scholarly journals Role of Beclin-1-Mediated Autophagy in the Survival of Pediatric Leukemia Cells

2016 ◽  
Vol 39 (5) ◽  
pp. 1827-1836 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiaoli Wu ◽  
Xuefeng Feng ◽  
Xiaoqing Zhao ◽  
Futian Ma ◽  
Na Liu ◽  
...  

Background/Aims: Acute and chronic leukemia are severe malignant cancers worldwide, and can occur in pediatric patients. Since bone marrow cell transplantation is seriously limited by the availability of the immune-paired donor sources, the therapy for pediatric leukemia (PL) remains challenging. Autophagy is essential for the regulation of cell survival in the harsh environment. However, the role of autophagy in the survival of PL cells under the oxidative stress, e.g. chemotherapy, remain ill-defined. In the current study, we addressed these questions. Methods: We analyzed the effects of oxidative stress on the cell viability of PL cells in vitro, using a CCK-8 assay. We analyzed the effects of oxidative stress on the apoptosis and autophagy of PL cells. We analyzed the levels of Beclin-1 and microRNA-93 (miR-93) in PL cells. Prediction of binding between miR-93 and 3'-UTR of Beclin-1 mRNA was performed by a bioinformatics algorithm and confirmed by a dual luciferase reporter assay. The relationship between levels of miR-93 and patients' survival was analyzed in PL patients. Results: We found that oxidative stress dose-dependently increased autophagy in PL cells. While low-level oxidative stress did not increase apoptosis, high-level oxidative stress increased apoptosis, seemingly from failure of autophagy-mediated cell survival. High-level oxidative stress appeared to suppress the protein levels of an autophagy protein Beclin-1 in PL cells, possibly through induction of miR-93, which inhibited the translation of Beclin-1 mRNA via 3'-UTR binding. Conclusion: Beclin-1-mediated autophagy plays a key role in the survival of PL cells against oxidative stress. Induction of miR-93 may increase the sensitivity of PL cells to oxidative stress during chemotherapy to improve therapeutic outcome.

2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (3) ◽  
pp. 1478
Author(s):  
Jiayin Lu ◽  
Yaoxing Chen ◽  
Zixu Wang ◽  
Jing Cao ◽  
Yulan Dong

Restraint stress causes various maternal diseases during pregnancy. β2-Adrenergic receptor (β2-AR) and Forkhead transcription factor class O 1 (FOXO1) are critical factors not only in stress, but also in reproduction. However, the role of FOXO1 in restraint stress, causing changes in the β2-AR pathway in pregnant mice, has been unclear. The aim of this research was to investigate the β2-AR pathway of restraint stress and its impact on the oxidative stress of the maternal uterus. In the study, maternal mice were treated with restraint stress by being restrained in a transparent and ventilated device before sacrifice on Pregnancy Day 5 (P5), Pregnancy Day 10 (P10), Pregnancy Day 15 (P15), and Pregnancy Day 20 (P20) as well as on Non-Pregnancy Day 5 (NP5). Restraint stress augmented blood corticosterone (CORT), norepinephrine (NE), and blood glucose levels, while oestradiol (E2) levels decreased. Moreover, restraint stress increased the mRNA levels of the FOXO family, β2-AR, and even the protein levels of FOXO1 and β2-AR in the uterus and ovaries. Furthermore, restraint stress increased uterine oxidative stress level. In vitro, the protein levels of FOXO1 were also obviously increased when β2-AR was activated in endometrial stromal cells (ESCs). In addition, phosphorylated-nuclear factor kappa-B p65 (p-NF-κB p65) and its target genes decreased significantly when FOXO1 was inhibited. Overall, it can be said that the β2-AR/FOXO1/p-NF-κB p65 pathway was activated when pregnant mice were under restraint stress. This study provides a scientific basis for the origin of psychological stress in pregnant women.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tinghui Duan ◽  
Diyuan Zhou ◽  
Yizhou Yao ◽  
Xinyu Shao

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is one of the most frequent malignant neoplasms worldwide, and the effect of treatments is limited. Fibroblast growth factor 1 (FGF1) has been involved in a wide variety of several malignant diseases and takes part in the tumorigenesis of CRC. However, the function and mechanism of FGF1 in CRC remains elusive. In this study, the results indicated that FGF1 is elevated in CRC tissues and linked with poor prognosis (P < 0.001). In subgroup analysis of FGF1 in CRC, regardless of any clinic-factors except gender, high level FGF1 expression was associated with markedly shorter survival (P < 0.05). In addition, the expression of p-S6K1 and FGF1 was not associated in normal tissue (P = 0.781), but their expression was closely related in tumor tissue (P = 0.010). The oncogenic role of FGF1 was determined using in vitro and in vivo functional assays. FGF1 depletion inhibited the proliferation and migration of CRC cells in vitro and vivo. FGF1 was also significantly correlated with mTOR-S6K1 pathway on the gene and protein levels (P < 0.05). In conclusion, FGF1 acts as a tumor activator in CRC, and against FGF1 may provide a new visual field on treating CRC, especially for mTORC1-targeted resistant patients.


2019 ◽  
Vol 316 (1) ◽  
pp. C57-C69 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zihui Zhou ◽  
Yuanshan Lu ◽  
Yao Wang ◽  
Lin Du ◽  
Yunpeng Zhang ◽  
...  

Osteoporosis is a progressive bone disease characterized by decreased bone mass and density, which usually parallels a reduced antioxidative capacity and increased reactive oxygen species formation. Adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells (ADMSCs), a population of self-renewing multipotent cells, are a well-recognized source of potential bone precursors with significant clinical potential for tissue regeneration. We previously showed that overexpressing stearoyl-CoA desaturase 1 (SCD-1) promotes osteogenic differentiation of mesenchymal stem cells. Micro-RNAs (miRNAs) are noncoding RNAs recently recognized to play key roles in many developmental processes, and miRNA let-7c is downregulated during osteoinduction. We found that let-7c was upregulated in the serum of patients with postmenopausal osteoporosis compared with healthy controls. Levels of let-7c during osteogenic differentiation of ADMSCs were examined under oxidative stress in vitro and found to be upregulated. Overexpression of let-7c inhibited osteogenic differentiation, whereas inhibition of let-7c function promoted this process, evidenced by increased expression of osteoblast-specific genes, alkaline phosphatase activity, and matrix mineralization. The luciferase reporter assay was used to validate SCD-1 as a target of let-7c. Further experiments showed that silencing of SCD-1 significantly attenuated the effect of let-7c inhibitor on osteoblast markers, providing strong evidence that let-7c modulates osteogenic differentiation by targeting SCD-1. Inhibition of let-7c promoted the translocation of β-catenin into nuclei, thus activating Wnt/β-catenin signaling. Collectively, these data suggest that let-7c is induced under oxidative stress conditions and in osteoporosis, reducing SCD-1 protein levels, switching off Wnt/β-catenin signaling, and inhibiting osteogenic differentiation. Thus, let-7c may be a potential therapeutic target in the treatment of osteoporosis and especially postmenopausal osteoporosis.


2015 ◽  
Vol 37 (2) ◽  
pp. 641-650 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiaoru Wang ◽  
Yulin Wang

Background/Aims: Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is a severe malignant cancer worldwide, in both adult and pediatric patients. Since bone marrow cell transplantation is seriously limited by the availability of the immune-paired donor sources, the therapy for pediatric leukemia remains challenging. Ginsenoside Rh2 (GRh2) is a well-characterized component in red ginseng, and has established therapeutic effects for different diseases, although whether GRh2 may have a therapeutic effect on pediatric leukemia has not been investigated. Methods: We examined the effects of GRh2 on the survival of mice in an acute leukemia model. We analyzed the effects of GRh2 on the cell viability of leukemia cell lines in vitro, using a CCK-8 assay and an MTT assay. We analyzed the effects of GRh2 on the apoptosis of leukemia cell lines in vitro, by flow cytometry. We analyzed the levels of Bcl-2 and microRNA-21 (miR-21) in GRh2-treated leukemia cells. Prediction of binding between miR-21 and 3'-UTR of Bcl-2 mRNA was performed by a bioinformatics algorithm and confirmed by a dual luciferase reporter assay. Results: GRh2 significantly prolonged the survival of mice with pediatric leukemia. GRh2 significantly decreased the viability of leukemia cells in vitro, through induction of apoptosis. GRh2 significantly decreased the levels of an anti-apoptotic protein Bcl-2 in leukemia cells, possibly through induction of miR-21, which suppressed the translation of Bcl-2 mRNA via 3'-UTR binding. Conclusion: GRh2 may be an effective treatment for pediatric leukemia, and GRh2 may induce apoptosis of leukemia cells through miR-21-modulated suppression of Bcl-2.


2021 ◽  
Vol 2021 ◽  
pp. 1-12
Author(s):  
Lei Liu ◽  
Guangyuan Xia ◽  
Peifan Li ◽  
Yiming Wang ◽  
Qian Zhao

Background. Recent studies suggest a correlation between the reduced Sirt-1 expression with Alzheimer’s diseases (AD) and depression, respectively, suggesting a possible pathogenic role of the altered Sirt-1 expression in neuronal degenerative diseases, such as AD and depression. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying how Sirt-1 reduction impairs neuronal functions remain unknown. Methods. We used the SK-N-SH neuroblastoma cells to study the role of Sirt-1 expression on physiological roles in neuronal cells. Gain of Sirt-1 was achieved by transiently transfecting Sirt-1 expression plasmid. Sirt-1-specific shRNA was used to elucidate the role of Sirt-1 loss of function. CCK-8 (Cell Counting Kit-8) assay and flow cytometry were used to evaluate cell proliferation. Semiquantitative western blotting was used to detect relative protein levels. A further luciferase reporter gene assay was employed to examine the effect of Sirt-1 expression on the transcriptional activity of p53. RT-qPCR was used to determine the mRNA levels of p21, Bax, and Bcl-2, which were the downstream target genes of p53. Results. Sirt-1 suppressed the p53 downstream gene p21 transcription, while shRNA-mediated Sirt-1 knockdown resulted in a significant increase in p21 expression, implying a possibility that Sirt-1 promotes neuron proliferation through suppressing p53 transcriptional activity. The mRNA and protein levels of p53 were not affected by the altered Sirt-1 expression, suggesting that Sirt-1 regulates the transcriptional regulatory activity of p53 rather than p53 expression. Indeed, we further confirmed that Sirt-1 appeared to inhibit p53 transcriptional activity by attenuating its acetylation and resulted in a decrease of p53’s binding to the p21 promoter. Overexpressed Sirt-1 scavenged reactive oxygen species (ROS) production in SK-N-SH with H2O2. Knockdown of Sirt-1 presented opposite effect; the addition of EX527 (Sirt-1 inhibitor) increased ROS accumulation. Conclusions. Oxidative stress induces Sirt-1 in neuron cells, and Sirt-1 promotes proliferation in SK-N-SH cells, which protects them from oxidative stress-induced cell death, potentially via suppressing the transcriptional activity of p53. These results provide a molecular explanation underlying how the reduced Sirt-1 potentially causes the AD and depression-related diseases, supporting the idea that Sirt-1 can possibly be used as a diagnostic biomarker and/or therapeutic drug target for the AD and depression-related diseases.


2019 ◽  
Vol 20 (14) ◽  
pp. 3562 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ye Zhao ◽  
Zhiming Ran ◽  
Qin Jiang ◽  
Ningming Hu ◽  
Bing Yu ◽  
...  

(1) Background: Vitamin D (VD) plays a vital role in anti-viral innate immunity. However, the role of VD in anti-rotavirus and its mechanism is still unclear. The present study was performed to investigate whether VD alleviates rotavirus (RV) infection through a microRNA-155-5p (miR-155-5p)-mediated regulation of TANK-binding kinase 1 (TBK1)/interferon regulatory factors 3 (IRF3) signaling pathway in vivo and in vitro. (2) Methods: The efficacy of VD treatment was evaluated in DLY pig and IPEC-J2. Dual-luciferase reporter activity assay was performed to verify the role of miR-155-5p in 1α,25-dihydroxy-VD3 (1,25D3) mediating the regulation of the TBK1/IRF3 signaling pathway. (3) Results: A 5000 IU·kg–1 dietary VD3 supplementation attenuated RV-induced the decrease of the villus height and crypt depth (p < 0.05), and up-regulated TBK1, IRF3, and IFN-β mRNA expressions in the jejunum (p < 0.05). Incubation with 1,25D3 significantly decreased the RV mRNA expression and the RV antigen concentration, and increased the TBK1 mRNA and protein levels, and the phosphoprotein IRF3 (p-IRF3) level (p < 0.05). The expression of miR-155-5p was up-regulated in response to an RV infection in vivo and in vitro (p < 0.05). 1,25D3 significantly repressed the up-regulation of miR-155-5p in vivo and in vitro (p < 0.05). Overexpression of miR-155-5p remarkably suppressed the mRNA and protein levels of TBK1 and p-IRF3 (p < 0.01), while the inhibition of miR-155-5p had an opposite effect. Luciferase activity assays confirmed that miR-155-5p regulated RV replication by directly targeting TBK1, and miR-155-5p suppressed the TBK1 protein level (p < 0.01). (4) Conclusions: These results indicate that miR-155-5p is involved in 1,25D3 mediating the regulation of the TBK1/IRF3 signaling pathway by directly targeting TBK1.


Blood ◽  
2010 ◽  
Vol 116 (21) ◽  
pp. 3580-3580
Author(s):  
Edit anna Porpaczy ◽  
Stefanie Tauber ◽  
Martin Bilban ◽  
Gerhard Kostner ◽  
Michaela Gruber ◽  
...  

Abstract Abstract 3580 The expression of lipoprotein lipase (LPL) in CLL cells is an established mRNA surrogate marker for immunoglobulin heavy chain (IgVH) mutational status. High expression of LPL correlates with poor prognosis. However, the possible functional role of LPL in CLL is still unclear. LPL is normally expressed in muscle cells, adipose tissue and macrophages, transported to the luminal surface of endothelial cells where it is bound heparan sulfate-proteoglycans (HSPG). Heparin competes with HSPG for the binding sites and intravenous injection leads to elevated plasma LPL protein levels and enzymatic activity (“heparin release test”). LPL mRNA levels correlate with intracellular protein expression (Heintel et al. Leukemia. 2005; Mansouri et al. Leuk Res. 2010). Moreover cellular lysates from CLL patients contain elevated LPL enzymatic activity compared to healthy donors (Pallasch et al. Leukemia. 2008.). In this study, we investigated the basal (pre-heparin) LPL protein levels by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay in the serum of 42 CLL patients, 14 non-CLL patients (lymphoma in remission), and 4 healthy donors (HD): Median pre-heparin LPL protein levels were 40.10 ng/ml (range: 5.66–108.44), 44.11 ng/ml (18.26-84.08), and 68.14 ng/ml (33.28-174.38), respectively. Among CLL patients there were no significant differences between those with high (N=16; median LPL protein in serum: 38.10 ng/ml (8.72-73.49)) and low (N=26; 43.12 ng/ml (5.66-108.44) (p=0.354) LPL mRNA expression. Thirteen patients with known LPL mRNA expression were investigated for LPL protein “release” after heparin injection. Ten and twenty minutes after 50 U/kg heparin injection, the elevation of both parameters, LPL protein amount in serum and enzymatic activity in plasma, was similar to those of HD normal values. In detail, medium serum protein levels in samples with high LPL mRNA (N=5) increased from 16.11 to 214.33 and 332.78 ng/ml and in the samples with low mRNA (N=8) from 13.08 to 219.68 and 386.65 ng/ml, respectively. The corresponding median values of the LPL enzymatic activities in high vs. low expressors were: 7.25/15.52/20.01 and 7.45/19.13/20.57 μ M/ml/h. In addition, release of LPL from peripheral mononuclear cells (PBMC) of CLL patients (N=3) by heparin in vitro was absent. Cell viability and LPL mRNA expression remained unaffected in both in vivo and in vitro samples after heparin addition. In order to assess the impact of LPL on cell survival, CLL cells were cultured (N=3) for up to 72 hours with different doses of purified LPL protein. There was no positive effect on cell survival irrespective of primary LPL mRNA expression or culture conditions (with or without FCS). Since these results point to an intracellular effect of LPL, we aimed to identify downstream targets by knock down with siRNA against LPL in 7 CLL samples and 5 cell lines (hepatocellular carcinoma, cervix carcinoma, colon carcinoma, multiple myeloma and acute monocytic leukemia) with high LPL mRNA expression. Gene expression changes were analyzed by microarrays (GeneChip® Human Gene 1.0 ST Array, Affymetrix). Fifteen genes were up- (N=4) or downregulated (N=11) in at least 3 of 5 cell lines by more than 1.5-fold (e.g. GSTP1, COROC1). Nine genes were at least 1.5-fold downregulated in parallel with LPL in the CLL samples only. These genes belong to various pathways (e.g. cell cycle, signaling in immune system, metabolism of carbohydrates) and seem to be specific for CLL. Cross-validation of individual genes is under way. Our data suggest that (1) neither basal serum LPL protein levels nor heparin-induced LPL release in CLL patients are suitable clinical prognostic markers; (2) Stimulation with external LPL protein does not affect CLL cell survival; (3) siRNA knock-down of LPL induces changes in various functional pathways. We conclude that the key role of LPL expression in high-risk CLL is related to its (intra)cellular expression. Disclosures: No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.


2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Guoqing Chen ◽  
Ying Lin ◽  
Lu Chen ◽  
Fa Zeng ◽  
Li Zhang ◽  
...  

Abstract Background: Preeclampsia (PE) is a pregnancy complication that is diagnosed by the new onset of hypertension and proteinuria. Although the pathogenesis of PE is still not fully understood, growing evidence indicates that oxidative stress and mitochondrial dysfunction may contribute to the progression of PE. Therefore, we aimed to determine the role of mitophagy in mitochondrial dysfunction and oxidative stress in PE. Moreover, we aimed to evaluate the role of DNA damage-regulated autophagy modulator 1 (DRAM1) in the development of PE. Results: In this study, we first constructed a mouse model of PE induced by Hif-1α and found a high level of oxidative stress, apoptosis and mitochondrial dysfunction in the placentas of PE mice. Additionally, the activity of mitophagy was decreased, and the level of DRAM1 was significantly decreased in the placentas of PE mice. To further explore the role of DRAM1 in mitophagy, DRAM1 was overexpressed in the placental tissues of PE mice. It was found that the overexpression of DRAM1 effectively improved the symptoms of PE mice and that blood lipid and urine protein levels were significantly reduced. Furthermore, DRAM1 overexpression also improved mitochondrial function and reduced oxidative stress in the placentas of PE mice. In addition, it improved mitochondrial fusion and fission and enhanced mitophagy.Conclusions: our results indicate a key role of DRAM1 in mitophagy in contributing to the regulation of PE. To our knowledge, this is the first study to confirm the role of DRAM1 in PE, and the study provides a new understanding of the pathophysiological mechanisms of PE.


2020 ◽  
Vol 17 (3) ◽  
pp. 259-266 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xuan Chen ◽  
Sumei Zhang ◽  
Peipei Shi ◽  
Yangli Su ◽  
Dong Zhang ◽  
...  

Objective: Ischemia-reperfusion (I/R) injury is a pathological feature of ischemic stroke. This study investigated the regulatory role of miR-485-5p in I/R injury. Methods: SH-SY5Y cells were induced with oxygen and glucose deprivation/reoxygenation (OGD/R) to mimic I/R injury in vitro. Cells were transfected with designated constructs (miR-485- 5p mimics, miR-485-5p inhibitor, lentiviral vectors overexpressing Rac1 or their corresponding controls). Cell viability was evaluated using the MTT assay. The concentrations of lactate dehydrogenase, malondialdehyde, and reactive oxygen species were detected to indicate the degree of oxidative stress. Flow cytometry and caspase-3 activity assay were used for apoptosis assessment. Dual-luciferase reporter assay was performed to confirm that Rac family small GTPase 1 (Rac1) was a downstream gene of miR-485-5p. Results: OGD/R resulted in decreased cell viability, elevated oxidative stress, increased apoptosis, and downregulated miR-485-5p expression in SH-SY5Y cells. MiR-485-5p upregulation alleviated I/R injury, evidenced by improved cell viability, decreased oxidative markers, and reduced apoptotic rate. OGD/R increased the levels of Rac1 and neurogenic locus notch homolog protein 2 (Notch2) signaling-related proteins in cells with normal miR-485-5p expression, whereas miR- 485-5p overexpression successfully suppressed OGD/R-induced upregulation of these proteins. Furthermore, the delivery of vectors overexpressing Rac1 in miR-485-5p mimics-transfected cells reversed the protective effect of miR-485-5p in cells with OGD/R-induced injury. Conclusion: This study showed that miR-485-5p protected cells following I/R injury via targeting Rac1/Notch2 signaling suggest that targeted upregulation of miR-485-5p might be a promising therapeutic option for the protection against I/R injury.


2019 ◽  
Vol 18 (1) ◽  
pp. 78-87 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jian-kai Yang ◽  
Hong-jiang Liu ◽  
Yuanyu Wang ◽  
Chen Li ◽  
Ji-peng Yang ◽  
...  

Background and Objective: Exosomes communicate inter-cellularly and miRNAs play critical roles in this scenario. MiR-214-5p was implicated in multiple tumors with diverse functions uncovered. However, whether miR-214-5p is mechanistically involved in glioblastoma, especially via exosomal pathway, is still elusive. Here we sought to comprehensively address the critical role of exosomal miR-214-5p in glioblastoma (GBM) microenvironment.Methods:The relative expression of miR-214-5p was determined by real-time PCR. Cell viability and migration were measured by MTT and transwell chamber assays, respectively. The secretory cytokines were measured with ELISA kits. The regulatory effect of miR-214-5p on CXCR5 expression was interrogated by luciferase reporter assay. Protein level was analyzed by Western blot.Results:We demonstrated that miR-214-5p was aberrantly overexpressed in GBM and associated with poorer clinical prognosis. High level of miR-214-5p significantly contributed to cell proliferation and migration. GBM-derived exosomal miR-214-5p promoted inflammatory response in primary microglia upon lipopolysaccharide challenge. We further identified CXCR5 as the direct target of miR-214- 5p in this setting.Conclusion:Overexpression of miR-214-5p in GBM modulated the inflammatory response in microglia via exosomal transfer.


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