Dual functional roles of Tie-2/angiopoietin in TNF-α-mediated angiogenesis

2004 ◽  
Vol 287 (1) ◽  
pp. H187-H195 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jian-Xiong Chen ◽  
Ying Chen ◽  
Laura DeBusk ◽  
Wenyu Lin ◽  
Pengnain Charles Lin

Inflammation and angiogenesis are associated with pathological disorders. TNF-α is a major inflammatory cytokine that also regulates angiogenesis. TNF-α has been shown to regulate Tie-2 and angiopoietin (Ang) expression, but the functional significance is less clear. In this study, we showed that TNF-α induced a weak angiogenic response in a mouse cornea assay. Systemic overexpression of Ang-1 or Ang-2 dramatically increased corneal angiogenesis induced by TNF-α. In the absence of TNF-α, neither Ang-1 nor Ang-2 promoted corneal angiogenesis. Low doses (0–25 ng/ml) of TNF-α increased vascular branch formation of cultured endothelial cells. Overexpression of Ang-1 or Ang-2 enhanced the effects of TNF-α. These data suggest that Tie-2 signaling synergistically amplifies and participates in TNF-α-mediated angiogenesis. In addition, high doses (≥50 ng/ml) of TNF-α induced apoptosis in endothelial cells, but addition of Ang-1 or Ang-2 significantly reduced cell death. Enhanced endothelial cell survival was correlated with Akt phosphorylation. Collectively, our data reveal dual functional roles of Tie-2: low doses enhance TNF-α-induced angiogenesis, and high doses attenuate TNF-α-induced cell death. The study provides evidence supporting a role for Tie-2 in inflammatory angiogenesis.

2001 ◽  
Vol 12 (4) ◽  
pp. 767-778
Author(s):  
ANTONETTA H. J. M. PIJPERS ◽  
PETRA A. VAN SETTEN ◽  
LAMBERTUS P. W. J. VAN DEN HEUVEL ◽  
KAREL J. M. ASSMANN ◽  
HENDRIKUS B. P. M. DIJKMAN ◽  
...  

Abstract. The pathogenesis of the epidemic form of hemolytic uremic syndrome is characterized by endothelial cell damage. In this study, the role of apoptosis in verocytotoxin (VT)-mediated endothelial cell death in human glomerular microvascular endothelial cells (GMVEC), human umbilical vein endothelial cells, and foreskin microvascular endothelial cells (FMVEC) was investigated. VT induced apoptosis in GMVEC and human umbilical vein endothelial cells when the cells were prestimulated with the inflammatory mediator tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α). FMVEC displayed strong binding of VT and high susceptibility to VT under basal conditions, which made them suitable for the study of VT-induced apoptosis without TNF-α interference. On the basis of functional (flow cytometry and immunofluorescence microscopy using FITC-conjugated annexin V and propidium iodide), morphologic (transmission electron microscopy), and molecular (agarose gel electrophoresis of cellular DNA fragments) criteria, it was documented that VT induced programmed cell death in microvascular endothelial cells in a dose- and time-dependent manner. Furthermore, whereas partial inhibition of protein synthesis by VT was associated with a considerable number of apoptotic cells, comparable inhibition of protein synthesis by cycloheximide was not. This suggests that additional pathways, independent of protein synthesis inhibition, may be involved in VT-mediated apoptosis in microvascular endothelial cells. Specific inhibition of caspases by Ac-Asp-Glu-Val-Asp-CHO, but not by Ac-Tyr-Val-Ala-Asp-CHO, was accompanied by inhibition of VT-induced apoptosis in FMVEC and TNF-α-treated GMVEC. These data indicate that VT can induce apoptosis in human microvascular endothelial cells.


2001 ◽  
Vol 12 (3) ◽  
pp. 456-463
Author(s):  
KATHRIN HEERMEIER ◽  
WOLFGANG LEICHT ◽  
ALOIS PALMETSHOFER ◽  
MARKUS ULLRICH ◽  
CHRISTOPH WANNER ◽  
...  

Abstract. Atherosclerosis is a chronic inflammatory disease associated with enhanced apoptotic cell death in vascular cells, partly induced by oxidized low-density lipoprotein (OxLDL). However, proinflammatory stimuli such as lipopolysaccharide (LPS) or tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) activate endothelial cells (EC) and inhibit apoptosis through induction of nuclear factor κB (NF-κB)-dependent genes. This study therefore investigated whether OxLDL or its component, lysophosphatidylcholine (LPC), interacts with the effect of LPS or TNF-α on cell survival. Human EC were incubated with LPS, TNF-α, OxLDL, or LPC alone or in combinations. OxLDL (100 to 200 μg/ml) and LPC (100 to 300 μM) induced apoptosis dose-dependently. LPS and TNF-α had no effect on cell survival in the presence or absence of OxLDL or LPC. LPS and TNF-α both induced the antiapoptotic gene A20, whereas OxLDL and LPC suppressed its induction. Expression of A20 is regulated by NF-κB. OxLDL and LPC dose-dependently suppressed NF-κB activity. For functional analysis, bovine EC were transfected with A20 encoding expression constructs in sense and antisense orientation. Bovine EC that overexpressed A20 were protected against OxLDL-induced apoptosis, whereas expression of antisense A20 rendered cells more sensitive to OxLDL. These results suggest that OxLDL not only induces cell death, as has been shown before, but also compromises antiapoptotic protection of activated EC. OxLDL sensitizes EC to apoptotic triggers by interfering with the induction of A20 during the inflammatory response seen in atherosclerotic lesions. This inhibition is based on repression of NF-κB activation. The effect may be caused by the OxLDL component LPC.


Toxins ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 12
Author(s):  
Kohei Ogura ◽  
Kinnosuke Yahiro ◽  
Joel Moss

Pathogenic microorganisms produce various virulence factors, e.g., enzymes, cytotoxins, effectors, which trigger development of pathologies in infectious diseases. Cholera toxin (CT) produced by O1 and O139 serotypes of Vibrio cholerae (V. cholerae) is a major cytotoxin causing severe diarrhea. Cholix cytotoxin (Cholix) was identified as a novel eukaryotic elongation factor 2 (eEF2) adenosine-diphosphate (ADP)-ribosyltransferase produced mainly in non-O1/non-O139 V. cholerae. The function and role of Cholix in infectious disease caused by V. cholerae remain unknown. The crystal structure of Cholix is similar to Pseudomonas exotoxin A (PEA) which is composed of an N-terminal receptor-recognition domain and a C-terminal ADP-ribosyltransferase domain. The endocytosed Cholix catalyzes ADP-ribosylation of eEF2 in host cells and inhibits protein synthesis, resulting in cell death. In a mouse model, Cholix caused lethality with severe liver damage. In this review, we describe the mechanism underlying Cholix-induced cytotoxicity. Cholix-induced apoptosis was regulated by mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) and protein kinase C (PKC) signaling pathways, which dramatically enhanced tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) production in human liver, as well as the amount of epithelial-like HepG2 cancer cells. In contrast, Cholix induced apoptosis in hepatocytes through a mitochondrial-dependent pathway, which was not stimulated by TNF-α. These findings suggest that sensitivity to Cholix depends on the target cell. A substantial amount of information on PEA is provided in order to compare/contrast this well-characterized mono-ADP-ribosyltransferase (mART) with Cholix.


PLoS ONE ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 11 (4) ◽  
pp. e0154590 ◽  
Author(s):  
Isaac Maximiliano Bugueno ◽  
Yacine Khelif ◽  
Narendra Seelam ◽  
David-Nicolas Morand ◽  
Henri Tenenbaum ◽  
...  

Endocrinology ◽  
2008 ◽  
Vol 149 (7) ◽  
pp. 3379-3389 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shuuji Mawaribuchi ◽  
Kei Tamura ◽  
Saori Okano ◽  
Shutaro Takayama ◽  
Yoshio Yaoita ◽  
...  

Amphibian metamorphosis induced by T3 involves programmed cell death and the differentiation of various types of cells in degenerated and reconstructed tissues. However, the signaling pathway that directs the T3-dependent cell-fate determinations remains unclear. TNF-α is a pleiotropic cytokine that affects diverse cellular responses. Engagement of TNF-α with its receptor (TNFR1) causes intracellular apoptotic and/or survival signaling. To investigate TNF signaling functions during anuran metamorphosis, we first identified Xenopus laevis orthologs of TNF (xTNF)-α and its receptor. We found that xTNF-α activated nuclear factor-κB in X. laevis A6 cells through the Fas-associated death domain and receptor-interacting protein 1. Interestingly, xTNF-α mRNA in blood cells showed prominent expression at prometamorphosis during metamorphosis. Next, to elucidate the apoptotic and/or survival signaling induced by xTNF-α in an in vitro model of metamorphosis, we established a vascular endothelial cell line, XLgoo, from X. laevis tadpole tail. XLgoo cells formed actin stress fibers and elongated in response to xTNF-α. T3 induced apoptosis in these cells, but the addition of xTNF-α blocked the T3-induced apoptosis. In addition, treatment of the cells with T3 for 2 d induced the expression of thyroid hormone receptor-β and caspase-3, and this thyroid hormone receptor-β induction was drastically repressed by xTNF-α. Furthermore, in organ culture of the tail, xTNF-α significantly attenuated the tail degeneration induced by T3. These findings suggested that xTNF-α could protect vascular endothelial cells from apoptotic cell death induced by T3 during metamorphosis and thereby participate in the regulation of cell fate.


1999 ◽  
Vol 276 (3) ◽  
pp. F390-F397 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yan-Lin Guo ◽  
Baobin Kang ◽  
Li-Jun Yang ◽  
John R. Williamson

It has been proposed that ceramide acts as a cellular messenger to mediate tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α)-induced apoptosis. Based on this hypothesis, it was postulated that resistance of some cells to TNF-α cytotoxicity was due to an insufficient production of ceramide on stimulation by TNF-α. The present study was initiated to investigate whether this was the case in mesangial cells, which normally are insensitive to TNF-α-induced apoptosis. Our results indicate that although C2ceramide was toxic to mesangial cells, the cell death it induced differed both morphologically and biochemically from that induced by TNF-α in the presence of cycloheximide (CHX). The most apparent effect of C2ceramide was to cause cells to swell, followed by disruption of the cell membrane. It is evident that C2ceramide caused cell death by necrosis, whereas TNF-α in the presence of CHX killed the cells by apoptosis. C2ceramide did not mimic the effects of TNF-α on the activation of c-Jun NH2-terminal protein kinase and nuclear factor-κB transcription factor. Although mitogen-activated protein kinase [extracellular signal-related kinase (ERK)] was activated by both C2ceramide and TNF-α, such activation appeared to be mediated by different mechanisms as judged from the kinetics of ERK activation. Furthermore, the cleavage of cytosolic phospholipase A2during cell death induced by C2ceramide and by TNF-α in the presence of CHX showed distinctive patterns. The present study provides evidence that apoptosis and necrosis use distinctive signaling machinery to cause cell death.


2016 ◽  
Vol 2016 ◽  
pp. 1-11 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. J. Case ◽  
D. Agraz ◽  
I. M. Ahmad ◽  
M. C. Zimmerman

Herbicides containing paraquat may contribute to the pathogenesis of neurodegenerative disorders such as Parkinson’s disease. Paraquat induces reactive oxygen species-mediated apoptosis in neurons, which is a primary mechanism behind its toxicity. We sought to test the effectiveness of a commercially available polyphenol-richAronia melanocarpa(aronia berry) concentrate in the amelioration of paraquat-induced neurotoxicity. Considering the abundance of antioxidants in aronia berries, we hypothesized that aronia berry concentrate attenuates the paraquat-induced increase in reactive oxygen species and protects against paraquat-mediated neuronal cell death. Using a neuronal cell culture model, we observed that low doses of aronia berry concentrate protected against paraquat-mediated neurotoxicity. Additionally, low doses of the concentrate attenuated the paraquat-induced increase in superoxide, hydrogen peroxide, and oxidized glutathione levels. Interestingly, high doses of aronia berry concentrate increased neuronal superoxide levels independent of paraquat, while at the same time decreasing hydrogen peroxide. Moreover, high-dose aronia berry concentrate potentiated paraquat-induced superoxide production and neuronal cell death. In summary, aronia berry concentrate at low doses restores the homeostatic redox environment of neurons treated with paraquat, while high doses exacerbate the imbalance leading to further cell death. Our findings support that moderate levels of aronia berry concentrate may prevent reactive oxygen species-mediated neurotoxicity.


Blood ◽  
2004 ◽  
Vol 104 (11) ◽  
pp. 3406-3406
Author(s):  
Louie Naumovski ◽  
Jason Ramos ◽  
Jun Chen ◽  
Mint Sirisawad ◽  
David Lucas ◽  
...  

Abstract Motexafin gadolinium (MGd, Xcytrin®) is a tumor-selective redox mediator that catalytically oxidizes intracellular reducing metabolites and produces reactive oxygen species (ROS). In this report, we demonstrate that MGd induces apoptosis or growth inhibition in several hematopoietic tumor-derived cell lines and tumor cells from patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia. Lymphoma (HF-1, Ramos, DHL-4, DB, Hut78 and Raji) and leukemia (Jurkat, HL-60) cell lines were cultured in RPMI 1640 media with 10% heat inactivated fetal bovine serum with or without 50 uM MGd. MGd inhibited the growth of 6 of the cell lines (HF-1, Ramos, HL-60, DHL-4, Jurkat and DB) and was cytotoxic to HF-1. ROS were implicated in MGd-induced cell death since their presence was detected by dichlorofluorescein diacetate staining and peroxiredoxin oxidation in MGd treated HF-1 cells that undergo apoptosis, but not in Jurkat cells that do not undergo MGd-induced apoptosis. MGd triggered an apoptotic pathway in HF-1 cells as demonstrated by loss of mitochondrial membrane potential, release of cytochrome c from mitochondria, activation of caspases, cleavage of PARP and annexin-V binding. MGd also induced cell death and activated caspases in vitro in primary chronic lymphocytic leukemia cells. Protein lysates from cultured cell lines (HF-1, Ramos) were subjected to immunoblot analysis to determine caspase cleavage patterns, and the phosphorylation status of Akt, a kinase that regulates survival pathways. In MGd treated HF-1, phospho-Akt protein levels initially increased 2–3 fold between 30 min and 1 hr (n=4) and then decreased to 40–50% of control levels by 24–48 hrs (n=4). The drop in phospho-Akt protein coincided with an increase in apoptotic cell death as indicated by morphology, staining with Annexin-V and activation of caspases. Addition of a specific inhibitor of Akt phosphorylation (SH-5) reduced Akt phosphorylation in MGd treated HF-1 cells by 90% and enhanced the cytotoxic effect of MGd. In Ramos cells, which do not undergo apoptosis when treated with MGd, co-treatment with MGd and SH-5 decreased phospho Akt levels by only 15% and did not result in cytotoxicity. These data point to a potential role for Akt in MGd-induced apoptosis and suggest that MGd activity may be enhanced by inhibition of Akt. These data show that the pro-apoptotic effects of MGd involve caspase activation and provide a rationale to evaluate MGd in the treatment of lymphoma and leukemia patients.


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