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At least 253 records · Page 14Linked to original sources
PubMed2003

Vagal afferents are necessary for the establishment but not the maintenance of kainic acid-induced hyperalgesia in mice.

Systemic administration of a single, sub-convulsive dose (20mg/kg) of kainic acid (KA) produces long-term hyperalgesia. The robustness and reproducibility of this effect makes this a valuable model of chronic pain. However, the mechanism by which KA produces hyperalgesia remains unknown. We evaluated the role of vagal afferents on KA-induced hyperalgesia in mice by assessing the influence of bilateral subdiaphragmatic vagotomy and of direct application of KA to vagal afferents on the development of hyperalgesia. The hot plate and tail flick tests were used to assess pain behavior. Central nervous system (CNS) activity evoked by acute administration of KA or exposure to a nociceptive stimulus was also determined by the immunocytochemical detection of Fos and of phosphorylated extracellular signal-regulated protein kinases 1 and 2 (pErk). Mice exhibited a persistent hyperalgesia after either systemic application of KA or topical treatment with KA on vagal afferents. Vagotomy performed 2 weeks before the application of KA was able to prevent the establishment of hyperalgesia, but vagotomy performed 2 weeks after the application of KA was unable to reverse the already established hyperalgesia. This result establishes that vagal afferents are pivotal to the onset of hyperalgesia. Consistent with this, KA evoked the expression of Fos in vagal related areas of the brainstem, including the nucleus tractus solitarius (NTS) and area postrema (AP), as well as widespread areas of the forebrain. Vagotomy selectively decreased KA-evoked Fos in the NTS while sparing that in other brain areas. In addition to hyperalgesia, weeks after KA treatment, stimulus induced pErk was increased in spinal nociceptive neurons and the medial hypothalamus, a phenomenon that was prevented by prior vagotomy. No signs of cell death were detected using in situ nick end-labeling (TUNEL) assay and Nissl staining at 1, 5, 24, 36 h and 12 days post-KA. These findings suggest that the mechanism underlying KA-induced hyperalgesia is a long-term dysfunction of CNS areas that are activated by vagal afferents and involved in descending control of spinal nociceptive neurons.

Animals↗
PubMed1999

Diurnal fluctuations in corneal topography 10 years after radial keratotomy in the Prospective Evaluation of Radial Keratotomy Study.

PURPOSE: To correlate clinically observed fluctuations in manifest refraction, visual acuity, keratometry, and intraocular pressure (IOP) with changes in the anterior corneal surface as measured by videokeratography in patients 10 years after radial keratotomy (RK). SETTING: Four clinical centers in the United States that participated in the Prospective Evaluation of Radial Keratotomy (PERK) study. METHODS: Thirty-two eyes of 20 PERK patients who noted diurnal fluctuations in vision had clinical examination and videokeratography (TMS-1, Computed Anatomy Inc.) in the morning and evening of the same day a mean of 10.3 years (range 7.8 to 11.7 years) after RK. The videokeratographs were analyzed in terms of various indexes generated by custom-designed software. Morning-to-evening changes in the means of the various clinical and videokeratographic values were assessed using pairwise methods. RESULTS: The mean increase in myopia was 0.36 diopters (D) +/- 0.58 (SD) from morning to evening (P < .01). Analysis of the videokeratographs showed a corresponding increase in average corneal power (ACP), reflecting a steepening of 0.52 +/- 0.45 D (P < .001). The change in ACP was correlated with a change in the manifest spherical equivalent refraction (R = 0.39, P = .03) and a change in best spectacle-corrected visual acuity (R = 0.38, P = .03) over the same period. Similarly, simulated keratometry (SimK) readings correlated with the change in the manifest spherical equivalent refraction (R = 0.38, P = .03 for SimK1; R = 0.37, P = .35 for SimK2; R = 0.4, P = .02 for average SimK), although the standard clinical keratometric data did not (P = .26 for K1, P = .11 for K2, and P = .09 for the mean K). The elevation depression magnitude, a measure of the low-frequency irregularities of the cornea, showed a decrease of 0.32 +/- 1.59, which also correlated with the change in the manifest spherical equivalent refraction (R = 0.37, P = .04). Intraocular pressure tended to decrease from morning to evening (mean change of -0.97 +/- 3.29 mm Hg), but the difference was not significant. Variations in IOP in individual patients, however, were correlated with changes in the manifest spherical equivalent refraction (R = 0.37, P = .04). CONCLUSIONS: Diurnal fluctuations in corneal topographic indexes can be used to evaluate the diurnal fluctuations in refraction and visual acuity after RK. The study findings provide statistical support for the idea that IOP contributes to the diurnal fluctuation in visual acuity after RK.

Adult↗
PubMed2005

ER stress-regulated translation increases tolerance to extreme hypoxia and promotes tumor growth.

Tumor cell adaptation to hypoxic stress is an important determinant of malignant progression. While much emphasis has been placed on the role of HIF-1 in this context, the role of additional mechanisms has not been adequately explored. Here we demonstrate that cells cultured under hypoxic/anoxic conditions and transformed cells in hypoxic areas of tumors activate a translational control program known as the integrated stress response (ISR), which adapts cells to endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress. Inactivation of ISR signaling by mutations in the ER kinase PERK and the translation initiation factor eIF2alpha or by a dominant-negative PERK impairs cell survival under extreme hypoxia. Tumors derived from these mutant cell lines are smaller and exhibit higher levels of apoptosis in hypoxic areas compared to tumors with an intact ISR. Moreover, expression of the ISR targets ATF4 and CHOP was noted in hypoxic areas of human tumor biopsy samples. Collectively, these findings demonstrate that activation of the ISR is required for tumor cell adaptation to hypoxia, and suggest that this pathway is an attractive target for antitumor modalities.

Activating Transcription Factor 4↗
PubMed2005

The novel triterpenoid CDDO-Me suppresses MAPK pathways and promotes p38 activation in acute myeloid leukemia cells.

Development of novel therapeutic strategies is a continuing challenge for the treatment of acute myeloid leukemia (AML). The novel triterpenoid, C-28 methyl ester of 2-cyano-3,12-dioxoolen-1,9-dien-28-oic acid (CDDO-Me), induces apoptosis in myeloid leukemic cell lines and in primary AML samples. In this report, the effects of CDDO-Me on CD34(+) AML progenitor cells in vitro were examined. CDDO-Me induced apoptosis in all but one of ten AML samples. CDDO-Me is known to inhibit the activation of ERK1/2. In this series of primary AML samples, ERK was expressed and phosphorylated in all patient samples studied and CDDO-Me inhibited ERK phosphorylation in five of 10 samples. However, CDDO-Me induced apoptosis in four of five samples without decreasing pERK levels, suggesting that pERK is not the sole target of the compound. CDDO-Me induced phosphorylation of p38 in AML-derived U937 cells. Pretreatment of U937 cells with a p38 inhibitor protected cells from the cyto-toxic effects of CDDO-Me. These findings suggest a role for p38 in CDDO-Me-induced apoptosis. In preliminary studies, CDDO-Me induced p38 phosphorylation in seven of eight primary AML samples. These findings suggest that CDDO-Me treatment shifts cell signaling away from cyto-protective pathways and thus CDDO-Me may be effective for the treatment of AML.

Acute Disease↗
PubMed2006

Enhanced selenium effect on growth arrest by BiP/GRP78 knockdown in p53-null human prostate cancer cells.

Redox modification of thiol/disulfide interchange in proteins by selenium could lead to protein unfolding. When this occurs in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER), a process known as unfolded protein response (UPR) is orchestrated for survival through activation of PERK-eIF2alpha (PERK: double-stranded RNA-activated protein kinase-like ER kinase; eIF2alpha: eucaryotic initiation factor 2alpha), ATFalpha (ATFalpha: activating transcription factor 6) and inositol requiring 1 (IRE1)-x-box-binding protein 1 (XBP1) signalings. All three UPR transducer pathways were upregulated very rapidly when PC-3 cells were exposed to selenium. These changes were accompanied by increased expression of UPR target genes, including immunoglobulin heavy chain-binding protein/glucose-regulated protein, 78 kDa and CCAAT/enhancer binding protein-homologous protein/growth arrest- and DNA damage-inducible gene (CHOP/GADD153). Induction of BiP/GRP78, an ER-resident chaperone, is part of the damage control mechanism, while CHOP/GADD153 is a transcription factor associated with growth arrest and apoptosis in the event of prolonged ER stress. Knocking down BiP/GRP78 induction by small interference RNA produced a differential response of the three transducers to selenium, suggesting that the signaling intensity of each transducer could be fine-tuned depending on BiP/GRP78 availability. In the presence of selenium, CHOP/GADD153 expression was raised even higher by BiP/GRP78 knockdown. Under this condition, the selenium effect on wild-type p53-activated fragment p21 (p21(WAF)), cyclin-dependent kinase (CDK)1 and CDK2 was also magnified in a manner consistent with enhanced cell growth arrest. Additional experiments with CHOP/GADD153 siRNA knockdown strongly suggested that CHOP/GADD153 may play a positive role in upregulating the expression of p21(WAF) in a p53-independent manner (PC-3 cells are p53 null). Collectively, the above findings support the idea that UPR could be an important mechanism in mediating the anticancer activity of selenium.

CDC2 Protein Kinase↗
PubMed2006

Celecoxib upregulates endoplasmic reticulum chaperones that inhibit celecoxib-induced apoptosis in human gastric cells.

Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) induce apoptosis in cancer cells and this effect is involved in their antitumor activity. We recently demonstrated that NSAIDs upregulate GRP78, an endoplasmic reticulum (ER) chaperone, in gastric mucosal cells in primary culture. In the present study, induction of ER chaperones by NSAIDs and the effect of those chaperones on NSAID-induced apoptosis were examined in human gastric carcinoma cells. Celecoxib, an NSAID, upregulated ER chaperones (GRP78 and its cochaperones ERdj3 and ERdj4) but also C/EBP homologous transcription factor (CHOP), a transcription factor involved in apoptosis. Celecoxib also upregulated GRP78 in xenograft tumors, accompanying with the suppression of tumor growth in nude mice. Celecoxib caused phosphorylation of eukaryotic translation initiation factor 2 kinase (PERK) and eukaryotic initiation factor-2alpha (eIF2alpha) and production of activating transcription factor (ATF)4 mRNA. Suppression of ATF4 expression by small interfering RNA (siRNA) partially inhibited the celecoxib-dependent upregulation of GRP78. Celecoxib increased the intracellular Ca2+ concentration, while 1,2-bis(2-aminophenoxy)ethane-N,N,N'N'-tetraacetic acid, an intracellular Ca2+ chelator, inhibited the upregulation of GRP78 and ATF4. These results suggest that the Ca2+-dependent activation of the PERK-eIF2alpha-ATF4 pathway is involved in the upregulation of ER chaperones by celecoxib. Overexpression of GRP78 partially suppressed the apoptosis and induction of CHOP in the presence of celecoxib and this suppression was stimulated by coexpression of either ERdj3 or ERdj4. On the other hand, suppression of GRP78 expression by siRNA drastically stimulated cellular apoptosis and production of CHOP in the presence of celecoxib. These results show that upregulation of ER chaperones by celecoxib protects cancer cells from celecoxib-induced apoptosis, thus may decrease the potential antitumor activity of celecoxib.

Activating Transcription Factor 4↗
PubMed2001

Chronic morphine exposure increases the phosphorylation of MAP kinases and the transcription factor CREB in dorsal root ganglion neurons: an in vitro and in vivo study.

Tolerance to opiates reduces their effectiveness in the treatment of severe pain. Although the mechanisms are unclear, overactivity of pro-nociceptive systems has been proposed to contribute to this phenomenon. We have reported that the development of morphine tolerance significantly increased calcitonin-gene-related-peptide-like immunoreactivity (CGRP-IR) in primary sensory afferents of the spinal dorsal horn, suggesting that changes in pain-related neuropeptides in the dorsal root ganglion (DRG) neurons may be involved (Menard et al., 1996, J. Neurosci., 16, 2342-2351). Recently, we have shown that repeated morphine treatments induced increases in CGRP- and substance P (SP)-IR in cultured DRG, mimicking the in vivo effects (Ma et al., 2000, Neuroscience, 99, 529-539). In this study, we investigated the intracellular signal transduction pathways possibly involved in morphine-induced increases in CGRP- and SP-IR in DRG neurons. Repeated morphine exposure (10-20 microm) for 6 days increased the number of neurons expressing phosphorylated (p) mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinases, including the extracellular signal-regulated kinase (pERK), c-jun N-terminal kinase (pJNK) and P38 (pP38 MAPK). The number of neurons expressing phosphorylated cAMP responsive element binding protein (pCREB) was also markedly increased in morphine-exposed cultured DRG neurons. pERK-, pP38-, pJNK- and pCREB-IR were colocalized with CGRP-IR in cultured DRG neurons. Naloxone effectively blocked these actions of morphine, whereas a selective MEK1 inhibitor, PD98059, inhibited the morphine-induced increase in the phosphorylation of ERK and CREB, and the expression of CGRP and SP. Moreover, in morphine-tolerant rats, the number of pCREB-, CGRP- and SP-IR neurons in the lumbar DRG was also significantly increased. These in vitro and in vivo data suggest that the phosphorylation of MAP kinases and CREB plays a role in the morphine-induced increase in spinal CGRP and SP levels in primary sensory afferents, contributing to the development of tolerance to opioid-induced analgesia.

Animals↗
PubMed2003

Fibrogenic stresses activate different mitogen-activated protein kinase pathways in renal epithelial, endothelial or fibroblast cell populations.

Fibrogenic stresses promote progression of renal tubulointerstitial fibrosis, disparately affecting survival, proliferation and trans-differentiation of intrinsic renal cell populations through ill-defined biomolecular pathways. We investigated the effect of fibrogenic stresses on the activation of cell-specific mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) in renal fibroblast, epithelial and endothelial cell populations. The relative outcomes (cell death, proliferation, trans-differentiation) associated with activation or inhibition of extracellular-regulated protein kinase (ERK) or stress activated/c-Jun N terminal kinase (JNK) were analysed in each renal cell population after challenge with oxidative stress (1 mmol/L H2O2), transforming growth factor-beta1 (TGF-beta1, 10 ng/mL) or tumour necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha, 50 ng/mL) over 0-20 h. Apoptosis increased significantly in all cell types after oxidative stress (P < 0.05). In fibroblasts, oxidative stress caused the activation of ERK (pERK) but not JNK (pJNK). Inhibition of ERK by PD98059 supported its role in a fibroblast death pathway. In epithelial and endothelial cells, oxidative stress-induced apoptosis was preceded by early induction of pERK, but its inhibition did not support a pro-apoptotic role. Early ERK activity may be conducive to their survival or promote the trans-differentiation of epithelial cells. In epithelial and endothelial cells, oxidative stress induced pJNK acutely. Pretreatment with SP600125 (JNK inhibitor) verified its pro-apoptotic activity only in epithelial cells. Transforming growth factor-beta1 did not significantly alter mitosis or apoptosis in any of the cell types, nor did it alter MAPK activity. Tumor necrosis factor-alpha caused increased apoptosis with no associated change in MAPK activity. Our results demonstrate renal cell-specific differences in the activation of ERK and JNK following fibrotic insult, which may be useful for targeting excessive fibroblast proliferation in chronic fibrosis.

Animals↗
PubMed2002

The protein kinase/endoribonuclease IRE1alpha that signals the unfolded protein response has a luminal N-terminal ligand-independent dimerization domain.

In response to accumulation of unfolded proteins in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER), cells activate an intracellular signal transduction pathway called the unfolded protein response (UPR). IRE and PERK are the two type-I ER transmembrane protein kinase receptors that signal the UPR. The N-terminal luminal domains (NLDs) of IRE1 and PERK sense ER stress conditions by a common mechanism and transmit the signal to regulate the cytoplasmic domains of these receptors. To provide an experimental system amenable to detailed biochemical and structural analysis to elucidate the mechanism of ER-transmembrane signaling mechanism mediated by the NLD, we overexpressed the soluble luminal domain of human IRE1alpha in COS-1 cells by transient DNA transfection. Here we report the expression, purification, and characterization of the soluble NLD. The biological function of the NLD was confirmed by its ability to associate with itself and to interact with both the membrane-bound full-length IRE1alpha receptor and the ER chaperone BiP. Functional and spectral studies suggested that the highly conserved N-linked glycosylation site is not required for proper protein folding and self-association. Interestingly, we demonstrated that the NLD forms stable dimers linked by intermolecular disulfide bridges. Our data support that the luminal domain represents a novel ligand-independent dimerization domain.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed2005

The unfolded protein response modulates toxicity of the expanded glutamine androgen receptor.

Kennedy disease, a degenerative disorder caused by an expanded glutamine tract, is mediated by misfolding of the mutant androgen receptor (AR) protein, a process that may disrupt proteasome function. We hypothesized that this might lead to endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress and induction of the unfolded protein response (UPR), a complex physiologic pathway that regulates cell survival. To test this hypothesis, we used aminoterminal fragments of wild type (AR16Q) or mutant (AR112Q) AR that triggered glutamine length-dependent cell death and activated an ER stress-inducible promoter. To evaluate the role of the UPR, we examined the contributions of three proximal sensors of ER stress: activating transcription factor 6 (ATF6), inositol requiring 1 (IRE1), and PKR-like endoplasmic reticulum kinase (PERK). AR112Q toxicity was significantly increased by a dominant negative ATF6 mutant and significantly decreased by a constitutively active ATF6 mutant, indicating that ATF6 promoted cell survival. In contrast, co-transfection with three separate IRE1alpha dominant negative mutants failed to alter glutamine length-dependent toxicity, suggesting that this arm of the UPR did not significantly affect AR112Q induced cell death. Activation of PERK, an ER transmembrane protein that functions as the third proximal UPR sensor, promoted glutamine length-dependent toxicity. Although nuclear localization sequence- and nuclear export sequence-targeted proteins both activated the UPR, this pathway more potently influenced toxicity when proteins were targeted to the cytoplasm. Taken together, our data demonstrate that the UPR is activated in cells expressing long glutamine tracts and that this pathway modulates polyglutamine toxicity.

Activating Transcription Factor 6↗
PubMed2001

Feedback inhibition of the unfolded protein response by GADD34-mediated dephosphorylation of eIF2alpha.

Phosphorylation of the alpha subunit of eukaryotic translation initiation factor 2 (eIF2alpha) on serine 51 integrates general translation repression with activation of stress-inducible genes such as ATF4, CHOP, and BiP in the unfolded protein response. We sought to identify new genes active in this phospho-eIF2alpha-dependent signaling pathway by screening a library of recombinant retroviruses for clones that inhibit the expression of a CHOP::GFP reporter. A retrovirus encoding the COOH terminus of growth arrest and DNA damage gene (GADD)34, also known as MYD116 (Fornace, A.J., D.W. Neibert, M.C. Hollander, J.D. Luethy, M. Papathanasiou, J. Fragoli, and N.J. Holbrook. 1989. Mol. Cell. Biol. 9:4196-4203; Lord K.A., B. Hoffman-Lieberman, and D.A. Lieberman. 1990. Nucleic Acid Res. 18:2823), was isolated and found to attenuate CHOP (also known as GADD153) activation by both protein malfolding in the endoplasmic reticulum, and amino acid deprivation. Despite normal activity of the cognate stress-inducible eIF2alpha kinases PERK (also known as PEK) and GCN2, phospho-eIF2alpha levels were markedly diminished in GADD34-overexpressing cells. GADD34 formed a complex with the catalytic subunit of protein phosphatase 1 (PP1c) that specifically promoted the dephosphorylation of eIF2alpha in vitro. Mutations that interfered with the interaction with PP1c prevented the dephosphorylation of eIF2alpha and blocked attenuation of CHOP by GADD34. Expression of GADD34 is stress dependent, and was absent in PERK(-)/- and GCN2(-)/- cells. These findings implicate GADD34-mediated dephosphorylation of eIF2alpha in a negative feedback loop that inhibits stress-induced gene expression, and that might promote recovery from translational inhibition in the unfolded protein response.

Activating Transcription Factor 4↗
PubMed2006

Intrinsic capacities of molecular sensors of the unfolded protein response to sense alternate forms of endoplasmic reticulum stress.

The unfolded protein response (UPR) regulates the protein-folding capacity of the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) according to cellular demand. In mammalian cells, three ER transmembrane components, IRE1, PERK, and ATF6, initiate distinct UPR signaling branches. We show that these UPR components display distinct sensitivities toward different forms of ER stress. ER stress induced by ER Ca2+ release in particular revealed fundamental differences in the properties of UPR signaling branches. Compared with the rapid response of both IRE1 and PERK to ER stress induced by thapsigargin, an ER Ca2+ ATPase inhibitor, the response of ATF6 was markedly delayed. These studies are the first side-by-side comparisons of UPR signaling branch activation and reveal intrinsic features of UPR stress sensor activation in response to alternate forms of ER stress. As such, they provide initial groundwork toward understanding how ER stress sensors can confer different responses and how optimal UPR responses are achieved in physiological settings.

Activating Transcription Factor 6↗
PubMed2004

A comprehensive expression analysis of the Arabidopsis proline-rich extensin-like receptor kinase gene family using bioinformatic and experimental approaches.

The Arabidopsis proline-rich extensin-like receptor kinase (PERK) family consists of 15 predicted receptor kinases. A comprehensive expression analysis was undertaken to identify overlapping and unique expression patterns within this family relative to their phylogeny. Three different approaches were used to study AtPERK gene family expression, and included analyses of the EST, MPSS and NASCArrays databases as well as experimental RNA blot analyses. Some of the AtPERK members were identified as tissue-specific genes while others were more broadly expressed. While in some cases there was a good association between these different expression patterns and the position of the AtPERK members in the kinase phylogeny, in other cases divergence of expression patterns was seen. The PERK expression data identified by the bioinformatics and experimental approaches were found generally to show similar trends and supported the use of data from large-scale expression studies for obtaining preliminary expression data. Thus, the bioinformatics survey for ESTs and microarrays is a powerful comprehensive approach for obtaining a genome-wide view of genes in a multigene family.

Arabidopsis↗
PubMed2005

Hepatitis C virus envelope proteins regulate CHOP via induction of the unfolded protein response.

Unfolded protein response (UPR) is a cellular adaptive response that functions to reduce stress caused by malfolded proteins in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER). UPR can be induced under physiological or pathological conditions and is responsible for the pathogenesis of many human diseases. Hepatitis C virus (HCV) is a single-stranded, positive-sense RNA virus causing chronic diseases. Its genome encodes two envelope proteins E1 and E2, which mature in the ER to form a noncovalently bound, native complex and disulfide aggregates and have previously been shown to induce expression of the molecular chaperone immunoglobulin heavy chain binding protein. In this study, we show that HCV envelope protein expression regulates another stress indicator CCAAT/enhancer-binding protein-homologous protein (CHOP). The ER-stress element and the activating transcription factor 4 element in the CHOP promoter were activated to a similar extent by HCV envelope protein expression. Using mouse embryonic fibroblasts deficient in the ER stress kinase RNA-activated protein kinase-like ER-resident kinase (PERK), we showed that PERK was necessary and sufficient for activating the CHOP promoter. Expression of HCV E1 and/or E2 also induced splicing of X-box binding protein 1 and transactivation of the unfolded protein response element, leading to the speculation that HCV E1 and E2 not only regulate the UPR but also ER-associated degradation.

DNA-Binding Proteins↗
PubMed2006

Endoplasmic reticulum stress exacerbates ischemia-reperfusion-induced apoptosis through attenuation of Akt protein synthesis in human choriocarcinoma cells.

Oxidative stress is central to ischemia-reperfusion injury. The role of the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) in this process is uncertain. In ER signaling, PERK-Nrf2 and Ire-CHOP are two pathways that determine cell fate under stress. PERK-Nrf2 up-regulates antioxidant enzyme expression whereas Ire-CHOP promotes apoptosis. We have identified a novel pathway in ER stress-induced apoptosis after ischemia-reperfusion in vitro involving translational suppression of the survival kinase PKB/Akt (Akt), and elucidated an alternative protective role of antioxidants in the regulation of Akt activity. Using human choriocarcinoma JEG-3 cells, we found that sustained activation of ER stress by tunicamycin or thapsigargin exacerbated apoptosis in oxygen-glucose-deprived cells during reoxygenation. This was mediated via a reduction in phosphorylated Akt secondary to down-regulation of protein translation rather than suppression of phosphorylation. Transient overexpression of wild-type Akt, but not kinase-dead Akt, in JEG-3 cells diminished tunicamycin-OGD reoxygenation-induced apoptosis. The antioxidants Trolox and Edaravone reduced apoptosis, but the protective effect of Trolox was abrogated by the PI3K inhibitor, LY294002. We speculate that sustained ER stress may contribute to the placental dysfunction seen in human pregnancy complications.

Apoptosis↗
PubMed2005

Human cytomegalovirus infection activates and regulates the unfolded protein response.

Viral infection causes stress to the endoplasmic reticulum. The response to endoplasmic reticulum stress, known as the unfolded protein response (UPR), is designed to eliminate misfolded proteins and allow the cell to recover by attenuating translation and upregulating the expression of chaperones, degradation factors, and factors that regulate the cell's metabolic and redox environment. Some consequences of the UPR (e.g., expression of chaperones and regulation of the metabolism and redox environment) may be advantageous to the viral infection; however, translational attenuation would not. Thus, viruses may induce mechanisms which modulate the UPR, maintaining beneficial aspects and suppressing deleterious aspects. We demonstrate that human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) infection induces the UPR but specifically regulates the three branches of UPR signaling, PKR-like ER kinase (PERK), activating transcription factor 6 (ATF6), and inositol-requiring enzyme 1 (IRE-1), to favor viral replication. HCMV infection activated the eIF2alpha kinase PERK; however, the amount of phosphorylated eIF2alpha was limited and translation attenuation did not occur. Interestingly, translation of select mRNAs, which is dependent on eIF2alpha phosphorylation, did occur, including the transcription factor ATF4, which activates genes which may benefit the infection. The endoplasmic reticulum stress-induced activation of the transcription factor ATF6 was suppressed in HCMV-infected cells; however, specific chaperone genes, normally activated by ATF6, were activated by a virus-induced, ATF6-independent mechanism. Lastly, HCMV infection activated the IRE-1 pathway, as indicated by splicing of Xbp-1 mRNA. However, transcriptional activation of the XBP-1 target gene EDEM (ER degradation-enhancing alpha-mannosidase-like protein, a protein degradation factor) was inhibited. These results suggest that, although HCMV infection induces the unfolded protein response, it modifies the outcome to benefit viral replication.

Activating Transcription Factor 4↗
PubMed2004

Characterization of stanniocalcin 2, a novel target of the mammalian unfolded protein response with cytoprotective properties.

Accumulation of misfolded proteins in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) induces a highly conserved homeostatic response in all eukaryotic cells, termed the unfolded-protein response (UPR). Here we describe the characterization of stanniocalcin 2 (STC2), a mammalian homologue of a calcium- and phosphate-regulating hormone first identified in fish, as a novel target of the UPR. Expression of STC2 gene is rapidly upregulated in cultured cells after exposure to tunicamycin and thapsigargin, by ATF4 after activation of the ER-resident kinase PERK. In addition, STC2 expression is also activated in neuronal cells by oxidative stress and hypoxia but not by several cellular stresses unrelated to the UPR. In contrast, expression of another homologue, STC1, is only upregulated by hypoxia independent of PERK or ATF4 expression. In vivo studies revealed that rat cortical neurons rapidly upregulate STC2 after transient middle cerebral artery occlusion. Finally, siRNA-mediated inhibition of STC2 expression renders N2a neuroblastoma cells and HeLa cells significantly more vulnerable to apoptotic cell death after treatment with thapsigargin, and overexpression of STC2 attenuated thapsigargin-induced cell death. Consequently, induced STC2 expression is an essential feature of survival component of the UPR.

Activating Transcription Factors↗
PubMed2006

Early activation of endoplasmic reticulum stress is associated with arginine-induced acute pancreatitis.

Endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress mechanisms have been found to play critical roles in a number of diseases states, such as diabetes mellitus and Alzheimer disease, but whether they are involved in acute pancreatitis is unknown. Here we show for the first time that all major ER stress sensing and signaling mechanisms are present in exocrine acini and are activated early in the arginine model of experimental acute pancreatitis. Pancreatitis was induced in rats by intraperitoneal injection of 4.0 g/kg body wt arginine. Pancreatitis severity was assessed by analysis of serum amylase, pancreatic trypsin activity, water content, and histology. ER stress-related molecules PERK, eIF2alpha, ATF6, XBP-1, BiP, CHOP, and caspase-12 were analyzed. Arginine treatment induced rapid and severe pancreatitis, as indicated by increased serum amylase, pancreatic tissue edema, and acinar cell damage within 4 h. Arginine treatment also caused an early activation of ER stress, as indicated by phosphorylation of PERK and its downstream target eIF2alpha, ATF6 translocation into the nucleus (within 1 h), and upregulation of BiP (within 4 h). XBP-1 splicing and CHOP expression were observed within 8 h. After 24 h, increased activation of the ER stress-related proapoptotic molecule caspase-12 was observed along with an increase in caspase-3 activity and TdT (terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase)-mediated dUDP nick-end labeling (TUNEL) staining in exocrine acini. These results indicate that ER stress is an important early acinar cell event that likely contributes to the development of acute pancreatitis in the arginine model.

Animals↗