Previous studies found that kainic acid (KA)-induced apoptosis involved the lysosomal enzyme cathepsin B, suggesting a possible mechanism of autophagy in excitotoxicity. The present study was sought to investigate activation and contribution of autophagy to excitotoxic neuronal injury mediated by KA receptors. The formation of autophagosomes was observed with transmission electron microscope after excitotoxin exposure. The contribution of autophagic mechanisms to KA-induced upregulation of microtubule-associated protein 1A/1B light chain 3 (LC3), lysosome- associated membrane protein 2 (LAMP2) and cathepsin B, release of cytochrome c, activation of caspase-3, down-regulation of Bcl-2, upregulation of Bax, p53, puma and apoptotic death of striatal neurons were assessed with co-administration of the autophagy inhibitor 3-methyladenine (3-MA). These studies showed that KA brought about an increase in the formation of autophagosomes and autolysosomes in the cytoplasm of striatal cells. KA-induced increases in the ratio of LC3-II/LC3-I, LAMP2, cathepsin B, release of cytochrome c and activation of caspase-3 were blocked by pre-treatment with 3-MA. 3-MA also reversed KA-induced down-regulation of Bcl-2 and upregulation of Bax protein levels, LC3, p53 and puma mRNA levels in the striatum. KA-induced internucleosomal DNA fragmentation and loss of striatal neurons were robustly inhibited by 3-MA. These results suggest that over-stimulation of KA receptors can activate autophagy. The autophagic mechanism participates in programmed cell death through regulating the mitochondria-mediated apoptotic pathway.

Huntington Disease (HD) is caused by an abnormal expansion of polyQ tract in the protein named huntingtin (Htt). HD pathology is featured by accumulation and aggregation of mutant Htt in striatal and cortical neurons. Aberrant Htt degradation is implicated in HD pathogenesis. The aim of this study was to investigate the regulatory role of chaperone-mediated autophagy (CMA) components, heat shock protein cognate 70 (Hsc70) and lysosome-associated protein 2A (LAMP-2A) in degradation of Htt fragment 1-552aa (Htt-552). A cell model of HD was produced by overexpression of Htt-552 with adenovirus. The involvement of CMA components in degradation of Htt-552 was determined with over-expression or silencing of Hsc70 and LAMP-2A. The results confirmed previous reports that both macroautophagy and CMA were involved in degradation of Htt-552. Changing the levels of CMA-related proteins affected the accumulation of Htt-552. The lysosomal binding and luminal transport of Htt-552 was demonstrated by incubation of Htt-552 with isolated lysosomes. Expansion of the polyQ tract in Htt-552 impaired its uptake and degradation by lysosomes. Mutation of putative KFERQ motif in wild-type Htt-552 interfered with interactions between Htt-552 and Hsc70. Endogenous Hsc70 and LAMP-2A interacted with exogenously expressed Htt-552. Modulating the levels of CMA related proteins degraded endogenous full-length Htt. These studies suggest that Hsc70 and LAMP-2A through CMA play a role in the clearance of Htt and suggest a novel strategy to target the degradation of mutant Htt.

Liver X receptors (LXRs) are members of the nuclear receptor superfamily that regulate gene expression in response to oxysterols and play a critical role in cholesterol homeostasis by regulating genes that are involved in cholesterol transport, catabolism, and triglyceride synthesis. Oxysterols and synthetic agonists bind LXRs and activate transcription by recruiting coactivator proteins. The role of LXRs in regulating target gene expression in the absence of ligand is unknown. Here we show that LXRs interact with corepressors, N-CoR (nuclear receptor corepressor) and SMRT (silent mediator of retinoic acid receptor and thyroid receptor), which are released upon binding agonists. The LXR-corepressor interaction is isoform selective, wherein LXRalpha has a very strong interaction with corepressors and LXRbeta only shows weak interaction. LXRs also exhibit a preference for interacting with N-CoR vs. SMRT. Similar to other nuclear receptors, mutations in the LXR helix 3 and 4 region abolish corepressor interaction. Using a transient transfection assay, we demonstrate that LXR represses transcription that can be further increased by cotransfecting N-CoR into cells. Chromatin immunoprecipitation experiments further indicated that N-CoR is recruited onto endogenous LXR target genes, and addition of LXR agonists releases N-CoR from their promoters. Collectively, these results suggest that corepressors play an important role in regulating LXR target gene expression.

No abstract

PurposeTo determine the long-term efficacy of adjuvant immunotherapy with autologous cytokine-induced killer (CIK) cells for locally advanced gastric cancer patients.Experimental designOne hundred and fifty-one patients with stage III/IV gastric cancer who had undergone gastrectomy were enrolled, assigned to two groups (immunotherapy group versus no immunotherapy group/or control group), and followed.ResultsThe 5-year overall survival (OS) and 5-year disease-free survival (DFS) rates for immunotherapy versus control group were 32.4 versus 23.4 % (P = 0.071) and 28.3 versus 10.4 % (P = 0.044), respectively. For patients with intestinal-type tumors, the 5-year OS and DFS rates were significantly higher for immunotherapy (OS, 46.8 vs. 31.4 % and P = 0.045; DFS, 42.4 vs. 15.7 % and P = 0.023). In the immunotherapy group, the mean CD3+ level, CD4+ level, and CD4+/CD8+ ratio increased from 50.8, 26.5, and 0.9 %, respectively, at baseline to 62.6, 35.0, and 1.4 %, respectively, 1 week after the first CIK-cell treatment, returned to baseline after 2 months, and maintained a higher level (60.7 ± 8.2 %, 34.2 ± 7.1 %, and 1.3 ± 0.3 %, respectively) 2 months after 3 cycles of immunotherapy.ConclusionsAdjuvant immunotherapy with CIK cells prolongs DFS in patients with locally advanced gastric cancer and significantly improves OS in patients with intestinal-type tumors. Intestinal-type tumors could be selected as an important indication for CIK-cell therapy. This treatment may help improve T-lymphocyte subset distribution and improve the host’s immune functions, but multiple cycles are necessary for long-term therapeutic efficacy.