Dataset Information

Inhibition of the cGAS-STING pathway ameliorates the premature senescence hallmarks of Ataxia-Telangiectasia brain organoids.

ABSTRACT: Ataxia-telangiectasia (A-T) is a genetic disorder caused by the lack of functional ATM kinase. A-T is characterized by chronic inflammation, neurodegeneration and premature ageing features that are associated with increased genome instability, nuclear shape alterations, micronuclei accumulation, neuronal defects and premature entry into cellular senescence. The causal relationship between the detrimental inflammatory signature and the neurological deficiencies of A-T remains elusive. Here, we utilize human pluripotent stem cell-derived cortical brain organoids to study A-T neuropathology. Mechanistically, we show that the cGAS-STING pathway is required for the recognition of micronuclei and induction of a senescence-associated secretory phenotype (SASP) in A-T olfactory neurosphere-derived cells and brain organoids. We further demonstrate that cGAS and STING inhibition effectively suppresses self-DNA-triggered SASP expression in A-T brain organoids, inhibits astrocyte senescence and neurodegeneration, and ameliorates A-T brain organoid neuropathology. Our study thus reveals that increased cGAS and STING activity is an important contributor to chronic inflammation and premature senescence in the central nervous system of A-T and constitutes a novel therapeutic target for treating neuropathology in A-T patients.

SUBMITTER: Aguado J

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8441292 | biostudies-literature |

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

ACCESS DATA

Similar Datasets

Project description:BackgroundAn important signaling pathway connecting illness and natural immunity is the cyclic GMP-AMP synthase (cGAS)-stimulator of interferon genes (STING) pathway, but aberrant activation of this pathway is associated with the development of autoimmune and inflammatory diseases. Hence, targeted inhibition of the activation of the cGAS-STING pathway is potentially valuable in the treatment of disease. The primary active component of Salvia miltiorrhiza is total tanshinone (TTN). Research has indicated that TTN possesses noteworthy anti-inflammatory properties. However, the protective mechanism of TTN against acute liver injury (ALI) and autoimmune diseases is unknown.MethodsA model of aberrant activation of the cGAS-STING pathway was established in various cells and treated with TTN, and the expression of cGAS-STING pathway-related proteins, type I interferon, interferon stimulated genes and inflammatory factors was assessed by western blotting, real-time qPCR. Immunofluorescence analysis of the effect of TTN on the entry of associated proteins into the nucleus following aberrant activation of the cGAS-STING pathway. The effect of TTN on STING oligomerisation was investigated using 2'-3'-cyclic GMP-AMP (2',3'-cGAMP) to induce STING oligomerisation. Western blotting was used to examine the impact of TTN on the interactions of STING, tank-binding kinase 1 (TBK1), and interferon regulatory factor 3 (IRF3) after HA or Flag-labelled plasmids were transfected into HEK-293 T cells. A dimethylxanthenone-4-acetic acid (DMXAA) -induced activation model of the cGAS-STING pathway in mice was established to study the effect of TTN on aberrant activation of the cGAS-STING pathway in vivo. On the other hand, an animal model of lipopolysaccharide/D-galactosamine (LPS/D-GaIN)-induced ALI and an autoimmune disease model induced by trex1 knockout were established to study the effects of TTN on inflammatory and autoimmune diseases mediated by the cGAS-STING pathway in vivo.ResultsIn several models of aberrant activation of the cGAS-STING pathway, TTN significantly inhibited the phosphorylation of STING and IRF3, thereby suppressing the expression of type I interferon, interferon-stimulated genes and inflammatory factors. Additionally, TTN prevented P65 and IRF3 from entering the nucleus after the cGAS-STING signalling pathway was abnormally activated. Subsequent research indicated that TTN was not involved in the oligomerization of STING or the integration of STING-TBK1 and TBK1-IRF3. However, TTN was found to have a substantial effect on the binding process between STING and IRF3. On the other hand, DMXAA-induced STING activation and activation of downstream signalling in vivo are inhibited by TTN. Furthermore, TTN exhibits positive treatment effects on autoimmune diseases caused by deficiency of trex1 and LPS/D-GaIN-induced ALI.ConclusionOur research indicates that TTN effectively treats ALI and autoimmune illnesses mediated by the cGAS-STING pathway by inhibiting the abnormal activation of this pathway.

Project description:Sepsis is a severe and dysregulated inflammatory disease that often precedes the development of acute kidney injury (AKI) with consequent worsening outcome. The main characteristics of sepsis-induced AKI include endothelial cell (EC) dysfunction, infiltration of inflammatory cells, glomerular thrombosis, and renal tubular epithelial cells (RTEC) injury. Numerous studies have demonstrated that mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) activation has been implicated in the initiation and progression of renal injury in course of sepsis. However, little is known, about the molecular basis of mTOR role in EC and RTEC dysfunction. Here, we evaluate whether mTOR inhibition by Rapamycin (Rp) as potential strategy to ameliorate renal function and dissected the molecular mechanisms involved. In a mouse model of lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced AKI , LPS injection led to a time-dependent increase of serum creatinine and significant morphological changes in renal parenchyma associated with increased collagen deposits and endothelial dysfunction. Interestingly, Rp treatment significantly decreased creatine levels and preserved renal parenchyma, counteracting Endothelial-to mesenchymal transition (EndMT) process and early fibrosis through the inhibition of ERK pathway. Next, we examined the effects of LPS-TLR4 interaction in RTECs. Through a whole-genome DNA methylation analysis in cultured RTEC, we found that LPS induced aberrant methylation, particularly in regions involved in premature aging. The most represented genes were CD39 and WFS1. LPS stimulation of RTEC led to up-regulation of SA-β Gal and cell cycle arrest markers such as p21. In accordance, in endotoxemic mice, we found a decreased expression of CD39 concurrent with Klotho down-regulation. Administration of Rp exerted anti-aging effects in endotoxemic mice, preserving CD39 and Klotho expression. In conclusion, we demonstrated that mTOR inhibition could offer novel strategies to protect endothelial and tubular compartment from accelerated aging and fibrosis thus counteracting the progression to chronic kidney disease.

Dataset Information

Inhibition of the cGAS-STING pathway ameliorates the premature senescence hallmarks of Ataxia-Telangiectasia brain organoids.

Similar Datasets

OmicsDI is part of the ELIXIR infrastructure

Tweets