Cystathionine protects against endoplasmic reticulum stress-induced lipid accumulation, tissue injury, and apoptotic cell death.

Cystathionine (R-S-(2-amino-2-carboxyethyl)-l-homocysteine) is a non-proteinogenic thioether containing amino acid. In mammals, cystathionine is formed as an intermediate of the transsulfuration pathway by the condensation of serine and homocysteine (Hcy) in a reaction catalyzed by cystathionine ß-synthase (CBS). Cystathionine is subsequently converted to cysteine plus ammonia and α-ketobutyrate by the action of cystathionine γ-lyase (CGL). Pathogenic mutations in CBS result in CBS-deficient homocystinuria (HCU) which, if untreated, results in mental retardation, thromboembolic complications and connective tissue disorders. Currently there is no known function for cystathionine other than serving as an intermediate in transsulfuration and to date, the possible contribution of the abolition of cystathionine synthesis to pathogenesis in HCU has not been investigated. Using both mouse and cell-culture models, we have found that cystathionine is capable of blocking the induction of hepatic steatosis and kidney injury, acute tubular necrosis, and apoptotic cell death by the endoplasmic reticulum stress inducing agent tunicamycin. Northern and Western blotting analysis indicate that the protective effects of cystathionine occur without any obvious alteration of the induction of the unfolded protein response. Our data constitute the first experimental evidence that the abolition of cystathionine synthesis may contribute to the pathology of HCU and that this compound has therapeutic potential for disease states where ER stress is implicated as a primary initiating pathogenic factor.

Induction of the unfolded protein response after monocyte to macrophage differentiation augments cell survival in early atherosclerotic lesions.

Endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress causes macrophage cell death within advanced atherosclerotic lesions, thereby contributing to necrotic core formation and increasing the risk of atherothrombotic disease. However, unlike in advanced lesions, the appearance of dead/apoptotic macrophages in early lesions is less prominent. Given that activation of the unfolded protein response (UPR) is detected in early lesion-resident macrophages and can enhance cell survival against ER stress, we investigated whether UPR activation occurs after monocyte to macrophage differentiation and confers a cytoprotective advantage to the macrophage. Human peripheral blood monocytes were treated with monocyte colony-stimulating factor to induce macrophage differentiation, as assessed by changes in ultrastructure and scavenger receptor expression. UPR markers, including GRP78, GRP94, and spliced XBP-1, were induced after macrophage differentiation and occurred after a significant increase in de novo protein synthesis. UPR activation after differentiation reduced macrophage cell death by ER stress-inducing agents. Further, GRP78 overexpression in macrophages was sufficient to reduce ER stress-induced cell death. Consistent with these in vitro findings, UPR activation was observed in viable lesion-resident macrophages from human carotid arteries and from the aortas of apoE(-/-) mice. However, no evidence of apoptosis was observed in early lesion-resident macrophages from the aortas of apoE(-/-) mice. Thus, our findings that UPR activation occurs during macrophage differentiation and is cytoprotective against ER stress-inducing agents suggest an important cellular mechanism for macrophage survival within early atherosclerotic lesions.

Role of endoplasmic reticulum calcium disequilibria in the mechanism of homocysteine-induced ER stress.

Our laboratory demonstrated that hyperhomocysteinemia accelerates atherosclerosis in mouse models through ER stress and activation of the unfolded protein response (UPR). In this study, we tested the hypothesis that homocysteine-induced ER stress may arise from ER-Ca(2+) disequilibria. We found that homocysteine-induced cytosolic Ca(2+) transients in T24/83 cells and human aortic smooth muscle cells (HASMCs). These calcium effects occurred at concentrations of homocysteine in the external medium (1-5 mM) that increase intracellular homocysteine in these cell types. Prolonged homocysteine treatment (5 h) at these exogenous concentrations reduced ER-Ca(2+) emptying evoked by thapsigargin. However, these homocysteine-induced effects on ER-Ca(2+) emptying were of a much smaller magnitude than those evoked by A23187 or thapsigargin (ER stressors known to induce ER stress through ER-Ca(2+) depletion). T24/83 cells stably overexpressing the Ca(2+)-binding ER chaperone GRP78 showed diminished cytosolic Ca(2+) transients induced by homocysteine and reduced ER-Ca(2+) emptying evoked by thapsigargin. Prevention of the homocysteine-induced UPR by cycloheximide pretreatment normalized GRP78 expression and ER-Ca(2+) emptying evoked by thapsigargin. These results are inconsistent with a mechanism of ER stress induction by homocysteine through ER-Ca(2+) depletion.

Association of multiple cellular stress pathways with accelerated atherosclerosis in hyperhomocysteinemic apolipoprotein E-deficient mice.

BACKGROUND: A causal relation between hyperhomocysteinemia (HHcy) and accelerated atherosclerosis has been established in apolipoprotein E-deficient (apoE-/-) mice. Although several cellular stress mechanisms have been proposed to explain the atherogenic effects of HHcy, including oxidative stress, endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress, and inflammation, their association with atherogenesis has not been completely elucidated. METHODS AND RESULTS: ApoE-/- mice were fed a control or a high-methionine (HM) diet for 4 (early lesion group) or 18 (advanced lesion group) weeks to induce HHcy. Total plasma homocysteine levels and atherosclerotic lesion size were significantly increased in early and advanced lesion groups fed the HM diet compared with control groups. Markers of ER stress (GRP78/94, phospho-PERK), oxidative stress (HSP70), and inflammation (phospho-IkappaB-alpha) were assessed by immunohistochemical staining of these atherosclerotic lesions. GRP78/94, HSP70, and phospho-IkappaB-alpha immunostaining were significantly increased in the advanced lesion group fed the HM diet compared with the control group. HSP47, an ER-resident molecular chaperone involved in collagen folding and secretion, was also increased in advanced lesions of mice fed the HM diet. GRP78/94 and HSP47 were predominantly localized to the smooth muscle cell-rich fibrous cap, whereas HSP70 and phospho-IkappaB-alpha were observed in the lipid-rich necrotic core. Increased HSP70 and phospho-IkappaB-alpha immunostaining in advanced lesions of mice fed the HM diet are consistent with enhanced carotid artery dihydroethidium staining. Interestingly, GRP78/94 and phospho-PERK were markedly increased in macrophage foam cells from early lesions of mice fed the control or the HM diet. CONCLUSIONS: Multiple cellular stress pathways, including ER stress, are associated with atherosclerotic lesion development in apoE-/- mice.

TDAG51 is induced by homocysteine, promotes detachment-mediated programmed cell death, and contributes to the cevelopment of atherosclerosis in hyperhomocysteinemia.

Hyperhomocysteinemia is an independent risk factor for cardiovascular disease and accelerates atherosclerosis in apoE-/- mice. Despite the observations that homocysteine causes endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress and programmed cell death (PCD) in cultured human vascular endothelial cells, the cellular factors responsible for this effect and their relevance to atherogenesis have not been completely elucidated. We report here that homocysteine induces the expression of T-cell death-associated gene 51 (TDAG51), a member of the pleckstrin homology-related domain family, in cultured human vascular endothelial cells. This effect was observed for other ER stress-inducing agents, including dithiothreitol and tunicamycin. TDAG51 expression was attenuated in homozygous A/A mutant eukaryotic translation initiation factor 2 alpha mouse embryonic fibroblasts treated with homocysteine or tunicamycin, suggesting that ER stress-induced phosphorylation of eukaryotic translation initiation factor 2 alpha is required for TDAG51 transcriptional activation. Transient overexpression of TDAG51 elicited significant changes in cell morphology, decreased cell adhesion, and promoted detachment-mediated PCD. In support of these in vitro findings, TDAG51 expression was increased and correlated with PCD in the atherosclerotic lesions from apoE-/- mice fed hyperhomocysteinemic diets, compared with mice fed a control diet. Collectively, these findings provide evidence that TDAG51 is induced by homocysteine, promotes detachment-mediated PCD, and contributes to the development of atherosclerosis observed in hyperhomocysteinemia.

Overexpression of the 78-kDa glucose-regulated protein/immunoglobulin-binding protein (GRP78/BiP) inhibits tissue factor procoagulant activity.

Previous studies have demonstrated that overexpression of GRP78/BiP, an endoplasmic reticulum (ER)-resident molecular chaperone, in mammalian cells inhibits the secretion of specific coagulation factors. However, the effects of GRP78/BiP on activation of the coagulation cascade leading to thrombin generation are not known. In this study, we examined whether GRP78/BiP overexpression mediates cell surface thrombin generation in a human bladder cancer cell line T24/83 having prothrombotic characteristics. We report here that cells overexpressing GRP78/BiP exhibited significant decreases in cell surface-mediated thrombin generation, prothrombin consumption and the formation of thrombin-inhibitor complexes, compared with wild-type or vector-transfected cells. This effect was attributed to the ability of GRP78/BiP to inhibit cell surface tissue factor (TF) procoagulant activity (PCA) because conversion of factor X to Xa and factor VII to VIIa were significantly lower on the surface of GRP78/BiP-overexpressing cells. The additional findings that (i) cell surface factor Xa generation was inhibited in the absence of factor VIIa and (ii) TF PCA was inhibited by a neutralizing antibody to human TF suggests that thrombin generation is mediated exclusively by TF. GRP78/BiP overexpression did not decrease cell surface levels of TF, suggesting that the inhibition in TF PCA does not result from retention of TF in the ER by GRP78/BiP. The additional observations that both adenovirus-mediated and stable GRP78/BiP overexpression attenuated TF PCA stimulated by ionomycin or hydrogen peroxide suggest that GRP78/BiP indirectly alters TF PCA through a mechanism involving cellular Ca(2+) and/or oxidative stress. Similar results were also observed in human aortic smooth muscle cells transfected with the GRP78/BiP adenovirus. Taken together, these findings demonstrate that overexpression of GRP78/BiP decreases thrombin generation by inhibiting cell surface TF PCA, thereby suppressing the prothrombotic potential of cells.