The Chromatin Remodeling Complex Chd4/NuRD Controls Striated Muscle Identity and Metabolic Homeostasis.

Heart muscle maintains blood circulation, while skeletal muscle powers skeletal movement. Despite having similar myofibrilar sarcomeric structures, these striated muscles differentially express specific sarcomere components to meet their distinct contractile requirements. The mechanism responsible is still unclear. We show here that preservation of the identity of the two striated muscle types depends on epigenetic repression of the alternate lineage gene program by the chromatin remodeling complex Chd4/NuRD. Loss of Chd4 in the heart triggers aberrant expression of the skeletal muscle program, causing severe cardiomyopathy and sudden death. Conversely, genetic depletion of Chd4 in skeletal muscle causes inappropriate expression of cardiac genes and myopathy. In both striated tissues, mitochondrial function was also dependent on the Chd4/NuRD complex. We conclude that an epigenetic mechanism controls cardiac and skeletal muscle structural and metabolic identities and that loss of this regulation leads to hybrid striated muscle tissues incompatible with life.

Epicardial calcineurin-NFAT signals through Smad2 to direct coronary smooth muscle cell and arterial wall development.

AIMS: Congenital coronary artery anomalies produce serious events that include syncope, arrhythmias, myocardial infarction, or sudden death. Studying the mechanism of coronary development will contribute to the understanding of the disease and help design new diagnostic or therapeutic strategies. Here, we characterized a new calcineurin-NFAT signalling which specifically functions in the epicardium to regulate the development of smooth muscle wall of the coronary arteries. METHODS AND RESULTS: Using tissue-specific gene deletion, we found that calcineurin-NFAT signals in the embryonic epicardium to direct coronary smooth muscle cell development. The smooth muscle wall of coronary arteries fails to mature in mice with epicardial deletion of calcineurin B1 (Cnb1), and accordingly these mutant mice develop cardiac dysfunction with reduced exercise capacity. Inhibition of calcineurin at various developmental windows shows that calcineurin-NFAT signals within a narrow time window at embryonic Day 12.5-13.5 to regulate coronary smooth muscle cell development. Within the epicardium, NFAT transcriptionally activates the expression of Smad2, whose gene product is critical for transducing transforming growth factor ß (TGFß)-Alk5 signalling to control coronary development. CONCLUSION: Our findings demonstrate new spatiotemporal and molecular actions of calcineurin-NFAT that dictate coronary arterial wall development and a new mechanism by which calcineurin-NFAT integrates with TGFß signalling during embryonic development.

Mice lacking thyroid hormone receptor Beta show enhanced apoptosis and delayed liver commitment for proliferation after partial hepatectomy.

BACKGROUND: The role of thyroid hormones and their receptors (TR) during liver regeneration after partial hepatectomy (PH) was studied using genetic and pharmacologic approaches. Roles in liver regeneration have been suggested for T3, but there is no clear evidence distinguishing the contribution of increased amounts of T3 from the modulation by unoccupied TRs. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Mice lacking TRalpha1/TRbeta or TRbeta alone fully regenerated liver mass after PH, but showed delayed commitment to the initial round of hepatocyte proliferation and transient but intense apoptosis at 48h post-PH, affecting approximately 30% of the remaining hepatocytes. Pharmacologically induced hypothyroidism yielded similar results. Loss of TR activity was associated with enhanced nitrosative stress in the liver remnant, due to an increase in the activity of the nitric oxide synthase (NOS) 2 and 3, caused by a transient decrease in the concentration of asymmetric dimethylarginine (ADMA), a potent NOS inhibitor. This decrease in the ADMA levels was due to the presence of a higher activity of dimethylarginineaminohydrolase-1 (DDAH-1) in the regenerating liver of animals lacking TRalpha1/TRbeta or TRbeta. DDAH-1 expression and activity was paralleled by the activity of FXR, a transcription factor involved in liver regeneration and up-regulated in the absence of TR. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: We report that TRs are not required for liver regeneration; however, hypothyroid mice and TRbeta- or TRalpha1/TRbeta-deficient mice exhibit a delay in the restoration of liver mass, suggesting a specific role for TRbeta in liver regeneration. Altered regenerative responses are related with a delay in the expression of cyclins D1 and E, and the occurrence of liver apoptosis in the absence of activated TRbeta that can be prevented by administration of NOS inhibitors. Taken together, these results indicate that TRbeta contributes significantly to the rapid initial round of hepatocyte proliferation following PH, and improves the survival of the regenerating liver at later times.

Spatial and temporal regulation of coronary vessel formation by calcineurin-NFAT signaling.

Formation of the coronary vasculature requires reciprocal signaling between endothelial, epicardially derived smooth muscle and underlying myocardial cells. Our studies show that calcineurin-NFAT signaling functions in endothelial cells within specific time windows to regulate coronary vessel development. Mouse embryos exposed to cyclosporin A (CsA), which inhibits calcineurin phosphatase activity, failed to develop normal coronary vasculature. To determine the cellular site at which calcineurin functions for coronary angiogenesis, we deleted calcineurin in endothelial, epicardial and myocardial cells. Disruption of calcineurin-NFAT signaling in endothelial cells resulted in the failure of coronary angiogenesis, recapitulating the coronary phenotype observed in CsA-treated embryos. By contrast, deletion of calcineurin in either epicardial or myocardial cells had no effect on coronary vasculature during early embryogenesis. To define the temporal requirement for NFAT signaling, we treated developing embryos with CsA at overlapping windows from E9.5 to E12.5 and examined coronary development at E12.5. These experiments demonstrated that calcineurin-NFAT signaling functions between E10.5 and E11.5 to regulate coronary angiogenesis. Consistent with these in vivo observations, endothelial cells exposed to CsA within specific time windows in tissue culture were unable to form tubular structures and their cellular responses to VEGF-A were blunted. Thus, our studies demonstrate specific temporal and spatial requirements of NFAT signaling for coronary vessel angiogenesis. These requirements are distinct from the roles of NFAT signaling in the angiogenesis of peripheral somatic vessels, providing an example of the environmental influence of different vascular beds on the in vivo endothelial responses to angiogenic stimuli.

Differential sensitivity to apoptosis among the cells that contribute to the atherosclerotic disease.

Apoptosis plays an important role in a great number of pathological processes, including atherosclerotic disease. Although apoptosis occurs in the major cell types found in atherosclerotic lesions (e.g. macrophages, endothelial cells, and smooth muscle cells), the mechanism involved in this process differs depending on the stage, the localization and the cell composition of the plaque. In this study, we have compared the effects of different apoptotic inducers on the cells that form the atherosclerotic plaque. We have demonstrated that monocytes and macrophages are more susceptible to apoptosis than smooth muscle cells and endothelial cells. These findings provide insights about the potential role of apoptosis in the atherosclerotic disease and suggest strategies to treat vascular diseases by exploiting the differential sensitivity of cells to cell death.

Selective activation of liver X receptors by acanthoic acid-related diterpenes.

Terpenoids constitute a large family of natural steroids that are widely distributed in plants and insects. We investigated the effects of a series of diterpenes structurally related to acanthoic acid in macrophage functions. We found that diterpenes with different substitutions at the C4 position in ring A are potent activators of liver X receptors (LXRalpha and LXRbeta) in both macrophage cell lines from human and mouse origin and primary murine macrophages. Activation of LXR by these diterpenes was evaluated in transient transfection assays and gene expression analysis of known LXR-target genes, including the cholesterol transporters ABCA1 and ABCG1, the sterol regulatory element-binding protein 1c, and the apoptosis inhibitor of macrophages (Spalpha). Moreover, active diterpenes greatly stimulated cholesterol efflux from macrophages. It is interesting that these diterpenes antagonize inflammatory gene expression mainly through LXR-dependent mechanisms, indicating that these compounds can activate both LXR activation and repression functions. Stimulation of macrophages with acanthoic acid diterpenes induced LXR-target gene expression and cholesterol efflux to similar levels observed with synthetic agonists 3-[3-[N-(2-chloro-3-trifluoromethylbenzyl)-(2,2-diphenylethyl)-amino]propyloxy]phenylacetic acid hydrochloride (GW3965) and N-(2,2,2-trifluoroethyl)-N-[4-[2,2,2-trifluoro-1-hydroxy-1-(trifluoromethyl)-ethyl]phenyl]-benzenesulfonamide [T1317 (T0901317)]. These effects observed in gene expression were deficient in macrophages lacking both LXR isoforms (LXRalpha,beta(-/-)). These results show the ability of certain acanthoic acid diterpenes to activate efficiently both LXRs and suggest that these compounds can exert beneficial effects from a cardiovascular standpoint through LXR-dependent mechanisms.

Animal models for the study of liver regeneration: role of nitric oxide and prostaglandins.

The mechanisms that permit adult tissues to regenerate are the object of intense study. Liver regeneration is a research area of considerable interest both from pathological and from physiological perspectives. One of the best models of the regenerative process is the two-thirds partial hepatectomy (PH). After PH, the remnant liver starts a series of timed responses that first favor cell growth and then halts hepatocyte proliferation once liver function is fully restored. The mechanisms regulating this process are complex and involve many cellular events. Initiation of liver regeneration requires the injury-related cytokines tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) and interleukin 6 (IL-6), and involves the activation of cytokine-regulated transcription factors such as NF-kappaB and STAT3. An important event that takes place in the hours immediately after PH is the induction of nitric oxide synthase 2 (NOS-2) and cyclooxygenase 2 (COX-2), and the consequent release of nitric oxide (NO) and prostaglandins (PGs). NO is involved in the vascular readaptation after PH, favoring a general permeability to growth factors throughout the organ. This review examines the mechanisms that regulate NO release during liver regeneration and the animal models used to identify these pathways.

Specific contribution of p19(ARF) to nitric oxide-dependent apoptosis.

NO is an important bioactive molecule involved in a variety of physio- and pathological processes, including apoptosis induction. The proapoptotic activity of NO involves the rise in the tumor suppressor p53 and the accumulation and targeting of proapoptotic members of the Bcl-2 family, in particular Bax and the release of cytochrome c from the mitochondria. However, the exact mechanism by which NO induces p53 activation has not been fully elucidated. In this study, we describe that NO induces p19(ARF) through a transcriptional mechanism. This up-regulation of p19(ARF) activates p53, leading to apoptosis. The importance of p19(ARF) on NO-dependent apoptosis was revealed by the finding that various cell types from alternate reading frame-knockout mice exhibit a diminished response to NO-mediated apoptosis when compared with normal mice. Moreover, the biological relevance of alternative reading frame to p53 apoptosis was confirmed in in vivo models of apoptosis. Together, these results demonstrate that NO-dependent apoptosis requires, in part, the activation of p19(ARF).

Nitric oxide and cell signaling: in vivo evaluation of NO-dependent apoptosis by MRI and not NMR techniques.

Apoptosis plays a key role in many pathological circumstances, such as neurodegenerative diseases. In these processes, the involvement of nitric oxide (NO) has been well established, and the ability of NO to exert cellular damage due to its reactive oxidative properties is perhaps the primary neurotoxic mechanism. The caspase 3 activation has recently been observed in stroke, spinal cord trauma, head injury, and Alzheimer's disease. Although numerous techniques have been described to evaluate apoptosis, these approaches involve invasive techniques and cannot provide detailed information about apoptosis in vivo. In this chapter, we describe the use of functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) as a non-invasive technique to detect apoptosis in vivo. fMRI techniques can detect apoptosis at early stages in the process, allowing the onset in intact biological systems, providing a useful tool for monitoring apoptosis progression.

Assessment of a dual regulatory role for NO in liver regeneration after partial hepatectomy: protection against apoptosis and retardation of hepatocyte proliferation.

The role of hepatic nitric oxide (NO) in liver regeneration after partial hepatectomy (PH) was studied in animals carrying a nitric oxide synthase-2 transgene under the control of the phospho(enol)pyruvate carboxykinase promoter. These mice expressed NOS-2 in liver cells under fasting conditions. Liver mass recovery and molecular parameters related to cell proliferation were determined after PH. Preexisting hepatic NO synthesis, as well as NO delivery by NO-donors, impaired early signaling (for example, attenuated NF-kappaB activation and TNF-alpha and IL-6 release). The regenerative process was also impaired as a result of an insufficient proliferative response, but mouse survival after surgery was not compromised. However, NO exerted a protective role against apoptosis in transgenic hepatectomized mice. Local production of NO in liver cells, achieved by hydrodynamic-based transfection with a NOS-2-encoding plasmid, also resulted in delayed liver recovery after PH and also protected against Fas-mediated apoptosis. These data show that sustained presence of NO after PH exerts a dual role: attenuating liver regeneration while efficiently protecting against liver apoptosis.

Nitric oxide and cell viability in inflammatory cells: a role for NO in macrophage function and fate.

Macrophages participate actively in the inflammatory response by releasing cytokines, chemokines and factors that recruit additional cells to sites of infection or tissue injury or alteration. In addition to this, activated macrophages rapidly activate the expression of genes responsible for the high-output synthesis of reactive oxygen and nitrogen species (NO, O2-, H2O2 and peroxynitrite, among others) and bioactive lipids derived from arachidonic acid. All of these agents contribute to the regulation of the inflammatory response. Most of these molecules, when synthesized at these high concentrations, exert pro-apoptotic effects in many cell types. Macrophages themselves are a notable and important exception, being resistant to apoptotic death upon activation. This resistance is necessary to enable these cells to perform their functional role during the early phases of an inflammatory response. However, after cumulative damage, or when the synthesis of inflammatory mediators decreases, macrophages undergo the characteristic mitochondrial-dependent cell death program, contributing in this way to the resolution of the inflammatory reaction. In the case of infectious diseases, this also helps to prevent the development of parasitic strategies by phagocytosed pathogens.

Calcium dobesilate attenuates vascular injury and the progression of diabetic retinopathy in streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats.

BACKGROUND: Diabetic retinopathy (DR) is a highly specific vascular complication of type 1 and type 2 diabetes mellitus. Calcium dobesilate (DOBE) has been tested in the treatment of diabetic retinopathy showing a slowdown of the progression of the disease after long-term oral treatment. The aim of this study was to determine the effects of DOBE on vascular and diabetic retinopathy in streptozotocin (STZ) diabetic rats. METHODS: Diabetes was induced in wistar rats by the administration of STZ (60 mg/kg, i.p.). Rats were divided into three groups (n = 30). Group 0 (GO): nondiabetic rats. Group 1 (G1): 14 months of insulin treatment after diabetes development. Group 2 (G2): 14 months of insulin treatment after diabetes development plus DOBE (500 mg/kg/day). At the end of the treatment, vascular reactivity was tested. The study of the vascularization of the retina was performed on wholemounts of trypsin retinal digest preparations and retinal sections. RESULTS: Relaxation induced by acetylcholine decreased in the aorta arteries from diabetic rats but it was restored to control values in the DOBE-treated group (71.8 +/- 4.5%, 53.3 +/- 0.5%, 67.4 +/- 4.6% in group 0, 1 and 2 respectively). DOBE treatment also restored noradrenaline (1.08 +/- 0.05 g, 1.70 +/- 0.08 g, 1.13 +/- 0.05 g in group 0, 1 and 2 respectively) and caffeine-induced contractions. Diabetic state did not cause any alteration in mesenteric arteries. The analysis of the retinal digests showed vascular tortuosity, acellular capillaries, focal accumulations of capillaries and reduction of the number of pericytes in G1. The vascular changes observed in G2 seem to be intermediate between the control and the diabetic rats. CONCLUSIONS: We showed that long-term treatment with DOBE attenuated the progression of diabetic retinopathy and the alterations in vascular reactivity in streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats.

Simultaneous abrogation of NOS-2 and COX-2 activities is lethal in partially hepatectomised mice.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: We have investigated the role of the nitric oxide (NO) and prostaglandins (PGs), respectively, synthesized by nitric oxide synthase 2 (NOS-2) and cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2), in the outcome of liver regeneration after partial hepatectomy (PH). METHODS: Liver mass recovery and molecular parameters related to cell proliferation and apoptotic death have been determined. RESULTS: NOS-2 and COX-2 are normally both expressed in the remnant liver after PH, and inhibition of either one delays regeneration. We found, however, that simultaneous suppression of the activities of NOS-2 (by gene knockout) and COX-2 (by pharmacological inhibition) resulted in animal death between 24 and 72 h after PH. Analysis of liver mass recovery and molecular parameters related to cell proliferation and apoptotic death revealed increased liver-cell apoptosis and an insufficient proliferative response. Broad-specificity caspase inhibitors, such as z-Val-Ala-Asp.fmk (z-VAD), or administration of NO-donors, rescued animals from death, revealing a critical apoptotic bias at this stage of proliferation. CONCLUSIONS: These findings demonstrate that simultaneous signaling by NO and prostaglandins plays an important role in the mechanism of liver regeneration after PH by protecting the remnant tissue from apoptotic death.

Sustained nitric oxide delivery delays nitric oxide-dependent apoptosis in macrophages: contribution to the physiological function of activated macrophages.

Treatment of the macrophage cell line RAW 264.7 with the short-lived NO donor S-nitrosoglutathione triggers apoptosis through the release of mitochondrial mediators. However, continuous supply of NO by long-lived NO donors protected cells from apoptosis through mechanisms that involved the maintenance or an increase in the levels of the inhibitor of apoptosis proteins (IAPs) cIAP-1, cIAP-2, and xIAP and decreases in the accumulation of p53 and in the levels and targeting of Bax to the mitochondria. As a result of these changes, the activation of caspases 9 and 3 was notably delayed, expanding the time of viability of the macrophages. Moreover, inhibition of NO synthase 2 activity after 8 h of stimulation of RAW 264.7 cells with LPS and IFN-gamma accelerated apoptosis via an increase in the processing and activation of caspases. These data suggest that NO exerts an important role in the autoregulation of apoptosis in macrophages.

The nNOS inhibitor, AR-R17477AR, prevents the loss of NF68 immunoreactivity induced by methamphetamine in the mouse striatum.

The present study examined the time-course and regionally-selective changes in the levels of the neurofilament protein NF68 in the mouse brain induced by methamphetamine (METH). The ability of low ambient temperature, or of the specific neuronal nitric oxide synthase (nNOS) inhibitor AR-R17477AR, to protect against both long-term striatal NF68 and dopamine loss induced by METH (3 mg/kg, i.p.) was also studied. Seven days after METH administration (3, 6 and 9 mg/kg, i.p., three times at 3 h intervals), mice showed a reduction of about 40% in immunoreactivity for NF68 in the striatum. This effect was not produced in cortex after METH administration at the dose of 3 mg/kg. No difference from controls was observed when measurements were carried out 1 h and 24 h after the last METH injection at the dose of 3 mg/kg. The loss of NF68 immunoreactivity seems to be associated with the long-term dopamine depletion induced by METH, since no change in serotonin concentration is observed in either the striatum or cortex 7 days after dosing. Animals kept at a room temperature of 4 degrees C showed a loss of NF68 similar to those treated at 22 degrees C but an attenuation of dopamine depletion in the striatum. Pre-treatment with AR-R17477AR (5 mg/kg, s.c.) 30 min before each of the three METH (3 mg/kg, i.p.) injections provided complete protection against METH-induced loss of NF68 immunoreactivity and attenuated the decrease in striatal dopamine and HVA concentrations by about 50%. These data indicate that both the reduction of NF68 immunoreactivity and the loss of dopamine concentration are due to an oxidative stress process mediated by reactive nitrogen species, and are not due to changes in body temperature.

Nitric oxide in liver inflammation and regeneration.

Hepatocytes express and release inflammatory mediators after challenge with bacterial cell wall molecules and proinflammatory cytokines. Nitric oxide synthase-2 (NOS-2) is expressed under these conditions and the high-output NO synthesis that follows contributes to the inflammatory response in this tissue and participates in the onset of several hepatopathies. However, in the course of liver regeneration, for example, after partial hepatectomy, NOS-2 is expressed at moderate levels and contributes to inhibit apoptosis and to favor progression in the cell cycle until the organ size and function are restored. The mechanisms involved in the regulation of NOS-2 expression under these conditions are revised.