Phase separation of FSP1 promotes ferroptosis.

Ferroptosis is evolving as a highly promising approach to combat difficult-to-treat tumour entities including therapy-refractory and dedifferentiating cancers1-3. Recently, ferroptosis suppressor protein-1 (FSP1), along with extramitochondrial ubiquinone or exogenous vitamin K and NAD(P)H/H+ as an electron donor, has been identified as the second ferroptosis-suppressing system, which efficiently prevents lipid peroxidation independently of the cyst(e)ine-glutathione (GSH)-glutathione peroxidase 4 (GPX4) axis4-6. To develop FSP1 inhibitors as next-generation therapeutic ferroptosis inducers, here we performed a small molecule library screen and identified the compound class of 3-phenylquinazolinones (represented by icFSP1) as potent FSP1 inhibitors. We show that icFSP1, unlike iFSP1, the first described on-target FSP1 inhibitor5, does not competitively inhibit FSP1 enzyme activity, but instead triggers subcellular relocalization of FSP1 from the membrane and FSP1 condensation before ferroptosis induction, in synergism with GPX4 inhibition. icFSP1-induced FSP1 condensates show droplet-like properties consistent with phase separation, an emerging and widespread mechanism to modulate biological activity7. N-terminal myristoylation, distinct amino acid residues and intrinsically disordered, low-complexity regions in FSP1 were identified to be essential for FSP1-dependent phase separation in cells and in vitro. We further demonstrate that icFSP1 impairs tumour growth and induces FSP1 condensates in tumours in vivo. Hence, our results suggest that icFSP1 exhibits a unique mechanism of action and synergizes with ferroptosis-inducing agents to potentiate the ferroptotic cell death response, thus providing a rationale for targeting FSP1-dependent phase separation as an efficient anti-cancer therapy.

A non-canonical vitamin K cycle is a potent ferroptosis suppressor.

Ferroptosis, a non-apoptotic form of cell death marked by iron-dependent lipid peroxidation1, has a key role in organ injury, degenerative disease and vulnerability of therapy-resistant cancers2. Although substantial progress has been made in understanding the molecular processes relevant to ferroptosis, additional cell-extrinsic and cell-intrinsic processes that determine cell sensitivity toward ferroptosis remain unknown. Here we show that the fully reduced forms of vitamin K-a group of naphthoquinones that includes menaquinone and phylloquinone3-confer a strong anti-ferroptotic function, in addition to the conventional function linked to blood clotting by acting as a cofactor for γ-glutamyl carboxylase. Ferroptosis suppressor protein 1 (FSP1), a NAD(P)H-ubiquinone reductase and the second mainstay of ferroptosis control after glutathione peroxidase-44,5, was found to efficiently reduce vitamin K to its hydroquinone, a potent radical-trapping antioxidant and inhibitor of (phospho)lipid peroxidation. The FSP1-mediated reduction of vitamin K was also responsible for the antidotal effect of vitamin K against warfarin poisoning. It follows that FSP1 is the enzyme mediating warfarin-resistant vitamin K reduction in the canonical vitamin K cycle6. The FSP1-dependent non-canonical vitamin K cycle can act to protect cells against detrimental lipid peroxidation and ferroptosis.

Oxylipin metabolism is controlled by mitochondrial ß-oxidation during bacterial inflammation.

Oxylipins are potent biological mediators requiring strict control, but how they are removed en masse during infection and inflammation is unknown. Here we show that lipopolysaccharide (LPS) dynamically enhances oxylipin removal via mitochondrial ß-oxidation. Specifically, genetic or pharmacological targeting of carnitine palmitoyl transferase 1 (CPT1), a mitochondrial importer of fatty acids, reveal that many oxylipins are removed by this protein during inflammation in vitro and in vivo. Using stable isotope-tracing lipidomics, we find secretion-reuptake recycling for 12-HETE and its intermediate metabolites. Meanwhile, oxylipin ß-oxidation is uncoupled from oxidative phosphorylation, thus not contributing to energy generation. Testing for genetic control checkpoints, transcriptional interrogation of human neonatal sepsis finds upregulation of many genes involved in mitochondrial removal of long-chain fatty acyls, such as ACSL1,3,4, ACADVL, CPT1B, CPT2 and HADHB. Also, ACSL1/Acsl1 upregulation is consistently observed following the treatment of human/murine macrophages with LPS and IFN-γ. Last, dampening oxylipin levels by ß-oxidation is suggested to impact on their regulation of leukocyte functions. In summary, we propose mitochondrial ß-oxidation as a regulatory metabolic checkpoint for oxylipins during inflammation.

Juggling with lipids, a game of Russian roulette.

Lipid peroxidation (LPO) is the molecular mechanism involved in oxidative damage of cellular membranes and the hallmark of a nonapoptotic form of cell death, known as ferroptosis. This iron-dependent cell death is an emerging strategy in cancer treatment and one of the central cell death mechanisms accounting for early cell loss and organ dysfunction in both neurodegenerative disease and ischemia-reperfusion injury. Although the biological roles of LPO products have attracted considerable attention, not only for their pathological mechanisms but also for their potential clinical application as biomarkers, the existence of a common lethal lipid death signal generated during ferroptosis remains poorly explored. A better understanding of the LPO process, however, may unleash unprecedented opportunities for therapeutic intervention of as-yet incurable diseases.

FSP1 is a glutathione-independent ferroptosis suppressor.

Ferroptosis is an iron-dependent form of necrotic cell death marked by oxidative damage to phospholipids1,2. To date, ferroptosis has been thought to be controlled only by the phospholipid hydroperoxide-reducing enzyme glutathione peroxidase 4 (GPX4)3,4 and radical-trapping antioxidants5,6. However, elucidation of the factors that underlie the sensitivity of a given cell type to ferroptosis7 is crucial to understand the pathophysiological role of ferroptosis and how it may be exploited for the treatment of cancer. Although metabolic constraints8 and phospholipid composition9,10 contribute to ferroptosis sensitivity, no cell-autonomous mechanisms have been identified that account for the resistance of cells to ferroptosis. Here we used an expression cloning approach to identify genes in human cancer cells that are able to complement the loss of GPX4. We found that the flavoprotein apoptosis-inducing factor mitochondria-associated 2 (AIFM2) is a previously unrecognized anti-ferroptotic gene. AIFM2, which we renamed ferroptosis suppressor protein 1 (FSP1) and which was initially described as a pro-apoptotic gene11, confers protection against ferroptosis elicited by GPX4 deletion. We further demonstrate that the suppression of ferroptosis by FSP1 is mediated by ubiquinone (also known as coenzyme Q10, CoQ10): the reduced form, ubiquinol, traps lipid peroxyl radicals that mediate lipid peroxidation, whereas FSP1 catalyses the regeneration of CoQ10 using NAD(P)H. Pharmacological targeting of FSP1 strongly synergizes with GPX4 inhibitors to trigger ferroptosis in a number of cancer entities. In conclusion, the FSP1-CoQ10-NAD(P)H pathway exists as a stand-alone parallel system, which co-operates with GPX4 and glutathione to suppress phospholipid peroxidation and ferroptosis.

15-keto-prostaglandin E2 activates host peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPAR-γ) to promote Cryptococcus neoformans growth during infection.

Cryptococcus neoformans is one of the leading causes of invasive fungal infection in humans worldwide. C. neoformans uses macrophages as a proliferative niche to increase infective burden and avoid immune surveillance. However, the specific mechanisms by which C. neoformans manipulates host immunity to promote its growth during infection remain ill-defined. Here we demonstrate that eicosanoid lipid mediators manipulated and/or produced by C. neoformans play a key role in regulating pathogenesis. C. neoformans is known to secrete several eicosanoids that are highly similar to those found in vertebrate hosts. Using eicosanoid deficient cryptococcal mutants Δplb1 and Δlac1, we demonstrate that prostaglandin E2 is required by C. neoformans for proliferation within macrophages and in vivo during infection. Genetic and pharmacological disruption of host PGE2 synthesis is not required for promotion of cryptococcal growth by eicosanoid production. We find that PGE2 must be dehydrogenated into 15-keto-PGE2 to promote fungal growth, a finding that implicated the host nuclear receptor PPAR-γ. C. neoformans infection of macrophages activates host PPAR-γ and its inhibition is sufficient to abrogate the effect of 15-keto-PGE2 in promoting fungal growth during infection. Thus, we describe the first mechanism of reliance on pathogen-derived eicosanoids in fungal pathogenesis and the specific role of 15-keto-PGE2 and host PPAR-γ in cryptococcosis.

Enzymatically oxidized phospholipids restore thrombin generation in coagulation factor deficiencies.

Hemostatic defects are treated using coagulation factors; however, clot formation also requires a procoagulant phospholipid (PL) surface. Here, we show that innate immune cell-derived enzymatically oxidized phospholipids (eoxPL) termed hydroxyeicosatetraenoic acid-phospholipids (HETE-PLs) restore hemostasis in human and murine conditions of pathological bleeding. HETE-PLs abolished blood loss in murine hemophilia A and enhanced coagulation in factor VIII- (FVIII-), FIX-, and FX-deficient human plasma . HETE-PLs were decreased in platelets from patients after cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB). To explore molecular mechanisms, the ability of eoxPL to stimulate individual isolated coagulation factor/cofactor complexes was tested in vitro. Extrinsic tenase (FVIIa/tissue factor [TF]), intrinsic tenase (FVIIIa/FIXa), and prothrombinase (FVa/FXa) all were enhanced by both HETE-PEs and HETE-PCs, suggesting a common mechanism involving the fatty acid moiety. In plasma, 9-, 15-, and 12-HETE-PLs were more effective than 5-, 11-, or 8-HETE-PLs, indicating positional isomer specificity. Coagulation was enhanced at lower lipid/factor ratios, consistent with a more concentrated area for protein binding. Surface plasmon resonance confirmed binding of FII and FX to HETE-PEs. HETE-PEs increased membrane curvature and thickness, but not surface charge or homogeneity, possibly suggesting increased accessibility to cations/factors. In summary, innate immune-derived eoxPL enhance calcium-dependent coagulation factor function, and their potential utility in bleeding disorders is proposed.

Preferential Generation of 15-HETE-PE Induced by IL-13 Regulates Goblet Cell Differentiation in Human Airway Epithelial Cells.

Type 2-associated goblet cell hyperplasia and mucus hypersecretion are well known features of asthma. 15-Lipoxygenase-1 (15LO1) is induced by the type 2 cytokine IL-13 in human airway epithelial cells (HAECs) in vitro and is increased in fresh asthmatic HAECs ex vivo. 15LO1 generates a variety of products, including 15-hydroxyeicosatetraenoic acid (15-HETE), 15-HETE-phosphatidylethanolamine (15-HETE-PE), and 13-hydroxyoctadecadienoic acid (13-HODE). In this study, we investigated the 15LO1 metabolite profile at baseline and after IL-13 treatment, as well as its influence on goblet cell differentiation in HAECs. Primary HAECs obtained from bronchial brushings of asthmatic and healthy subjects were cultured under air-liquid interface culture supplemented with arachidonic acid and linoleic acid (10 µM each) and exposed to IL-13 for 7 days. Short interfering RNA transfection and 15LO1 inhibition were applied to suppress 15LO1 expression and activity. IL-13 stimulation induced expression of 15LO1 and preferentially generated 15-HETE-PE in vitro, both of which persisted after removal of IL-13. 15LO1 inhibition (by short interfering RNA and chemical inhibitor) decreased IL-13-induced forkhead box protein A3 (FOXA3) expression and enhanced FOXA2 expression. These changes were associated with reductions in both mucin 5AC and periostin. Exogenous 15-HETE-PE stimulation (alone) recapitulated IL-13-induced FOXA3, mucin 5AC, and periostin expression. The results of this study confirm the central importance of 15LO1 and its primary product, 15-HETE-PE, for epithelial cell remodeling in HAECs.

Post-transcriptional regulation of BCL2 mRNA by the RNA-binding protein ZFP36L1 in malignant B cells.

The human ZFP36 zinc finger protein family consists of ZFP36, ZFP36L1, and ZFP36L2. These proteins regulate various cellular processes, including cell apoptosis, by binding to adenine uridine rich elements in the 3' untranslated regions of sets of target mRNAs to promote their degradation. The pro-apoptotic and other functions of ZFP36 family members have been implicated in the pathogenesis of lymphoid malignancies. To identify candidate mRNAs that are targeted in the pro-apoptotic response by ZFP36L1, we reverse-engineered a gene regulatory network for all three ZFP36 family members using the 'maximum information coefficient' (MIC) for target gene inference on a large microarray gene expression dataset representing cells of diverse histological origin. Of the three inferred ZFP36L1 mRNA targets that were identified, we focussed on experimental validation of mRNA for the pro-survival protein, BCL2, as a target for ZFP36L1. RNA electrophoretic mobility shift assay experiments revealed that ZFP36L1 interacted with the BCL2 adenine uridine rich element. In murine BCL1 leukemia cells stably transduced with a ZFP36L1 ShRNA lentiviral construct, BCL2 mRNA degradation was significantly delayed compared to control lentiviral expressing cells and ZFP36L1 knockdown in different cell types (BCL1, ACHN, Ramos), resulted in increased levels of BCL2 mRNA levels compared to control cells. 3' untranslated region luciferase reporter assays in HEK293T cells showed that wild type but not zinc finger mutant ZFP36L1 protein was able to downregulate a BCL2 construct containing the BCL2 adenine uridine rich element and removal of the adenine uridine rich core from the BCL2 3' untranslated region in the reporter construct significantly reduced the ability of ZFP36L1 to mediate this effect. Taken together, our data are consistent with ZFP36L1 interacting with and mediating degradation of BCL2 mRNA as an important target through which ZFP36L1 mediates its pro-apoptotic effects in malignant B-cells.

Identification and quantification of aminophospholipid molecular species on the surface of apoptotic and activated cells.

This protocol measures externalization of aminophospholipids (APLs) to the outside of the plasma membrane using mass spectrometry (MS). APL externalization occurs in numerous events, and it is relevant for transplant medicine, immunity and cancer. In this protocol, externalized APLs are chemically modified by using a cell-impermeable reagent (sulfo-NHS-biotin), and then they are isolated via a liquid:liquid extraction and quantified by reverse-phase liquid chromatography tandem MS (LC-MS/MS) against in-house-generated standards. This protocol describes a complementary method to existing assays that are not quantitative (e.g., annexin V flow cytometry), and it is applicable to the study of membrane reorganization in all cell types during apoptosis (e.g., during development, cancer, psychiatric disorders and other conditions, aging, vesiculation and cell division). The protocol takes ∼2-4 d, including the generation of standards.