scholarly journals Apaf-1, Bcl-xL, Cytochrome c, and Caspase-9 Form the Critical Elements for Cerebral Vascular Protection by Erythropoietin

2003 ◽  
Vol 23 (3) ◽  
pp. 320-330 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zhao Zhong Chong ◽  
Jing-Qiong Kang ◽  
Kenneth Maiese

Erythropoietin (EPO) plays a prominent role in the regulation of the hematopoietic system, but the potential function of this trophic factor as a cytoprotectant in the cerebral vascular system is not known. The authors examined the ability of EPO to modulate a series of death-related cellular pathways during free radical–induced injury in cerebral microvascular endothelial cells (ECs). Endothelial cell injury was evaluated by trypan blue, DNA fragmentation, membrane phosphatidylserine exposure, apoptotic protease–activating factor-1 (Apaf-1), and Bcl-xL expression, mitochondrial membrane potential, cytochrome c release, and cysteine protease activity. They show that constitutive EPO is present in ECs but is insufficient to prevent cellular injury. Signaling through the EPO receptor, however, remains biologically responsive to exogenous EPO administration to offer significant protection against nitric oxide–induced injury. Exogenous EPO maintains both genomic DNA integrity and cellular membrane asymmetry through parallel pathways that prevent the induction of Apaf-1 and preserve mitochondrial membrane potential in conjunction with enhanced Bcl-xL expression. Consistent with the modulation of Apaf-1 and the release of cytochrome c, EPO also inhibits the activation of caspase-9 and caspase-3–like activities. Identification of novel cytoprotective pathways used by EPO may serve as therapeutic targets for cerebral vascular disease.

2001 ◽  
Vol 281 (3) ◽  
pp. H1295-H1303 ◽  
Author(s):  
Meifeng Xu ◽  
Yigang Wang ◽  
Ahmar Ayub ◽  
Muhammad Ashraf

Mitochondrial membrane potential (ΔΨm) is severely compromised in the myocardium after ischemia-reperfusion and triggers apoptotic events leading to cell demise. This study tests the hypothesis that mitochondrial ATP-sensitive K+ (mitoKATP) channel activation prevents the collapse of ΔΨm in myocytes during anoxia-reoxygenation (A-R) and is responsible for cell protection via inhibition of apoptosis. After 3-h anoxia and 2-h reoxygenation, the cultured myocytes underwent extensive damage, as evidenced by decreased cell viability, compromised membrane permeability, increased apoptosis, and decreased ATP concentration. Mitochondria in A-R myocytes were swollen and fuzzy as shown after staining with Mito Tracker Orange CMTMRos and in an electron microscope and exhibited a collapsed ΔΨm, as monitored by 5,5′,6,6′-tetrachloro-1,1′,3,3′-tetraethylbenzimidazolcarbocyanine iodide (JC-1). Cytochrome c was released from mitochondria into the cytosol as demonstrated by cytochrome cimmunostaining. Activation of mitoKATP channel with diazoxide (100 μmol/l) resulted in a significant protection against mitochondrial damage, ATP depletion, cytochrome c loss, and stabilized ΔΨm. This protection was blocked by 5-hydroxydecanoate (500 μmol/l), a mitoKATPchannel-selective inhibitor, but not by HMR-1098 (30 μmol/l), a putative sarcolemmal KATP channel-selective inhibitor. Dissipation of ΔΨm also leads to opening of mitochondrial permeability transition pore, which was prevented by cyclosporin A. The data support the hypothesis that A-R disrupts ΔΨm and induces apoptosis, which are prevented by the activation of the mitoKATP channel. This further emphasizes the therapeutic significance of mitoKATP channel agonists in the prevention of ischemia-reperfusion cell injury.


2000 ◽  
Vol 150 (1) ◽  
pp. 131-144 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mohanish Deshmukh ◽  
Keisuke Kuida ◽  
Eugene M. Johnson

Nerve growth factor (NGF) deprivation induces a Bax-dependent, caspase-dependent programmed cell death in sympathetic neurons. We examined whether the release of cytochrome c was accompanied by the loss of mitochondrial membrane potential during sympathetic neuronal death. NGF- deprived, caspase inhibitor–treated mouse sympathetic neurons maintained mitochondrial membrane poten-tial for 25–30 h after releasing cytochrome c. NGF- deprived sympathetic neurons became committed to die, as measured by the inability of cells to be rescued by NGF readdition, at the time of cytochrome c release. In the presence of caspase inhibitor, however, this commitment to death was extended beyond the point of cytochrome c release, but only up to the subsequent point of mitochondrial membrane potential loss. Caspase-9 deficiency also arrested NGF-deprived sympathetic neurons after release of cytochrome c, and permitted these neurons to be rescued with NGF readdition. Commitment to death in the NGF-deprived, caspase- 9–deficient sympathetic neurons was also coincident with the loss of mitochondrial membrane potential. Thus, caspase inhibition extended commitment to death in trophic factor–deprived sympathetic neurons and allowed recovery of neurons arrested after the loss of cytochrome c, but not beyond the subsequent loss of mitochondrial membrane potential.


2008 ◽  
Vol 30 (5) ◽  
pp. 435-450
Author(s):  
Wilfried Kugler ◽  
Leo Veenman ◽  
Yulia Shandalov ◽  
Svetlana Leschiner ◽  
Ilana Spanier ◽  
...  

Background: We have previously shown that the anti-neoplastic agent erucylphosphohomocholine (ErPC3) requires the mitochondrial 18 kDa Translocator protein (TSPO), formerly known as the peripheral-type benzodiazepine receptor (PBR), to induce cell death via the mitochondrial apoptosis pathway.Methods: With the aid of the dye JC-1 and cyclosporin A, applied to glioblastoma cells, we now investigated the significance of opening of the mitochondrial permeability transition pore (MPTP) for ErPC3-induced apoptosis in interaction with the TSPO ligands, PK 11195 and Ro5 4864. Furthermore, we measured cytochrome c release, and caspase-9 and -3 activation in this paradigm.Results: The human glioblastoma cell lines, U87MG, A172 and U118MG express the MPTP-associated TSPO, voltage-dependent anion channel and adenine nucleotide transporter. Indeed, ErPC3-induced apoptosis was inhibited by the MPTP blocker cyclosporin A and by PK 11195 and Ro5 4864 in a concentration-dependent manner. Furthermore, PK 11195 and Ro5 4864 inhibited collapse of the mitochondrial membrane potential, cytochrome c release, and caspase-9 and -3 activation caused by ErPC3 treatment.Conclusions: This study shows that PK 11195 and Ro5 4864 inhibit the pro-apoptotic function of ErPC3 by blocking its capacity to cause a collapse of the mitochondrial membrane potential. Thus, the TSPO may serve to open the MPTP in response to anti-cancer drugs such as ErPC3.


2012 ◽  
Vol 111 (suppl_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Toshitaka Yajima ◽  
Stanley Park ◽  
Hanbing Zhou ◽  
Michinari Nakamura ◽  
Mitsuyo Machida ◽  
...  

MAVS is a mitochondrial outer membrane protein that activates innate antiviral signaling by recognizing cytosolic viral RNAs and DNAs. While the discovery of MAVS is the first molecular evidence that links mitochondria to innate immune mechanisms, it is still unclear whether MAVS affects mitochondrial cell death as a member of caspase activation and recruitment domain (CARD)-containing proteins. We found that MAVS interacts with Bax through CARD by Yeast two-hybrid and a series of immunoprecipitation (IP) assay, which led us to hypothesize that MAVS functions not only in the innate antiviral mechanisms but also in the mitochondrial cell death pathway. Methods: 1) We examined molecular interaction between MAVS and Bax under oxidative stress by IP using isolated myocytes with H2O2 stimulation and the heart post ischemia-reperfusion (I/R). 2) We evaluated the effect of MAVS on mitochondrial membrane potential and apoptosis under H2O2 stimulation using isolated myocytes with adenoviral MAVS knockdown. 3) We investigated the impact of MAVS on %myocardial infarction (%MI) post I/R using cardiac-specific MAVS knockout (cKO) and transgenic (cTg) mice which we have originally generated. 4) We examined the effect of MAVS on recombinant Bax (rBax)-mediated cytochrome c release using isolated mitochondria from wild type (WT) and MAVS KO mice. Results: 1) The amount of Bax pulled down with MAVS was significantly increased in isolated myocytes with 0.2 mM H2O2 compared to those without stimulation (mean±SD; 1.808±0.14, n=5, p<0.001) and in the heart post I/R compared to sham (2.2±1.19, n=3, p=0.0081). 2) Myocytes with MAVS knockdown showed clear abnormalities in mitochondrial membrane potential and caspace-3 cleavage with 0.2 mM H2O2 compared to control cardiomyocytes. 3) MAVS cKO had significantly larger %MI than WT (81.9 ± 5.8% vs. 42.6 ± 13.6%, n=8, p=0.0008). In contrast, MAVS cTg had significantly smaller %MI that WT (30.0 ± 4.8% vs. 49.2 ± 4.8%, n=10, p=0.0113). 4) Mitochondria from MAVS KO exhibited cytochrome c release after incubation with 2.5 μ g of rBax while those from WT required 10 μ g of rBax. Conclusion: These results demonstrate that MAVS protects cardiomyocyte under oxidative stress by interfering with Bax-mediated cytochrome c release from mitochondria.


2019 ◽  
Vol 317 (6) ◽  
pp. G862-G871
Author(s):  
Amrita Ahluwalia ◽  
Neil Hoa ◽  
Michael K. Jones ◽  
Andrzej S. Tarnawski

Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) such as diclofenac (DFN) and indomethacin (INDO) are extensively used worldwide. Their main side effects are injury of the gastrointestinal tract, including erosions, ulcers, and bleeding. Since gastric epithelial cells (GEPCs) are crucial for mucosal defense and are the major target of injury, we examined the extent to which DFN- and INDO-induced GEPC injury can be reversed by nerve growth factor (NGF), 16,16 dimethyl prostaglandin E2 (dmPGE2), and 5-aminoimidazole-4-carboxamide ribonucleotide (AICAR), the pharmacological activator of the metabolic sensor AMP kinase (AMPK). Cultured normal rat gastric mucosal epithelial (RGM1) cells were treated with PBS (control), NGF, dmPGE2, AICAR, and/or NSAID (DFN or INDO) for 1–4 h. We examined cell injury by confocal microscopy, cell death/survival using calcein AM, mitochondrial membrane potential using MitoTracker, and phosphorylation of AMPK by Western blotting. DFN and INDO treatment of RGM1 cells for 2 h decreased mitochondrial membrane potential and cell viability. NGF posttreatment (initiated 1 or 2 h after DFN or INDO) reversed the dissipation of mitochondrial membrane potential and cell injury caused by DFN and INDO and increased cell viability versus cells treated for 4 h with NSAID alone. Pretreatment with dmPGE2 and AICAR significantly protected these cells from DFN- and INDO-induced injury, whereas dmPGE2 and AICAR posttreatment (initiated 1 h after NSAID treatment) reversed cell injury and significantly increased cell viability and rescued the cells from NSAID-induced mitochondrial membrane potential reduction. DFN and INDO induce extensive mitochondrial injury and GEPC death, which can be significantly reversed by NGF, dmPGE2, and AICAR. NEW & NOTEWORTHY This study demonstrated that mitochondria are key targets of diclofenac- and indomethacin-induced injury of gastric epithelial cells and that diclofenac and indomethacin injury can be prevented and, importantly, also reversed by treatment with nerve growth factor, 16,16 dimethyl prostaglandin E2, and 5-aminoimidazole-4-carboxamide ribonucleotide.


2005 ◽  
Vol 102 (6) ◽  
pp. 1147-1157 ◽  
Author(s):  
Torsten Loop ◽  
David Dovi-Akue ◽  
Michael Frick ◽  
Martin Roesslein ◽  
Lotti Egger ◽  
...  

Background Volatile anesthetics modulate lymphocyte function during surgery, and this compromises postoperative immune competence. The current work was undertaken to examine whether volatile anesthetics induce apoptosis in human T lymphocytes and what apoptotic signaling pathway might be used. Methods Effects of sevoflurane, isoflurane, and desflurane were studied in primary human CD3 T lymphocytes and Jurkat T cells in vitro. Apoptosis and mitochondrial membrane potential were assessed using flow cytometry after green fluorescent protein-annexin V and DiOC6-fluorochrome staining. Activity and proteolytic processing of caspase 3 was measured by cleaving of the fluorogenic effector caspase substrate Ac-DEVD-AMC and by anti-caspase-3 Western blotting. Release of mitochondrial cytochrome c was studied after cell fractionation using anti-cytochrome c Western blotting and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays. Results Sevoflurane and isoflurane induced apoptosis in human T lymphocytes in a dose-dependent manner. By contrast, desflurane did not exert any proapoptotic effects. The apoptotic signaling pathway used by sevoflurane involved disruption of the mitochondrial membrane potential and release of cytochrome c from mitochondria to the cytosol. In addition, the authors observed a proteolytic cleavage of the inactive p32 procaspase 3 to the active p17 fragment, increased caspase-3-like activity, and cleavage of the caspase-3 substrate poly-ADP-ribose-polymerase. Sevoflurane-induced apoptosis was blocked by the general caspase inhibitor Z-VAD.fmk. Death signaling was not mediated via the Fas/CD95 receptor pathway because neither anti-Fas/CD95 receptor antagonism nor FADD deficiency or caspase-8 deficiency were able to attenuate sevoflurane-mediated apoptosis. Conclusion Sevoflurane and isoflurane induce apoptosis in T lymphocytes via increased mitochondrial membrane permeability and caspase-3 activation, but independently of death receptor signaling.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document