PKCλ/ι inhibition activates an ULK2-mediated interferon response to repress tumorigenesis.

The interferon (IFN) pathway is critical for cytotoxic T cell activation, which is central to tumor immunosurveillance and successful immunotherapy. We demonstrate here that PKCλ/ι inactivation results in the hyper-stimulation of the IFN cascade and the enhanced recruitment of CD8+ T cells that impaired the growth of intestinal tumors. PKCλ/ι directly phosphorylates and represses the activity of ULK2, promoting its degradation through an endosomal microautophagy-driven ubiquitin-dependent mechanism. Loss of PKCλ/ι results in increased levels of enzymatically active ULK2, which, by direct phosphorylation, activates TBK1 to foster the activation of the STING-mediated IFN response. PKCλ/ι inactivation also triggers autophagy, which prevents STING degradation by chaperone-mediated autophagy. Thus, PKCλ/ι is a hub regulating the IFN pathway and three autophagic mechanisms that serve to maintain its homeostatic control. Importantly, single-cell multiplex imaging and bioinformatics analysis demonstrated that low PKCλ/ι levels correlate with enhanced IFN signaling and good prognosis in colorectal cancer patients.

Lysosomal mTORC2/PHLPP1/Akt Regulate Chaperone-Mediated Autophagy.

Chaperone-mediated autophagy (CMA), a selective form of degradation of cytosolic proteins in lysosomes, contributes to maintenance of proteostasis and to the cellular adaptation to stress. CMA substrates are delivered by a cytosolic chaperone to the lysosomal surface, where, upon unfolding, they are internalized through a membrane translocation complex. The molecular components that participate in CMA substrate targeting and translocation are well characterized, but those involved in CMA regulation remain mostly unknown. In this study, we have identified that CMA is under the positive control of the phosphatase PHLPP1 that associates with the lysosomal membrane and counteracts the inhibitory effect of mTORC2 on CMA. Lysosomal Akt, a target of the mTORC2/PHLPP1 kinase-phosphatase pair, modulates CMA activity by controlling the dynamics of assembly and disassembly of the CMA translocation complex at the lysosomal membrane. The lysosomal mTORC2/PHLPP1/Akt axis could become a target to restore CMA dysfunction in aging and disease.

Structural and Biological Interaction of hsc-70 Protein with Phosphatidylserine in Endosomal Microautophagy.

hsc-70 (HSPA8) is a cytosolic molecular chaperone, which plays a central role in cellular proteostasis, including quality control during protein refolding and regulation of protein degradation. hsc-70 is pivotal to the process of macroautophagy, chaperone-mediated autophagy, and endosomal microautophagy. The latter requires hsc-70 interaction with negatively charged phosphatidylserine (PS) at the endosomal limiting membrane. Herein, by combining plasmon resonance, NMR spectroscopy, and amino acid mutagenesis, we mapped the C terminus of the hsc-70 LID domain as the structural interface interacting with endosomal PS, and we estimated an hsc-70/PS equilibrium dissociation constant of 4.7 ± 0.1 µm. This interaction is specific and involves a total of 4-5 lysine residues. Plasmon resonance and NMR results were further experimentally validated by hsc-70 endosomal binding experiments and endosomal microautophagy assays. The discovery of this previously unknown contact surface for hsc-70 in this work elucidates the mechanism of hsc-70 PS/membrane interaction for cytosolic cargo internalization into endosomes.

Influence of Gender and Care Strategy in Family Caregivers´ Strain: A Cross-Sectional Study.

PURPOSE: To analyze the factors that influence the strain on family caregivers of elderly dependent people, relating it to the strategy of care, with a gender perspective. DESIGN: Cross-sectional study. METHODS: We interviewed 328 Spanish family caregivers in 2012. Main variable: Caregiver Strain Index (CSI). INDEPENDENT VARIABLES: relationship, sex, age, marital status, education level, employment status, socioeconomic status, family and/or institutional supports, time they devote to care, and how long they have been giving care. Data were analyzed using bivariate procedures and multiple linear regression. FINDINGS: Caregiver profile: women around 60 years old, housewives, with primary education. CSI average: 6.63 ± 3.36. Female sex, kinship being a son or daughter, housewife employment status, service of home care, and the care recipient being female were significantly associated with the subjective strain. CONCLUSIONS: Caregivers´ strain has a strong gender component: women are more tired, primarily those that practice a partial care strategy. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Knowing the factors that predict burden, nurses may help caregivers to provide better care. A risk profile for strain and burden: women who practice a partial care strategy; they are adult women and daughters who do not want to give up their professional role and combine it with their duty of caregiving.

Loss of autophagy in hypothalamic POMC neurons impairs lipolysis.

Autophagy degrades cytoplasmic contents to achieve cellular homeostasis. We show that selective loss of autophagy in hypothalamic proopiomelanocortin (POMC) neurons decreases α-melanocyte-stimulating hormone (MSH) levels, promoting adiposity, impairing lipolysis and altering glucose homeostasis. Ageing reduces hypothalamic autophagy and α-MSH levels, and aged-mice phenocopy, the adiposity and lipolytic defect observed in POMC neuron autophagy-null mice. Intraperitoneal isoproterenol restores lipolysis in both models, demonstrating normal adipocyte catecholamine responsiveness. We propose that an unconventional, autophagosome-mediated form of secretion in POMC neurons controls energy balance by regulating α-MSH production. Modulating hypothalamic autophagy might have implications for preventing obesity and metabolic syndrome of ageing.

Constitutive upregulation of chaperone-mediated autophagy in Huntington's disease.

Autophagy contributes to the removal of prone-to-aggregate proteins, but in several instances these pathogenic proteins have been shown to interfere with autophagic activity. In the case of Huntington's disease (HD), a congenital neurodegenerative disorder resulting from mutation in the huntingtin protein, we have previously described that the mutant protein interferes with the ability of autophagic vacuoles to recognize cytosolic cargo. Growing evidence supports the existence of cross talk among autophagic pathways, suggesting the possibility of functional compensation when one of them is compromised. In this study, we have identified a compensatory upregulation of chaperone-mediated autophagy (CMA) in different cellular and mouse models of HD. Components of CMA, namely the lysosome-associated membrane protein type 2A (LAMP-2A) and lysosomal-hsc70, are markedly increased in HD models. The increase in LAMP-2A is achieved through both an increase in the stability of this protein at the lysosomal membrane and transcriptional upregulation of this splice variant of the lamp-2 gene. We propose that CMA activity increases in response to macroautophagic dysfunction in the early stages of HD, but that the efficiency of this compensatory mechanism may decrease with age and so contribute to cellular failure and the onset of pathological manifestations.

Chaperone-mediated autophagy and disease: Implications for cancer and neurodegeneration.

Chaperone-mediated autophagy (CMA) is a proteolytic process whereby selected intracellular proteins are degraded inside lysosomes. Owing to its selectivity, CMA participates in the modulation of specific regulatory proteins, thereby playing an important role in multiple cellular processes. Studies conducted over the last two decades have enabled the molecular characterization of this autophagic pathway and the design of specific experimental models, and have underscored the importance of CMA in a range of physiological processes beyond mere protein quality control. Those findings also indicate that decreases in CMA function with increasing age may contribute to the pathogenesis of age-associated diseases, including neurodegeneration and cancer. In the context of neurological diseases, CMA impairment is thought to contribute to the accumulation of misfolded/aggregated proteins, a process central to the pathogenesis of neurodegenerative diseases. CMA therefore constitutes a potential therapeutic target, as its induction accelerates the clearance of pathogenic proteins, promoting cell survival. More recent evidence has highlighted the important and complex role of CMA in cancer biology. While CMA induction may limit tumor development, experimental evidence also indicates that inhibition of this pathway can attenuate the growth of established tumors and improve the response to cancer therapeutics. Here, we describe and discuss the evidence supporting a role of impaired CMA function in neurodegeneration and cancer, as well as future research directions to evaluate the potential of this pathway as a target for the prevention and treatment of these diseases.

Autophagy and the hallmarks of aging.

Autophagy, an essential cellular process that mediates degradation of proteins and organelles in lysosomes, has been tightly linked to cellular quality control for its role as part of the proteostasis network. The current interest in identifying the cellular and molecular determinants of aging, has highlighted the important contribution of malfunctioning of autophagy with age to the loss of proteostasis that characterizes all old organisms. However, the diversity of cellular functions of the different types of autophagy and the often reciprocal interactions of autophagy with other determinants of aging, is placing autophagy at the center of the aging process. In this work, we summarize evidence for the contribution of autophagy to health- and lifespan and provide examples of the bidirectional interplay between autophagic pathways and several of the so-called hallmarks of aging. This central role of autophagy in aging, and the dependence on autophagy of many geroprotective interventions, has motivated a search for direct modulators of autophagy that could be used to slow aging and extend healthspan. Here, we review some of those ongoing therapeutic efforts and comment on the potential of targeting autophagy in aging.

Pros and Cons of Chaperone-Mediated Autophagy in Cancer Biology.

Autophagy contributes to cellular quality control and energetics through lysosomal breakdown and recycling of essential cellular components. Chaperone-mediated autophagy (CMA) adds to these autophagic functions the ability to timely and selectively degrade single tagged proteins to terminate their cellular function and, in this way, participate in the regulation of multiple cellular processes. Many cancer cells upregulate CMA for protumorigenic and prosurvival purposes. However, growing evidence supports a physiological role for CMA in limiting malignant transformation. Understanding the mechanisms behind this functional switch of CMA from antioncogenic to pro-oncogenic is fundamental for targeting CMA in cancer treatment. We summarize current understanding of CMA functions in cancer biology and discuss the basis for its context-dependent dual role in oncogenesis.

PKCλ/ι Loss Induces Autophagy, Oxidative Phosphorylation, and NRF2 to Promote Liver Cancer Progression.

Oxidative stress plays a critical role in liver tissue damage and in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) initiation and progression. However, the mechanisms that regulate autophagy and metabolic reprogramming during reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation, and how ROS promote tumorigenesis, still need to be fully understood. We show that protein kinase C (PKC) λ/ι loss in hepatocytes promotes autophagy and oxidative phosphorylation. This results in ROS generation, which through NRF2 drives HCC through cell-autonomous and non-autonomous mechanisms. Although PKCλ/ι promotes tumorigenesis in oncogene-driven cancer models, emerging evidence demonstrate that it is a tumor suppressor in more complex carcinogenic processes. Consistently, PKCλ/ι levels negatively correlate with HCC histological tumor grade, establishing this kinase as a tumor suppressor in liver cancer.

Transcription factor NFE2L2/NRF2 modulates chaperone-mediated autophagy through the regulation of LAMP2A.

Chaperone-mediated autophagy (CMA) is a selective degradative process for cytosolic proteins that contributes to the maintenance of proteostasis. The signaling mechanisms that control CMA are not fully understood but might involve response to stress conditions including oxidative stress. Considering the role of CMA in redoxtasis and proteostasis, we sought to determine if the transcription factor NFE2L2/NRF2 (nuclear factor, erythroid derived 2, like 2) has an impact on CMA modulation. In this work, we identified and validated 2 NFE2L2 binding sequences in the LAMP2 gene and demonstrated in several human and mouse cell types that NFE2L2 deficiency and overexpression was linked to reduced and increased LAMP2A levels, respectively. Accordingly, lysosomal LAMP2A levels were drastically reduced in nfe2l2-knockout hepatocytes, which also displayed a marked decrease in CMA activity. Oxidant challenge with paraquat or hydrogen peroxide, or pharmacological activation of NFE2L2 with sulforaphane or dimethyl fumarate also increased LAMP2A levels and CMA activity. Overall, our study identifies for the first time basal and inducible regulation of LAMP2A, and consequently CMA activity, by NFE2L2. ABBREVIATIONS: ACTB: actin, beta, ARE: antioxidant response element; ATG5: autophagy related 5; BACH1: BTB domain and CNC homolog 1; ChIP: chromatin immunoprecipitation; CMA: chaperone-mediated autophagy; DHE: dihydroethidium; DMF: dimethyl fumarate; ENCODE: Encyclopedia of DNA elements at the University of California, Santa Cruz; GAPDH: glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase; GBA: glucosylceramidase beta; GFP: green fluorescent protein; HMOX1: heme oxygenase 1; H2O2: hydrogen peroxide; HSPA8/HSC70: heat shock protein family A (Hsp70) member 8; KEAP1: kelch like ECH associated protein 1; LAMP2A: lysosomal associated membrane protein 2A; LAMP2B: lysosomal associated membrane protein 2B; LAMP2C: lysosomal associated membrane protein 2C; LAMP1: lysosomal associated membrane protein 1; MAFF: MAF bZIP transcription factor F; MAFK: MAF bZIP transcription factor K; NFE2L2/NRF2: nuclear factor, erythroid derived 2, like 2; NQO1: NAD(P)H quinone dehydrogenase 1; PQ: paraquat; PI: protease inhibitors; qRT-PCR: quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction; RNASE: ribonuclease A family member; SFN: sulforaphane; SQSTM1/p62: sequestosome 1; TBP: TATA-box binding protein.

Sarcosine Is Uniquely Modulated by Aging and Dietary Restriction in Rodents and Humans.

A hallmark of aging is a decline in metabolic homeostasis, which is attenuated by dietary restriction (DR). However, the interaction of aging and DR with the metabolome is not well understood. We report that DR is a stronger modulator of the rat metabolome than age in plasma and tissues. A comparative metabolomic screen in rodents and humans identified circulating sarcosine as being similarly reduced with aging and increased by DR, while sarcosine is also elevated in long-lived Ames dwarf mice. Pathway analysis in aged sarcosine-replete rats identify this biogenic amine as an integral node in the metabolome network. Finally, we show that sarcosine can activate autophagy in cultured cells and enhances autophagic flux in vivo, suggesting a potential role in autophagy induction by DR. Thus, these data identify circulating sarcosine as a biomarker of aging and DR in mammalians and may contribute to age-related alterations in the metabolome and in proteostasis.

Can cholinesterase inhibitors provide additional effects to cholinergic neurotransmission enhancement?

The most frequent of the primary degenerative dementias is Alzheimer's disease (AD). The gradual loss of memory and attention in patients suffering from this illness are accompanied by aphasia, apraxia, agnosia, and alterations in visual-spatial perception. This group of symptoms is completed by emotional alterations, psychic instability, and changes in personality that appear in advanced phases of the illness. Different histopathological alterations have been described, like marked atrophy of the cerebral cortex with loss of cortical and subcortical neurons. Other histopathological hallmarks are the formation of senile plaques composed of beta-amyloid (Abeta) and neuro fibrillary tangles composed of hyperphosphorylation of tau protein.

Blockade of Ca2+ -activated K+ channels by galantamine can also contribute to the potentiation of catecholamine secretion from chromaffin cells.

Galantamine is a drug in clinical use for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease, but its mechanism(s) of action remains controversial. Here we addressed the question whether galantamine could potentiate neurotransmitter release by inhibiting small conductance Ca2+ -activated K+ channels (KCa2). Galantamine potentiated catecholamine secretory responses induced by 10 s pulses of acetylcholine and high [K+]o applied to fast-superfused bovine adrenal chromaffin cell populations. Catecholamine release was significantly enhanced by galantamine although we did not find concentration dependence in the range 0.1-1 microM. The KCa2 channel blocker apamin (0.3 microM) occluded the potentiating effects of galantamine on acetylcholine-evoked secretion. Like apamin, galantamine also modified the firing of action potentials, but to a lesser extent. In addition, 1 microM galantamine reduced by 41% the KCa2 current without modifying the voltage-dependent Ca2+ currents. These results constitute the first direct evidence that galantamine can potentiate neurotransmitter release by blocking KCa2 channels, in addition to its already demonstrated capacity to mildly block acetylcholinesterase or potentiate allosterically nicotinic receptors.

Depolarization preconditioning produces cytoprotection against veratridine-induced chromaffin cell death.

The hypothesis that K(+) channels and cell depolarization are involved in neuronal death and neuroprotection was tested in bovine chromaffin cells subjected to two treatment periods: the first period (preconditioning period) lasted 6 to 48 h and consisted of treatment with high K(+) solutions or with tetraethylammonium (TEA), a K(+) channel blocker; the second period consisted of incubation with veratridine for 24 h, to cause cell damage. Preconditioning with high K(+) (20-80 mM) or TEA (10-30 mM) for 24 h caused 20-60% cytoprotection against veratridine-induced cell death in bovine chromaffin cells. The absence of Ca(2+) ions during the first 9 h of an 18-h preconditioning period abolished the cytoprotection. Preconditioning with K(+) or TEA increased by 2.5-fold the expression of brain-derived neurotrophic factor and by nearly 2-fold the expression of the antiapoptotic protein Bcl-2. However, preconditioning did not modify the veratridine-evoked Ca(2+) signal. High K(+) shifted the Em by about 10 mV and TEA evoked a transient burst of action potentials superimposed on a sustained depolarization. We conclude that preconditioning may protect chromaffin cells from death by blocking K(+) channels that depolarize the cell and cause a cytosolic Ca(2+) signal, leading to enhanced expression of BDNF and Bcl-2.

Factors influencing family care by immigrant women in Spain: a qualitative study.

OBJECTIVES: To identify and understand factors that influence the relationships in the environment of family care provided by live-in immigrant caregivers. METHODS: Interpretive qualitative study from a phenomenological perspective, using in-depth interviews, discussion groups and participant observation. The observation unit was the Sevillian families (Spain) with elderly dependents and a live-in female immigrant caregiver. Analysis units considered were health, care, dependence, gender, ethnicity and social class. Categories were analysed using QSR-NUD*ISTVivo9. After saturation, we triangulated between researchers, disciplines, sources and techniques to validate the results. RESULTS: Factors of cultural discovery or clash were: language, religion, food, concept of space and time, caregiver's name and the attitudes held by both the hiring family, related to its social class, and by caregivers. CONCLUSIONS: Interpersonal relationships are the most important factor: an egalitarian relationship based on good treatment is beneficial to all involved. Knowing these codes will improve the quality of professional care in the family.

Effect of amyloid peptides on the increase in TrkA receptor expression induced by nicotine in vitro and in vivo.

The ability of nicotine to induce a cytoprotective or neuroprotective action occurs through several downstream mechanisms. One possibility is that the drug increases the expression of tyrosine kinase A (TrkA) nerve growth factor (NGF) receptors. Certain beta-amyloid peptides (e.g., Abeta1-42) have been shown to bind with high affinity to alpha7 nicotinic receptors and thus interfere with a potentially neurotrophic influence. Treatment of differentiated PC-12 cells with nicotine produced a concentration-dependent increase in cell-surface TrkA receptors that occurred concomitantly with cytoprotection. The effect of nicotine was blocked by either of the alpha7 receptor antagonists alpha-bungarotoxin (alpha-BTX) or methyllycaconatine. The cytoprotective action of nicotine also was inhibited by pretreatment with 10-100 nM Abeta1-42. Nicotine also was administered (four injections of 30 microg, spaced evenly over 24 h) to rats by direct injection into a lateral cerebral ventricle. Brain TrkA expression was increased significantly in hippocampus and entorhinal cortex (up to 32% above control), with no changes found in cerebral cortex or hypothalamus. The nicotine-induced increases in TrKA expression in hippocampus and entorhinal cortex were significantly inhibited by 10 microg alpha-BTXor by 10 nmol Abeta1-42. Therefore, physiologically relevant concentrations of Abeta1-42 can prevent nicotine-induced TrkA receptor expression in brain regions containing cholinergic neurons susceptible to the neurotoxicity associated with Alzheimer's disease.

Albumin prevents mitochondrial depolarization and apoptosis elicited by endoplasmic reticulum calcium depletion of neuroblastoma cells.

Serum albumin protects against cell death elicited by various cytotoxic agents; however, conflicting views on the protective mechanism still remain. Hence, we have studied the ability of serum albumin to prevent apoptosis of human neuroblastoma SH-SY 5 Y cells elicited by four compounds known to release Ca(2+) from the endoplasmic reticulum, i.e. dotarizine, flunarizine, thapsigargin and cyclopiazonic acid. Spontaneous basal apoptosis, after 24 h incubation in Dulbecco's Modified Eagle Medium (DMEM) containing 10% serum, was 5%. Dotarizine (30--50 microM) enhanced basal apoptosis to 18--43%, flunarizine (30--50 microM) to 15%, thapsigargin (1--10 microM) to 21--35%, and cyclopiazonic acid (100 microM) to 10%. Serum deprivation augmented basal apoptosis to 20%. Under serum-free medium, 30 microM dotarizine or flunarizine drastically enhanced apoptosis to 63% and 68%, respectively; the increase was milder with 1 microM thapsigargin (37%) and 30 microM cyclopiazonic acid (27%). In serum-free medium, albumin (29 or 49 mg/ml) fully prevented the apoptotic effects of dotarizine, flunarizine and cyclopiazonic acid. The four compounds increased the cytosolic Ca(2+) concentration ([Ca(2+)](c)) in fluo-4 loaded cells; such increase developed slowly to reach a plateau after several minutes, followed by a slow decline. Albumin did not modify the kinetic parameters of such increase. In the absence of serum, dotarizine, flunarizine, thapsigargin, and cyclopiazonic acid caused mitochondrial depolarization in tetramethylrhodamine ethyl ester (TMRE)-loaded cells; depolarization was inhibited by cytoprotective concentrations of albumin. These results suggest that albumin protects cells from entering into apoptosis by preventing mitochondrial depolarization. They also suggest that inhibition of mitochondrial depolarization might become a target to develop new anti-apoptotic compounds with therapeutic neuroprotective potential in stroke, Alzheimer's disease, and other neurodegenerative diseases.

Galantamine prevents apoptosis induced by beta-amyloid and thapsigargin: involvement of nicotinic acetylcholine receptors.

Galantamine is currently used to treat Alzheimer's disease patients; it behaves as a mild blocker of acetylcholinesterase (AChE) and has an allosteric modulating action on nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs). In this study, we observed that galantamine prevented cell death induced by the peptide beta-amyloid(1-40) and thapsigargin in the human neuroblastoma cell line SH-SY5Y, as well as in bovine chromaffin cells. The protective effect of galantamine was concentration-dependent in both cell types; maximum protection was produced at 300 nM. The antiapoptotic effect of galantamine at 300 nM, against beta-amyloid(1-40) or thapsigargin-induced toxicity, was reversed by alpha-bungarotoxin. At neuroprotective concentrations, galantamine caused a mild and sustained elevation of the cytosolic concentration of calcium, [Ca2+]c, measured in single cells loaded with Fura-2. Incubation of the cells for 48 h with 300 nM galantamine doubled the density of alpha7 nicotinic receptors and tripled the expression of the antiapoptotic protein Bcl-2. These results strongly suggest that galantamine can prevent apoptotic cell death by inducing neuroprotection through a mechanism related to that described for nicotine, i.e. activation of nAChRs and upregulation of Bcl-2. These findings might explain the long-term beneficial effects of galantamine in patients suffering of Alzheimer's disease.