PACS-2 mediates the ATM and NF-κB-dependent induction of anti-apoptotic Bcl-xL in response to DNA damage.

Nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB) promotes cell survival in response to genotoxic stress by inducing the expression of anti-apoptotic proteins including Bcl-xL, which protects mitochondria from stress-induced mitochondrial outer membrane permeabilization (MOMP). Here we show that the multifunctional sorting protein Pacs-2 (phosphofurin acidic cluster sorting protein-2) is required for Bcl-xL induction following DNA damage in primary mouse thymocytes. Consequently, in response to DNA damage, Pacs-2(-/-) thymocytes exhibit a blunted induction of Bcl-xL, increased MOMP and accelerated apoptosis. Biochemical studies show that cytoplasmic PACS-2 promotes this DNA damage-induced anti-apoptotic pathway by interacting with ataxia telangiectasia mutated (ATM) to drive NF-κB activation and induction of Bcl-xL. However, Pacs-2 was not required for tumor necrosis factor-α-induced NF-κB activation, suggesting a role for PACS-2 selectively in NF-κB activation in response to DNA damage. These findings identify PACS-2 as an in vivo mediator of the ATM and NF-κB-dependent induction of Bcl-xL that promotes cell survival in response to DNA damage.

The regular consumption of a polyphenol-rich apple does not influence endothelial function: a randomised double-blind trial in hypercholesterolemic adults.

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: Epidemiological studies suggest that apple consumption is associated with a reduction in cardiovascular disease risk. Apple polyphenols may contribute to explain these effects. Endothelial dysfunction has been associated with early stage of atherosclerosis and polyphenols from various dietary sources have been shown to reverse it. The aim of the present study was to investigate the effect of the consumption of a polyphenol-rich apple on endothelial function. SUBJECTS/METHODS: In all, 30 hypercholesterolemic volunteers were included in a double-blind, randomized crossover trial. They successively consumed 40 g of two lyophilized apples, polyphenol-rich and polyphenol-poor, providing respectively 1.43 and 0.21 g polyphenols per day during two 4-week periods separated by a 4-week washout period. RESULTS: Brachial artery flow-mediated vasodilation (FMD) was assessed at the beginning and at the end of each intervention period. FMD did not differ between the polyphenol-rich and the polyphenol-poor apples, neither did the other cardiovascular disease risk factors (plasma lipids, homocysteine, antioxidant capacity). CONCLUSIONS: These data suggest that over a 4-week period, the consumption of a polyphenol-rich apple does not improve vascular function in hypercholesterolemic patients.

Transcriptomic analysis of aorta from a short-term high-fat diet fed mouse reveals changes in the expression of vessel structure genes.

High-density microarrays were recently used to identify the genomic profiles of vascular cells during atherogenesis. This strategy succeeded in identifying both biomarkers and underlying biological processes of the pathological development. However, data documenting the early stages of disease are sparse. To identify the mechanisms involved in atherogenesis, we examined differential gene expression in the aorta of C57BL/6J mice fed a high-fat diet (HFD) or a low-fat diet (LFD), for a short period of time of three weeks. The cDNAmicroarray analysis revealed that the expression of 448 genes was significantly different between the two groups. As expected, key genes involved in lipid synthesis or catabolism were down- and upregulated, respectively, representing a normal gene expression response to increased cellular lipid levels. Overrepresented biological processes were identified by Gene Ontology (GO) analysis, which revealed that aortic cells differentiate into a new phenotype in mice fed the HFD. This phenotype was represented by changes in the expression of 81 genes associated with extracellular matrix and cytoskeletal modifications. Some of these genes were previously shown to be involved in the cardiovascular diseases process. In conclusion, short-term HFD consumption results in metabolic disturbances leading to a broad induction of genes involved in vessel architecture remodelling.