BRD7 mediates hyperglycaemia-induced myocardial apoptosis via endoplasmic reticulum stress signalling pathway.

Bromodomain-containing protein 7 (BRD7) is a tumour suppressor that is known to regulate many pathological processes including cell growth, apoptosis and cell cycle. Endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress-induced apoptosis plays a key role in diabetic cardiomyopathy (DCM). However, the molecular mechanism of hyperglycaemia-induced myocardial apoptosis is still unclear. We intended to determine the role of BRD7 in high glucose (HG)-induced apoptosis of cardiomyocytes. In vivo, we established a type 1 diabetic rat model by injecting a high-dose streptozotocin (STZ), and lentivirus-mediated short hairpin RNA (shRNA) was used to inhibit BRD7 expression. Rats with DCM exhibited severe myocardial remodelling, fibrosis, left ventricular dysfunction and myocardial apoptosis. The expression of BRD7 was up-regulated in the heart of diabetic rats, and inhibition of BRD7 had beneficial effects against diabetes-induced heart damage. In vitro, H9c2 cardiomyoblasts was used to investigate the mechanism of BRD7 in HG-induced apoptosis. Treating H9c2 cardiomyoblasts with HG elevated the level of BRD7 via activation of extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1/2 (ERK1/2) and increased ER stress-induced apoptosis by detecting spliced/active X-box binding protein 1 (XBP-1s) and C/EBP homologous protein (CHOP). Furthermore, down-regulation of BRD7 attenuated HG-induced expression of CHOP via inhibiting nuclear translocation of XBP-1s without affecting the total expression of XBP-1s. In conclusion, inhibition of BRD7 appeared to protect against hyperglycaemia-induced cardiomyocyte apoptosis by inhibiting ER stress signalling pathway.

HMGB1 mediates hyperglycaemia-induced cardiomyocyte apoptosis via ERK/Ets-1 signalling pathway.

Apoptosis is a key event involved in diabetic cardiomyopathy. The expression of high mobility group box 1 protein (HMGB1) is up-regulated in diabetic mice. However, the molecular mechanism of high glucose (HG)-induced cardiomyocyte apoptosis remains obscure. We aimed to determine the role of HMGB1 in HG-induced apoptosis of cardiomyocytes. Treating neonatal primary cardiomyocytes with HG increased cell apoptosis, which was accompanied by elevated levels of HMGB1. Inhibition of HMGB1 by short-hairpin RNA significantly decreased HG-induced cell apoptosis by reducing caspase-3 activation and ratio of Bcl2-associated X protein to B-cell lymphoma/leukemia-2 (bax/bcl-2). Furthermore, HG activated E26 transformation-specific sequence-1 (Ets-1), and HMGB1 inhibition attenuated HG-induced activation of Ets-1 via extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1/2 (ERK1/2) signalling. In addition, inhibition of Ets-1 significantly decreased HG-induced cardiomyocyte apoptosis. Similar results were observed in streptozotocin-treated diabetic mice. Inhibition of HMGB1 by short-hairpin RNA markedly decreased myocardial cell apoptosis and activation of ERK and Ets-1 in diabetic mice. In conclusion, inhibition of HMGB1 may protect against hyperglycaemia-induced cardiomyocyte apoptosis by down-regulating ERK-dependent activation of Ets-1.

[Regulation of p14(ARF) expression and induction of cell apoptosis with c-myc in a p53-independent pathway].

OBJECTIVE: To explore the regulation of p14(ARF) expression and induction of cell apoptosis with the mutant and wild-type c-myc genes in a p53-independent pathway of signal transduction. METHODS: The mutant and wild-type c-myc genes were transfected by lentivirus into HCC1937 to form the stable over-expression cell lines. Uninfected cells and lentivirus-infected ones carrying no c-myc gene acted as blank and infection controls respectively. And c-myc and p14(ARF) mRNA and protein, proliferation and apoptosis in HCC1937 with mutant and wild-type c-myc were detected by reverse transcription (RT)-PCR, Western blotting, thiazolyl blue tetrazolium bromide (MTT) and terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase mediated X-dUTP nick end labeling (TUNEL) respectively. RESULTS: After the lentivirus-mediated gene transfer, c-myc mRNA and protein expression increased in the mutant and wild-type groups. p14(ARF) mRNA and protein increased in the wild-type group and the mutant group and there were significant difference between them with blank and infection controls (mutant groups: 0.560 ± 0.010, 0.154 ± 0.011, wild-type groups: 0.651 ± 0.010, 0.382 ± 0.013, both P < 0.05). The group of mutant and wild-type c-myc could promote the proliferation of cell growth. And c-myc was more effective to induce apoptosis in the wild-type group as compared with the mutant group (7.1% ± 0.7% vs 3.2% ± 0.4%, P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: In a p53-independent pathway, the over-expression of wild-type c-myc obviously up-regulates the expression of p14(ARF). And cell apoptosis may be induced through the regulation of p14(ARF)-related gene, keep balance of proliferative promotion and apoptosis induction. When there is a loss-of-function of mutant c-myc, tumorigenicity increases via a disturbed balance of proliferative promotion and apoptosis induction.

Inhibition of high-mobility group box 1 improves myocardial fibrosis and dysfunction in diabetic cardiomyopathy.

BACKGROUND: High-mobility group box 1 (HMGB1) is an important mediator of the inflammatory response. Its expression is increased in diabetic cardiomyopathy (DCM), but its role is unclear. We investigated the potential role and mechanism of HMGB1 in diabetes-induced myocardial fibrosis and dysfunction in mice. METHODS: In vivo, type 1 diabetes was induced by streptozotocin (STZ) in mice. HMGB1 expression was knocked down by lentivirus-mediated short-hairpin RNA (shRNA). Cardiac function was assessed by echocardiography. Total collagen deposition was assessed by Masson's trichrome and Picrosirius red staining. HMGB1, collagen I and III, and transforming growth factor ß1 (TGF-ß1) expression was quantified by immunostaining and western bolt analysis. In vitro, isolated neonatal cardiac fibroblasts were treated with high glucose (HG) or recombinant HMGB1 (rHMGB1). Pharmacologic (neutralizing anti-HMGB1 antibody) or genetic (shRNA-HMGB1) inhibition of HMGB1 was used to investigate the role of HMGB1 in HG-induced functional changes of cardiac fibroblasts. RESULTS: In vivo, HMGB1 was diffusely expressed in the myocardium of diabetic mice. HMGB1 silencing ameliorated left ventricular dysfunction and remodeling and decreased collagen deposition in diabetic mice. In vitro, HG induced HMGB1 translocation and secretion in both viable cardiomyocytes and fibroblasts. Administration of rHMGB1 dose-dependently increased the expression of collagens I and III and TGF-ß1 in cardiac fibroblasts. HMGB1 inhibition reduced HG-induced collagen production, matrix metalloproteinase (MMP) activities, proliferation, and activated mitogen-activated protein kinase signaling in cardiac fibroblasts. CONCLUSIONS: HMGB1 inhibition could alleviate cardiac fibrosis and remodeling in diabetic cardiomyopathy. Inhibition of HMGB1 might have therapeutic potential in the treatment of the disease.

Protective effects of Salvia plebeia compound homoplantaginin on hepatocyte injury.

Salvia plebeia R. Br is a traditional Chinese herb which has been considered as an inflammatory mediator used for treatment of many infectious diseases including hepatitis. Previously, the compound homoplantaginin was isolated in our group. Hence, we evaluated the protective effects of homoplantaginin on hepatocyte injury. Homoplantaginin displayed an antioxidant property in a cell-free system and showed IC(50) of reduction level of DPPH radical at 0.35 microg/ml. In human hepatocyte HL-7702 cells exposed to H(2)O(2), the addition of 0.1-100 microg/ml of homoplantaginin, which did not have a toxic effect on cell viability, significantly reduced lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) leakage, and increased glutathione (GSH), glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) and superoxide dismutase (SOD) in supernatant. In vivo assay, we employed the model of Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG)/lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced hepatic injury mice to evaluate efficacy of homoplantaginin. Homoplantaginin (25-100mg/kg) significantly reduced the increase in serum alanine aminotranseferase (ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST), decreased the levels of tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) and interleukin-1 (IL-1). The same treatment also reduced the content of thiobarbituric acid-reactive substances (TBARS), elevated the levels of GSH, GSH-Px and SOD in hepatic homogenate. The histopathological analysis showed that the grade of liver injury was ameliorated with reduction of inflammatory cells and necrosis of liver cells in homoplantaginin treatment mice. These results suggest that homoplantaginin has a protective and therapeutic effect on hepatocyte injury, which might be associated with its antioxidant properties.