Betulinic acid inhibits pyroptosis in spinal cord injury by augmenting autophagy via the AMPK-mTOR-TFEB signaling pathway.

Spinal cord injury (SCI) results in a wide range of disabilities. Its complex pathophysiological process limits the effectiveness of many clinical treatments. Betulinic acid (BA) has been shown to be an effective treatment for some neurological diseases, but it has not been studied in SCI. In this study, we assessed the role of BA in SCI and investigated its underlying mechanism. We used a mouse model of SCI, and functional outcomes following injury were assessed. Western blotting, ELISA, and immunofluorescence techniques were employed to analyze levels of autophagy, mitophagy, pyroptosis, and AMPK-related signaling pathways were also examined. Our results showed that BA significantly improved functional recovery following SCI. Furthermore, autophagy, mitophagy, ROS level and pyroptosis were implicated in the mechanism of BA in the treatment of SCI. Specifically, our results suggest that BA restored autophagy flux following injury, which induced mitophagy to eliminate the accumulation of ROS and inhibits pyroptosis. Further mechanistic studies revealed that BA likely regulates autophagy and mitophagy via the AMPK-mTOR-TFEB signaling pathway. Those results showed that BA can significantly promote the recovery following SCI and that it may be a promising therapy for SCI.

Negative regulation of AMPK signaling by high glucose via E3 ubiquitin ligase MG53.

As a master regulator of metabolism, AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) is activated upon energy and glucose shortage but suppressed upon overnutrition. Exaggerated negative regulation of AMPK signaling by nutrient overload plays a crucial role in metabolic diseases. However, the mechanism underlying the negative regulation is poorly understood. Here, we demonstrate that high glucose represses AMPK signaling via MG53 (also called TRIM72) E3-ubiquitin-ligase-mediated AMPKα degradation and deactivation. Specifically, high-glucose-stimulated reactive oxygen species (ROS) signals AKT to phosphorylate AMPKα at S485/491, which facilitates the recruitment of MG53 and the subsequent ubiquitination and degradation of AMPKα. In addition, high glucose deactivates AMPK by ROS-dependent suppression of phosphorylation of AMPKα at T172. These findings not only delineate the mechanism underlying the impairment of AMPK signaling in overnutrition-related diseases but also highlight the significance of keeping the yin-yang balance of AMPK signaling in the maintenance of metabolic homeostasis.

Application of Well Drainage on Treating Seepage-Induced Reservoir Landslides.

In the process of rapid drawdown of reservoir water level, the seepage force in the slide mass is an important factor for the stability reduction and deformation increment of many landslides in the reservoir areas. It is feasible to improve the stability of seepage-induced landslide by employing a drainage well to reduce or eliminate the water head difference that generates the seepage force. In this paper, the Shuping landslide, a typical seepage-induced landslide in the Three Gorges Reservoir area of China, is taken as an example. A series of numerical simulations were carried out to figure out the seepage field, and the Morgenstein-Price method was adopted to calculate the landslide stability. Then the influence of horizontal location of the drainage well, drainage well depth, drainage mode on the landslide treatment effect, and the applicability of drainage well were analyzed. The results show that: (1) landslide stability increases obviously with the well depth in the slide mass, while the increment of landslide stability with the well depth is limited in the slide bed; (2) the sensitivity of the stability improvement with the depth is greater than that with the horizontal positions of the drainage wells in the slide mass; (3) the drainage well is suggested to be operated when the reservoir water falls rather than operates all the time; and (4) the drainage method is most suitable for landslides with low and medium permeability. These results provide deep insights into the treatment of seepage-induced landslides.

NDUFAB1 confers cardio-protection by enhancing mitochondrial bioenergetics through coordination of respiratory complex and supercomplex assembly.

The impairment of mitochondrial bioenergetics, often coupled with exaggerated reactive oxygen species (ROS) production, is a fundamental disease mechanism in organs with a high demand for energy, including the heart. Building a more robust and safer cellular powerhouse holds the promise for protecting these organs in stressful conditions. Here, we demonstrate that NADH:ubiquinone oxidoreductase subunit AB1 (NDUFAB1), also known as mitochondrial acyl carrier protein, acts as a powerful cardio-protector by conferring greater capacity and efficiency of mitochondrial energy metabolism. In particular, NDUFAB1 not only serves as a complex I subunit, but also coordinates the assembly of respiratory complexes I, II, and III, and supercomplexes, through regulating iron-sulfur biosynthesis and complex I subunit stability. Cardiac-specific deletion of Ndufab1 in mice caused defective bioenergetics and elevated ROS levels, leading to progressive dilated cardiomyopathy and eventual heart failure and sudden death. Overexpression of Ndufab1 effectively enhanced mitochondrial bioenergetics while limiting ROS production and protected the heart against ischemia-reperfusion injury. Together, our findings identify that NDUFAB1 is a crucial regulator of mitochondrial energy and ROS metabolism through coordinating the assembly of respiratory complexes and supercomplexes, and thus provide a potential therapeutic target for the prevention and treatment of heart failure.

Suppressive effect of receptor-interacting protein 140 on coregulator binding to retinoic acid receptor complexes, histone-modifying enzyme activity, and gene activation.

Gene induction by retinoic acid (RA) is suppressed by overexpression of receptor-interacting protein 140 (RIP140). RIP140-mediated suppression was reversed most effectively by overexpressing the coactivator p300/CREB-binding protein-associated factor (P/CAF). Immunoprecipitation demonstrated coexistence of holoreceptors complexed with RIP140 or P/CAF. Chromatin immunoprecipitation revealed rapid RA-enhanced recruitment of RIP140, but delayed P/CAF recruitment, to an RA-targeted promoter in COS-1 cells supplemented with RIP140. In RA-induced P19 cells, endogenous RIP140 was rapidly (within 4 h) and significantly recruited to both the RARbeta2 and TR2 genes, whereas the peak of endogenous P/CAF recruitment occurred much later (48 h) and to a lesser degree. Consistent with these observations, significant histone acetylation of endogenous RA receptor (RAR) targets was only observed 48 h following RA treatment. In vitro experiments confirmed RA-induced transcription from a chromatin template, which was reduced by adding RIP140. This study presents evidence for coexistence of multiple RAR-coregulator complexes and a preferential RA-induced recruitment of RIP140 to endogenous RAR-targeted promoters after short term RA treatment, which correlates with suppressed induction of RA-regulated gene expression in the presence of RIP140.