Background: Two splice variants of caspase-9 can be generated by the inclusion/exclusion of the exon 3,4,5,6 cassette. Results: hnRNP U is an enhancer of this exonic cassette and is opposed by phosphorylation of hnRNP L via the AKT pathway. Conclusion: hnRNP U promotes the exon cassette inclusion to form caspase-9a. Significance: Understanding the regulation of caspase-9 alternative splicing is important for the treatment of lung cancer.

In these studies, the role of ceramide-1-phosphate (C1P) in the wound-healing process was investigated. Specifically, fibroblasts isolated from mice with the known anabolic enzyme for C1P, ceramide kinase (CERK), ablated (CERK−/− mice) and their wild-type littermates (CERK+/+) were subjected to in vitro wound-healing assays. Simulation of mechanical trauma of a wound by scratching a monolayer of fibroblasts from CERK+/+ mice demonstrated steadily increasing levels of arachidonic acid in a time-dependent manner in stark contrast to CERK−/− fibroblasts. This observed difference was reflected in scratch-induced eicosanoid levels. Similar, but somewhat less intense, changes were observed in a more complex system utilizing skin biopsies obtained from CERK-null mice. Importantly, C1P levels increased during the early stages of human wound healing correlating with the transition from the inflammatory stage to the peak of the fibroplasia stage (e.g., proliferation and migration of fibroblasts). Finally, the loss of proper eicosanoid response translated into an abnormal migration pattern for the fibroblasts isolated from CERK−/−. As the proper migration of fibroblasts is one of the necessary steps of wound healing, these studies demonstrate a novel requirement for the CERK-derived C1P in the proper healing response of wounds.

Lipidomics is a rapidly developing field of study that focuses on the identification and quantitation of various lipid species in the lipidome. Lipidomics has now emerged in the forefront of scientific research due to the importance of lipids in metabolism, cancer, and disease. Using both targeted and untargeted mass spectrometry as a tool for analysis, progress in the field has rapidly progressed in the last decade. Having the ability to assess these small molecules in vivo has led to better understanding of several lipid-driven mechanisms and the identification of lipid-based biomarkers in neurodegenerative disease, cancer, sepsis, wound healing, and pre-eclampsia. Biomarker identification and mechanistic understanding of specific lipid pathways linked to a disease pathologies can form the foundation in the development of novel therapeutics in hopes of curing human disease.

Background: Sphingolipid ceramide regulates cellular responses to stress stimuli. Results: Aldh1l1, the enzyme regulating folate metabolism, leads to CerS6 up-regulation and C 16 -ceramide accumulation in a p53-dependent manner as a proapoptotic signal. Conclusion: Ceramide mediates the cellular response to nongenotoxic folate stress. Significance: We have demonstrated the interaction between two major metabolic pathways, folate and sphingolipids, in regulation of cellular homeostasis.

Sepsis has a well-studied inflammatory phase, with a less-understood secondary immunosuppressive phase. Elevated blood lactate and slow lactate clearance are associated with mortality; however, regulatory roles are unknown. We hypothesized that lactic acid (LA) contributes to the late phase and is not solely a consequence of bacterial infection. No studies have examined LA effects in sepsis models in vivo or a mechanism by which it suppresses LPS-induced activation in vitro. Because mast cells can be activated systemically and contribute to sepsis, we examined LA effects on the mast cell response to LPS. LA significantly suppressed LPS-induced cytokine production and NF-kB transcriptional activity in mouse bone marrow-derived mast cells and cytokine production in peritoneal mast cells. Suppression was MCT-1 dependent and reproducible with sodium lactate or formic acid. Further, LA significantly suppressed cytokine induction following LPS-induced endotoxemia in mice. Because glycolysis is linked to inflammation and LA is a byproduct of this process, we examined changes in glucose metabolism. LA treatment reduced glucose uptake and lactate export during LPS stimulation. LA effects were mimicked by glycolytic inhibitors and reversed by increasing ATP availability. These results indicate that glycolytic suppression and ATP production are necessary and sufficient for LA effects. Our work suggests that enhancing glycolysis and ATP production could improve immune function, counteracting LA suppressive effects in the immunosuppressive phase of sepsis.