Mounting attention has been focused on defects in macroautophagy/autophagy and the autophagylysosomal pathway (ALP) in cerebral ischemia. TFEB (transcription factor EB)-mediated induction of ALP has been recently considered as the common mechanism in ameliorating the pathological lesion of myocardial ischemia and neurodegenerative diseases. Here we explored the vital role of TFEB in permanent middle cerebral artery occlusion (pMCAO)-mediated dysfunction of ALP and ischemic insult in rats. The results showed that ALP function was first enhanced in the early stage of the ischemic process, especially in neurons of the cortex, and this was accompanied by increased TFEB expression and translocation to the nucleus, which was mediated at least in part through activation by PPP3/ calcineurin. At the later stages of ischemia, a gradual decrease in the level of nuclear TFEB was coupled with a progressive decline in lysosomal activity, accumulation of autophagosomes and autophagy substrates, and exacerbation of the ischemic injury. Notably, neuron-specific overexpression of TFEB significantly enhanced ALP function and rescued the ischemic damage, starting as early as 6 h and even lasting to 48 h after ischemia. Furthermore, neuron-specific knockdown of TFEB markedly reversed the activation of ALP and further aggravated the neurological deficits and ischemic outcome at the early stage of pMCAO. These results highlight neuronal-targeted TFEB as one of the key players in the pMCAO-mediated dysfunction of ALP and ischemic injury, and identify TFEB as a promising target for therapies aimed at neuroprotection in cerebral ischemia.

ABSTRACT. Reduced AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) expression has been shown to play a significant role in the cardiac dysfunction in heart failure. This study was designed to examine the effect of resveratrol, a potent activator of silent information regulator (SIRT1), on cardiac function and AMPK expression in heart failure. Adult male rat left anterior descending arteries were ligated, and they were fed with either a regular diet or a diet enriched with resveratrol. Heart failure was produced by myocardial infarction, and was associated with markedly increased AMPK and SIRT1 protein levels. Resveratrol treatment had a tremendous beneficial effect, both in terms of improving AMPK expression and on cardiac function. Decreased cardiac function and AMPK expression were also found in SIRT1 knockout (+/-) mice. In cultured cardiomyocytes, resveratrol increased AMPK and SIRT1 expressions, and overexpression of SIRT1 was found to be sufficient to activate AMPK in H9c2 cells. In contrast, pretreatment of cardiomyocytes with an SIRT1 antagonist, nicotinamide, blocked these beneficial effects of resveratrol. Therefore, the protective effects of resveratrol were found to be dependent on its ability to activate SIRT1 and improve AMPK expression. These results demonstrated that in heart failure, the enzymatic activity of cardiac SIRT1 is increased, which contributes to increased expression of AMPK, and resveratrol enhances the expression of AMPK and improves cardiac function through the activation of SIRT1.

No abstract

Cell senescence, an irreversible cell cycle arrest, reflects a safeguard program that limits the capacity of uncontrolled cell proliferation. Treatment of tumor cells with certain chemotherapeutic agents activates premature senescence to decrease the tumorigenecity. Here we show that sublethal concentrations of adriamycin could induce premature senescence in lung cancer cells. Adriamycin treatment resulted in the up-regulation of BMP4, which is underexpressed in NSCLC (non-small cell lung cancers). Moreover, the BMP4-Smad pathway played a key role in mediating adriamycin-induced senescence. Overexpression of BMP4 was able to induce premature senescence in lung cancer cells and this process required the participation of cyclin/ cyclin-dependent kinase (cdk) inhibitors p16INK4a and p21 WAF1/cip1 . We also show that increases of p16 INK4a and p21 WAF1/cip1 expression in response to BMP4 were mediated by the Smad signaling pathway. Furthermore, our data revealed that p300 was recruited to P16 INK4a and P21 WAF1/cip1 promoters by Smad1/5/8 to induce the hyperacetylation of histones H3 and H4 at the promoters. The present study provides useful clues to the evaluation of the potentiality of BMP4 as a responsive molecular target for cancer chemotherapy.

The DNA-damaging drug doxorubicin (Dox) induces cell senescence at concentrations significantly lower than those required for induction of apoptosis. At low Dox concentrations, tumor suppressor p53 is activated, which enhances the expression of p21 Waf1/Cip1 (p21). At high concentrations, Dox activates p53 leading to apoptosis without enhancing p21 expression. The underlying mechanisms and factors that govern the differential effects of Dox in inducing senescence and apoptosis are unclear. Here, we report that the DNA methyltransferase (DNMT) DNMT3a was upregulated by Dox especially at concentrations that induced apoptosis in HCT116 colorectal cancer cells, and this process was regulated by p53. Meanwhile, p21 expression was significantly upregulated at senescence-inducing concentrations and kept low on treatment with apoptosis-inducing concentrations of Dox. The differential expression of DNMT3a and p21 in response to Dox suggests that DNMT3a may be a key factor in switches between Dox-induced senescence and apoptosis. Moreover, when DNMT3a was silenced, treatment of HCT116 cells with apoptosis-inducing concentration of Dox increased the percentage of cells undergoing senescence, accompanied by upregulation of p21. Contrarily, senescence-inducing concentration of Dox promoted apoptosis rate, and p21 expression was repressed. Surprisingly, no changes in DNA methylation status at p21 promoter were detected at either ranges of Dox, although DNMT3a and HDAC1 were recruited to p21 promoter at apoptosis-inducing Dox concentration, where they were present in the same complex. Overall, these data demonstrate that DNMT3a impacts the expression of p21 and plays a role in determining the Dox-induced senescence and apoptosis in HCT116 cells.When proliferating cells encounter a genotoxic stress, induced by, for instance the chemotherapeutic drugs, the cell cycle must be arrested immediately to ensure DNA integrity. This event is usually followed by a decision of whether the cells remain arrested in the cell cycle for initiating DNA repair, or execute the apoptotic program. The anthracycline antibiotic agent doxorubicin (Dox) has been used as a chemotherapeutic drug for >40 years for the treatment of a variety of malignancies. 1 Despite the extensive and long-standing clinical utilization of Dox, the mechanism of its action remains uncertain and has long been an issue of controversy. Dox can induce at least 3 distinct types of cell death, i.e., senescence, apoptosis, and necrosis, in a concentration-dependent manner. Specific molecular markers such as p21, activated caspase-3 and activated Akt, were associated with these death modes. 2 At low concentrations, the predominant effect of Dox is to initiate senescence, whereas at high Dox concentrations, tumor cells may undergo cell death.The p53 tumor suppressor is a transcription factor that is involved in the cellular DNA damage response, causing either G1 arrest or apoptosis. 3 p53 plays an important role in Doxinduced senescence and apoptosis. At low concentrations of Dox, p...