scholarly journals Non-canonical Function of a Hif-1α Splice Variant Contributes to the Sustained Flight of Locusts

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Le Kang ◽  
Ding Ding ◽  
Jie Zhang ◽  
Baozhen Du ◽  
Xuanzhao Wang ◽  
...  

The hypoxia inducible factor (Hif) pathway is functionally conserved across metazoans in modulating cellular adaptations to hypoxia. However, the functions of this pathway under aerobic physiological conditions are rarely investigated. Here, we show that Hif-1α2, a locust Hif-1α isoform, does not induce canonical hypoxic responses but functions as a specific regulator of locust flight, which is a completely aerobic physiological process. Two Hif-1α splice variants were identified in locusts, a ubiquitously expressed Hif-1α1 and a muscle-predominantly expressed Hif- 1α2. Hif-1α1 that induces typical hypoxic responses upon hypoxia exposure, remains inactive during flight. By contrast, the expression of Hif-1α2, which lacks C-terminal transactivation domain, is less sensitive to oxygen-tension but induced extensively by flying. Hif-1α2 sustains flight endurance by promoting glucose oxidation while simultaneously maintaining redox homeostasis by upregulating the production of a reactive oxygen species (ROS) quencher, DJ-1. Overall, this study reveals a novel Hif-mediated mechanism underlying prolonged aerobic physiological activity.

2018 ◽  
Vol 24 (20) ◽  
pp. 2283-2302 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vivian B. Neis ◽  
Priscila B. Rosa ◽  
Morgana Moretti ◽  
Ana Lucia S. Rodrigues

Heme oxygenase (HO) family catalyzes the conversion of heme into free iron, carbon monoxide and biliverdin. It possesses two well-characterized isoforms: HO-1 and HO-2. Under brain physiological conditions, the expression of HO-2 is constitutive, abundant and ubiquitous, whereas HO-1 mRNA and protein are restricted to small populations of neurons and neuroglia. HO-1 is an inducible enzyme that has been shown to participate as an essential defensive mechanism for neurons exposed to oxidant challenges, being related to antioxidant defenses in certain neuropathological conditions. Considering that neurodegenerative diseases (Alzheimer’s Disease (AD), Parkinson’s Disease (PD) and Multiple Sclerosis (MS)) and neuropsychiatric disorders (depression, anxiety, Bipolar Disorder (BD) and schizophrenia) are associated with increased inflammatory markers, impaired redox homeostasis and oxidative stress, conditions that may be associated with alterations in HO-levels/activity, the purpose of this review is to present evidence on the possible role of HO-1 in these Central Nervous System (CNS) diseases. In addition, the possible therapeutic potential of targeting brain HO-1 is explored in this review.


Cancers ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (5) ◽  
pp. 986
Author(s):  
Nada S. Aboelella ◽  
Caitlin Brandle ◽  
Timothy Kim ◽  
Zhi-Chun Ding ◽  
Gang Zhou

It has been well-established that cancer cells are under constant oxidative stress, as reflected by elevated basal level of reactive oxygen species (ROS), due to increased metabolism driven by aberrant cell growth. Cancer cells can adapt to maintain redox homeostasis through a variety of mechanisms. The prevalent perception about ROS is that they are one of the key drivers promoting tumor initiation, progression, metastasis, and drug resistance. Based on this notion, numerous antioxidants that aim to mitigate tumor oxidative stress have been tested for cancer prevention or treatment, although the effectiveness of this strategy has yet to be established. In recent years, it has been increasingly appreciated that ROS have a complex, multifaceted role in the tumor microenvironment (TME), and that tumor redox can be targeted to amplify oxidative stress inside the tumor to cause tumor destruction. Accumulating evidence indicates that cancer immunotherapies can alter tumor redox to intensify tumor oxidative stress, resulting in ROS-dependent tumor rejection. Herein we review the recent progresses regarding the impact of ROS on cancer cells and various immune cells in the TME, and discuss the emerging ROS-modulating strategies that can be used in combination with cancer immunotherapies to achieve enhanced antitumor effects.


The Analyst ◽  
2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ya-Nan Wei ◽  
Bo Lin ◽  
Yang Shu ◽  
Jian-Hua Wang

As an indispensable biothiol, cysteine (Cys) plays a critical part in cellular redox homeostasis, pathological and physiological processes. One of the main sources of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in human...


2021 ◽  
Vol 20 ◽  
pp. 153303382199001
Author(s):  
Dimitrios Pavlakis ◽  
Spyridon Kampantais ◽  
Konstantinos Gkagkalidis ◽  
Victoras Gourvas ◽  
Dimitrios Memmos ◽  
...  

Background: One of the main factors in response to hypoxia in the tumor microenvironment is the hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF) pathway. Although its role in other solid tumors, particularly renal cell carcinoma, has been sufficiently elucidated, it remains elusive in prostate cancer. The aim of the present study was to investigate the expression of main proteins involved in this pathway and determine the correlation of the results with clinicopathological outcomes of patients with prostate cancer. Methods: The immunohistochemical expression of HIF-1a, HIF-2a and their regulators, prolyl hydroxylase domain (PHD)1, PHD2 and PHD3 and factor inhibiting HIF (FIH), was assessed on a tissue microarray. This was constructed from radical prostatectomy specimens, involving both tumor and corresponding adjacent non-tumoral prostate tissues from 50 patients with localized or locally advanced prostate cancer. Results: In comparison with non-tumoral adjacent tissue, HIF-1a exhibited an equal or lower expression in 86% of the specimens (P = 0.017), while HIF-2a was overexpressed in 52% (P = 0.032) of the cases. HIF-1a protein expression was correlated with HIF-2a (P < 0.001), FIH (P = 0.004), PHD1 (P < 0.001), PHD2 (P < 0.001) and PHD3 (P = 0.035). HIF-2a expression was positively correlated with Gleason score (P = 0.017) and International Society of Urological Pathologists (ISUP) grade group (P = 0.022). Conclusions: The findings of the present study suggest a key role for HIF-2a in prostate cancer, as HIF-2a expression was found to be correlated with Gleason score and ISUP grade of the patients. However, further studies are required to validate these results and investigate the potential value of HIF-2a as a therapeutic target in prostate cancer.


Drug Research ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 69 (10) ◽  
pp. 528-536
Author(s):  
Najat Bouchmaa ◽  
Reda Ben Mrid ◽  
Youness Boukharsa ◽  
Youssef Bouargalne ◽  
Mohamed Nhiri ◽  
...  

Abstract Background In cancer cells, the intracellular antioxidant capacity and the redox homeostasis are mainly maintained by the glutathione- and thioredoxin-dependent systems which are considered as promising targets for anticancer drugs. Pyridazinones constitute an interesting source of heterocyclic compounds for drug discovery. The present investigation focused on studying the in-vitro antitumor activity of newly synthesized Pyridazin-3(2h)-ones derivatives against P815 (Murin mastocytoma) cell line. Methods The in-vitro cytotoxic activities were investigated toward the P815 cell line using tetrazolium-based MTT assay. Lipid peroxidation and the specific activities of antioxidant enzymes were also determined. Results The newly compounds had a selective dose-dependent cytotoxic effect without affecting normal cells (PBMCs). Apoptosis was further confirmed through the characteristic apoptotic morphological changes and DNA fragmentation. Two compounds (6f and 7h) were highly cytotoxic and were submitted to extend biological testing to determine the likely mechanisms of their cytotoxicity. Results showed that these molecules may induce cytotoxicity via disturbing the redox homeostasis. Importantly, the anticancer activity of 6f and 7h could be due to the intracellular reactive oxygen species hypergeneration through significant loss of glutathione reductase and thioredoxin reductase activities. This eventually leads to oxidative stress-mediated P815 cell apoptosis. Furthermore, the co-administration of 6f or 7h with Methotrexate exhibited a synergistic cytotoxic effect. Conclusions considering their significant anticancer activity and chemosensitivity, 6f and 7h may improve the therapeutic efficacy of the current treatment for cancer.


2011 ◽  
Vol 436 (2) ◽  
pp. 363-369 ◽  
Author(s):  
Melissa B. Pappalardi ◽  
Dean E. McNulty ◽  
John D. Martin ◽  
Kelly E. Fisher ◽  
Yong Jiang ◽  
...  

The HIF (hypoxia-inducible factor) plays a central regulatory role in oxygen homoeostasis. HIF proteins are regulated by three Fe(II)- and α-KG (α-ketoglutarate)-dependent prolyl hydroxylase enzymes [PHD (prolyl hydroxylase domain) isoenzymes 1–3 or PHD1, PHD2 and PHD3] and one asparaginyl hydroxylase [FIH (factor inhibiting HIF)]. The prolyl hydroxylases control the abundance of HIF through oxygen-dependent hydroxylation of specific proline residues in HIF proteins, triggering subsequent ubiquitination and proteasomal degradation. FIH inhibits the HIF transcription activation through asparagine hydroxylation. Understanding the precise roles and regulation of these four Fe(II)- and α-KG-dependent hydroxylases is of great importance. In the present paper, we report the biochemical characterization of the first HIF protein substrates that contain the CODDD (C-terminal oxygen-dependent degradation domain), the NODDD (N-terminal oxygen-dependent degradation domain) and the CAD (C-terminal transactivation domain). Using LC-MS/MS (liquid chromatography–tandem MS) detection, we show that all three PHD isoenzymes have a strong preference for hydroxylation of the CODDD proline residue over the NODDD proline residue and the preference is observed for both HIF1α and HIF2α protein substrates. In addition, steady-state kinetic analyses show differential substrate selectivity for HIF and α-KG in reference to the three PHD isoforms and FIH.


2021 ◽  
pp. 074823372110110
Author(s):  
Shabnoor Iqbal ◽  
Farhat Jabeen ◽  
Abdul Shakoor Chaudhry ◽  
Muhammad Ajmal Shah ◽  
Gaber El-Saber Batiha

Nickel nanoparticles (Ni-NPs) are widely used for multiple purposes in industries. Ni-NPs exposure is detrimental to ecosystems owing to widespread use, and so their toxicity is important to consider for real-world applications. This review mainly focuses on the notable pathophysiological activities of Ni-NPs in various research models. Ni-NPs are stated to be more toxic than bulk forms because of their larger surface area to volume ratio and are reported to provoke toxicity through reactive oxygen species generation, which leads to the upregulation of nuclear factor-κB and promotes further signaling cascades. Ni-NPs may contribute to provoking oxidative stress and apoptosis. Hypoxia-inducible factor 1α and mitogen-activated protein kinases pathways are involved in Ni-NPs associated toxicity. Ni-NPs trigger the transcription factors p-p38, p-JNK, p-ERK1/2, interleukin (IL)-3, TNF-α, IL-13, Fas, Cyt c, Bax, Bid protein, caspase-3, caspase-8, and caspase-9. Moreover, Ni-NPs have an occupational vulnerability and were reported to induce lung-related disorders owing to inhalation. Ni-NPs may cause serious effects on reproduction as Ni-NPs induced deleterious effects on reproductive cells (sperm and eggs) in animal models and provoked hormonal alteration. However, recent studies have provided limited knowledge regarding the important checkpoints of signaling pathways and less focused on the toxic limitation of Ni-NPs in humans, which therefore needs to be further investigated.


2021 ◽  
Vol 224 (18) ◽  
Author(s):  
Milica Mandic ◽  
William Joyce ◽  
Steve F. Perry

ABSTRACT The hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF) pathway is a key regulator of cellular O2 homeostasis and an important orchestrator of the physiological responses to hypoxia (low O2) in vertebrates. Fish can be exposed to significant and frequent changes in environmental O2, and increases in Hif-α (the hypoxia-sensitive subunit of the transcription factor Hif) have been documented in a number of species as a result of a decrease in O2. Here, we discuss the impact of the Hif pathway on the hypoxic response and the contribution to hypoxia tolerance, particularly in fishes of the cyprinid lineage, which includes the zebrafish (Danio rerio). The cyprinids are of specific interest because, unlike in most other fishes, duplicated paralogs of the Hif-α isoforms arising from a teleost-specific genome duplication event have been retained. Positive selection has acted on the duplicated paralogs of the Hif-α isoforms in some cyprinid sub-families, pointing to adaptive evolutionary change in the paralogs. Thus, cyprinids are valuable models for exploring the evolutionary significance and physiological impact of the Hif pathway on the hypoxic response. Knockout in zebrafish of either paralog of Hif-1α greatly reduces hypoxia tolerance, indicating the importance of both paralogs to the hypoxic response. Here, with an emphasis on the cardiorespiratory system, we focus on the role of Hif-1α in the hypoxic ventilatory response and the regulation of cardiac function. We explore the effects of the duration of the hypoxic exposure (acute, sustained or intermittent) on the impact of Hif-1α on cardiorespiratory function and compare relevant data with those from mammalian systems.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document