasmid and siRNA experiments. Please provide more detail information of transfection
experiments, or  provide long exposure and short exposure WB data.
2. Some slices are missing in the consecutive sections of liver tissue of Fig1A.
Minor:
1. “In the liver, VDR is mainly expressed in liver parenchymal cells and especially hepatic non-
parenchymal cells such as hepatic stellate cells, sinus endothelial cells, Kupffer cells, and bile
duct epithelial cells”, the logic is incorrect.
2. In the third sentence of “VDR activators may provide an effective approach for the treatment
of BA”, the two groups with different results were written with the same name.
3. The names of genes and protein should be uniformed. For examples, P62 and p62, p53 and
SCR and Scr”.
Please review this paper.
user
Title: Vitamin D3/VDR alleviates double-stranded RNA virus -induced biliary epithelial cell
damage by inhibiting autophagy
Version: 3 Date: 24 Oct 2024
Reviewer's report:
In this study, the authors mainly explored the role of VDR in the pathogenesis of BA, and the
1,25(OH)2D3/VDR pathway reduces double-stranded RNA virus-induced biliary epithelial cell
damage by inhibiting autophagy. They demonstrated that VDR downregulation is a marker of
poor prognosis in BA patients. Overall, there are several issues the authors need to solve to
further improve the manuscript.
Major:
1. Base on the Fig2A and Fig3A, the transfection efficiency is low both in the overexpressed
plasmid and siRNA experiments. Please provide more detail information of transfection
experiments, or  provide long exposure and short exposure WB data.
2. Some slices are missing in the consecutive sections of liver tissue of Fig1A.
Minor:
1. “In the liver, VDR is mainly expressed in liver parenchymal cells and especially hepatic non-
parenchymal cells such as hepatic stellate cells, sinus endothelial cells, Kupffer cells, and bile
duct epithelial cells”, the logic is incorrect.
2. In the third sentence of “VDR activators may provide an effective approach for the treatment
of BA”, the two groups with different results were written with the same name.
3. The names of genes and protein should be uniformed. For examples, P62 and p62, p53 and
SCR and Scr”.
assistant