Heme oxygenase-1 regulates cardiac mitochondrial biogenesis via Nrf2-mediated transcriptional control of nuclear respiratory factor-1.

ABSTRACT: Heme oxygenase (HO)-1 is a protective antioxidant enzyme that prevents cardiomyocyte apoptosis, for instance, during progressive cardiomyopathy. Here we identify a fundamental aspect of the HO-1 protection mechanism by demonstrating that HO-1 activity in mouse heart stimulates the bigenomic mitochondrial biogenesis program via induction of NF-E2-related factor (Nrf)2 gene expression and nuclear translocation. Nrf2 upregulates the mRNA, protein, and activity for HO-1 as well as mRNA and protein for nuclear respiratory factor (NRF)-1. Mechanistically, in cardiomyocytes, endogenous carbon monoxide (CO) generated by HO-1 overexpression stimulates superoxide dismutase-2 upregulation and mitochondrial H(2)O(2) production, which activates Akt/PKB. Akt deactivates glycogen synthase kinase-3beta, w

SUBMITTER: Piantadosi CA 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2694963 | biostudies-literature | 2008 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature