Visfatin: a new player in mesangial cell physiology and diabetic nephropathy

2008 ◽  
Vol 295 (5) ◽  
pp. F1485-F1494 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hye Kyoung Song ◽  
Mi Hwa Lee ◽  
Bo Kyung Kim ◽  
Yun Gyu Park ◽  
Gang Jee Ko ◽  
...  

Visfatin is an adipocytokine that improves insulin resistance and has an antidiabetic effect. However, the role of visfatin in the kidney has not yet been reported. In this experiment, the synthesis and physiological action of visfatin in cultured mesangial cells (MCs) were studied to investigate the role of visfatin in diabetic nephropathy. Visfatin was found synthesized in MCs as well as adipocytes. Visfatin synthesis was markedly increased, not by angiotensin II, but by high glucose stimuli. In addition, visfatin treatment induced a rapid uptake of glucose, peaking at 20 min after visfatin treatment in a dose-dependent manner. A small inhibiting RNA against insulin receptor significantly blocked visfatin-mediated glucose uptake. Visfatin stimuli also enhanced intracellular NAD levels, and treatment with FK866, which is a specific inhibitor of nicotinamide phosphoribosyltransferase (Nampt), significantly inhibited visfatin-induced NAD synthesis and glucose uptake. Visfatin treatment increased glucose transporter-1 (GLUT-1) protein expression in isolated cellular membranes, and pretreatment with cytochalasin B completely inhibited visfatin-induced glucose uptake. Moreover, immunofluorescent microscopy showed the migration of cytosolic GLUT-1 into cellular membranes after visfatin treatment. In accordance with these results, the activation of protein kinase B was detected after visfatin treatment. Furthermore, visfatin treatment dramatically increased the synthesis of profibrotic molecules including transforming growth factor-β1, plasminogen activator inhibitor-1, and type I collagen, and pretreatment with cytochalasin B completely inhibited visfatin-induced upregulation of profibrotic molecules. These results suggest that visfatin is produced in MCs, which are a novel target for visfatin, and play an important role in the pathogenesis of diabetic nephropathy.

Reproduction ◽  
2011 ◽  
Vol 141 (2) ◽  
pp. 163-171 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ichiro Tanii ◽  
Tadashi Aradate ◽  
Kouhei Matsuda ◽  
Akira Komiya ◽  
Hideki Fuse

The developing acrosome in spermatids contains pituitary adenylate cyclase-activating polypeptide (PACAP). However, the role of the acrosomal PACAP remains unclear because it has not been detected in mature spermatids and sperm. We reinvestigated whether the sperm acrosome contains PACAP. An antiserum produced against PACAP reacted to the anterior acrosome in epididymal sperm fixed under mild conditions, suggesting that PACAP acts on oocytes and/or cumulus cells at the site of fertilization. Immunolabeling and RT-PCR demonstrated the presence of PACAP type I receptor, a PACAP-specific receptor, in postovulatory cumulus cells. To investigate the role of PACAP in fertilization, we pretreated cumulus–oocyte complexes with the polypeptide. At a low concentration of sperm, the fertilization rate was significantly enhanced by PACAP in a dose-dependent manner. Sperm penetration through the oocyte investment, cumulus layer, and zona pellucida was also enhanced by PACAP. The enhancement was probably due to an enhancement in sperm motility and the zona-induced acrosome reaction, which were stimulated by a cumulus cell-releasing factor. Indeed, PACAP treatment increased the secretion of progesterone from the cumulus–oocyte complexes. These results strongly suggest that in response to PACAP, cumulus cells release a soluble factor that probably stimulates sperm motility and the acrosome reaction, thereby promoting fertilization.


Cancers ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (3) ◽  
pp. 533
Author(s):  
Rania F. Zaarour ◽  
Bilal Azakir ◽  
Edries Y. Hajam ◽  
Husam Nawafleh ◽  
Nagwa A. Zeinelabdin ◽  
...  

Programmed cell death or type I apoptosis has been extensively studied and its contribution to the pathogenesis of disease is well established. However, autophagy functions together with apoptosis to determine the overall fate of the cell. The cross talk between this active self-destruction process and apoptosis is quite complex and contradictory as well, but it is unquestionably decisive for cell survival or cell death. Autophagy can promote tumor suppression but also tumor growth by inducing cancer-cell development and proliferation. In this review, we will discuss how autophagy reprograms tumor cells in the context of tumor hypoxic stress. We will illustrate how autophagy acts as both a suppressor and a driver of tumorigenesis through tuning survival in a context dependent manner. We also shed light on the relationship between autophagy and immune response in this complex regulation. A better understanding of the autophagy mechanisms and pathways will undoubtedly ameliorate the design of therapeutics aimed at targeting autophagy for future cancer immunotherapies.


Blood ◽  
2000 ◽  
Vol 96 (6) ◽  
pp. 2172-2180 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kotaro Suzuki ◽  
Hiroshi Nakajima ◽  
Norihiko Watanabe ◽  
Shin-ichiro Kagami ◽  
Akira Suto ◽  
...  

Abstract The regulatory roles of the common cytokine receptor γ chain (γc)– and Jak3-dependent signaling in the proliferation and survival of mast cells were determined using γc-deficient (γc−) and Jak3-deficient (Jak3−) mice. Although the mast cells in γc− and Jak3− mice were morphologically indistinguishable from those in wild-type mice, the number of peritoneal mast cells was decreased in γc− and Jak3− mice as compared with that in wild-type mice. Among γc-related cytokines, interleukin (IL)-4 and IL-9, but not IL-2, IL-7, or IL-15, enhanced the proliferation and survival of bone marrow–derived mast cells (BMMCs) from wild-type mice. However, the effects of IL-4 and IL-9 were absent in BMMCs from γc− and Jak3−mice. In addition, IL-4Rα, γc, and Jak3, but not IL-2Rβ or IL-7Rα, were expressed in BMMCs. In contrast, IL-13 did not significantly induce the proliferation and survival of BMMCs even from wild-type mice, and IL-13Rα1 was not expressed in BMMCs. Furthermore, IL-4 phosphorylated the 65-kd isoform of Stat6 in BMMCs from wild-type mice but not from γc− and Jak3− mice. These results indicate that γc- and Jak3-dependent signaling is essential for IL-4– and IL-9–induced proliferation and survival of murine mast cells, that the effects of IL-4 are mediated by type I IL-4R and that type II IL-4R is absent on mast cells, and that IL-4 phosphorylates the 65-kd isoform of Stat6 in mast cells in a γc- and Jak3-dependent manner.


2019 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Yasmin ElTahir ◽  
Amna Al-Araimi ◽  
Remya R. Nair ◽  
Kaija J. Autio ◽  
Hongmin Tu ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Brucella is a facultative intracellular pathogen responsible for zoonotic disease brucellosis. Little is known about the molecular basis of Brucella adherence to host cells. In the present study, the possible role of Bp26 protein as an adhesin was explored. The ability of Brucella protein Bp26 to bind to extracellular matrix (ECM) proteins was determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and biolayer interferometry (BLI). Results ELISA experiments showed that Bp26 bound in a dose-dependent manner to both immobilized type I collagen and vitronectin. Bp26 bound weakly to soluble fibronectin but did not bind to immobilized fibronectin. No binding to laminin was detected. Biolayer interferometry showed high binding affinity of Bp26 to immobilized type I collagen and no binding to fibronectin or laminin. Mapping of Bp26 antigenic epitopes by biotinylated overlapping peptides spanning the entire sequence of Bp26 using anti Bp26 mouse serum led to the identification of five linear epitopes. Collagen and vitronectin bound to peptides from several regions of Bp26, with many of the binding sites for the ligands overlapping. The strongest binding for anti-Bp26 mouse serum, collagen and vitronectin was to the peptides at the C-terminus of Bp26. Fibronectin did not bind to any of the peptides, although it bound to the whole Bp26 protein. Conclusions Our results highlight the possible role of Bp26 protein in the adhesion process of Brucella to host cells through ECM components. This study revealed that Bp26 binds to both immobilized and soluble type I collagen and vitronectin. It also binds to soluble but not immobilized fibronectin. However, Bp26 does not bind to laminin. These are novel findings that offer insight into understanding the interplay between Brucella and host target cells, which may aid in future identification of a new target for diagnosis and/or vaccine development and prevention of brucellosis.


2009 ◽  
Vol 184 (2) ◽  
pp. 281-296 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yuntao S. Mao ◽  
Masaki Yamaga ◽  
Xiaohui Zhu ◽  
Yongjie Wei ◽  
Hui-Qiao Sun ◽  
...  

The actin cytoskeleton is dynamically remodeled during Fcγ receptor (FcγR)-mediated phagocytosis in a phosphatidylinositol (4,5)-bisphosphate (PIP2)-dependent manner. We investigated the role of type I phosphatidylinositol 4-phosphate 5-kinase (PIP5K) γ and α isoforms, which synthesize PIP2, during phagocytosis. PIP5K-γ−/− bone marrow–derived macrophages (BMM) have a highly polymerized actin cytoskeleton and are defective in attachment to IgG-opsonized particles and FcγR clustering. Delivery of exogenous PIP2 rescued these defects. PIP5K-γ knockout BMM also have more RhoA and less Rac1 activation, and pharmacological manipulations establish that they contribute to the abnormal phenotype. Likewise, depletion of PIP5K-γ by RNA interference inhibits particle attachment. In contrast, PIP5K-α knockout or silencing has no effect on attachment but inhibits ingestion by decreasing Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome protein activation, and hence actin polymerization, in the nascent phagocytic cup. In addition, PIP5K-γ but not PIP5K-α is transiently activated by spleen tyrosine kinase–mediated phosphorylation. We propose that PIP5K-γ acts upstream of Rac/Rho and that the differential regulation of PIP5K-γ and -α allows them to work in tandem to modulate the actin cytoskeleton during the attachment and ingestion phases of phagocytosis.


1996 ◽  
Vol 16 (1_suppl) ◽  
pp. 58-60 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael Kruse ◽  
Arezki Mahiout ◽  
Volker Kliem ◽  
Peter Kurz ◽  
Karl-Martin Koch ◽  
...  

To investigate whether the glucose uptake (GU) of human peritoneal mesothelial cells (HPMC) is mediated by glucose transporters and whether this uptake is influenced by interleukin 1–β (IL-1β), we measured 2-deoxy-(3H)-GU of HPMC in vitro, after exposing the cells for different times (two and 12 hours) to increasing concentrations (0.1, 1.0, and 2.0 ng/mL) of IL-1 β. To exclude a noncarrier-mediated transport, GU was also tested in the presence of cytochalasin B. All experiments were performed in triplicate in the cells of two donors. Cytochalasin B inhibits GU of HPMC almost completely. GU of HPMC is not stimulated by insulin. GU is stimulated by IL-1 β in a dose-dependent manner. These data indicate a GU of HPMC, which is mediated by a glucose transporter and stimulated by IL-1 β. The increased uptake of glucose from the dialysate In patients with peritonitis may be mediated by a (cytokineinduced) increased activity of HPMC glucose transporters.


2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Duyen Tran ◽  
Stephen Myers ◽  
Courtney McGowan ◽  
Darren Henstridge ◽  
Rajaraman Eri ◽  
...  

Metabolic dysfunction, dysregulated differentiation, and atrophy of skeletal muscle occur as part of a cluster of abnormalities associated with the development of Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Recent interest has turned to the attention of the role of 1-deoxysphingolipids (1-DSL), atypical class of sphingolipids which are found significantly elevated in patients diagnosed with T2DM but also in the asymptomatic population who later develop T2DM. In vitro studies demonstrated that 1-DSL have cytotoxic properties and compromise the secretion of insulin from pancreatic beta cells. However, the role of 1-DSL on the functionality of skeletal muscle cells in the pathophysiology of T2DM still remains unclear. This study aimed to investigate whether 1-DSL are cytotoxic and disrupt the cellular processes of skeletal muscle precursors (myoblasts) and differentiated cells (myotubes) by performing a battery of in vitro assays including cell viability adenosine triphosphate assay, migration assay, myoblast fusion assay, glucose uptake assay, and immunocytochemistry. Our results demonstrated that 1-DSL significantly reduced the viability of myoblasts in a concentration and time-dependent manner, and induced apoptosis as well as cellular necrosis. Importantly, myoblasts were more sensitive to the cytotoxic effects induced by 1-DSL rather than by saturated fatty acids, such as palmitate, which are critical mediators of skeletal muscle dysfunction in T2DM. Additionally, 1-DSL significantly reduced the migration ability of myoblasts and the differentiation process of myoblasts into myotubes. 1-DSL also triggered autophagy in myoblasts and significantly reduced insulin-stimulated glucose uptake in myotubes. These findings demonstrate that 1-DSL directly compromise the functionality of skeletal muscle cells and suggest that increased levels of 1-DSL observed during the development of T2DM are likely to contribute to the pathophysiology of muscle dysfunction detected in this disease.


Author(s):  
Yin-Jie Ao ◽  
Ting-Ting Wu ◽  
Zai-Zai Cao ◽  
Shui-Hong Zhou ◽  
Yang-Yang Bao ◽  
...  

Abstract Purpose We investigated the role of Glut-1 and H+/K+-ATPase expression in pepsin-induced development of human vocal cord leukoplakia cells (HVCLCs). Next, we analyzed the relationship between Glut-1 and H+/K+-ATPase expression with the clinicopathological features of laryngeal carcinoma. Methods Glut-1 and H+/K+-ATPase expression levels in HVCLCs were determined after treatment with artificial gastric juice containing pepsin and laryngeal carcinoma tissues. Results Exposure to pepsin-containing artificial gastric juice significantly enhanced the migration and proliferation of VSCLCs in a time-dependent manner. The apoptotic rate of VSCLCs decreased over time after exposure to pepsin and reached a nadir on day 7 (p < 0.01). With increasing duration of exposure to pepsin, the proportion of VSCLCs in G0/G1 phase decreased and the proportions in the S and G2/M phases significantly increased (p < 0.05). After treatment with pepsin-containing artificial gastric juice, RT-PCR and Western blotting showed that the expression of Glut-1 and H+/K+-ATPase α, β significantly increased in HVCLCs compared to in the absence of pepsin (p < 0.05). The expression of Glut-1 and H+/K+-ATPase α, β gradually increased from vocal cord leukoplakia (VLC) to laryngeal carcinoma (p < 0.05). Lentivirus-mediated inhibition of Glut-1 expression in VCL significantly inhibited the cells’ migration and proliferation (p < 0.05) but enhanced their apoptosis (p < 0.05). Also, inhibition of Glut-1 expression resulted in an increased proportion of cells in G0/G1 phase and a significantly decreased proportion in G2/M phase (p < 0.05). Conclusions Elevated Glut-1 expression may promote the development of VCL by upregulating laryngeal H+/K+-ATPase expression to reactivate absorbed pepsin, thus damaging the laryngeal mucosa.


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