bims-nocaut 2024-07-07 papers

Issue of 2024–07–07
three papers selected by
Quentin Frenger, University of Strasbourg

Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci. 2024 Jul 01. 65(8): 4

The Role of LC3-Associated Phagocytosis Inhibits the Inflammatory Response in Aspergillus fumigatus Keratitis.

Junjie Luan, Ziyue Zhang, Qian Wang, Cui Li, Hao Zhang, Yingxue Zhang, Xudong Peng, Guiqiu Zhao, Jing Lin.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to investigate the role and mechanism of microtubule-associated protein light chain-3 (LC3)-associated phagocytosis (LAP) in the immune response to Aspergillus fumigatus (A. fumigatus) keratitis.
Methods: The formation of single-membrane phagosomes was visualized in the corneas of healthy or A. fumigatus-infected humans and C57BL/6 mice using transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Rubicon siRNA (si-Rubicon) was used to block Rubicon expression. RAW 264.7 cells or mice corneas were infected with A. fumigatus with or without pretreatment of si-Rubicon and scrambled siRNA. RAW 264.7 cells were pretreated with Dectin-1 antibody or Dectin-1 overexpressed plasmid and then stimulated with A. fumigatus. Flow cytometry was used to label macrophages in normal and infected corneas of mice. In mice with A. fumigatus keratitis, the severity of the disease was assessed using clinical scores. We used lentiviral technology to transfer GV348-Ubi-GFP-LC3-II-SV40-Puro Lentivirus into the mouse cornea. The GFP-LC3 fusion protein was visualized in corneal slices using a fluorescence microscope. We detected the mRNA and protein expressions of the inflammatory factors IL-6, IL-1β, and IL-10 using real-time PCR (RT-PCR) and ELISA. We detected the expression of LAP-related proteins Rubicon, ATG-7, Beclin-1, and LC3-II using Western blot or immunofluorescence.
Results: Accumulation of single-membrane phagosomes within macrophages was observed in the corneas of patients and mice with A. fumigatus keratitis using TEM. Flow cytometry (FCM) analysis results show that the number of macrophages in the cornea of mice significantly increases after infection with A. fumigatus. LAP-related proteins were significantly elevated in the corneas of mice and RAW 264.7 cells after infection with A. fumigatus. The si-Rubicon treatment elevated the clinical score of mice. In A. fumigatus keratitis mice, the si-Rubicon treated group showed significantly higher expression of IL-6 and IL-1β and lower expression of IL-10 and LC3-II compared to the control group. In RAW 264.7 cells, treatment with the Dectin-1 overexpressed plasmid upregulated the expression of LAP-related proteins, a process that was significantly inhibited by the Dectin-1 antibody.
Conclusions: LAP participates in the anti-inflammatory immune process of fungal keratitis (FK) and exerts an anti-inflammatory effect. LAP is regulated through the Dectin-1 signaling pathway in A. fumigatus keratitis.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1167/iovs.65.8.4

Autophagy. 2024 Jul 04.

Individual Atg8 paralogs exhibit unique properties in streptococcus pneumoniae-induced hierarchical autophagy.

Sayaka Shizukuishi, Michinaga Ogawa, Yukihiro Akeda.

Individual Atg8 (autophagy related 8) paralogs, comprising MAP1LC3A/LC3A, LC3B, LC3C, GABARAP, GABARAPL1 and GABARAPL2/GATE16, play a crucial role in canonical macroautophagy/autophagy. However, their functions remain unclear owing to functional redundancy. In a previous study, we reported that intracellular Streptococcus pneumoniae triggers hierarchical autophagy in response to bacterial infection. This process commences with the induction of conjugation of Atg8 paralogs (Atg8s) to single membranes (CASM), followed by CASM shedding and subsequent induction of xenophagy. In our recent study, we performed functional analysis of Atg8s during pneumococci-induced hierarchical autophagy. Our findings suggest that LC3A and GABARAPL1 are crucial for CASM induction, whereas GABARAPL2 and GABARAP play sequential roles in CASM shedding and subsequent induction of xenophagy, respectively.

Keywords: Atg8s; CASM; Xenophagy; streptococcus pneumoniae

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/15548627.2024.2375707

Curr Biol. 2024 Jun 26. pii: S0960-9822(24)00757-7. [Epub ahead of print]

Atg8/LC3 controls systemic nutrient surplus signaling in flies and humans.

Aditi Madan, Kevin P Kelly, Patrick Bahk, Camille E Sullivan, Michelle E Poling, Ava E Brent, Mroj Alassaf, Julien Dubrulle, Akhila Rajan.

Organisms experience constant nutritional flux. Mechanisms at the interface of opposing nutritional states-scarcity and surplus-enable organismal energy homeostasis. Contingent on nutritional stores, adipocytes secrete adipokines, such as the fat hormone leptin, to signal nutrient status to the central brain. Increased leptin secretion underlies metabolic dysregulation during common obesity, but the molecular mechanisms regulating leptin secretion from human adipocytes are poorly understood. Here, we report that Atg8/LC3 family proteins, best known for their role in autophagy during nutrient scarcity, play an evolutionarily conserved role during nutrient surplus by promoting adipokine secretion. We show that in a well-fed state, Atg8/LC3 promotes the secretion of the Drosophila functional leptin ortholog unpaired 2 (Upd2) and leptin from human adipocytes. Proteomic analyses reveal that LC3 directs leptin to a secretory pathway in human cells. We identified LC3-dependent extracellular vesicle (EV) loading and secretion (LDELS) as a required step for leptin release, highlighting a unique secretory route adopted by leptin in human adipocytes. In Drosophila, mutations to Upd2's Atg8 interaction motif (AIM) result in constitutive adipokine retention. Atg8-mediated Upd2 retention alters lipid storage and hunger response and rewires the bulk organismal transcriptome in a manner conducive to starvation survival. Thus, Atg8/LC3's bidirectional role in nutrient sensing-conveying nutrient surplus and responding to nutrient deprivation-enables organisms to manage nutrient flux effectively. We posit that decoding how bidirectional molecular switches-such as Atg8/LC3-operate at the nexus of nutritional scarcity and surplus will inform therapeutic strategies to tackle chronic metabolic disorders.

Keywords: Upd2; adipokine; autophagy independent; exosomes; leptin; obesity; satiety; starvation resilience; unconventional secretion

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2024.06.005