Hexosamine pathway regulates StarD7 expression in JEG-3 cells.

StarD7 is a lipid binding protein involved in the delivery of phosphatidylcholine to the mitochondria whose promoter is activated by Wnt/ß-catenin signaling. Although the majority of glucose enters glycolysis, ~ 2-5% of it can be metabolized via the hexosamine biosynthetic pathway (HBP). Considering that HBP has been implicated in the regulation of ß-catenin we explored if changes in glucose levels modulate StarD7 expression by the HBP in trophoblast cells. We found an increase in StarD7 as well as in ß-catenin expression following high-glucose (25 mM) treatment in JEG-3 cells; these effects were abolished in the presence of HBP inhibitors. Moreover, since HBP is able to promote unfolded protein response (UPR) the protein levels of GRP78, Ire1α, calnexin, p-eIF2α and total eIF2α as well as XBP1 mRNA was measured. Our results indicate that a diminution in glucose concentration leads to a decrease in StarD7 expression and an increase in the UPR markers: GRP78 and Ire1α. Conversely, an increase in glucose is associated to high StarD7 levels and low GRP78 expression, phospho-eIF2α and XBP1 splicing, although Ire1α remains high when cells are restored to high glucose. Taken together these findings indicate that glucose modulates StarD7 and ß-catenin expression through the HBP associated to UPR, suggesting the existence of a link between UPR and HBP in trophoblast cells. This is the first study reporting the effects of glucose on StarD7 in trophoblast cells. These data highlight the importance to explore the role of StarD7 in placenta disorders related to nutrient availability.

Effect of Chlorpyrifos on human extravillous-like trophoblast cells.

An increased risk of pregnancy disorders has been reported in women and animal models exposed to organophosphate pesticides. However, less information is available on impacts to human placental function. Here, we addressed the impact of chlorpyrifos (CPF) on extravillous cytotrophoblasts (evCTB) employing HTR8/SVneo cells as an in vitro model. Cell proliferation, migration and invasion were not affected by CPF under conditions where cell viability was not compromised; however, we observed reduced expression of genes for vascular endothelial growth factor receptor 1, hypoxia-inducible factor 1-alpha, peroxisome proliferator activated receptor gamma, and the ß-subunit of human chorionic gonadotropin. These results are the first effects reported by organophosphate pesticide in evCTB cells and show altered expression of several genes important for placental development that could serve as potential biomarkers for future research.

Regulation of testosterone degradation in Comamonas testosteroni.

Recently, we have identified a gene encoding a LuxR-type factor, TeiR (Testosterone-inducible Regulator), which positively regulates steroid degradation in Comamonas testosteroni. Herein, we demonstrate that TeiR interacts in vivo with steroid catabolic gene promoters. The presence of testosterone induces a significant TeiR protein increase at the early logarithmic phase of growth. Interestingly, it is not until the early stationary phase where the activation of a steroid-inducible gene promoter is observed, indicating that testosterone might not be the true inductor of the steroid degradation pathway. In addition, beta-galactosidase expression driven by a testosterone-inducible promoter is prematurely activated in cells cultured in medium supplemented with ethyl acetate extracts obtained from the early stationary phase cell-free supernatants of C. testosteroni grown in presence of testosterone. Complementation experiments of C. testosteroni wild type performed with teiR deletion constructs indicate that extra-copies of deleted-TeiR exert a dominant negative effect on the wild-type TeiR protein. While, when C. testosteroni teiR mutants were used to carry out complementation assays only the full length gene can overcome the teiR mutant phenotype. Altogether these findings indicate that TeiR regulates steroid catabolic genes interacting with their promoters and suggest that this interaction requires the presence of a testosterone-derived metabolite to induce the system.

Chlorpyrifos induces endoplasmic reticulum stress in JEG-3 cells.

Chlorpyrifos (CPF) is an organophosphorous pesticide widely used in agricultural, industrial, and household applications. We have previously shown that JEG-3 cells are able to attenuate the oxidative stress induced by CPF through the adaptive activation of the Nrf2/ARE pathway. Considering that there is a relationship between oxidative stress and endoplasmic reticulum stress (ER), herein we investigated whether CPF also induces ER stress in JEG-3 cells. Cells were exposed to 50µM or 100µM CPF during 24h in conditions where cell viability was not altered. Western blot and PCR assays were used to explore the protein and mRNA levels of ER stress biomarkers, respectively. CPF induced an increase of the typical ER stress-related proteins, such as GRP78/BiP and IRE1α, a sensor for the unfolded protein response, as well as in phospho-eIF2α and XBP1 mRNA splicing. Additionally, CPF led to a decrease in p53 protein expression. The downregulation of p53 levels induced by CPF was partially blocked when cells were exposed to CPF in the presence of the proteasome inhibitor MG132. Altogether, these findings point out that CPF induces ER stress in JEG-3 cells; however these cells are able to attenuate it downregulating the levels of the pro-apoptotic protein p53.

Suppression of StarD7 promotes endoplasmic reticulum stress and induces ROS production.

StarD7 is an intracellular lipid transport protein identified as up-regulated in the choriocarcinoma JEG-3 cell line. StarD7 facilitates the delivery of phosphatidylcholine (PC) to the mitochondria, and StarD7 knockdown causes a reduction in phospholipid synthesis. Since inhibition of PC synthesis may lead to endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress we hypothesized that StarD7 may be involved in maintaining cell homeostasis. Here, we examined the effect of StarD7 silencing on ER stress response and on the levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in the human hepatoma cell line HepG2. StarD7 knockdown induced alterations in mitochondria and ER morphology. These changes were accompanied with an ER stress response as determined by increased expression of inositol-requiring enzyme 1α (IRE1α), calnexin, glucose regulated protein 78/immunoglobulin heavy chain-binding protein (Grp78/BiP), protein kinase-like ER kinase (PERK) as well as the phosphorylated eukaryotic translation initiation factor 2, subunit 1α (p-eIF2α). Additionally, a downregulation of the tumor suppressor p53 by a degradation mechanism was observed in StarD7 siRNA cells. Furthermore, StarD7 silencing induced ROS generation and reduced cell viability after H2O2 exposure. Decreased expression of StarD7 was associated to increased levels of the heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) and catalase enzymes as well as in catalase enzymatic activity. Finally, no changes in levels of autophagy and apoptosis markers were observed in StarD7 siRNA treated cells respect to control cells. Taken together, these results indicate that StarD7 contributes to modulate cellular redox homeostasis.

Identification and quantification of a novel nitrate-reducing community in sediments of Suquía River basin along a nitrate gradient.

We evaluated the molecular diversity of narG gene from Suquía River sediments to assess the impact of the nitrate concentration and water quality on the composition and structure of the nitrate-reducing bacterial community. To this aim, a library of one of the six monitoring stations corresponding to the highest nitrate concentration was constructed and 118 narG clones were screened. Nucleotide sequences were associated to narG gene from alpha-, beta-, delta-, gammaproteobacteria and Thermus thermophilus. Remarkably, 18% of clones contained narG genes with less than 69% similarity to narG sequences available in databases. Thus, indicating the presence of nitrate-reducing bacteria with novel narG genes, which were quantified by real-time PCR. Results show a variable number of narG copies, ranging from less than 1.0 x 10(2) to 5.0 x 10(4) copies per ng of DNA, which were associated with a decreased water quality index monitored along the basin at different times.