Project description:The endoplasmic reticulum (ER) has emerged as a critical regulator of cell survival. IRE1 is a transmembrane protein with kinase and RNase activities that is localized to the ER and that promotes resistance to ER stress. We showed a mechanism by which IRE1 conferred protection against ER stress-mediated cell death. IRE1 signaling prevented ER membrane permeabilization mediated by Bax and Bak and cell death in cells experiencing ER stress. Suppression of IRE1 signaling triggered by its kinase activity led to the accumulation of the BH3 domain-containing protein Bnip3, which in turn triggered the oligomerization of Bax and Bak in the ER membrane and ER membrane permeabilization. Consequently, in response to ER stress, cells deficient in IRE1 were susceptible to leakage of ER contents, which was associated with the accumulation of calcium in mitochondria, oxidative stress in the cytosol, and ultimately cell death. Our results reveal a role for IRE1 in preventing a cell death-initializing step that emanates from the ER and provide a potential target for treating diseases characterized by ER stress, including diabetes and Wolfram syndrome.
Project description:Isomeric lysosphingolipids, galactosylsphingosine (GalSph) and glucosylsphingosine (GlcSph), are present in only minute levels in healthy cells. Due to defects in their lysosomal hydrolysis, they accumulate at high levels and cause cytotoxicity in patients with Krabbe and Gaucher diseases, respectively. Here, we show that GalSph and GlcSph induce lysosomal membrane permeabilization, a hallmark of lysosome-dependent cell death, in human breast cancer cells (MCF7) and primary fibroblasts. Supporting lysosomal leakage as a causative event in lysosphingolipid-induced cytotoxicity, treatment of MCF7 cells with lysosome-stabilizing cholesterol prevented GalSph- and GlcSph-induced cell death almost completely. In line with this, fibroblasts from a patient with Niemann-Pick type C disease, which is caused by defective lysosomal cholesterol efflux, were significantly less sensitive to lysosphingolipid-induced lysosomal leakage and cell death. Prompted by the data showing that MCF7 cells with acquired resistance to lysosome-destabilizing cationic amphiphilic drugs (CADs) were partially resistant to the cell death induced by GalSph and GlcSph, we compared these cell death pathways with each other. Like CADs, GalSph and GlcSph activated the cyclic AMP (cAMP) signalling pathway, and cAMP-inducing forskolin sensitized cells to cell death induced by low concentrations of lysosphingolipids. Contrary to CADs, lysosphingolipid-induced cell death was independent of lysosomal Ca2+ efflux through P2X purinerigic receptor 4. These data reveal GalSph and GlcSph as lysosome-destabilizing lipids, whose putative use in cancer therapy should be further investigated. Furthermore, the data supports the development of lysosome stabilizing drugs for the treatment of Krabbe and Gaucher diseases and possibly other sphingolipidoses.
Project description:Necroptosis and pyroptosis are two forms of regulated cell death. They are executed by the proteins mixed-lineage kinase domain-like (MLKL) and gasdermin D (GSDMD), respectively. Once activated by numerous pathways, these proteins form membrane pores that allow the influx and efflux of various ions, proteins, and water, ultimately resulting in the death of the cell. These modalities of cell death are considered highly inflammatory because of the release of inflammatory cytokines and damage-associated molecular patterns, and are thereby not only deleterious for the dying cell itself, but also its environment or the entire organism. The relevance for these processes has been observed in various physiological and pathophysiological conditions, ranging from viral and bacterial infections over autoimmune and chronic inflammatory diseases to ischemic organ damage. In recent years, initial in vitro experiments have shed light on a range of connections between necroptosis and pyroptosis. Initial in vivo studies also indicate that, in many disease models, these two forms of cell death cannot be considered individually, as they demonstrate a complex interaction. In this article, we provide an overview of the currently known structure, pathways of activation, and functions of MLKL and GSDMD. With emerging evidence for an interconnection between necroptosis and pyroptosis in not only in vitro, but also in vivo models of disease, we highlight in particular the clinical relevance of the crosslinks between these two forms of inflammatory cell death and their implications for novel therapeutic strategies in a variety of diseases.
Project description:Productive HIV infection of CD4(+) T cells leads to a caspase-independent cell death pathway associated with lysosomal membrane permeabilization (LMP) and cathepsin release, resulting in mitochondrial outer membrane permeabilization (MOMP). Herein, we demonstrate that HIV infection induces damage-regulated autophagy modulator (DRAM) expression in a p53-dependent manner. Knocking down the expression of DRAM and p53 genes with specific siRNAs inhibited autophagy and LMP. However, inhibition of Atg5 and Beclin genes that prevents autophagy had a minor effect on LMP and cell death. The knock down of DRAM gene inhibited cytochrome C release, MOMP and cell death. However, knocking down DRAM, we increased viral infection and production. Our study shows for the first time the involvement of DRAM in host-pathogen interactions, which may represent a mechanism of defense via the elimination of infected cells.
Project description:The integral membrane protein ATG9A plays a key role in autophagy. It displays a broad intracellular distribution and is present in numerous compartments, including the plasma membrane (PM). The reasons for the distribution of ATG9A to the PM and its role at the PM are not understood. Here, we show that ATG9A organizes, in concert with IQGAP1, components of the ESCRT system and uncover cooperation between ATG9A, IQGAP1 and ESCRTs in protection from PM damage. ESCRTs and ATG9A phenocopied each other in protection against PM injury. ATG9A knockouts sensitized the PM to permeabilization by a broad spectrum of microbial and endogenous agents, including gasdermin, MLKL and the MLKL-like action of coronavirus ORF3a. Thus, ATG9A engages IQGAP1 and the ESCRT system to maintain PM integrity.
Project description:Phenoxazine derivatives such as Nile Blue analogues are assumed to be increasingly relevant in cell biology due to their fluorescence staining capabilities and antifungal and anticancer activities. However, the mechanisms underlying their effects remain poorly elucidated. Using S. cerevisiae as a eukaryotic model, we found that BaP1, a novel 5- and 9-N-substituted benzo[a]phenoxazine synthesized in our laboratory, when used in low concentrations, accumulates and stains the vacuolar membrane and the endoplasmic reticulum. In contrast, at higher concentrations, BaP1 stains lipid droplets and induces a regulated cell death process mediated by vacuolar membrane permeabilization. BaP1 also induced mitochondrial fragmentation and depolarization but did not lead to ROS accumulation, changes in intracellular Ca2+, or loss of plasma membrane integrity. Additionally, our results show that the cell death process is dependent on the vacuolar protease Pep4p and that the vacuole permeabilization results in its translocation from the vacuole to the cytosol. In addition, although nucleic acids are commonly described as targets of benzo[a]phenoxazines, we did not find any alterations at the DNA level. Our observations highlight BaP1 as a promising molecule for pharmacological application, using vacuole membrane permeabilization as a targeted approach.
Project description:Increasing evidence suggests that induction of lethal macroautophagy/autophagy carries potential significance for the treatment of glioblastoma (GBM). In continuation of previous work, we demonstrate that pimozide and loperamide trigger an ATG5- and ATG7 (autophagy related 5 and 7)-dependent type of cell death that is significantly reduced with cathepsin inhibitors and the lipid reactive oxygen species (ROS) scavenger α-tocopherol in MZ-54 GBM cells. Global proteomic analysis after treatment with both drugs also revealed an increase of proteins related to lipid and cholesterol metabolic processes. These changes were accompanied by a massive accumulation of cholesterol and other lipids in the lysosomal compartment, indicative of impaired lipid transport/degradation. In line with these observations, pimozide and loperamide treatment were associated with a pronounced increase of bioactive sphingolipids including ceramides, glucosylceramides and sphingoid bases measured by targeted lipidomic analysis. Furthermore, pimozide and loperamide inhibited the activity of SMPD1/ASM (sphingomyelin phosphodiesterase 1) and promoted induction of lysosomal membrane permeabilization (LMP), as well as release of CTSB (cathepsin B) into the cytosol in MZ-54 wild-type (WT) cells. Whereas LMP and cell death were significantly attenuated in ATG5 and ATG7 knockout (KO) cells, both events were enhanced by depletion of the lysophagy receptor VCP (valosin containing protein), supporting a pro-survival function of lysophagy under these conditions. Collectively, our data suggest that pimozide and loperamide-driven autophagy and lipotoxicity synergize to induce LMP and cell death. The results also support the notion that simultaneous overactivation of autophagy and induction of LMP represents a promising approach for the treatment of GBM.Abbreviations: ACD: autophagic cell death; AKT1: AKT serine/threonine kinase 1; ATG5: autophagy related 5; ATG7: autophagy related 7; ATG14: autophagy related 14; CERS1: ceramide synthase 1; CTSB: cathepsin B; CYBB/NOX2: cytochrome b-245 beta chain; ER: endoplasmatic reticulum; FBS: fetal bovine serum; GBM: glioblastoma; GO: gene ontology; HTR7/5-HT7: 5-hydroxytryptamine receptor 7; KD: knockdown; KO: knockout; LAMP1: lysosomal associated membrane protein 1; LAP: LC3-associated phagocytosis; LMP: lysosomal membrane permeabilization; MAP1LC3B: microtubule associated protein 1 light chain 3 beta; MTOR: mechanistic target of rapamycin kinase; RB1CC1: RB1 inducible coiled-coil 1; ROS: reactive oxygen species; RPS6: ribosomal protein S6; SMPD1/ASM: sphingomyelin phosphodiesterase 1; VCP/p97: valosin containing protein; WT: wild-type.
Project description:We previously reported that the antimalarial compound quinacrine (QC) induces autophagy in ovarian cancer cells. In the current study, we uncovered that QC significantly upregulates cathepsin L (CTSL) but not cathepsin B and D levels, implicating the specific role of CTSL in promoting QC-induced autophagic flux and apoptotic cell death in OC cells. Using a Magic Red® cathepsin L activity assay and LysoTracker red, we discerned that QC-induced CTSL activation promotes lysosomal membrane permeability (LMP) resulting in the release of active CTSL into the cytosol to promote apoptotic cell death. We found that QC-induced LMP and CTSL activation promotes Bid cleavage, mitochondrial outer membrane permeabilization (MOMP), and mitochondrial cytochrome-c release. Genetic (shRNA) and pharmacological (Z-FY(tBU)-DMK) inhibition of CTSL markedly reduces QC-induced autophagy, LMP, MOMP, apoptosis, and cell death; whereas induced overexpression of CTSL in ovarian cancer cell lines has an opposite effect. Using recombinant CTSL, we identified p62/SQSTM1 as a novel substrate of CTSL, suggesting that CTSL promotes QC-induced autophagic flux. CTSL activation is specific to QC-induced autophagy since no CTSL activation is seen in ATG5 knockout cells or with the anti-malarial autophagy-inhibiting drug chloroquine. Importantly, we showed that upregulation of CTSL in QC-treated HeyA8MDR xenografts corresponds with attenuation of p62, upregulation of LC3BII, cytochrome-c, tBid, cleaved PARP, and caspase3. Taken together, the data suggest that QC-induced autophagy and CTSL upregulation promote a positive feedback loop leading to excessive autophagic flux, LMP, and MOMP to promote QC-induced cell death in ovarian cancer cells.
Project description:The ability of mitochondria to buffer a rapid rise in cytosolic Ca2+ is a hallmark of proper cell homeostasis. Here, we employed m-3M3FBS, a putative phospholipase C (PLC) agonist, to explore the relationships between intracellular Ca2+ imbalance, mitochondrial physiology, and cell death. m-3M3FBS induced a potent dose-dependent Ca2+ release from the endoplasmic reticulum (ER), followed by a rise in intra-mitochondrial Ca2+. When the latter exceeded the organelle buffering capacity, an abrupt mitochondrial inner membrane permeabilization (MIMP) occurred, releasing matrix contents into the cytosol. MIMP was followed by cell death that was independent of Bcl-2 family members and inhibitable by the intracellular Ca2+ chelator BAPTA-AM. Cyclosporin A (CsA), capable of blocking the mitochondrial permeability transition (MPT), completely prevented cell death induced by m-3M3FBS. However, CsA acted upstream of mitochondria by preventing Ca2+ release from ER stores. Therefore, loss of Ca2+ intracellular balance and mitochondrial Ca2+ overload followed by MIMP induced a cell death process that is distinct from Bcl-2 family-regulated mitochondrial outer membrane permeabilization (MOMP). Further, the inhibition of cell death by CsA or its analogues can be independent of effects on the MPT.