bims-mitper 2022-09-18 papers

bims-mitper

Biomed News

on Mitochondrial Permeabilization

Issue of 2022–09–18
thirty papers selected by
Bradley Irizarry, Thomas Jefferson University

Social networks in the single cell.
The relationship of alpha-synuclein to mitochondrial dynamics and quality control.
Phosphoglycerate mutase 5 initiates inflammation in acute kidney injury by triggering mitochondrial DNA release by dephosphorylating the pro-apoptotic protein Bax.
The emergent role of mitochondrial surveillance in cellular health.
Lipid and Lipidation in Membrane Fusion.
Activation of a type I interferon response associated with acute frataxin knockdown in iPSC-derived cardiomyocytes.
Mini-review: Mitochondrial DNA methylation in type 2 diabetes and obesity.
Mitochondrial dysfunction triggers actin polymerization necessary for rapid glycolytic activation.
Expression Changes in Mitochondrial Genes Affecting Mitochondrial Morphology, Transmembrane Potential, Fragmentation, Amyloidosis, and Neuronal Cell Death Found in Brains of Alzheimer's Disease Patients.
Pathological and Therapeutic Advances in Parkinson's Disease: Mitochondria in the Interplay.
SMPDL3b modulates radiation-induced DNA damage response in renal podocytes.
Mitochondrial autophagy in the sleeping brain.
Enhancing anti-tumour innate immunity by targeting the DNA damage response and pattern recognition receptors in combination with radiotherapy.
Emerging concepts of type I interferons in SLE pathogenesis and therapy.
TRIM27 is an autophagy substrate facilitating mitochondria clustering and mitophagy via phosphorylated TBK1.
OMA1-mediated integrated stress response protects against ferroptosis in mitochondrial cardiomyopathy.
Editorial: The subcellular architecture of mitochondria in driving cellular processes.
Calcium homeostasis in the control of mitophagy.
The Therapeutic Potential of Mitochondria Transplantation Therapy in Neurodegenerative and Neurovascular Disorders.
Mitochondrial dysfunction in heart failure and its therapeutic implications.
The mitochondrial enzyme 17βHSD10 modulates ischemic and amyloid-β-induced stress in primary mouse astrocytes.
Inhibition of the cGAS-STING Pathway Attenuates Lung Ischemia/Reperfusion Injury via Regulating Endoplasmic Reticulum Stress in Alveolar Epithelial Type II Cells of Rats.
Sensing local energetics to acutely regulate mitophagy in skeletal muscle.
Metabolic reprogramming in the OPA1-deficient cells.
Nanodelivery of cGAS-STING activators for tumor immunotherapy.
Restoration of p53 activity via intracellular protein delivery sensitizes triple negative breast cancer to anti-PD-1 immunotherapy.
Role of DNA damage in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis.
Cyclophilin D regulates oxidative stress and apoptosis via mitochondrial permeability transition pore in acute acalculous cholecystitis.
Mitochondrial fragmentation in liver cancer: Emerging player and promising therapeutic opportunities.
Mitochondrial DNA mediates immunoparalysis of dendritic cells in sepsis via STING signalling.

J Exp Bot. 2022 Sep 12. 73(16): 5355-5357

Social networks in the single cell.

Moira Rodriguez, Ana Martinez-Hottovy, Alan C Christensen.

  This article comments on: Chustecki JM, Etherington RD, Gibbs DJ, Johnston IG. 2022. Altered collective mitochondrial dynamics in the Arabidopsis msh1 mutant compromising organelle DNA maintenance. Journal of Experimental Botany 73, 5428-5439. Plant mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) can become damaged in many ways. A major repair mechanism is homologous recombination, which requires an undamaged DNA template. Presumably, this template comes from a different mitochondrion in the same cell. Plant mitochondria undergo fission and fusion to form transient networks which could allow the exchange of genetic information. To test this hypothesis, Chustecki et al. (2022) used msh1 mutants with defective DNA repair, and showed that mitochondrial interactions increased, revealing a link between the physical and genetic behavior of mitochondria.

Keywords:  DNA damage; DNA repair; mitochondria; mitochondrial fusion

DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1093/jxb/erac284
Front Mol Neurosci. 2022 ;15 947191

The relationship of alpha-synuclein to mitochondrial dynamics and quality control.

Naomi J Thorne, David A Tumbarello.

  Maintenance of mitochondrial health is essential for neuronal survival and relies upon dynamic changes in the mitochondrial network and effective mitochondrial quality control mechanisms including the mitochondrial-derived vesicle pathway and mitophagy. Mitochondrial dysfunction has been implicated in driving the pathology of several neurodegenerative diseases, including Parkinson's disease (PD) where dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra are selectively degenerated. In addition, many genes with PD-associated mutations have defined functions in organelle quality control, indicating that dysregulation in mitochondrial quality control may represent a key element of pathology. The most well-characterized aspect of PD pathology relates to alpha-synuclein; an aggregation-prone protein that forms intracellular Lewy-body inclusions. Details of how alpha-synuclein exerts its toxicity in PD is not completely known, however, dysfunctional mitochondria have been observed in both PD patients and models of alpha-synuclein pathology. Accordingly, an association between alpha-synuclein and mitochondrial function has been established. This relates to alpha-synuclein's role in mitochondrial transport, dynamics, and quality control. Despite these relationships, there is limited research defining the direct mechanisms linking alpha-synuclein to mitochondrial dynamics and quality control. In this review, we will discuss the current literature addressing this association and provide insight into the proposed mechanisms promoting these functional relationships. We will also consider some of the alternative mechanisms linking alpha-synuclein with mitochondrial dynamics and speculate what the relationship between alpha-synuclein and mitochondria might mean both physiologically and in relation to PD.

Keywords:  Parkinson’s disease; lysosome; membrane trafficking; mitochondria; mitochondrial quality control; vesicle transport

DOI:  https://doi.org/10.3389/fnmol.2022.947191
Kidney Int. 2022 Sep 08. pii: S0085-2538(22)00698-6. [Epub ahead of print]

Phosphoglycerate mutase 5 initiates inflammation in acute kidney injury by triggering mitochondrial DNA release by dephosphorylating the pro-apoptotic protein Bax.

Jingyao Li, Xi'ang Sun, Ninghao Yang, Jiayun Ni, Hongyan Xie, Hengjiang Guo, Xin Wang, Li Zhou, Jun Liu, Sijia Chen, Xiaoxia Wang, Yingying Zhang, Chen Yu, Wei Zhang, Limin Lu.

  Acute kidney injury (AKI) is a worldwide public health problem characterized by excessive inflammation with no specific therapy in clinic. Inflammation is not only a feature of AKI but also an essential promoter for kidney deterioration. Phosphoglycerate mutase 5 (PGAM5) was up-regulated and positively correlated with kidney dysfunction in human biopsy samples and mouse kidneys with AKI. PGAM5 knockout in mice significantly alleviated ischemia/reperfusion-induced kidney injury, mitochondrial abnormality and production of inflammatory cytokines. Elevated PGAM5 was found to be mainly located in kidney tubular epithelial cells and was also related to inflammatory response. Knockdown of PGAM5 inhibited the hypoxia/reoxygenation-induced cytosolic release of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) and binding of mtDNA with the cellular DNA receptor cGAS in cultured cells. cGAS deficiency also attenuated the inflammation and kidney injury in AKI. Mechanistically, as a protein phosphatase, PGAM5 was able to dephosphorylate the pro-apoptotic protein Bax and facilitate its translocation to mitochondrial membranes, and then initiate increased mitochondrial membrane permeability and release of mtDNA. Leaked mtDNA recognized by cGAS then initiated its downstream-coupled STING pathway, a component of the innate immune system that functions to detect the presence of cytosolic DNA. Thus, our results demonstrated mtDNA release induced by PGAM5-mediated Bax dephosphorylation and the activation of cGAS-STING pathway as critical determinants of inflammation and kidney injury. Hence, targeting this axis may be useful for treating AKI.

Keywords:  Bax; PGAM5; acute kidney injury; inflammation; ischemia reperfusion; mitochondrion

DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.kint.2022.08.022
Aging Cell. 2022 Sep 11. e13710

The emergent role of mitochondrial surveillance in cellular health.

Elissa Tjahjono, Daniel R Kirienko, Natalia V Kirienko.

  Mitochondrial dysfunction is one of the primary causatives for many pathologies, including neurodegenerative diseases, cancer, metabolic disorders, and aging. Decline in mitochondrial functions leads to the loss of proteostasis, accumulation of ROS, and mitochondrial DNA damage, which further exacerbates mitochondrial deterioration in a vicious cycle. Surveillance mechanisms, in which mitochondrial functions are closely monitored for any sign of perturbations, exist to anticipate possible havoc within these multifunctional organelles with primitive origin. Various indicators of unhealthy mitochondria, including halted protein import, dissipated membrane potential, and increased loads of oxidative damage, are on the top of the lists for close monitoring. Recent research also indicates a possibility of reductive stress being monitored as part of a mitochondrial surveillance program. Upon detection of mitochondrial stress, multiple mitochondrial stress-responsive pathways are activated to promote the transcription of numerous nuclear genes to ameliorate mitochondrial damage and restore compromised cellular functions. Co-expression occurs through functionalization of transcription factors, allowing their binding to promoter elements to initiate transcription of target genes. This review provides a comprehensive summary of the intricacy of mitochondrial surveillance programs and highlights their roles in our cellular life. Ultimately, a better understanding of these surveillance mechanisms is expected to improve healthspan.

Keywords:  aging; mitochondria; mitochondrial membrane transport proteins; mitophagy; physiological stress; reactive oxygen species; surveillance

DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1111/acel.13710
J Membr Biol. 2022 Sep 14.

Lipid and Lipidation in Membrane Fusion.

Avijit Sardar, Nikesh Dewangan, Bishvanwesha Panda, Debosmita Bhowmick, Pradip K Tarafdar.

  Membrane fusion plays a lead role in the transport of vesicles, neurotransmission, mitochondrial dynamics, and viral infection. There are fusion proteins that catalyze and regulate the fusion. Interestingly, various types of fusion proteins are present in nature and they possess diverse mechanisms of action. We have highlighted the importance of the functional domains of intracellular heterotypic fusion, homotypic endoplasmic reticulum (ER), homotypic mitochondrial, and type-I viral fusion. During intracellular heterotypic fusion, the SNAREs and four-helix bundle formation are prevalent. Type-I viral fusion is controlled by the membrane destabilizing properties of fusion peptide and six-helix bundle formation. The ER/mitochondrial homotypic fusion is controlled by GTPase activity and the membrane destabilization properties of the amphipathic helix(s). Although the mechanism of action of these fusion proteins is diverse, they have some similarities. In all cases, the lipid composition of the membrane greatly affects membrane fusion. Next, examples of lipidation of the fusion proteins were discussed. We suggest that the fatty acyl hydrophobic tail not only acts as an anchor but may also modulate the energetics of membrane fusion intermediates. Lipidation is also important to design more effective peptide-based fusion inhibitors. Together, we have shown that membrane lipid composition and lipidation are important to modulate membrane fusion.

Keywords:  Atlastins; Fusion inhibitor; Mitofusins; Palmitoylation; SNAREs; Viral fusion

DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1007/s00232-022-00267-5
Dis Model Mech. 2022 Sep 15. pii: dmm.049497. [Epub ahead of print]

Activation of a type I interferon response associated with acute frataxin knockdown in iPSC-derived cardiomyocytes.

M Grazia Cotticelli, Shujuan Xia, Rachel Truitt, Nicolai M Doliba, Andrea V Rozo, John W Tobias, Taehee Lee, Justin Chen, Jill S Napierala, Marek Napierala, Wenli Yang, Robert B Wilson.

  Friedreich ataxia, the most common hereditary ataxia, is a neuro- and cardio-degenerative disorder caused, in most cases, by decreased expression of the mitochondrial protein frataxin. Cardiomyopathy is the leading cause of premature death. Frataxin functions in the biogenesis of iron-sulfur clusters, which are prosthetic groups that are found in proteins involved in many biological processes. To study the changes associated with decreased frataxin in human cardiomyocytes, we developed a novel isogenic model by acutely knocking down frataxin, post-differentiation, in cardiomyocytes derived from induced pluripotent stem cells. Transcriptome analysis of four biological replicates identified severe mitochondrial dysfunction and a type I interferon response as the pathways most affected by frataxin knockdown. We confirmed that in iPSC-derived cardiomyocytes, loss of frataxin leads to mitochondrial dysfunction. The type I interferon response was activated in multiple cell types following acute frataxin knockdown and was caused, at least in part, by release of mitochondrial DNA into the cytosol, activating the cGAS-STING sensor pathway.

Keywords:  Cardiomyopathy; Friedreich; Innate Immunity; Interferon; mtDNA

DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1242/dmm.049497
Front Endocrinol (Lausanne). 2022 ;13 968268

Mini-review: Mitochondrial DNA methylation in type 2 diabetes and obesity.

Emma K Rautenberg, Yassin Hamzaoui, Dawn K Coletta.

  Type 2 diabetes (T2D) and obesity are two of the most challenging public health problems of our time. Therefore, understanding the molecular mechanisms that contribute to these complex metabolic disorders is essential. An underlying pathophysiological condition of T2D and obesity is insulin resistance (IR), a reduced biological response to insulin in peripheral tissues such as the liver, adipose tissue, and skeletal muscle. Many factors contribute to IR, including lifestyle variables such as a high-fat diet and physical inactivity, genetics, and impaired mitochondrial function. It is well established that impaired mitochondria structure and function occur in insulin-resistant skeletal muscle volunteers with T2D or obesity. Therefore, it could be hypothesized that the mitochondrial abnormalities are due to epigenetic regulation of mitochondrial and nuclear-encoded genes that code for mitochondrial structure and function. In this review, we describe the normal function and structure of mitochondria and highlight some of the key studies that demonstrate mitochondrial abnormalities in skeletal muscle of volunteers with T2D and obesity. Additionally, we describe epigenetic modifications in the context of IR and mitochondrial abnormalities, emphasizing mitochondria DNA (mtDNA) methylation, an emerging area of research.

Keywords:  epigenetics; insulin resistance; methylation; mitochondria; obesity; skeletal muscle

DOI:  https://doi.org/10.3389/fendo.2022.968268
J Cell Biol. 2022 Nov 07. pii: e202201160. [Epub ahead of print]221(11):

Mitochondrial dysfunction triggers actin polymerization necessary for rapid glycolytic activation.

Rajarshi Chakrabarti, Tak Shun Fung, Taewook Kang, Pieti W Elonkirjo, Anu Suomalainen, Edward J Usherwood, Henry N Higgs.

Mitochondrial damage represents a dramatic change in cellular homeostasis. One rapid response is perimitochondrial actin polymerization, termed acute damage-induced actin (ADA). The consequences of ADA are not understood. In this study, we show evidence suggesting that ADA is linked to rapid glycolytic activation upon mitochondrial damage in multiple cells, including mouse embryonic fibroblasts and effector CD8+ T lymphocytes. ADA-inducing treatments include CCCP, antimycin, rotenone, oligomycin, and hypoxia. The Arp2/3 complex inhibitor CK666 or the mitochondrial sodium-calcium exchanger (NCLX) inhibitor CGP37157 inhibits both ADA and the glycolytic increase within 5 min, supporting ADA's role in glycolytic stimulation. Two situations causing chronic reductions in mitochondrial ATP production, mitochondrial DNA depletion and mutation to the NDUFS4 subunit of complex 1 of the electron transport chain, cause persistent perimitochondrial actin filaments similar to ADA. CK666 treatment causes rapid mitochondrial actin loss and a drop in ATP in NDUFS4 knock-out cells. We propose that ADA is necessary for rapid glycolytic activation upon mitochondrial impairment, to re-establish ATP production.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1083/jcb.202201160
J Alzheimers Dis. 2022 Sep 06.

Expression Changes in Mitochondrial Genes Affecting Mitochondrial Morphology, Transmembrane Potential, Fragmentation, Amyloidosis, and Neuronal Cell Death Found in Brains of Alzheimer's Disease Patients.

Frank J Castora, Kimberly A Kerns, Haley K Pflanzer, Naomi L Hitefield, Blake Gershon, Jason Shugoll, Morgan Shelton, Randolph A Coleman.

   BACKGROUND: Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a neurological disease that has both a genetic and non-genetic origin. Mitochondrial dysfunction is a critical component in the pathogenesis of AD as deficits in oxidative capacity and energy production have been reported.
OBJECTIVE: Nuclear-encoded mitochondrial genes were studied in order to understand the effects of mitochondrial expression changes on mitochondrial function in AD brains. These expression data were to be incorporated into a testable mathematical model for AD used to further assess the genes of interest as therapeutic targets for AD.
METHODS: RT2-PCR arrays were used to assess expression of 84 genes involved in mitochondrial biogenesis in AD brains. A subset of mitochondrial genes of interest was identified after extensive Ingenuity Pathway Analysis (IPA) (Qiagen). Further filtering of this subset of genes of interest was achieved by individual qPCR analyses. Expression values from this group of genes were included in a mathematical model being developed to identify potential therapeutic targets.
RESULTS: Nine genes involved in trafficking proteins to mitochondria, morphology of mitochondria, maintenance of mitochondrial transmembrane potential, fragmentation of mitochondria and mitochondrial dysfunction, amyloidosis, and neuronal cell death were identified as significant to the changes seen. These genes include TP53, SOD2, CDKN2A, MFN2, DNM1L, OPA1, FIS1, BNIP3, and GAPDH.
CONCLUSION: Altered mitochondrial gene expression indicates that a subset of nuclear-encoded mitochondrial genes compromise multiple aspects of mitochondrial function in AD brains. A new mathematical modeling system may provide further insights into potential therapeutic targets.

Keywords:  Alzheimer’s disease; apoptosis; mitochondrial biogenesis; mitochondrial fission and fusion; sirtuins

DOI:  https://doi.org/10.3233/JAD-220161
J Alzheimers Dis. 2022 Sep 06.

Pathological and Therapeutic Advances in Parkinson's Disease: Mitochondria in the Interplay.

Padmashri Naren, Anjali Cholkar, Suchita Kamble, Khan Sabiya Samim, Saurabh Srivastava, Jitender Madan, Neelesh Mehra, Vinod Tiwari, Shashi Bala Singh, Dharmendra Kumar Khatri.

  Parkinson's disease (PD) is the second most common neurodegenerative illness majorly affecting the population between the ages of 55 to 65 years. Progressive dopaminergic neuronal loss and the collective assemblage of misfolded alpha-synuclein in the substantia nigra, remain notable neuro-pathological hallmarks of the disease. Multitudes of mechanistic pathways have been proposed in attempts to unravel the pathogenesis of PD but still, it remains elusive. The convergence of PD pathology is found in organelle dysfunction where mitochondria remain a major contributor. Mitochondrial processes like bioenergetics, mitochondrial dynamics, and mitophagy are under strict regulation by the mitochondrial genome and nuclear genome. These processes aggravate neurodegenerative activities upon alteration through neuroinflammation, oxidative damage, apoptosis, and proteostatic stress. Therefore, the mitochondria have grabbed a central position in the patho-mechanistic exploration of neurodegenerative diseases like PD. The management of PD remains a challenge to physicians to date, due to the variable therapeutic response of patients and the limitation of conventional chemical agents which only offer symptomatic relief with minimal to no disease-modifying effect. This review describes the patho-mechanistic pathways involved in PD not only limited to protein dyshomeostasis and oxidative stress, but explicit attention has been drawn to exploring mechanisms like organelle dysfunction, primarily mitochondria and mitochondrial genome influence, while delineating the newer exploratory targets such as GBA1, GLP, LRRK2, and miRNAs and therapeutic agents targeting them.

Keywords:  Autophagy; Parkinson’s disease; mitochondrial dysfunction; mitogenome; neuroinflammation; oxidative stress

DOI:  https://doi.org/10.3233/JAD-220682
FASEB J. 2022 10;36(10): e22545

SMPDL3b modulates radiation-induced DNA damage response in renal podocytes.

Marina Francis, Anis Ahmad, Larry Bodgi, Patrick Azzam, Tarek Youssef, Alaa Abou Daher, Assaad A Eid, Alessia Fornoni, Alan Pollack, Brian Marples, Youssef H Zeidan.

  The kidneys are radiosensitive and dose-limiting organs for radiotherapy (RT) targeting abdominal and paraspinal tumors. Excessive radiation doses to the kidneys ultimately lead to radiation nephropathy. Our prior work unmasked a novel role for the lipid-modifying enzyme, sphingomyelin phosphodiesterase acid-like 3b (SMPDL3b), in regulating the response of renal podocytes to radiation injury. In this study, we investigated the role of SMPDL3b in DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs) repair in vitro and in vivo. We assessed the kinetics of DSBs recognition and repair along with the ATM pathway and nuclear sphingolipid metabolism in wild-type (WT) and SMPDL3b overexpressing (OE) human podocytes. We also assessed the extent of DNA damage repair in SMPDL3b knock-down (KD) human podocytes, and C57BL6 WT and podocyte-specific SMPDL3b-knock out (KO) mice after radiation injury. We found that SMPDL3b overexpression enhanced DSBs recognition and repair through modulating ATM nuclear shuttling. OE podocytes were protected against radiation-induced apoptosis by increasing the phosphorylation of p53 at serine 15 and attenuating subsequent caspase-3 cleavage. SMPDL3b overexpression prevented radiation-induced alterations in nuclear ceramide-1-phosphate (C1P) and ceramide levels. Interestingly, exogenous C1P pretreatment radiosensitized OE podocytes by delaying ATM nuclear foci formation and DSBs repair. On the other hand, SMPDL3b knock-down, in vitro and in vivo, induced a significant delay in DSBs repair. Additionally, increased activation of apoptosis was induced in podocytes of SMPDL3b-KO mice compared to WT mice at 24 h post-irradiation. Together, our results unravel a novel role for SMPDL3b in radiation-induced DNA damage response. The current work suggests that SMPDL3b modulates nuclear sphingolipid metabolism, ATM nuclear shuttling, and DSBs repair.

Keywords:  ATM nuclear shuttling; DNA damage response; SMPDL3b; double-strand breaks; nuclear sphingolipids; radiation nephropathy; radiation podocytopathy; sphingolipids

DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1096/fj.202100186RR
Front Cell Dev Biol. 2022 ;10 956394

Mitochondrial autophagy in the sleeping brain.

Sofia Mauri, Mariavittoria Favaro, Greta Bernardo, Gabriella M Mazzotta, Elena Ziviani.

  A significant percentage of the mitochondrial mass is replaced on a daily basis via mechanisms of mitochondrial quality control. Through mitophagy (a selective type of autophagy that promotes mitochondrial proteostasis) cells keep a healthy pool of mitochondria, and prevent oxidative stress and inflammation. Furthermore, mitophagy helps adapting to the metabolic demand of the cells, which changes on a daily basis. Core components of the mitophagy process are PINK1 and Parkin, which mutations are linked to Parkinson's Disease. The crucial role of PINK1/Parkin pathway during stress-induced mitophagy has been extensively studied in vitro in different cell types. However, recent advances in the field allowed discovering that mitophagy seems to be only slightly affected in PINK1 KO mice and flies, putting into question the physiological relevance of this pathway in vivo in the whole organism. Indeed, several cell-specific PINK1/Parkin-independent mitophagy pathways have been recently discovered, which appear to be activated under physiological conditions such as those that promote mitochondrial proteome remodeling during differentiation or in response to specific physiological stimuli. In this Mini Review we want to summarize the recent advances in the field, and add another level of complexity by focusing attention on a potentially important aspect of mitophagy regulation: the implication of the circadian clock. Recent works showed that the circadian clock controls many aspects of mitochondrial physiology, including mitochondrial morphology and dynamic, respiratory activity, and ATP synthesis. Furthermore, one of the essential functions of sleep, which is controlled by the clock, is the clearance of toxic metabolic compounds from the brain, including ROS, via mechanisms of proteostasis. Very little is known about a potential role of the clock in the quality control mechanisms that maintain the mitochondrial repertoire healthy during sleep/wake cycles. More importantly, it remains completely unexplored whether (dys)function of mitochondrial proteostasis feedbacks to the circadian clockwork.

Keywords:  Parkinson’s disease; animal models; circadian rhythms; mitophagy; proteostasis

DOI:  https://doi.org/10.3389/fcell.2022.956394
Front Oncol. 2022 ;12 971959

Enhancing anti-tumour innate immunity by targeting the DNA damage response and pattern recognition receptors in combination with radiotherapy.

Charleen M L Chan Wah Hak, Antonio Rullan, Emmanuel C Patin, Malin Pedersen, Alan A Melcher, Kevin J Harrington.

  Radiotherapy is one of the most effective and frequently used treatments for a wide range of cancers. In addition to its direct anti-cancer cytotoxic effects, ionising radiation can augment the anti-tumour immune response by triggering pro-inflammatory signals, DNA damage-induced immunogenic cell death and innate immune activation. Anti-tumour innate immunity can result from recruitment and stimulation of dendritic cells (DCs) which leads to tumour-specific adaptive T-cell priming and immunostimulatory cell infiltration. Conversely, radiotherapy can also induce immunosuppressive and anti-inflammatory mediators that can confer radioresistance. Targeting the DNA damage response (DDR) concomitantly with radiotherapy is an attractive strategy for overcoming radioresistance, both by enhancing the radiosensitivity of tumour relative to normal tissues, and tipping the scales in favour of an immunostimulatory tumour microenvironment. This two-pronged approach exploits genomic instability to circumvent immune evasion, targeting both hallmarks of cancer. In this review, we describe targetable DDR proteins (PARP (poly[ADP-ribose] polymerase); ATM/ATR (ataxia-telangiectasia mutated and Rad3-related), DNA-PKcs (DNA-dependent protein kinase, catalytic subunit) and Wee1 (Wee1-like protein kinase) and their potential intersections with druggable immunomodulatory signalling pathways, including nucleic acid-sensing mechanisms (Toll-like receptors (TLR); cyclic GMP-AMP synthase (cGAS)-stimulator of interferon genes (STING) and retinoic acid-inducible gene-I (RIG-I)-like receptors), and how these might be exploited to enhance radiation therapy. We summarise current preclinical advances, recent and ongoing clinical trials and the challenges of therapeutic combinations with existing treatments such as immune checkpoint inhibitors.

Keywords:  DNA damage; cancer therapy; combination therapy; immunotherapy; innate immunity; radiotherapy

DOI:  https://doi.org/10.3389/fonc.2022.971959
Nat Rev Rheumatol. 2022 Sep 12.

Emerging concepts of type I interferons in SLE pathogenesis and therapy.

Antonios Psarras, Miriam Wittmann, Edward M Vital.

Type I interferons have been suspected for decades to have a crucial role in the pathogenesis of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). Evidence has now overturned several long-held assumptions about how type I interferons are regulated and cause pathological conditions, providing a new view of SLE pathogenesis that resolves longstanding clinical dilemmas. This evidence includes data on interferons in relation to genetic predisposition and epigenetic regulation. Importantly, data are now available on the role of interferons in the early phases of the disease and the importance of non-haematopoietic cellular sources of type I interferons, such as keratinocytes, renal tubular cells, glial cells and synovial stromal cells, as well as local responses to type I interferons within these tissues. These local effects are found not only in inflamed target organs in established SLE, but also in histologically normal skin during asymptomatic preclinical phases, suggesting a role in disease initiation. In terms of clinical application, evidence relating to biomarkers to characterize the type I interferon system is complex, and, notably, interferon-blocking therapies are now licensed for the treatment of SLE. Collectively, the available data enable us to propose a model of disease pathogenesis that invokes the unique value of interferon-targeted therapies. Accordingly, future approaches in SLE involving disease reclassification and preventative strategies in preclinical phases should be investigated.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41584-022-00826-z
FEBS J. 2022 Sep 16.

TRIM27 is an autophagy substrate facilitating mitochondria clustering and mitophagy via phosphorylated TBK1.

Juncal Garcia-Garcia, Anne Kristin McLaren Berge, Katrine Stange Overå, Kenneth Bowitz Larsen, Zambarlal Bhujabal, Andreas Brech, Yakubu Princely Abudu, Trond Lamark, Terje Johansen, Eva Sjøttem.

Tripartite motif containing protein 27 (TRIM27/also called RFP) is a multifunctional ubiquitin E3 ligase involved in numerous cellular functions, such as proliferation, apoptosis, regulation of the NF-kB pathway, endosomal recycling, and the innate immune response. TRIM27 interacts directly with TANK-binding kinase 1 (TBK1) and regulates its stability. TBK1 in complex with autophagy receptors are recruited to ubiquitin chains assembled on the mitochondrial outer membrane promoting mitophagy. Here we identify TRIM27 as an autophagy substrate, depending on ATG7, ATG9 and autophagy receptors for its lysosomal degradation. We show that TRIM27 forms ubiquitylated cytoplasmic bodies that colocalize with autophagy receptors. Surprisingly, we observed that induced expression of EGFP-TRIM27 in HEK293 FlpIn TRIM27 Knock-Out cells mediates mitochondrial clustering. TRIM27 interacts with autophagy receptor SQSTM1/p62, and the TRIM27 mediated mitochondrial clustering is facilitated by SQSTM/p62. We show that phosphorylated TBK1 is recruited to the clustered mitochondria. Moreover, induced mitophagy activity is reduced in HEK293 FlpIn TRIM27 Knock Out cells, while re-introduction of EGFP-TRIM27 completely restores the mitophagy activity. Inhibition of TBK1 reduces mitophagy in HEK293 FlpIn cells and in the reconstituted EGFP-TRIM27 expressing cells, but not in HEK293 FlpIn TRIM27 Knock Out cells. Altogether, these data reveal novel roles for TRIM27 in mitophagy, facilitating mitochondrial clustering via SQSTM1/p62 and mitophagy via stabilization of phosphorylated TBK1 on mitochondria.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/febs.16628
Cell Metab. 2022 Sep 08. pii: S1550-4131(22)00360-6. [Epub ahead of print]

OMA1-mediated integrated stress response protects against ferroptosis in mitochondrial cardiomyopathy.

Sofia Ahola, Pablo Rivera Mejías, Steffen Hermans, Srikanth Chandragiri, Patrick Giavalisco, Hendrik Nolte, Thomas Langer.

  Cardiomyopathy and heart failure are common manifestations in mitochondrial disease caused by deficiencies in the oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS) system of mitochondria. Here, we demonstrate that the cardiac-specific loss of the assembly factor Cox10 of the cytochrome c oxidase causes mitochondrial cardiomyopathy in mice, which is associated with OXPHOS deficiency, lysosomal defects, and an aberrant mitochondrial morphology. Activation of the mitochondrial peptidase Oma1 in Cox10-/- mice results in mitochondrial fragmentation and induction of the integrated stress response (ISR) along the Oma1-Dele1-Atf4 signaling axis. Ablation of Oma1 or Dele1 in Cox10-/- mice aggravates cardiomyopathy. ISR inhibition impairs the cardiac glutathione metabolism, limits the selenium-dependent accumulation of the glutathione peroxidase Gpx4, and increases lipid peroxidation in the heart, ultimately culminating in ferroptosis. Our results demonstrate a protective role of the Oma1-Dele1-mediated ISR in mitochondrial cardiomyopathy and link ferroptosis to OXPHOS deficiency and mitochondrial disease.

Keywords:  Atf4; Dele1; Gpx4; Oma1; cardiomyopathy; ferroptosis; glutathione; integrated stress response; mitochondria; selenium

DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cmet.2022.08.017
Front Cell Dev Biol. 2022 ;10 1003779

Editorial: The subcellular architecture of mitochondria in driving cellular processes.

Brian Cunniff, Jyoti K Jaiswal.



Keywords:  DRP1; OPA1; cell migration; cell signaling; mitochondia; mitochondrial dynamics

DOI:  https://doi.org/10.3389/fcell.2022.1003779
Antioxid Redox Signal. 2022 Sep 16.

Calcium homeostasis in the control of mitophagy.

Mariasole Perrone, Simone Patergnani, Tommaso Di Mambro, Laura Palumbo, Mariusz Więckowski, Carlotta Giorgi, Paolo Pinton.

SIGNIFICANCE: Maintenance of mitochondrial quality is essential for cellular homeostasis. Among processes responsible for preserving healthy mitochondria, mitophagy selectively eliminates dysfunctional mitochondria by targeting them to the autophagosome for degradation. Alterations in mitophagy lead to the accumulation of damaged mitochondria, which plays an essential role in several diseases like carcinogenesis and tumor progression, neurodegenerative disorders, and autoimmune and cardiovascular pathologies.
RECENT ADVANCES: Calcium (Ca2+) plays a fundamental role in cell life, modulating several pathways, such as gene expression, proliferation, differentiation, metabolism, cell death, and survival. Indeed, because it is involved in all these events, Ca2+ is the most versatile intracellular second messenger. Being a process that limits cellular degeneration, mitophagy participates in cellular fate decisions. Several mitochondrial parameters, such as membrane potential, structure, and reactive oxygen species, can trigger the activation of mitophagic machinery. These parameters regulate not only mitophagy but also the mitochondrial Ca2+ uptake.
CRITICAL ISSUES: Ca2+ handling is fundamental in regulating ATP production by mitochondria and mitochondrial quality control processes. Despite the growing literature about the link between Ca2+ and mitophagy, the mechanism by which Ca2+ homeostasis regulates mitophagy is still debated.
FUTURE DIRECTIONS: Several studies have revealed that excessive mitophagy together with altered mitochondrial Ca2+ uptake leads to different dysfunctions in numerous diseases. Thus, therapeutic modulation of these pathways is considered promising treatments.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1089/ars.2022.0122
Curr Neuropharmacol. 2022 Sep 08.

The Therapeutic Potential of Mitochondria Transplantation Therapy in Neurodegenerative and Neurovascular Disorders.

Mohammad Moshahid Khan, Hector G Paez, Christopher R Pitzer, Stephen E Alway.

  Neurodegenerative and neurovascular disorders affect millions of people worldwide and account for a large and increasing health burden on the general population. Thus, there is a critical need to identify potential disease-modifying treatments that can prevent or slow the disease progression. Mitochondria are highly dynamic organelles and play an important role in energy metabolism and redox homeostasis, and mitochondrial dysfunction threatens cell homeostasis, perturbs energy production, and ultimately leads to cell death and diseases. Impaired mitochondrial function has been linked to the pathogenesis of several human neurological disorders. Given the significant contribution of mitochondrial dysfunction in neurological disorders, there has been considerable interest in developing therapies that can attenuate mitochondrial abnormalities and proffer neuroprotective effects. Unfortunately, therapies that target specific components of mitochondria or oxidative stress pathways have exhibited limited translatability. To this end, mitochondrial transplantation therapy (MTT) presents a new paradigm of therapeutic intervention, which involves the supplementation of healthy mitochondria to replace the damaged mitochondria for the treatment of neurological disorders. Prior studies demonstrated that the supplementation of healthy donor mitochondria to damaged neurons promotes neuronal viability, activity, and neurite growth and has been shown to provide benefits for neural and extra-neural diseases. In this review, we discuss the significance of mitochondria and summarize an overview of the recent advances and development of MTT in neurodegenerative and neurovascular disorders, particularly Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's disease, and stroke. The significance of MTT is emerging as they meet a critical need to develop a disease-modifying intervention for neurodegenerative and neurovascular disorders.

Keywords:  Alzheimer’s disease; Mitochondria; Mitochondria transplantation therapy; Mitochondrial medicine; Parkinson’s disease; and Stroke

DOI:  https://doi.org/10.2174/1570159X05666220908100545
Front Cardiovasc Med. 2022 ;9 945142

Mitochondrial dysfunction in heart failure and its therapeutic implications.

Miaosen Liu, Jialan Lv, Zhicheng Pan, Dongfei Wang, Liding Zhao, Xiaogang Guo.

  The ATP consumption in heart is very intensive to support muscle contraction and relaxation. Mitochondrion is the power plant of the cell. Mitochondrial dysfunction has long been believed as the primary mechanism responsible for the inability of energy generation and utilization in heart failure. In addition, emerging evidence has demonstrated that mitochondrial dysfunction also contributes to calcium dysregulation, oxidative stress, proteotoxic insults and cardiomyocyte death. These elements interact with each other to form a vicious circle in failing heart. The role of mitochondrial dysfunction in the pathogenesis of heart failure has attracted increasing attention. The complex signaling of mitochondrial quality control provides multiple targets for maintaining mitochondrial function. Design of therapeutic strategies targeting mitochondrial dysfunction holds promise for the prevention and treatment of heart failure.

Keywords:  calcium; fusion and fission; heart failure; mitochondria; mitophagy; reactive oxygen species

DOI:  https://doi.org/10.3389/fcvm.2022.945142
eNeuro. 2022 Sep 12. pii: ENEURO.0040-22.2022. [Epub ahead of print]

The mitochondrial enzyme 17βHSD10 modulates ischemic and amyloid-β-induced stress in primary mouse astrocytes.

Vanya Vladimirova Metodieva, Terry Kenneth Smith, Frank James Gunn-Moore.

  Severe brain metabolic dysfunction and amyloid-beta accumulation are key hallmarks of Alzheimer's disease. While astrocytes contribute to both pathological mechanisms, the role of their mitochondria, which is essential for signalling and maintenance of these processes, has been largely understudied. The current work provides the first direct evidence that the mitochondrial metabolic switch 17β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type 10 (17βHSD10) is expressed and active in murine astrocytes from different brain regions. While it is known that this protein is overexpressed in the brains of Alzheimer's disease patients, we found that 17βHSD10 is also upregulated in astrocytes exposed to amyloidogenic and ischemic stress. Importantly, such catalytic overexpression of 17βHSD10 inhibits mitochondrial respiration during increased energy demand. This observation contrasts with what has been found in neuronal and cancer model systems, which suggests astrocyte-specific mechanisms mediated by the protein. Furthermore, the catalytic upregulation of the enzyme exacerbates astrocytic damage, reactive oxygen species generation and mitochondrial network alterations during amyloidogenic stress. On the other hand, 17βHSD10 inhibition through AG18051 counters most of these effects. In conclusion, our data represents novel insights into the role of astrocytic mitochondria in metabolic and amyloidogenic stress with implications of 17βHSD10 in multiple neurodegenerative mechanisms.Significance statementThe current study presents the first direct evidence for the role of enzymatic activity of 17βHSD10 in astrocytes. We report that the protein is involved in the response of cortical astrocytes to stress conditions associated with ischemic stroke and AD. Furthermore, 17βHSD10 regulates astrocytic mitochondrial function, and the effects differ from what has been reported in neurons. These findings contribute to a growing body of evidence showing that astrocytic mitochondria are a key factor in neurodegenerative pathology. Considering the 17βHSD10-targeting therapeutics currently being developed for AD, these findings provide important insight into the role of this target in the cell population which carries out key metabolic support and toxic clearance from the brain.

Keywords:  17β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type 10 (17β-; Alzheimer’s disease; HSD10); astrocytes; ischemia; metabolism; mitochondria

DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1523/ENEURO.0040-22.2022
J Inflamm Res. 2022 ;15 5103-5119

Inhibition of the cGAS-STING Pathway Attenuates Lung Ischemia/Reperfusion Injury via Regulating Endoplasmic Reticulum Stress in Alveolar Epithelial Type II Cells of Rats.

Renhui Huang, Qi Shi, Shutian Zhang, Hong Lin, Chengzhi Han, Xinyi Qian, Yijun Huang, Xiaorong Ren, Jiayuan Sun, Nana Feng, Chunmei Xia, Meng Shi.

   Purpose: Endoplasmic reticulum stress (ERS) plays an important role in the pathogenesis of lung ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury. Cyclic GMP-AMP synthase (cGAS) is a cytosol dsDNA sensor, coupling with downstream stimulator of interferon genes (STING) located in the ER, which involves innate immune responses. The aim of our present study was to investigate the effects of cGAS on lung I/R injury via regulating ERS.
Methods: We used Sprague-Dawley rats to make the lung I/R model by performing left hilum occlusion-reperfusion surgery. cGAS-specific inhibitor RU.521, STING agonist SR-717, and 4-phenylbutyric acid (4-PBA), the ERS inhibitor, were intraperitoneally administered in rats. Double immunofluorescent staining was applied to detect the colocalization of cGAS or BiP, an ERS protein, with alveolar epithelial type II cells (AECIIs) marker. We used transmission electron microscopy to examine the ultrastructure of ER and mitochondria. Apoptosis and oxidative stress in the lungs were assessed, respectively. The profiles of pulmonary edema and lung tissue injury were evaluated. And the pulmonary ventilation function was measured using a spirometer system.
Results: In lung I/R rats, the cGAS-STING pathway was upregulated, which implied they were activated. After cGAS-STING pathway was inhibited or activated in lung I/R rats, the ERS was alleviated after cGAS was inhibited, while when STING was activated after lung I/R, ERS was aggravated in the AECIIs, these results suggested that cGAS-STING pathway might trigger ERS responses. Furthermore, activation of cGAS-STING pathway induced increased apoptosis, inflammation, and oxidative stress via regulating ERS and therefore resulted in pulmonary edema and pathological injury in the lungs of I/R rats. Inhibition of cGAS-STING pathway attenuated ERS, therefore attenuated lung injury and promoted pulmonary ventilation function in I/R rats.
Conclusion: Inhibition of the cGAS-STING pathway attenuates lung ischemia/reperfusion injury via alleviating endoplasmic reticulum stress in alveolar epithelial type II cells of rats.

Keywords:  alveolar epithelial type II cells; cGAS-STING; endoplasmic reticulum stress; lung ischemia/reperfusion injury

DOI:  https://doi.org/10.2147/JIR.S365970
Front Cell Dev Biol. 2022 ;10 987317

Sensing local energetics to acutely regulate mitophagy in skeletal muscle.

Anna S Nichenko, Kalyn S Specht, Siobhan M Craige, Joshua C Drake.

  The energetic requirements of skeletal muscle to sustain movement, as during exercise, is met largely by mitochondria, which form an intricate, interconnected reticulum. Maintenance of a healthy mitochondrial reticulum is essential for skeletal muscle function, suggesting quality control pathways are spatially governed. Mitophagy, the process by which damaged and/or dysfunctional regions of the mitochondrial reticulum are removed and degraded, has emerged as an integral part of the molecular response to exercise. Upregulation of mitophagy in response to acute exercise is directly connected to energetic sensing mechanisms through AMPK. In this review, we discuss the connection of mitophagy to muscle energetics and how AMPK may spatially control mitophagy through multiple potential means.

Keywords:  AMPK; energetic stress; mitochondria; mitophagy; reactive oxygen species

DOI:  https://doi.org/10.3389/fcell.2022.987317
Cell Mol Life Sci. 2022 Sep 14. 79(10): 517

Metabolic reprogramming in the OPA1-deficient cells.

Wenting Dai, Zhichao Wang, Qiong A Wang, David Chan, Lei Jiang.

  OPA1, a dynamin-related GTPase mutated in autosomal dominant optic atrophy, is essential for the fusion of the inner mitochondrial membrane. Although OPA1 deficiency leads to impaired mitochondrial morphology, the role of OPA1 in central carbon metabolism remains unclear. Here, we aim to explore the functional role and metabolic mechanism of OPA1 in cell fitness beyond the control of mitochondrial fusion. We applied [U-13C]glucose and [U-13C]glutamine isotope tracing techniques to OPA1-knockout (OPA1-KO) mouse embryonic fibroblasts (MEFs) compared to OPA1 wild-type (OPA1-WT) controls. Furthermore, the resulting tracing data were integrated by metabolic flux analysis to understand the underlying metabolic mechanism through which OPA1 deficiency reprograms cellular metabolism. OPA1-deficient MEFs were depleted of intracellular citrate, which was consistent with the decreased oxygen consumption rate in these cells with mitochondrial fission that is not balanced by mitochondrial fusion. Whereas oxidative glucose metabolism was impaired, OPA1-deficient cells activated glutamine-dependent reductive carboxylation and subsequently relied on this reductive metabolism to produce cytosolic citrate as a predominant acetyl-CoA source for de novo fatty acid synthesis. Prevention of cytosolic glutamine reductive carboxylation by GSK321, an inhibitor of isocitrate dehydrogenase 1 (IDH1), largely repressed lipid synthesis and blocked cell proliferation in OPA1-deficient MEFs. Our data support that, when glucose oxidation failed to support lipogenesis and proliferation in cells with unbalanced mitochondrial fission, OPA1 deficiency stimulated metabolic anaplerosis into glutamine-dependent reductive carboxylation in an IDH1-mediated manner.

Keywords:  Cell growth; Citrate; De novo lipogenesis; OPA1 dysfunction; Oxidative metabolism; Reductive carboxylation

DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1007/s00018-022-04542-5
Trends Pharmacol Sci. 2022 Sep 08. pii: S0165-6147(22)00177-8. [Epub ahead of print]

Nanodelivery of cGAS-STING activators for tumor immunotherapy.

Jianfeng Guo, Leaf Huang.

  Activation of the cyclic guanosine monophosphate-adenosine monophosphate synthase (cGAS)-stimulator of interferon genes (STING) pathway has great potential to promote antitumor immunity. Development of activators for the cGAS-STING pathway (cGAS-STING activators) has profoundly revolutionized tumor immunotherapy. However, successful clinical application of cGAS-STING activators is contingent on having appropriate systems to achieve safe, effective, and specific delivery. There is an increasing emphasis on the design and application of nano drug delivery systems (NDDS) that can facilitate the delivery potential of cGAS-STING activators. In this review, we discuss barriers for translational development of cGAS-STING activators (DNA damaging drugs and STING agonists) and recent advances of NDDS for these agents in tumor immunotherapy.

Keywords:  antitumor immunity; cGAS-STING; drug delivery; immunotherapy; nanoparticle

DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tips.2022.08.006
J Immunother Cancer. 2022 Sep;pii: e005068. [Epub ahead of print]10(9):

Restoration of p53 activity via intracellular protein delivery sensitizes triple negative breast cancer to anti-PD-1 immunotherapy.

Zaofeng Yang, Jacquelyne Ka-Li Sun, Marianne M Lee, Michael K Chan.

   BACKGROUND: Although immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) have been shown to yield promising therapeutic outcomes in a small subset of patients with triple negative breast cancer (TNBC), the majority of patients either do not respond or subsequently develop resistance. Recent studies have revealed the critical role of TP53 gene in cancer immunology. Loss or mutation of p53 in cancer cells has been found to promote their immune escape. Given the high mutation frequency of TP53 in TNBC cells, restoration of p53 function could be a potential strategy to overcome their resistance to anti-programmed cell death protein 1 (PD-1)/programmed cell death ligand 1 (PD-L1) therapy. Herein, we have assessed the use of Pos3Aa crystal-based platform to mediate the intracellular delivery of p53 protein to restore p53 activity in p53 null tumors and consequently augment anti-PD-1 activity.
METHODS: The efficiency of Pos3Aa-p53 crystals in delivering p53 protein was evaluated using confocal imaging, immunofluorescence staining, flow cytometry and RNA-seq. The ability of Pos3Aa-p53 crystals to remodel tumor microenvironment was investigated by examining the markers of immunogenic cell death (ICD) and the expression of PD-L1, indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase 1, tryptophan 2,3-dioxygenase 2 and type I interferon (IFN). Finally, both unilateral and bilateral 4T1 tumor mouse models were utilized to assess the efficacy of Pos3Aa-p53 crystal-mediated p53 restoration in enhancing the antitumor activity of ICIs. T cells in tumor tissues and spleens were analyzed, and the in vivo biosafety of the Pos3Aa-p53 crystal/anti-PD-1 antibody combination was also evaluated.
RESULTS: Delivery of p53 protein into p53-null TNBC 4T1 cells via Pos3Aa-p53 crystals restored the p53 activity, and therefore led to the induction of ICD, activation of type I IFN signaling and upregulation of PD-L1 expression. Pos3Aa-p53 crystals significantly enhanced T cell infiltration and activation in 4T1 tumors, thereby sensitizing them to anti-PD-1 therapy. The combination of Pos3Aa-p53 crystals with anti-PD-1 antibody also induced a systemic antitumor immunity resulting in the inhibition of distal tumor growth with minimal toxicity.
CONCLUSION: This study validates that p53 restoration can be an effective approach to overcome ICI resistance and demonstrates that intracellular delivery of p53 protein can be an efficient, safe and potentially universal strategy to restore p53 activity in tumors carrying TP53 mutation.

Keywords:  Breast Neoplasms; Drug Therapy, Combination; Immunotherapy

DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1136/jitc-2022-005068
J Cardiol. 2022 Sep 12. pii: S0914-5087(22)00218-0. [Epub ahead of print]

Role of DNA damage in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis.

Mari Ishida, Chiemi Sakai, Takafumi Ishida.

  Atherosclerosis is a cause of coronary artery disease, abdominal aortic aneurysm, and stroke. The pathogenesis underlying atherosclerosis is complex but it is clear that inflammation plays a pivotal role. Inflammation in atherosclerosis is triggered by the recognition of intracellular contents released from damaged cells by pattern recognition receptors, and is therefore sterile and chronic. Because the DNA of these cells is damaged, cellular senescence is also involved in this inflammation. Here, we will discuss the emerging evidence of a relationship between DNA damage and inflammation in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis, with a focus on intracellular events and cell fates that arise following DNA damage. Recent evidence will lead us to potential therapeutic targets and allow us to explore potential preventative and therapeutic strategies.

Keywords:  Atherosclerosis; Cytosolic DNA; DNA damage; Inflammation; Senescence

DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jjcc.2022.08.010
Curr Mol Med. 2022 Sep 08.

Cyclophilin D regulates oxidative stress and apoptosis via mitochondrial permeability transition pore in acute acalculous cholecystitis.

Kunqiao Hong, Qian Yang, Gen Liu, Hu Qiu, Baoping Yu.

   OBJECTIVE: Acute acalculous cholecystitis (AAC) is characterized by acute onset, rapid progression, high mortality, and various complications. Cyclophilin D (CypD) regulates the mitochondrial permeability transition pore (MPTP) and is involved in the occurrence of ischemia-reperfusion injury and inflammation, however, the role of CypD in AAC remains unclear.
METHODS: Guinea pigs of 300-350 g were randomly divided into three groups, namely the sham group, the common bile duct ligation-24h group (CBDL-24h group), and CBDL-48h group. Western blot and qRT-PCR were applied to analyze the differential expression of CypD in each group, and transmission electron microscopy was employed to detect changes in mitochondrial structure. Inhibiting the activity of CypD by Cyclosporine A (CsA), we evaluated the difference of mitochondrial utilizing mitochondrial swelling, reactive oxygen species (ROS) detection and mitochondrial membrane potential.
RESULTS: Compared with sham group, the prolongation of obstruction aggravated gallbladder inflammation and upregulated CypD expression in the CBDL-24h and CBDL-48h groups. The degree of mitochondrial swelling was increased, and the opening of MPTP was prolonged in the CBDL-24h and 48h groups. Decreasing the expression of CypD could repress the opening of MPTP, prevent manipulation of the mitochondrial membrane potential, and ultimately diminish the levels of intracellular ROS and apoptosis.
CONCLUSION: CypD plays a proinflammatory role in the development of AAC by regulating the opening of MPTP. Inhibiting the activity of CypD could reduce the levels of ROS and apoptosis, rescue the function of mitochondria and finally alleviated AAC. Therefore, CypD might serve as a potential therapeutic target for ACC.

Keywords:  Acute acalculous cholecystitis; Cyclophilin D; Cyclosporin A; apoptosis; mitochondrial permeability transition pore; oxidative stress

DOI:  https://doi.org/10.2174/1566524023666220908112922
Cancer Lett. 2022 Sep 11. pii: S0304-3835(22)00396-2. [Epub ahead of print] 215912

Mitochondrial fragmentation in liver cancer: Emerging player and promising therapeutic opportunities.

Qian Wang, Pengfei Yu, Chaoxu Liu, Xianli He, Gang Wang.

  Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the leading cause of cancer-related death worldwide. Enhanced mitochondrial fragmentation (MF) is associated with poor prognosis in HCC patients. However, its molecular mechanism in HCC remains elusive. Although enhanced MF activates effector T cells and dendritic cells, it induces immunoescape by decreasing the number and cytotoxicity of natural killer cells in the HCC immune microenvironment. Therefore, the influence of MF on the activity of different immune cells is a great challenge. Enhanced MF contributes to maintaining stemness by promoting the asymmetric division of liver cancer stem cells (LCSCs), suggesting that MF may become a potential target for HCC recurrence, metastasis, and chemotherapy resistance. Moreover, mechanistic studies suggest that MF may promote tumour progression through autophagy, oxidative stress, and metabolic reprogramming. Human-induced hepatocyte organoids are a recently developed system that can be genetically manipulated to mimic cancer initiation and identify potential preventive treatments. We can use it to screen MF-related candidate inhibitors of HCC progression and further explore the role of MF in hepatocarcinogenesis. We herein describe the mechanisms by which MF contributes to HCC development, discuss potential therapeutic approaches, and highlight the possibility that MF modulation has a synergistic effect with immunotherapy.

Keywords:  Aerobic glycolysis; Circadian clock; Liver cancer microenvironment; Metabolic reprogramming; Mitochondrial fission

DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.canlet.2022.215912
Cell Prolif. 2022 Sep 15. e13328

Mitochondrial DNA mediates immunoparalysis of dendritic cells in sepsis via STING signalling.

Qing Tu, Yi Li, Jiali Zhu, Long Guo, Chenchen Liu, Lu Liu, Yuan Yuan, Yun Zou, Feng Chen, Liangfang Yao, Jinbao Li.

BACKGROUND: Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) is a potent activator for pro-inflammatory response. Dendritic cells (DCs) are immunosuppressed in sepsis, whether mtDNA mediates immunoparalysis in sepsis remains unknown.
METHODS: The mRNAs were assessed by qPCR. Flow cytometry was used to measure the expression of costimulatory molecules and the proliferation of CD4+ T cells. Western blot and immunofluorescence staining were used to analyse the expression of proteins. Cytokine secretion was detected by ELISA. Histology of lung tissue was used to assess the inflammatory injury.
RESULTS: Lipopolysaccharide-induced endotoxemia increased plasma mtDNA levels and immunoparalysis of spleen DCs, while hydrolysing mtDNA reversed immunoparalysis of spleen DCs in vivo. Moreover, cytoplasmic mtDNA of DCs was accumulated in endotoxemia and sepsis. mtDNA transfection into bone marrow-derived DCs (BMDCs) inhibited the expression of costimulatory molecules (e.g., CD40, CD80 and CD86) and the release of IL-12p70, while increasing the secretion of IL-10. Cytoplasmic mtDNA also inhibited the ability of BMDCs to promote the proliferation of CD4+ T cells. Mechanistic analysis revealed that STING signalling was required for mtDNA-mediated immunoparalysis of DCs in vivo and in vitro. Further studies showed deletion of STING reversed mtDNA-mediated immunoparalysis of DCs and improved the prognosis of endotoxemia and sepsis.
CONCLUSION: Our results demonstrated that mtDNA promotes immunoparalysis of DCs, and contributes to sepsis-associated immunosuppression by activating STING signalling. Our study may provide new insights to elucidate the molecular pathogenesis of immunosuppressive DCs in sepsis.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/cpr.13328