Reiterated male-to-female violence disrupts hippocampal estrogen receptor ß expression, prompting anxiety-like behavior.

Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a significant public health concern whose neurological/behavioral sequelae remain to be mechanistically explained. Using a mouse model recapitulating an IPV scenario, we evaluated the female brain neuroendocrine alterations produced by a reiterated male-to-female violent interaction (RMFVI). RMFVI prompted anxiety-like behavior in female mice whose hippocampus displayed a marked neuronal loss and hampered neurogenesis, namely reduced BrdU-DCX-positive nuclei and diminished dendritic arborization in the dentate gyrus (DG): effects paralleled by a substantial downregulation of the estrogen receptor ß (ERß). After RMFVI, the DG harbored reduced brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) pools and tyrosine kinase receptor B (TrkB) phosphorylation. Accordingly, ERß knockout (KO) mice had heightened anxiety and curtailed BDNF levels at baseline while dying prematurely during the RMFVI procedure. Strikingly, injecting an ERß antagonist or agonist into the wild-type (WT) female hippocampus enhanced or reduced anxiety, respectively. Thus, reiterated male-to-female violence jeopardizes hippocampal homeostasis, perturbing the ERß/BDNF axis and ultimately instigating anxiety and chronic stress.

Myonecrosis Induction by Intramuscular Injection of CTX.

Skeletal muscle, one of the most abundant tissue in the body, is a highly regenerative tissue. Indeed, compared to other tissues that are not able to regenerate after injury, skeletal muscle can fully regenerate upon mechanically, chemically, and infection-induced trauma. Several injury models have been developed to thoroughly investigate the physiological mechanisms regulating skeletal muscle regeneration. This protocol describes how to induce muscle regeneration by taking advantage of a cardiotoxin (CTX)-induced muscle injury model. The overall steps include CTX injection of tibialis anterior (TA) muscles of BL6N mice, collection of regenerating muscles at different time points after CTX injury, and histological characterization of regenerating muscles. Our protocol, compared with others such as those for freeze-induced injury models, avoids laceration or infections of the muscles since it involves neither surgery nor suture. In addition, our protocol is highly reproducible, since it causes homogenous myonecrosis of the whole muscle, and further reduces animal pain and stress. Graphical abstract.

The dominant-negative mitochondrial calcium uniporter subunit MCUb drives macrophage polarization during skeletal muscle regeneration.

Damaged skeletal muscle can regenerate because of the coordinated action of immune cells with muscle stem cells, called satellite cells. Proinflammatory macrophages infiltrate skeletal muscle soon after injury to sustain the proliferation of satellite cells. These macrophages later acquire the anti-inflammatory phenotype and promote the differentiation and fusion of satellite cells. Here, we showed that MCUb, the dominant-negative subunit of the mitochondrial calcium uniporter (MCU) complex, promotes muscle regeneration by controlling macrophage responses. Macrophages lacking MCUb lost the ability to efficiently acquire the anti-inflammatory profile, and mice with MCUb-deficient macrophages showed delayed regeneration through exhaustion of the satellite cell pool. MCUb ablation altered macrophage metabolism by promoting glycolysis and the accumulation of TCA cycle intermediates, which was accompanied by the stabilization of HIF-1α, the master transcriptional regulator of the macrophage proinflammatory program. Together, these data demonstrate that MCUb abundance is tightly controlled in macrophages to enable satellite cell functional differentiation and recovery of tissue homeostasis after damage.

Overexpression of Mitochondrial Calcium Uniporter Causes Neuronal Death.

Neurodegenerative diseases are a large and heterogeneous group of disorders characterized by selective and progressive death of specific neuronal subtypes. In most of the cases, the pathophysiology is still poorly understood, although a number of hypotheses have been proposed. Among these, dysregulation of Ca2+ homeostasis and mitochondrial dysfunction represent two broadly recognized early events associated with neurodegeneration. However, a direct link between these two hypotheses can be drawn. Mitochondria actively participate to global Ca2+ signaling, and increases of [Ca2+] inside organelle matrix are known to sustain energy production to modulate apoptosis and remodel cytosolic Ca2+ waves. Most importantly, while mitochondrial Ca2+ overload has been proposed as the no-return signal, triggering apoptotic or necrotic neuronal death, until now direct evidences supporting this hypothesis, especially in vivo, are limited. Here, we took advantage of the identification of the mitochondrial Ca2+ uniporter (MCU) and tested whether mitochondrial Ca2+ signaling controls neuronal cell fate. We overexpressed MCU both in vitro, in mouse primary cortical neurons, and in vivo, through stereotaxic injection of MCU-coding adenoviral particles in the brain cortex. We first measured mitochondrial Ca2+ uptake using quantitative genetically encoded Ca2+ probes, and we observed that the overexpression of MCU causes a dramatic increase of mitochondrial Ca2+ uptake both at resting and after membrane depolarization. MCU-mediated mitochondrial Ca2+ overload causes alteration of organelle morphology and dysregulation of global Ca2+ homeostasis. Most importantly, MCU overexpression in vivo is sufficient to trigger gliosis and neuronal loss. Overall, we demonstrated that mitochondrial Ca2+ overload is per se sufficient to cause neuronal cell death both in vitro and in vivo, thus highlighting a potential key step in neurodegeneration.

Excessive Accumulation of Ca2 + in Mitochondria of Y522S-RYR1 Knock-in Mice: A Link Between Leak From the Sarcoplasmic Reticulum and Altered Redox State.

Mice (Y522S or YS), carrying a mutation of the sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) Ca2+ release channel of skeletal muscle fibers (ryanodine receptor type-1, RyR1) which causes Ca2+ leak, are a widely accepted and intensively studied model for human malignant hyperthermia (MH) susceptibility. Since the involvement of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and of mitochondria in MH crisis has been previously debated, here we sought to determine Ca2+ uptake in mitochondria and its possible link with ROS production in single fibers isolated from flexor digitorum brevis (FDB) of YS mice. We found that Ca2+ concentration in the mitochondrial matrix, as detected with the ratiometric FRET-based 4mtD3cpv probe, was higher in YS than in wild-type (WT) fibers at rest and after Ca2+ release from SR during repetitive electrical stimulation or caffeine administration. Also mitochondrial ROS production associated with contractile activity (detected with Mitosox probe) was much higher in YS fibers than in WT. Importantly, the inhibition of mitochondrial Ca2+ uptake achieved by silencing MCU reduced ROS accumulation in the matrix and Ca2+ release from SR. Finally, inhibition of mitochondrial ROS accumulation using Mitotempo reduced SR Ca2+ release in YS fibers exposed to caffeine. The present results support the view that mitochondria take up larger amounts of Ca2+ in YS than in WT fibers and that mitochondrial ROS production substantially contributes to the increased caffeine-sensitivity and to the enhanced Ca2+ release from SR in YS fibers.

Increased mitochondrial calcium uniporter in adipocytes underlies mitochondrial alterations associated with insulin resistance.

Intracellular calcium influences an array of pathways and affects cellular processes. With the rapidly progressing research investigating the molecular identity and the physiological roles of the mitochondrial calcium uniporter (MCU) complex, we now have the tools to understand the functions of mitochondrial Ca2+ in the regulation of pathophysiological processes. Herein, we describe the role of key MCU complex components in insulin resistance in mouse and human adipose tissue. Adipose tissue gene expression was analyzed from several models of obese and diabetic rodents and in 72 patients with obesity as well as in vitro insulin-resistant adipocytes. Genetic manipulation of MCU activity in 3T3-L1 adipocytes allowed the investigation of the role of mitochondrial calcium uptake. In insulin-resistant adipocytes, mitochondrial calcium uptake increased and several MCU components were upregulated. Similar results were observed in mouse and human visceral adipose tissue (VAT) during the progression of obesity and diabetes. Intriguingly, subcutaneous adipose tissue (SAT) was spared from overt MCU fluctuations. Furthermore, MCU expression returned to physiological levels in VAT of patients after weight loss by bariatric surgery. Genetic manipulation of mitochondrial calcium uptake in 3T3-L1 adipocytes demonstrated that changes in mitochondrial calcium concentration ([Ca2+]mt) can affect mitochondrial metabolism, including oxidative enzyme activity, mitochondrial respiration, membrane potential, and reactive oxygen species formation. Finally, our data suggest a strong relationship between [Ca2+]mt and the release of IL-6 and TNFα in adipocytes. Altered mitochondrial calcium flux in fat cells may play a role in obesity and diabetes and may be associated with the differential metabolic profiles of VAT and SAT.

The mitochondrial calcium uniporter controls skeletal muscle trophism in vivo.

Muscle atrophy contributes to the poor prognosis of many pathophysiological conditions, but pharmacological therapies are still limited. Muscle activity leads to major swings in mitochondrial [Ca(2+)], which control aerobic metabolism, cell death, and survival pathways. We investigated in vivo the effects of mitochondrial Ca(2+) homeostasis in skeletal muscle function and trophism by overexpressing or silencing the mitochondrial calcium uniporter (MCU). The results demonstrate that in both developing and adult muscles, MCU-dependent mitochondrial Ca(2+) uptake has a marked trophic effect that does not depend on aerobic control but impinges on two major hypertrophic pathways of skeletal muscle, PGC-1α4 and IGF1-Akt/PKB. In addition, MCU overexpression protects from denervation-induced atrophy. These data reveal a novel Ca(2+)-dependent organelle-to-nucleus signaling route that links mitochondrial function to the control of muscle mass and may represent a possible pharmacological target in conditions of muscle loss.

JunB transcription factor maintains skeletal muscle mass and promotes hypertrophy.

The size of skeletal muscle cells is precisely regulated by intracellular signaling networks that determine the balance between overall rates of protein synthesis and degradation. Myofiber growth and protein synthesis are stimulated by the IGF-1/Akt/mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) pathway. In this study, we show that the transcription factor JunB is also a major determinant of whether adult muscles grow or atrophy. We found that in atrophying myotubes, JunB is excluded from the nucleus and that decreasing JunB expression by RNA interference in adult muscles causes atrophy. Furthermore, JunB overexpression induces hypertrophy without affecting satellite cell proliferation and stimulated protein synthesis independently of the Akt/mTOR pathway. When JunB is transfected into denervated muscles, fiber atrophy is prevented. JunB blocks FoxO3 binding to atrogin-1 and MuRF-1 promoters and thus reduces protein breakdown. Therefore, JunB is important not only in dividing populations but also in adult muscle, where it is required for the maintenance of muscle size and can induce rapid hypertrophy and block atrophy.

Meta-analysis of expression signatures of muscle atrophy: gene interaction networks in early and late stages.

BACKGROUND: Skeletal muscle mass can be markedly reduced through a process called atrophy, as a consequence of many diseases or critical physiological and environmental situations. Atrophy is characterised by loss of contractile proteins and reduction of fiber volume. Although in the last decade the molecular aspects underlying muscle atrophy have received increased attention, the fine mechanisms controlling muscle degeneration are still incomplete. In this study we applied meta-analysis on gene expression signatures pertaining to different types of muscle atrophy for the identification of novel key regulatory signals implicated in these degenerative processes. RESULTS: We found a general down-regulation of genes involved in energy production and carbohydrate metabolism and up-regulation of genes for protein degradation and catabolism. Six functional pathways occupy central positions in the molecular network obtained by the integration of atrophy transcriptome and molecular interaction data. They are TGF-beta pathway, apoptosis, membrane trafficking/cytoskeleton organization, NFKB pathways, inflammation and reorganization of the extracellular matrix. Protein degradation pathway is evident only in the network specific for muscle short-term response to atrophy. TGF-beta pathway plays a central role with proteins SMAD3/4, MYC, MAX and CDKN1A in the general network, and JUN, MYC, GNB2L1/RACK1 in the short-term muscle response network. CONCLUSION: Our study offers a general overview of the molecular pathways and cellular processes regulating the establishment and maintenance of atrophic state in skeletal muscle, showing also how the different pathways are interconnected. This analysis identifies novel key factors that could be further investigated as potential targets for the development of therapeutic treatments. We suggest that the transcription factors SMAD3/4, GNB2L1/RACK1, MYC, MAX and JUN, whose functions have been extensively studied in tumours but only marginally in muscle, appear instead to play important roles in regulating muscle response to atrophy.

Rapid disuse and denervation atrophy involve transcriptional changes similar to those of muscle wasting during systemic diseases.

We previously identified a common set of genes, termed atrogenes, whose expression is coordinately induced or suppressed in muscle during systemic wasting states (fasting, cancer cachexia, renal failure, diabetes). To determine whether this transcriptional program also functions during atrophy resulting from loss of contractile activity and whether atrogene expression correlates with the rate of muscle weight loss, we used cDNA microarrays and RT-polymerase chain reaction to analyze changes in mRNA from rat gastrocnemius during disuse atrophy induced by denervation or spinal cord isolation. Three days after Den or SI, the rate of muscle weight loss was greatest, and 78% of the atrogenes identified during systemic catabolic states were induced or repressed. Of particular interest were the large inductions of key ubiquitin ligases, atrogin-1 (35- to 44-fold) and MuRF1 (12- to 22-fold), and the suppression of PGC-1alpha and PGC-1beta coactivators (15-fold). When atrophy slowed (day 14), the expression of 92% of these atrogenes returned toward basal levels. At 28 days, the atrophy-inducing transcription factor, FoxO1, was still induced and may be important in maintaining the "atrophied" state. Thus, 1) the atrophy associated with systemic catabolic states and following disuse involves similar transcriptional adaptations; and 2) disuse atrophy proceeds through multiple phases corresponding to rapidly atrophying and atrophied muscles that involve distinct transcriptional patterns.