scholarly journals SIRT6 Protects Smooth Muscle Cells from Senescence and Reduces Atherosclerosis

Author(s):  
Mandy Grootaert ◽  
Alison Finigan ◽  
Nichola Figg ◽  
Anna Katarzyna Uryga ◽  
Martin Bennett

Rationale: Vascular smooth muscle cell (VSMC) senescence promotes atherosclerosis and features of plaque instability, in part through lipid-mediated oxidative DNA damage and telomere dysfunction. Sirtuin 6 (SIRT6) is a nuclear deacetylase involved in DNA damage response signaling, inflammation and metabolism; however, its role in regulating VSMC senescence and atherosclerosis is unclear. Objective: We examined SIRT6 expression in human VSMCs (hVSMCs), the role, regulation and downstream pathways activated by SIRT6, and how VSMC SIRT6 regulates atherogenesis. Methods and Results: SIRT6 protein, but not mRNA, expression was markedly reduced in VSMCs in human and mouse atherosclerotic plaques, and in hVSMCs derived from plaques or undergoing replicative or palmitate-induced senescence vs. healthy aortic VSMCs. The ubiquitin ligase CHIP promoted SIRT6 stability, but CHIP expression was reduced in human and mouse plaque VSMCs and by palmitate in a p38- and c-Jun N-terminal kinase-dependent manner. SIRT6 bound to telomeres, while SIRT6 inhibition using shRNA or a deacetylase-inactive mutant (SIRT6 H133Y ) shortened hVSMC lifespan and induced senescence, associated with telomeric H3K9 hyperacetylation and 53BP1 binding, indicative of telomere damage. In contrast, SIRT6 overexpression preserved telomere integrity, delayed cellular senescence, and reduced inflammatory cytokine expression and changes in VSMC metabolism associated with senescence. SIRT6, but not SIRT6 H133Y , promoted proliferation and lifespan of mouse VSMCs, and prevented senescence-associated metabolic changes. ApoE -/- mice were generated that overexpress SIRT6 or SIRT6H133Y in VSMCs only. SM22alpha-hSIRT6/ApoE -/- mice had reduced atherosclerosis, markers of senescence and inflammation compared to littermate controls, while plaques of SM22alpha-hSIRT6 H133Y /ApoE -/- mice showed increased features of plaque instability. Conclusions: SIRT6 protein expression is reduced in human and mouse plaque VSMCs and is positively regulated by CHIP. SIRT6 regulates telomere maintenance and VSMC lifespan, and inhibits atherogenesis, all dependent on its deacetylase activity. Our data shows that endogenous SIRT6 deacetylase is an important and unrecognized inhibitor of VSMC senescence and atherosclerosis.

2005 ◽  
Vol 25 (23) ◽  
pp. 10492-10506 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anna M. Szekely ◽  
Franziska Bleichert ◽  
Astrid Nümann ◽  
Stephen Van Komen ◽  
Elisabeth Manasanch ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT Werner syndrome, caused by mutations of the WRN gene, mimics many changes of normal aging. Although roles for WRN protein in DNA replication, recombination, and telomere maintenance have been suggested, the pathology of rapidly dividing cells is not a feature of Werner syndrome. To identify cellular events that are specifically vulnerable to WRN deficiency, we used RNA interference (RNAi) to knockdown WRN or BLM (the RecQ helicase mutated in Bloom syndrome) expression in primary human fibroblasts. Withdrawal of WRN or BLM produced accelerated cellular senescence phenotype and DNA damage response in normal fibroblasts, as evidenced by induction of γH2AX and 53BP1 nuclear foci. After WRN depletion, the induction of these foci was seen most prominently in nondividing cells. Growth in physiological (3%) oxygen or in the presence of an antioxidant prevented the development of the DNA damage foci in WRN-depleted cells, whereas acute oxidative stress led to inefficient repair of the lesions. Furthermore, WRN RNAi-induced DNA damage was suppressed by overexpression of the telomere-binding protein TRF2. These conditions, however, did not prevent the DNA damage response in BLM-ablated cells, suggesting a distinct role for WRN in DNA homeostasis in vivo. Thus, manifestations of Werner syndrome may reflect an impaired ability of slowly dividing cells to limit oxidative DNA damage.


2013 ◽  
Vol 203 (3) ◽  
pp. 457-470 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nima Mosammaparast ◽  
Haeyoung Kim ◽  
Benoit Laurent ◽  
Yu Zhao ◽  
Hui Jun Lim ◽  
...  

Histone demethylation is known to regulate transcription, but its role in other processes is largely unknown. We report a role for the histone demethylase LSD1/KDM1A in the DNA damage response (DDR). We show that LSD1 is recruited directly to sites of DNA damage. H3K4 dimethylation, a major substrate for LSD1, is reduced at sites of DNA damage in an LSD1-dependent manner. The E3 ubiquitin ligase RNF168 physically interacts with LSD1 and we find this interaction to be important for LSD1 recruitment to DNA damage sites. Although loss of LSD1 did not affect the initial formation of pH2A.X foci, 53BP1 and BRCA1 complex recruitment were reduced upon LSD1 knockdown. Mechanistically, this was likely a result of compromised histone ubiquitylation preferentially in late S/G2. Consistent with a role in the DDR, knockdown of LSD1 resulted in moderate hypersensitivity to γ-irradiation and increased homologous recombination. Our findings uncover a direct role for LSD1 in the DDR and place LSD1 downstream of RNF168 in the DDR pathway.


2020 ◽  
Vol 20 (6) ◽  
pp. 498-507 ◽  
Author(s):  
Connor A.H. Thompson ◽  
Judy M.Y. Wong

Increasing evidence from research on telomerase suggests that in addition to its catalytic telomere repeat synthesis activity, telomerase may have other biologically important functions. The canonical roles of telomerase are at the telomere ends where they elongate telomeres and maintain genomic stability and cellular lifespan. The catalytic protein component Telomerase Reverse Transcriptase (TERT) is preferentially expressed at high levels in cancer cells despite the existence of an alternative mechanism for telomere maintenance (alternative lengthening of telomeres or ALT). TERT is also expressed at higher levels than necessary for maintaining functional telomere length, suggesting other possible adaptive functions. Emerging non-canonical roles of TERT include regulation of non-telomeric DNA damage responses, promotion of cell growth and proliferation, acceleration of cell cycle kinetics, and control of mitochondrial integrity following oxidative stress. Non-canonical activities of TERT primarily show cellular protective effects, and nuclear TERT has been shown to protect against cell death following double-stranded DNA damage, independent of its role in telomere length maintenance. TERT has been suggested to act as a chromatin modulator and participate in the transcriptional regulation of gene expression. TERT has also been reported to regulate transcript levels through an RNA-dependent RNA Polymerase (RdRP) activity and produce siRNAs in a Dicer-dependent manner. At the mitochondria, TERT is suggested to protect against oxidative stress-induced mtDNA damage and promote mitochondrial integrity. These extra-telomeric functions of TERT may be advantageous in the context of increased proliferation and metabolic stress often found in rapidly-dividing cancer cells. Understanding the spectrum of non-canonical functions of telomerase may have important implications for the rational design of anti-cancer chemotherapeutic drugs.


Circulation ◽  
2008 ◽  
Vol 118 (suppl_18) ◽  
Author(s):  
Marion Hofmann Bowman ◽  
Jeannine Wilk ◽  
Gene Kim ◽  
Yanmin Zhang ◽  
Jalees Rehman ◽  
...  

S100A12 is a small calcium binding protein that is a signal transduction ligand of the receptor for advance glycation endproducts (RAGE). S100A12, like RAGE, is expressed in the vessel wall of atherosclerotic vasculature, particularly in smooth muscle cells (SMC). While RAGE has been extensively implicated in inflammatory states such as atherosclerosis, the role of S100A12 is less clear. We tested the hypothesis that expression of human S100A12 directly exacerbates vascular inflammation. Several lines of Bl6/J transgenic mice (tg) expressing human S100A12 in SMC under control of the SM22a promoter were generated. Primary aortic SMC from tg and wild type (wt) littermates were isolated and analyzed for (i) proliferation using MTS/Formazan Assay and BrdU incorporation, (ii) oxidative stress using using flow cytometry with MitoSOX antibody, oxidative DNA damage using immunofluorescence microscopy with anti-8-oxo-dG antibody, and NF-kB activation measured by EMSA and (iii) cytokine expression measured by IL-6 ELISA. Furthermore, the aortas from tg and wt mice were examined. Results: Tg but not wt SMC expressed S100A12 protein. Tg SMC had a significant 1.9 to 2.7 fold increase in conversion of MTS into Formazan at 24–96 hours likely reflective of increased metabolic activity since BrdU incorporation into DNA was less in tg compared to wt SMC (4% vs 21% positive BrdU nuclei, p <0.05). Tg SMC showed significantly higher levels of mitochondrial generated ROS, nuclear staining for oxidative DNA damage which was not detected in the nuclei of wt SMC’s, and a 2.5 fold increase in NFkB activity. IL-6 production at baseline was higher in tg SMC’s (615 vs 213 pg/ml, p< 0.05) and increased dramatically after LPS treatment (10 ng/ml) in tg SMC’s (2130 vs 415 pg/ml). Histologic examination of the thoracic aorta at 10 weeks of age revealed increased collagen deposition in the aortic media with fragmentation and disarray of elastic fibers. In vivo ultrasound revealed a progressive dilation of the aortic arch from age 10 weeks to 16 weeks of age (1.27 to 1.60 mm, p<0.05) in tg but not in wt littermate mice (1.30 to 1.33 mm, p=0.1). These data reveal the novel finding that targeted expression of human S100A12 in SMC modulates oxidative stress, inflammation and vascular remodeling.


eLife ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alan Sulpizio ◽  
Marena E Minelli ◽  
Min Wan ◽  
Paul D Burrowes ◽  
Xiaochun Wu ◽  
...  

Pseudokinases are considered to be the inactive counterparts of conventional protein kinases and comprise approximately 10% of the human and mouse kinomes. Here, we report the crystal structure of the Legionella pneumophila effector protein, SidJ, in complex with the eukaryotic Ca2+-binding regulator, calmodulin (CaM). The structure reveals that SidJ contains a protein kinase-like fold domain, which retains a majority of the characteristic kinase catalytic motifs. However, SidJ fails to demonstrate kinase activity. Instead, mass spectrometry and in vitro biochemical analyses demonstrate that SidJ modifies another Legionella effector SdeA, an unconventional phosphoribosyl ubiquitin ligase, by adding glutamate molecules to a specific residue of SdeA in a CaM-dependent manner. Furthermore, we show that SidJ-mediated polyglutamylation suppresses the ADP-ribosylation activity. Our work further implies that some pseudokinases may possess ATP-dependent activities other than conventional phosphorylation.


2009 ◽  
Vol 29 (13) ◽  
pp. 3597-3604 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nazmul Huda ◽  
Hiromi Tanaka ◽  
Marc S. Mendonca ◽  
David Gilley

ABSTRACT Protein kinases of the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase-like kinase family, originally known to act in maintaining genomic integrity via DNA repair pathways, have been shown to also function in telomere maintenance. Here we focus on the functional role of DNA damage-induced phosphorylation of the essential mammalian telomeric DNA binding protein TRF2, which coordinates the assembly of the proteinaceous cap to disguise the chromosome end from being recognized as a double-stand break (DSB). Previous results suggested a link between the transient induction of human TRF2 phosphorylation at threonine 188 (T188) by the ataxia telangiectasia mutated protein kinase (ATM) and the DNA damage response. Here, we report evidence that X-ray-induced phosphorylation of TRF2 at T188 plays a role in the fast pathway of DNA DSB repair. These results connect the highly transient induction of human TRF2 phosphorylation to the DNA damage response machinery. Thus, we find that a protein known to function in telomere maintenance, TRF2, also plays a functional role in DNA DSB repair.


eLife ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 7 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gergely Rona ◽  
Domenico Roberti ◽  
Yandong Yin ◽  
Julia K Pagan ◽  
Harrison Homer ◽  
...  

The mammalian FBXL10-RNF68-RNF2 ubiquitin ligase complex (FRRUC) mono-ubiquitylates H2A at Lys119 to repress transcription in unstressed cells. We found that the FRRUC is rapidly and transiently recruited to sites of DNA damage in a PARP1- and TIMELESS-dependent manner to promote mono-ubiquitylation of H2A at Lys119, a local decrease of H2A levels, and an increase of H2A.Z incorporation. Both the FRRUC and H2A.Z promote transcriptional repression, double strand break signaling, and homologous recombination repair (HRR). All these events require both the presence and activity of the FRRUC. Moreover, the FRRUC and its activity are required for the proper recruitment of BMI1-RNF2 and MEL18-RNF2, two other ubiquitin ligases that mono-ubiquitylate Lys119 in H2A upon genotoxic stress. Notably, whereas H2A.Z is not required for H2A mono-ubiquitylation, impairment of the latter results in the inhibition of H2A.Z incorporation. We propose that the recruitment of the FRRUC represents an early and critical regulatory step in HRR.


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