These results prove the existence of a pathogenic mechanism of lung stretch-induced hippocampal apoptosis that could explain the neurological changes in ventilated patients and may help to identify novel therapeutic approaches.

TLR expression is associated with prostate cancer with recurrence and the role of TLR receptors in the biology of malignancy merits study. Therapeutic strategies to boost or block TLRs may be of interest.

MT1-MMP (MMP14) is a collagenolytic enzyme located at the cell surface and implicated in extracellular matrix (ECM) remodeling. Mmp14À/À mice present dwarfism, bone abnormalities, and premature death. We demonstrate herein that the loss of MT1-MMP also causes cardiac defects and severe metabolic changes, and alters the cytoskeleton and the nuclear lamina structure. Moreover, the absence of MT1-MMP induces a senescent phenotype characterized by up-regulation of p16 INK4a and p21, increased activity of senescence-associated b-galactosidase, generation of a senescence-associated secretory phenotype, and somatotroph axis alterations. Consistent with the role of retinoic acid signaling in nuclear lamina stabilization, treatment of Mmp14 À/À mice with all-trans retinoic acid reversed the nuclear lamina alterations, partially rescued the cell senescence phenotypes, ameliorated the pathological defects in bone, skin, and heart, and extended their life span. These results demonstrate that nuclear architecture and cell senescence can be modulated by a membrane protease, in a process involving the ECM as a key regulator of nuclear stiffness under cell stress conditions.

The identification of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) susceptibility genes by genome-wide association has linked this pathology to autophagy, a lysosomal degradation pathway that is crucial for cell and tissue homeostasis. Here, we describe autophagy-related 4B, cysteine peptidase/autophagin-1 (ATG4B) as an essential protein in the control of inflammatory response during experimental colitis. In this pathological condition, ATG4B protein levels increase in parallel with the induction of autophagy. Moreover, ATG4B expression is significantly reduced in affected areas of the colon from IBD patients. Consistently, atg4b (-/-) mice present Paneth cell abnormalities, as well as an increased susceptibility to DSS-induced colitis. atg4b-deficient mice exhibit significant alterations in proinflammatory cytokines and mediators of the immune response to bacterial infections, which are reminiscent of those found in patients with Crohn disease or ulcerative colitis. Additionally, antibiotic treatments and bone marrow transplantation from wild-type mice reduced colitis in atg4b (-/-) mice. Taken together, these results provided additional evidence for the importance of autophagy in intestinal pathologies and describe ATG4B as a novel protective protein in inflammatory colitis. Finally, we propose that atg4b-null mice are a suitable model for in vivo studies aimed at testing new therapeutic strategies for intestinal diseases associated with autophagy deficiency.