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BACKGROUND: The ubiquitin-proteasome system regulates protein degradation and the development of pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH), but knowledge about the role of deubiquitinating enzymes in this process is limited. UCHL1 (ubiquitin carboxyl-terminal hydrolase 1), a deubiquitinase, has been shown to reduce AKT1 (AKT serine/threonine kinase 1) degradation, resulting in higher levels. Given that AKT1 is pathological in pulmonary hypertension, we hypothesized that UCHL1 deficiency attenuates PAH development by means of reductions in AKT1. METHODS: Tissues from animal pulmonary hypertension models as well as human pulmonary artery endothelial cells from patients with PAH exhibited increased vascular UCHL1 staining and protein expression. Exposure to LDN57444, a UCHL1-specific inhibitor, reduced human pulmonary artery endothelial cell and smooth muscle cell proliferation. Across 3 preclinical PAH models, LDN57444-exposed animals, Uchl1 knockout rats (Uchl1-/-), and conditional Uchl1 knockout mice (Tie2Cre-Uchl1fl/fl) demonstrated reduced right ventricular hypertrophy, right ventricular systolic pressures, and obliterative vascular remodeling. Lungs and pulmonary artery endothelial cells isolated from Uchl1-/- animals exhibited reduced total and activated Akt with increased ubiquitinated Akt levels. UCHL1-silenced human pulmonary artery endothelial cells displayed reduced lysine(K)63-linked and increased K48-linked AKT1 levels. RESULTS: Supporting experimental data, we found that rs9321, a variant in a GC-enriched region of the UCHL1 gene, is associated with reduced methylation (n=5133), increased UCHL1 gene expression in lungs (n=815), and reduced cardiac index in patients (n=796). In addition, Gadd45α (an established demethylating gene) knockout mice (Gadd45α-/-) exhibited reduced lung vascular UCHL1 and AKT1 expression along with attenuated hypoxic pulmonary hypertension. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest that UCHL1 deficiency results in PAH attenuation by means of reduced AKT1, highlighting a novel therapeutic pathway in PAH.
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Ratones Noqueados , Proteínas Proto-Oncogénicas c-akt , Ubiquitina Tiolesterasa , Animales , Ubiquitina Tiolesterasa/genética , Ubiquitina Tiolesterasa/deficiencia , Ubiquitina Tiolesterasa/metabolismo , Humanos , Ratones , Ratas , Proteínas Proto-Oncogénicas c-akt/metabolismo , Proteínas Proto-Oncogénicas c-akt/genética , Arteria Pulmonar/metabolismo , Arteria Pulmonar/patología , Masculino , Hipertensión Arterial Pulmonar/metabolismo , Hipertensión Arterial Pulmonar/genética , Modelos Animales de Enfermedad , Células Endoteliales/metabolismo , Células Endoteliales/enzimología , Ratas Sprague-Dawley , Hipertensión Pulmonar/genética , Hipertensión Pulmonar/metabolismo , Hipertensión Pulmonar/etiología , Remodelación Vascular , Células Cultivadas , Proliferación Celular , Ratones Endogámicos C57BL , Indoles , OximasRESUMEN
Proline hydroxylation (Hyp) regulates protein structure, stability, and protein-protein interaction. It is widely involved in diverse metabolic and physiological pathways in cells and diseases. To reveal functional features of the Hyp proteome, we integrated various data sources for deep proteome profiling of the Hyp proteome in humans and developed HypDB (https://www.HypDB.site), an annotated database and web server for Hyp proteome. HypDB provides site-specific evidence of modification based on extensive LC-MS analysis and literature mining with 14,413 nonredundant Hyp sites on 5,165 human proteins including 3,383 Class I and 4,335 Class II sites. Annotation analysis revealed significant enrichment of Hyp on key functional domains and tissue-specific distribution of Hyp abundance across 26 types of human organs and fluids and 6 cell lines. The network connectivity analysis further revealed a critical role of Hyp in mediating protein-protein interactions. Moreover, the spectral library generated by HypDB enabled data-independent analysis (DIA) of clinical tissues and the identification of novel Hyp biomarkers in lung cancer and kidney cancer. Taken together, our integrated analysis of human proteome with publicly accessible HypDB revealed functional diversity of Hyp substrates and provides a quantitative data source to characterize Hyp in pathways and diseases.
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Prolina , Proteoma , Cromatografía Liquida , Bases de Datos Factuales , Humanos , Hidroxilación , Internet , Prolina/metabolismo , Proteoma/metabolismoRESUMEN
Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is a progressive disease that affects both the lungs and heart. Right ventricle (RV) hypertrophy is a primary pathological feature of PAH; however, its underlying molecular mechanisms remain insufficiently studied. In this study, we employed tandem mass tag (TMT)-based quantitative proteomics for the integrative analysis of the proteome and phosphoproteome of the RV derived from monocrotaline-induced PAH model rats. Compared with control samples, 564 significantly upregulated proteins, 616 downregulated proteins, 622 downregulated phosphopeptides, and 683 upregulated phosphopeptides were identified (P < 0.05, abs (log2 (fold change)) > log2 1.2) in the MCT samples. The quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) validated the expression levels of top 20 significantly altered proteins, including Nppa (natriuretic peptides A), latent TGF-ß binding protein 2 (Ltbp2), periostin, connective tissue growth factor 2 (Ccn2), Ncam1 (neural cell adhesion molecule), quinone reductase 2 (Nqo2), and tropomodulin 4 (Tmod4). Western blotting confirmed the upregulation of Ncam1 and downregulation of Nqo2 and Tmod4 in both MCT-induced and hypoxia-induced PH rat models. Pathway enrichment analyses indicated that the altered proteins are associated with pathways, such as vesicle-mediated transport, actin cytoskeleton organization, TCA cycle, and respiratory electron transport. These significantly changed phosphoproteins were enriched in pathways such as diabetic cardiomyopathy, hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, glycolysis/gluconeogenesis, and cardiac muscle contraction. In summary, this study provides an initial analysis of the RV proteome and phosphoproteome in the progression of PAH, highlighting several RV dysfunction-associated proteins and pathways.
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Hipertensión Pulmonar , Ratas , Animales , Hipertensión Pulmonar/inducido químicamente , Hipertensión Pulmonar/metabolismo , Hipertrofia Ventricular Derecha/metabolismo , Proteoma/genética , Fosfopéptidos , ProteómicaRESUMEN
Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is a rare but fatal disease characterized by elevated pulmonary vascular resistance and increased pressure in the distal pulmonary arteries. Systematic analysis of the proteins and pathways involved in the progression of PAH is crucial for understanding the underlying molecular mechanism. In this study, we performed tandem mass tags (TMT)-based relative quantitative proteomic profiling of lung tissues from rats treated with monocrotaline (MCT) for 1, 2, 3 and 4 weeks. A total of 6759 proteins were quantified, among which 2660 proteins exhibited significant changes (p-value < 0.05, fold change < 0.83 or >1.2). Notably, these changes included several known PAH-related proteins, such as Retnla (resistin-like alpha) and arginase-1. Furthermore, the expression of potential PAH-related proteins, including Aurora kinase B and Cyclin-A2, was verified via Western blot analysis. In addition, we performed quantitative phosphoproteomic analysis on the lungs from MCT-induced PAH rats and identified 1412 upregulated phosphopeptides and 390 downregulated phosphopeptides. Pathway enrichment analysis revealed significant involvement of pathways such as complement and coagulation cascades and the signaling pathway of vascular smooth muscle contraction. Overall, this comprehensive analysis of proteins and phosphoproteins involved in the development and progression of PAH in lung tissues provides valuable insights for the development of potential diagnostic and treatment targets for PAH.
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Hipertensión Pulmonar , Hipertensión Arterial Pulmonar , Ratas , Animales , Hipertensión Pulmonar/metabolismo , Fosfopéptidos , Proteómica , Pulmón/metabolismo , Arteria Pulmonar/metabolismo , Hipertensión Pulmonar Primaria Familiar , Modelos Animales de EnfermedadRESUMEN
Proline hydroxylation is a critical cellular mechanism regulating energy homeostasis and development. Our previous study identified and validated Bromodomain-containing protein 4 (BRD4) as a proline hydroxylation substrate in cancer cells. Yet, the regulatory mechanism and the functional significance of the modification remain unknown. In this study, we developed targeted quantification assays using parallel-reaction monitoring and biochemical analysis to identify the major regulatory enzyme of BRD4 proline hydroxylation. We further performed quantitative interactome analysis to determine the functional significance of the modification pathway in BRD4-mediated protein-protein interactions and gene transcription. Our findings revealed that PHD2 is the key regulatory enzyme of BRD4 proline hydroxylation and the modification significantly affects BRD4 interactions with key transcription factors as well as BRD4-mediated transcriptional activation. Taken together, this study provided mechanistic insights into the oxygen-dependent modification of BRD4 and revealed new roles of the pathway in regulating BRD4-dependent gene expression.
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Proteínas de Ciclo Celular/metabolismo , Prolina Dioxigenasas del Factor Inducible por Hipoxia/metabolismo , Prolina/metabolismo , Factores de Transcripción/metabolismo , Proteínas de Ciclo Celular/genética , Línea Celular , Humanos , Hidroxilación , Estabilidad Proteica , Proteómica/métodos , Factores de Transcripción/genéticaRESUMEN
Prolyl hydroxylase domain-containing protein 2 (PHD2/EGLN1) is a key regulatory enzyme that plays a fundamental role in the cellular hypoxic response pathway, mediating proline hydroxylation-dependent protein degradation of selected target proteins. However, the regulation of PHD2 homeostasis at the protein level is not well understood. Here, we perform label-free quantitative interactome analysis through immunoprecipitation coupled with mass spectrometry analysis. To minimize the side effects caused by ectopic overexpression, in HeLa cells, we stably overexpressed Flag-tagged PHD2 while suppressing the endogenous PHD2 by using an shRNA targeting its 3' UTR region. We identified and validated Cullin 3 as a novel PHD2 interactor in vivo. Through candidate screening, we further identified CUL3-KEAP1 E3 ubiquitin ligase complex as the major enzyme that regulates PHD2 degradation. Overexpression of either CUL3, KEAP1, or both significantly increases PHD2 ubiquitination and reduces PHD2 protein abundance. The knockdown of CUL3 or KEAP1 decreased PHD2 ubiquitination and inhibited PHD2 degradation. Accordingly, loss of the CUL3-KEAP1 complex under hypoxia promoted PHD2 stabilization and led to significantly reduced abundance of the PHD2 target, hypoxia-inducible factor 1A (HIF1A). Thus, CUL3-KEAP1 is an essential pathway that regulates PHD2 ubiquitination and degradation in cells.
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Proteínas Cullin/metabolismo , Prolina Dioxigenasas del Factor Inducible por Hipoxia/metabolismo , Proteína 1 Asociada A ECH Tipo Kelch/metabolismo , Hipoxia de la Célula/fisiología , Proteínas Cullin/genética , Técnicas de Silenciamiento del Gen , Células HeLa , Humanos , Subunidad alfa del Factor 1 Inducible por Hipoxia/genética , Subunidad alfa del Factor 1 Inducible por Hipoxia/metabolismo , Proteína 1 Asociada A ECH Tipo Kelch/genética , Complejos Multiproteicos/genética , Complejos Multiproteicos/metabolismo , Mapas de Interacción de Proteínas , UbiquitinaciónRESUMEN
O-GlcNAcylation is a reversible serine/threonine glycosylation on cytosolic and nuclear proteins that are involved in various regulatory pathways. However, the detection and quantification of O-GlcNAcylation substrates have been challenging. Here, we report a highly efficient method for the identification of O-GlcNAc modification via tandem glycan labeling, in which O-GlcNAc is first galactosylated and then sialylated with a fluorophore-conjugated sialic acid residue, therefore enabling highly sensitive fluorescent detection. The method is validated on various proteins that are known to be modified by O-GlcNAcylation including CK2, NOD2, SREBP1c, AKT1, PKM, and PFKFB3, and on the nuclear extract of HEK293 cells. Using this method, we then report the evidence that hypoxia-inducible factor HIF1α is a potential target for O-GlcNAcylation, suggesting a possibly direct connection between the metabolic O-GlcNAc pathway and the hypoxia pathway.
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Acetilglucosamina/análisis , Colorantes Fluorescentes/química , Polisacáridos/química , Proteínas/química , Células HEK293 , Humanos , Ácido N-Acetilneuramínico/químicaRESUMEN
Stoichiometric analysis of post-translational modifications is an emerging strategy for absolute quantification of the fractional abundance of the modification. Herein, a quantitative chemical proteomic workflow for stoichiometric analysis of ubiquitination is reported, named isotopically balanced quantification of ubiquitination (IBAQ-Ub). The strategy utilizes a new amine-reactive chemical tag (AcGG-NHS) that is structurally homologous to the GG remnant of ubiquitin on modified lysine after trypsin cleavage and therefore enables the generation of structurally identical peptides from ubiquitinated and unmodified lysine residues following trypsin digestion and secondary stable isotopic labeling. The strategy is highly robust, sensitive, and accurate with a wide dynamic range using either protein standards or complex cell lysates. Thus, this work provides an efficient chemical proteomics tool for quantitative stoichiometric analysis of ubiquitination signaling pathways.
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Ubiquitinación/fisiología , Humanos , ProteómicaRESUMEN
Estrogen-Estrogen Receptor alpha (ERα) belongs to one of the most important signaling pathways controlling breast tissue development and progression of breast cancer. ERRF was recently identified as a candidate breast cancer associated protein and showed positive association with ERα status in clinical samples and cell lines. To further explore the relationship between ERRF and ERα, we studied whether ERRF plays any roles in estrogen-ERα pathway. Knockdown of ERRF in ER positive breast cancer cells T-47D and BT-474 reduced the level of p-AKT, p-MAPK, and phosphorylation of ERα at Ser 118 and Ser 167, and the transcriptional activity of ERα was inhibited as well. Further mechanism study proved ERRF to be an interacting partner of ERα. In total, these data revealed that ERRF is essential for the activity of E2-ERα pathway.
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Biomarcadores de Tumor/metabolismo , Neoplasias de la Mama/metabolismo , Receptor alfa de Estrógeno/metabolismo , Proteínas Nucleares/metabolismo , Transducción de Señal , Línea Celular Tumoral , Humanos , Proteínas de NeoplasiasRESUMEN
Common genetic variants (single nucleotide polymorphisms SNPs) in microRNA (miRNA) genes may alter their maturation or expression and play a role in the formation of human cancer. Recently, the association between the SNP rs6505162 in pre-miR-423 and cancer risk has been frequently evaluated in diverse populations and in a range of cancers. In this study, we determined the genotypes of SNP rs6505162 in 5 matched cell lines (breast cancer cell lines and their corresponding peripheral blood cell lines) and 114 matched clinical specimens (clinical breast carcinoma specimens and their corresponding normal tissues), compared the processing efficiency of pri-miRNA to mature forms between pre-miR-423-12C (wild-type) and pre-miR-423-12A (mutant-type) expression vectors, and evaluated the function of miR-423 on cell proliferation. Our data showed that two out of five breast cancer cell lines and 8.77 % (10/114) of tumors underwent somatic mutations of the rs6505162 SNP, and somatic mutation state was significantly correlated with the expression of clinicopathologic variables, proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) and mutant p53. The pre-miR-423-12C SNP blocked the endogenous processing of pri-miR-423 to its two mature miRNAs. Interestingly, selected pre-miR-423-12C stable cell population had lower proliferation ability than pre-miR-423-12A stable cell population. Moreover, miR-423 promoted cell proliferation in breast cancer cell lines through its miR-423-3p strand, not miR-423-5p. Taken together, these results suggest that the SNP rs6505162 in pre-miR-423 affects the mature miR expression, and miR-423 plays a potentially oncogenic role in breast tumorigenesis.
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Neoplasias de la Mama/genética , Proliferación Celular/genética , MicroARNs/genética , Neoplasias de la Mama/patología , Análisis Mutacional de ADN , Femenino , Regulación Neoplásica de la Expresión Génica , Humanos , Células MCF-7 , MicroARNs/biosíntesis , Mutación , Polimorfismo de Nucleótido Simple , Antígeno Nuclear de Célula en Proliferación/genética , Proteína p53 Supresora de Tumor/genéticaRESUMEN
Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is a progressive disease characterized by pulmonary vascular remolding and occlusion, leading to the elevated pulmonary arterial pressures, right ventricular hypertrophy, and eventual heart failure if left untreated. Understanding the molecular mechanisms underlying the development and progression of pulmonary hypertension (PH) is crucial for devising efficient therapeutic approaches for the disease. Lung homogenates were collected weekly and underwent RNA-sequencing in the monocrotaline (MCT)-induced PH rat model to explore genes associated with PH progression. Statistical analyses revealed 1038, 1244, and 3125 significantly altered genes (P < 0.05, abs (log2fold change) > log21.5) between control and MCT-exposed rats during the first, second, and third week, respectively. Pathway enrichment analyses revealed involvement of cell cycle and innate immune system for the upregulated genes, GPCR and VEGF signaling for the downregulated genes. Furthermore, qRT-PCR validated upregulation of representative genes associated with cell cycle including Cdc25c (cell division cycle 25C), Cdc45, Top2a (topoisomerase IIα), Ccna2 (cyclin A2) and Ccnb1 (cyclin B1). Western blot and immunofluorescence analysis confirmed increases in PCNA, Ccna2, Top2a, along with other proliferation markers in the lung tissue of MCT-treated rats. In summary, RNA sequencing data highlights the significance of cell proliferation in progression of rodent PH.
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Proliferación Celular , Modelos Animales de Enfermedad , Progresión de la Enfermedad , Perfilación de la Expresión Génica , Hipertensión Pulmonar , Monocrotalina , Animales , Ratas , Hipertensión Pulmonar/inducido químicamente , Hipertensión Pulmonar/genética , Hipertensión Pulmonar/metabolismo , Hipertensión Pulmonar/patología , Masculino , Ratas Sprague-Dawley , Transcriptoma , Pulmón/patología , Pulmón/metabolismoRESUMEN
Cardiopulmonary complications are major drivers of mortality caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus. Interleukin-18, an inflammasome-induced cytokine, has emerged as a novel mediator of cardiopulmonary pathologies but its regulation via SARS-CoV-2 signaling remains unknown. Based on a screening panel, IL-18 was identified amongst 19 cytokines to stratify mortality and hospitalization burden in patients hospitalized with COVID-19. Supporting clinical data, administration of SARS-CoV-2 Spike 1 (S1) glycoprotein or receptor-binding domain (RBD) proteins into human angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (hACE2) transgenic mice induced cardiac fibrosis and dysfunction associated with higher NF-κB phosphorylation (pNF-κB) and cardiopulmonary-derived IL-18 and NLRP3 expression. IL-18 inhibition via IL-18BP resulted in decreased cardiac pNF-κB and improved cardiac fibrosis and dysfunction in S1- or RBD-exposed hACE2 mice. Through in vivo and in vitro work, both S1 and RBD proteins induced NLRP3 inflammasome and IL-18 expression by inhibiting mitophagy and increasing mitochondrial reactive oxygenation species. Enhancing mitophagy prevented Spike protein-mediated IL-18 expression. Moreover, IL-18 inhibition reduced Spike protein-mediated pNF-κB and EC permeability. Overall, the link between reduced mitophagy and inflammasome activation represents a novel mechanism during COVID-19 pathogenesis and suggests IL-18 and mitophagy as potential therapeutic targets.
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COVID-19 , Glicoproteína de la Espiga del Coronavirus , Humanos , Ratones , Animales , Glicoproteína de la Espiga del Coronavirus/metabolismo , SARS-CoV-2/metabolismo , COVID-19/genética , Inflamasomas/genética , Inflamasomas/metabolismo , Interleucina-18/genética , Proteína con Dominio Pirina 3 de la Familia NLR/genética , Proteína con Dominio Pirina 3 de la Familia NLR/metabolismo , Mitofagia/genética , Inflamación/genética , Inflamación/metabolismo , CitocinasRESUMEN
INTRODUCTION: The chromodomain helicase DNA binding protein 5 (CHD5) has recently been identified as a tumor suppressor in a mouse model. The CHD5 locus at 1p36 is deleted, and its mutation has been detected in breast cancer. We, therefore, evaluated whether CHD5 plays a role in human breast cancer. METHODS: We screened mutations in 55 tumors, determined promoter methylation in 39 tumors, measured RNA expression in 90 tumors, analyzed protein expression in 289 tumors, and correlated expression changes with clinicopathological characteristics of breast cancer. Functional effects of CHD5 on cell proliferation, invasion and tumorigenesis were also tested. RESULTS: Although only one mutation was detected, CHD5 mRNA expression was significantly reduced, accompanied by frequent genomic deletion and promoter methylation, in breast cancer. The extent of methylation was significantly associated with reduced mRNA expression, and demethylating treatment restored CHD5 expression. Lower CHD5 mRNA levels correlated with lymph node metastasis (P = 0.026). CHD5 protein expression was also reduced in breast cancer, and lack of CHD5 expression significantly correlated with higher tumor stage, ER/PR-negativity, HER2 positivity, distant metastasis and worse patient survival (P ≤ 0.01). Functionally, ectopic expression of CHD5 in breast cancer cells inhibited cell proliferation and invasion in vitro and tumorigenesis in nude mice. Consistent with the inhibition of invasion, CHD5 down-regulated mesenchymal markers vimentin, N-cadherin and ZEB1 in breast cancer cells. CONCLUSION: Down-regulation of CHD5, mediated at least in part by promoter methylation, contributes to the development and progression of human breast cancer.
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Neoplasias de la Mama/metabolismo , ADN Helicasas/genética , ADN Helicasas/metabolismo , Proteínas del Tejido Nervioso/genética , Proteínas del Tejido Nervioso/metabolismo , Proteínas Supresoras de Tumor/genética , Proteínas Supresoras de Tumor/metabolismo , Cadherinas/metabolismo , Línea Celular Tumoral , Proliferación Celular , Transformación Celular Neoplásica/genética , Islas de CpG , Variaciones en el Número de Copia de ADN , Metilación de ADN , Proteínas de Unión al ADN/genética , Proteínas de Unión al ADN/metabolismo , Regulación hacia Abajo , Femenino , Regulación Neoplásica de la Expresión Génica , Proteínas de Homeodominio/metabolismo , Humanos , Invasividad Neoplásica/genética , Regiones Promotoras Genéticas , Interferencia de ARN , ARN Mensajero/genética , ARN Mensajero/metabolismo , ARN Interferente Pequeño , Factores de Transcripción/metabolismo , Vimentina/metabolismo , Homeobox 1 de Unión a la E-Box con Dedos de ZincRESUMEN
Abnormal proliferation of pulmonary artery smooth muscle cells (PASMCs) is one of the main causes of pulmonary vascular remodeling in pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH). Hypoxia is an important factor related to PAH and can induce the excessive proliferation of PASMCs and inhibit apoptosis. To explore the possible mechanism of hypoxia-related PAH, human PASMCs are exposed to hypoxia for 24 h and tandem mass tag (TMT)-based quantitative proteomic and phosphoproteomic analyses are performed. Proteomic analysis revealed 134 proteins are significantly changed (p < 0.05, |log2 (fold change)| > log2 [1.1]), of which 48 proteins are upregulated and 86 are downregulated. Some of the changed proteins are verified by using qRT-PCR and Western blotting. Phosphoproteomic analysis identified 404 significantly changed (p < 0.05, |log2 (fold change)| > log2 [1.1]) phosphopeptides. Among them, 146 peptides are upregulated while 258 ones are downregulated. The kinase-substrate enrichment analysis revealed kinases such as P21 protein-activated kinase 1/2/4 (PAK1/2/4), protein-kinase cGMP-dependent 1 and 2 (PRKG1/2), and mitogen-activated protein-kinase 4/6/7 (MAP2K4/6/7) are significantly enriched and activated. For all the significantly changed proteins or phosphoproteins, a comprehensive pathway analysis is performed. In general, this study furthers our understanding of the mechanism of hypoxia-induced PAH.
RESUMEN
Background: Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is a complex pulmonary vasculature disease characterized by progressive obliteration of small pulmonary arteries and persistent increase in pulmonary vascular resistance, resulting in right heart failure and death if left untreated. Artemisinin (ARS) and its derivatives, which are common antimalarial drugs, have been found to possess a broad range of biological effects. Here, we sought to determine the therapeutic benefit and mechanism of ARS and its derivatives treatment in experimental pulmonary hypertension (PH) models. Methods: Isolated perfused/ventilated lung and isometric tension measurements in arteries were performed to test pulmonary vasoconstriction and relaxation. Monocrotaline (MCT) and hypoxia+Su5416 (SuHx) were administered to rats to induce severe PH. Evaluation methods of ARS treatment and its derivatives in animal models include echocardiography, hemodynamics measurement, and histological staining. In vitro, the effect of these drugs on proliferation, viability, and hypoxia-inducible factor 1α (HIF1α) was examined in human pulmonary arterial smooth muscle cells (hPASMCs). Results: ARS treatment attenuated pulmonary vasoconstriction induced by high K+ solution or alveolar hypoxia, decreased pulmonary artery (PA) basal vascular tension, improved acetylcholine- (ACh-) induced endothelial-dependent relaxation, increased endothelial nitric oxide (NO) synthase (eNOS) activity and NO levels, and decreased levels of NAD(P)H oxidase subunits (NOX2 and NOX4) expression, NAD(P)H oxidase activity, and reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels of pulmonary arteries (PAs) in MCT-PH rats. NOS inhibitor, L-NAME, abrogated the effects of ARS on PA constriction and relaxation. Furthermore, chronic application of both ARS and its derivative dihydroartemisinin (DHA) attenuated right ventricular systolic pressure (RVSP), Fulton index (right ventricular hypertrophy), and vascular remodeling of PAs in the two rat PH models. In addition, DHA inhibited proliferation and migration of hypoxia-induced PASMCs. Conclusions: In conclusion, these results indicate that treatment with ARS or DHA can inhibit PA vasoconstriction, PASMC proliferation and migration, and vascular remodeling, as well as improve PA endothelium-dependent relaxation, and eventually attenuate the development and progression of PH. These effects might be achieved by decreasing NAD(P)H oxidase generated ROS production and increasing eNOS activation to release NO in PAs. ARS and its derivatives might have the potential to be novel drugs for the treatment of PH.
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Artemisininas , Hipertensión Pulmonar , Animales , Artemisininas/farmacología , Artemisininas/uso terapéutico , Modelos Animales de Enfermedad , Hipertensión Pulmonar/patología , Hipoxia/metabolismo , Monocrotalina , Miocitos del Músculo Liso/metabolismo , NADPH Oxidasas/metabolismo , Óxido Nítrico/metabolismo , Ratas , Especies Reactivas de Oxígeno/metabolismo , Roedores/metabolismo , Transducción de Señal , Remodelación Vascular , VasoconstricciónRESUMEN
Micronutrient sensing is critical for cellular growth and differentiation. Deficiencies in essential nutrients such as iron strongly affect neuronal cell development and may lead to defects in neuronal function that cannot be remedied by subsequent iron supplementation. To understand the adaptive intracellular responses to iron deficiency in neuronal cells, we developed and utilized a Stable Isotopic Labeling of Amino acids in Cell culture (SILAC)-based quantitative phosphoproteomics workflow. Our integrated approach was designed to comprehensively elucidate the changes in phosphorylation signaling under both acute and chronic iron-deficient cell models. In addition, we analyzed the differential cellular responses between iron deficiency and hypoxia (oxygen-deprived) in neuronal cells. Our analysis identified nearly 16,000 phosphorylation sites in HT-22 cells, a hippocampal-derived neuronal cell line, more than ten percent of which showed at least 2-fold changes in response to either hypoxia or acute/chronic iron deficiency. Bioinformatic analysis revealed that iron deficiency altered key metabolic and epigenetic pathways including the phosphorylation of proteins involved in iron sequestration, glutamate metabolism, and histone methylation. In particular, iron deficiency increased glutamine-fructose-6-phosphate transaminase (GFPT1) phosphorylation, which is a key enzyme in the glucosamine biosynthesis pathway and a target of 5' AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK), leading to reduced GFPT1 enzymatic activity and consequently lower global O-GlcNAc modification in neuronal cells. Taken together, our analysis of the phosphoproteome dynamics in response to iron and oxygen deprivation demonstrated an adaptive cellular response by mounting post-translational modifications that are critical for intracellular signaling and epigenetic programming in neuronal cells.
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Acetilglucosamina/metabolismo , Deficiencias de Hierro , Neuronas/metabolismo , Animales , Puntos de Control del Ciclo Celular , Hipoxia de la Célula , Línea Celular , Daño del ADN , Reparación del ADN , Epigénesis Genética , Homeostasis , Inflamación/metabolismo , Metales/metabolismo , Ratones , Fosforilación , Proteínas Quinasas/metabolismo , Proteoma/metabolismo , Ratas , Ratas Sprague-Dawley , Transducción de SeñalRESUMEN
PURPOSE: Endothelial dysfunction and the subsequent decrease in endothelium-dependent vascular relaxation of small arteries are major features of hypertension. Artemisinin, a well-known antimalarial drug, has been shown to exert protecting roles against endothelial cell injury in cardiac and pulmonary vascular diseases. The current study aimed to investigate the effects of artemisinin on endothelium-dependent vascular relaxation and arterial blood pressure, as well as the potential signalling pathways in spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHRs). METHODS: In this study, acetylcholine (ACh)-induced dose-dependent relaxation assays were performed to evaluate vascular endothelial function after treatment with artemisinin. Artemisinin was administered to the rats by intravenous injection or to arteries by incubation for the acute exposure experiments, and it was administered to rats by intraperitoneal injection for 28 days for the chronic experiments. RESULTS: Both acute and chronic administration of artemisinin decreased the heart rate and improved ACh-induced endothelium-dependent relaxation but negligibly affected the arterial blood pressure in SHRs. Incubation with artemisinin decreased basal vascular tension, NAD(P)H oxidase activity and reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels, but it also increased endothelial nitric oxide (NO) synthase (eNOS) activity and NO levels in the mesenteric artery, coronary artery, and pulmonary artery of SHRs. Artemisinin chronic administration to SHRs increased the protein expression of eNOS and decreased the protein expression of the NAD(P)H oxidase subunits NOX-2 and NOX-4 in the mesenteric artery. CONCLUSION: These results indicate that treatment with artemisinin has beneficial effects on reducing the heart rate and basal vascular tension and improving endothelium-dependent vascular relaxation in hypertension, which might occur by increasing eNOS activation and NO release and inhibiting NAD(P)H oxidase derived ROS production.
Asunto(s)
Acetilcolina/farmacología , Artemisininas/farmacología , Hipertensión/tratamiento farmacológico , Vasodilatación/efectos de los fármacos , Acetilcolina/administración & dosificación , Animales , Artemisininas/administración & dosificación , Presión Sanguínea/efectos de los fármacos , Relación Dosis-Respuesta a Droga , Endotelio Vascular/efectos de los fármacos , Frecuencia Cardíaca/efectos de los fármacos , Hipertensión/fisiopatología , Inyecciones Intraperitoneales , Inyecciones Intravenosas , Masculino , Óxido Nítrico/metabolismo , Óxido Nítrico Sintasa de Tipo III/metabolismo , Ratas , Ratas Endogámicas SHR , Ratas Endogámicas WKY , Especies Reactivas de Oxígeno/metabolismo , Vasodilatadores/administración & dosificación , Vasodilatadores/farmacologíaRESUMEN
OBJECTIVES: HIF2α is of vital importance in the regulation of endothelial dysfunction, cell proliferation, migration, and pulmonary vascular remodeling in pulmonary hypertension. Our previous studies demonstrated that conditional and inducible deletion of HIF2α in mouse lung endothelial cells, dramatically protected the mice against vascular remodeling and the development of pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH). Here, we provide a novel transcriptome insight into the impact of HIF2α in PAH pathogenesis and the potential to use HIF2α-mediated gene sets to differentiate PAH human subjects. METHODS: Using transcriptome data, we first tapped the value of the difference in gene expression profile between wild type (WT) and Hif2a knockdown (KD) cell lines. We considered the deregulated genes between WT and Hif2a-KD cells as HIF2α influenced genes. By examining the lung tissue transcriptome data set with nine controls and eight PAH patients, we evaluated the HIF2α regulatory network in PAH pathogenesis to further determine the identification ability of HIF2α-mediated gene sets in human PAH subjects. On the other hand, using peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) transcriptome data from PAH patients and healthy controls, we further validated the potential of the HIF2α-mediated PBMC gene sets as a possible diagnostic tool for PAH. To verify the ability of HIF2α-mediated gene sets for the identification of PAH, endothelial cell-specific Phd2 knockout mice with spontaneous pulmonary hypertension were used for reverse validation experiments. RESULTS: 19 identified GO biological process terms were significantly correlated with the genes down-regulated in Hif2a-KD cells, all of which are strongly related to the PAH pathogenesis. We further assessed the discriminative power of these HIF2α-mediated gene sets in PAH human subjects. We found that the expression profile of the HIF2α-mediated gene sets in lung tissues and PBMCs were differentiated both between controls and PAH patients. Further, a significant positive correlation was observed between hypoxia and Phd2 deficiency mediated gene set expression profiles. As expected, 7 of the 19 significantly down-regulated GO terms in Hif2a-KD cells were found to overlap with the up-regulated GO gene sets in Phd2 EC-/- mice compared to WT controls, suggesting opposing effects of HIF2α and PHD2 on PAH pathogenesis. CONCLUSION: HIF2α-mediated gene sets may be used to differentiate pulmonary arterial hypertension.
RESUMEN
Rationale: Enhanced proliferation and distal migration of human pulmonary arterial smooth muscle cells (hPASMCs) both contribute to the progressive increases in pulmonary vascular remodeling and resistance in pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH). Our previous studies revealed that Rictor deletion, to disrupt mTOR Complex 2 (mTORC2), over longer periods result in a paradoxical rise in platelet-derived growth factor receptor (PDGFR) expression in PASMCs. Thus, the purpose of this study was to evaluate the role of combination therapy targeting both mTOR signaling with PDGFR inhibition to attenuate the development and progression of PAH. Methods and Results: Immunoblotting analyses revealed that short-term exposure to rapamycin (6h) significantly reduced phosphorylation of p70S6K (mTORC1-specific) in hPASMCs but had no effect on the phosphorylation of AKT (p-AKT S473, considered mTORC2-specific). In contrast, longer rapamycin exposure (>24 h), resulted in differential AKT (T308) and AKT (S473) phosphorylation with increases in phosphorylation of AKT at T308 and decreased phosphorylation at S473. Phosphorylation of both PDGFRα and PDGFRß was increased in hPASMCs after treatment with rapamycin for 48 and 72 h. Based on co-immunoprecipitation studies, longer exposure to rapamycin (24-72 h) significantly inhibited the binding of mTOR to Rictor, mechanistically suggesting mTORC2 inhibition by rapamycin. Combined exposure of rapamycin with the PDGFR inhibitor, imatinib significantly reduced the proliferation and migration of hPASMCs compared to either agent alone. Pre-clinical studies validated increased therapeutic efficacy of rapamycin combined with imatinib in attenuating PAH over either drug alone. Specifically, combination therapy further attenuated the development of monocrotaline (MCT)- or Hypoxia/Sugen-induced pulmonary hypertension (PH) in rats as demonstrated by further reductions in the Fulton index, right ventricular systolic pressure (RVSP), pulmonary vascular wall thickness and vessel muscularization, and decreased proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) staining in PASMCs. Conclusion: Prolonged rapamycin treatment activates PDGFR signaling, in part, via mTORC2 inhibition. Combination therapy with rapamycin and imatinib may be a more effective strategy for the treatment of PAH.
RESUMEN
Mechanistic understanding of hypoxia-responsive signaling pathways provides important insights into oxygen- and metabolism-dependent cellular phenotypes in diseases. Using SILAC-based quantitative proteomics, we provided a quantitative map identifying over 6300 protein groups in response to hypoxia in prostate cancer cells and identified both canonical and novel cellular networks dynamically regulated under hypoxia. Particularly, we identified SDE2, a DNA stress response modulator, that was significantly downregulated by hypoxia, independent of HIF (hypoxia-inducible factor) transcriptional activity. Mechanistically, hypoxia treatment promoted SDE2 polyubiquitination and degradation. Such regulation is independent of previously identified Arg/N-end rule proteolysis or the ubiquitin E3 ligase, CDT2. Depletion of SDE2 increased cellular sensitivity to DNA damage and inhibited cell proliferation. Interestingly, either SDE2 depletion or hypoxia treatment potentiated DNA damage-induced PCNA (proliferating cell nuclear antigen) monoubiquitination, a key step for translesion DNA synthesis. Furthermore, knockdown of SDE2 desensitized, while overexpression of SDE2 protected the hypoxia-mediated regulation of PCNA monoubiquitination upon DNA damage. Taken together, our quantitative proteomics and biochemical study revealed diverse hypoxia-responsive pathways that strongly associated with prostate cancer tumorigenesis and identified the functional roles of SDE2 and hypoxia in regulating DNA damage-induced PCNA monoubiquitination, suggesting a possible link between hypoxic microenvironment and the activation of error-prone DNA repair pathway in tumor cells.