Tom70 mediates Sendai virus-induced apoptosis on mitochondria.
Ontology highlight
ABSTRACT: Virus infection triggers immediate innate immune responses. Apoptosis represents another effective means to restrict virus invasion, besides robust expression of host cytokines and chemokines. IRF3 was recently demonstrated to be indispensable for Sendai virus (SeV)-induced apoptosis, but the underlying mechanism is not fully understood. Here we report that a dynamic protein complex, Tom70/Hsp90/IRF3/Bax, mediates SeV-induced apoptosis. The cytosolic proapoptotic protein Bax interacts specifically with IRF3 upon virus infection. The mitochondrial outer membrane protein Tom70 recruits IRF3 to mitochondria via Hsp90. Consequently, the relocation of Bax onto mitochondria induces the leakage of cytochrome c into the cytosol and initiates the corresponding apoptosis. Interestingly, IKK-i is essential for this apoptosis, whereas TBK1 is dispensable. Collectively, our study characterizes a novel protein complex that is important for SeV-induced apoptosis.Apoptosis is an effective means of sacrificing virus-infected cells and restraining the spread of virus. In this study, we demonstrate that IRF3 associates with Bax upon virus infection. Tom70 recruits this protein complex to the mitochondrial outer membrane through Hsp90, which thus induces the release of cytochrome c into the cytosol, initiating virus-induced apoptosis. Interestingly, IKK-i plays an essential role in this activation. This study uncovers a novel mechanism of SeV-induced apoptosis.
Project description:We studied the role of Bim, a pro-apoptotic BCL-2 family member in Airborne particulate matter (PM 2.5 microm)-induced apoptosis in alveolar epithelial cells (AEC). PM induced AEC apoptosis by causing significant reduction of mitochondrial membrane potential and increase in caspase-9, caspase-3 and PARP-1 activation. PM upregulated pro-apoptotic protein Bim and enhanced translocation of Bim to the mitochondria. ShRNABim blocked PM-induced apoptosis by preventing activation of the mitochondrial death pathway suggesting a role of Bim in the regulation of mitochondrial pathway in AEC. Accordingly, we provide the evidence that Bim mediates PM-induced apoptosis via mitochondrial pathway.
Project description:BackgroundUltraviolet-inactivated, replication-defective Sendai virus particles (Z strain) have displayed antitumor effect through enhancing the immune responses or inducing apoptosis in a variety of carcinomas. Sendai virus strain Tianjin was isolated from the lungs of marmoset and proved to be a novel genotype of Sendai virus. In this study, we explored the antitumor effect and its mechanism of ultraviolet-inactivated, replication-defective Sendai virus strain Tianjin (UV-Tianjin) in mice bearing CT26 colon carcinoma.MethodsThree injections of UV-Tianjin were delivered into CT26 tumors growing on the back of BALB/c mice. Tumor size was measured in a blinded manner and survival rate of mice was calculated. In order to make clear antitumor mechanism of UV-Tianjin, the maturation and interleukin-6 (IL-6) release from murine myeloid dendritic cells (DCs) was examined by flow cytometry or ELISA assay after induced by UV-Tianjin and compared with those of live virus. Moreover, real-time RT-PCR and immunohistochemistry was performed to identify whether UV-Tianjin could induce infiltration of DCs, CD4⁺ and CD8⁺ T cells into tumors. The TUNEL assay was done to observe the apoptosis of CT26 tumor cells after UV-Tianjin injection.ResultsIn animal model, UV-Tianjin could obviously inhibit the growth of CT26 tumors and prolong the survival of the tumor-bearing mice compared with control group (P < 0.01). In vitro murine DCs stimulated by UV-Tianjin underwent dose-dependent maturation, similar to that elicited by live virus. And the secretion amount of IL-6 from DCs induced by UV-Tianjin was a little lower than that released in the presence of live virus. Real-time RT-PCR and immunohistochemistry revealed that UV-Tianjin induced a remarkable infiltration of DCs, CD4⁺ and CD8⁺ T cells into tumors. The TUNEL assay showed that the apoptosis index of tumor tissues injected with UV-Tianjin was significantly higher than that of control group (P < 0.01).ConclusionsOur results have demonstrated that UV-Tianjin alone could inhibit the growth of CT26 tumor in mice through enhancing host antitumor immunity and inducing apoptosis of tumor cells. Therefore, UV-Tianjin shows its prospect as a novel drug for carcinoma therapy.
Project description:The hexameric AAA-ATPase valosin-containing protein (VCP) is essential for mitochondrial protein quality control. How VCP is recruited to mammalian mitochondria remains obscure. Here we report that UBXD8, an ER- and lipid droplet-localized VCP adaptor, also localizes to mitochondria and locally recruits VCP. UBXD8 associates with mitochondrial and ER ubiquitin E3 ligases and targets their substrates for degradation. Remarkably, both mitochondria- and ER-localized UBXD8 can degrade mitochondrial and ER substrates in cis and in trans. UBXD8 also associates with the TOM complex but is dispensable for translocation-associated degradation. UBXD8 knockout impairs the degradation of the pro-survival protein Mcl1 but surprisingly sensitizes cells to apoptosis and mitochondrial stresses. UBXD8 knockout also hyperactivates mitophagy. We identify pro-apoptotic BH3-only proteins Noxa, Bik, and Bnip3 as novel UBXD8 substrates and determine that UBXD8 inhibits apoptosis via degrading Noxa and restrains mitophagy via degrading Bnip3. Collectively, our characterizations reveal UBXD8 as the major mitochondrial adaptor of VCP and unveil its role in apoptosis and mitophagy regulation.
Project description:Reactive oxygen species (ROS) play complex roles in aging, having both damaging effects and signaling functions. Transiently elevating mitochondrial stress, including mitochondrial ROS (mtROS), elicits beneficial responses that extend lifespan. However, these adaptive, longevity-signaling pathways remain poorly understood. We show here that Tel1p and Rad53p, homologs of the mammalian DNA damage response kinases ATM and Chk2, mediate a hormetic mtROS longevity signal that extends yeast chronological lifespan. This pathway senses mtROS in a manner distinct from the nuclear DNA damage response and ultimately imparts longevity by inactivating the histone demethylase Rph1p specifically at subtelomeric heterochromatin, enhancing binding of the silencing protein Sir3p, and repressing subtelomeric transcription. These results demonstrate the existence of conserved mitochondria-to-nucleus stress-signaling pathways that regulate aging through epigenetic modulation of nuclear gene expression.
Project description:The interaction between hepatitis C virus (HCV) and human hepatic innate antiviral responses is unclear. The aim of this study was to examine how human hepatocytes respond to HCV infection. An infectious HCV isolate, JFH1, was used to infect a newly established human hepatoma cell line HLCZ01. Viral RNA or NS5A protein was examined by real-time PCR or immunofluorescence respectively. The mechanisms of HCV-induced IFN-β and apoptosis were explored. Our data showed that HLCZ01 cells supported the entire HCV lifecycle and IFN-β and interferon-stimulated genes (ISGs) were induced in HCV-infected cells. Viral infection caused apoptosis of HLCZ01 cells. Silencing of RIG-I, IRF3 or TRAIL inhibited ISG12a expression and blocked apoptosis of viral-infected HLCZ01 cells. Knockdown ISG12a blocked apoptosis of viral-infected cells. MiR-942 is a candidate negative regulator of ISG12a predicted by bioinformatics search. Moreover, HCV infection decreased miR-942 expression in HLCZ01 cells and miR-942 was inversely correlated with ISG12a expression in both HCV-infected cells and liver biopsies. MiR-942 forced expression in HLCZ01 cells decreased ISG12a expression and subsequently suppressed apoptosis triggered by HCV infection. Conversely, silencing of miR-942 expression by anti-miR-942 increased ISG12a expression and enhanced apoptosis in HCV-infected cells. Induction of Noxa by HCV infection contributed to ISG12a-mediated apoptosis. All the data indicated that innate host response is intact in HCV-infected hepatocytes. MiR-942 regulates HCV-induced apoptosis of human hepatocytes by targeting ISG12a. Our study provides a novel mechanism by which human hepatocytes respond to HCV infection.
Project description:Reactivation of the p53 tumor-suppressor protein by small molecules like Nutlin-3 and RITA (reactivation of p53 and induction of tumor cell apoptosis) is a promising strategy for cancer therapy. The molecular mechanisms involved in the responses to RITA remain enigmatic. Several groups reported the induction of a p53-dependent DNA damage response. Furthermore, the existence of a p53-dependent S-phase checkpoint has been suggested, involving the checkpoint kinase Chk1. We have recently shown synergistic induction of apoptosis by RITA in combination with Nutlin-3, and we observed concomitant Chk2 phosphorylation. Therefore, we investigated whether Chk2 contributes to the cellular responses to RITA. Strikingly, the induction of apoptosis seemed entirely Chk2 dependent. Transcriptional activity of p53 in response to RITA required the presence of Chk2. A partial rescue of apoptosis observed in Noxa knockdown cells emphasized the relevance of p53 transcriptional activity for RITA-induced apoptosis. In addition, we observed an early p53- and Chk2-dependent block of DNA replication upon RITA treatment. Replicating cells seemed more prone to entering RITA-induced apoptosis. Furthermore, the RITA-induced DNA damage response, which was not a secondary effect of apoptosis induction, was strongly attenuated in cells lacking p53 or Chk2. In conclusion, we identified Chk2 as an essential mediator of the cellular responses to RITA.
Project description:The reprogramming of cells into induced neural stem cells (iNSCs), which are faster and safer to generate than induced pluripotent stem cells, holds tremendous promise for fundamental and frontier research, as well as personalized cell-based therapies for neurological diseases. However, reprogramming cells with viral vectors increases the risk of tumor development due to vector and transgene integration in the host cell genome. To circumvent this issue, the Sendai virus (SeV) provides an alternative integration-free reprogramming method that removes the danger of genetic alterations and enhances the prospects of iNSCs from bench to bedside. Since pigs are among the most successful large animal models in biomedical research, porcine iNSCs (piNSCs) may serve as a disease model for both veterinary and human medicine. Here, we report the successful generation of piNSC lines from pig fibroblasts by employing the SeV. These piNSCs can be expanded for up to 40 passages in a monolayer culture and produce neurospheres in a suspension culture. These piNSCs express high levels of NSC markers (PAX6, SOX2, NESTIN, and VIMENTIN) and proliferation markers (KI67) using quantitative immunostaining and western blot analysis. Furthermore, piNSCs are multipotent, as they are capable of producing neurons and glia, as demonstrated by their expressions of TUJ1, MAP2, TH, MBP, and GFAP proteins. During the reprogramming of piNSCs with the SeV, no induced pluripotent stem cells developed, and the established piNSCs did not express OCT4, NANOG, and SSEA1. Hence, the use of the SeV can reprogram porcine somatic cells without first going through an intermediate pluripotent state. Our research produced piNSCs using SeV methods in novel, easily accessible large animal cell culture models for evaluating the efficacy of iNSC-based clinical translation in human medicine. Additionally, our piNSCs are potentially applicable in disease modeling in pigs and regenerative therapies in veterinary medicine.
Project description:Chrysin has been proven to possess antiviral properties, but the precise underlying anti-influenza mechanism and its anti-influenza efficacy in vivo are largely unclear. In this study, we investigated the involvement of chrysin in the blockade of cell cycle and apoptosis in distinct cell lines subjected to two H1N1 influenza A virus (IAV) strains, as well as its anti-IAV activity in vivo. Here, we found an early unidentified finding that chrysin strongly impeded IAV replication through a mechanism that was autonomous of innate antiviral immune activation and viral protein interaction. Surprisingly, chrysin can suppress IAV-induced cell cycle arrest in the G0/G1 phase by downregulating the expression levels of P53 and P21 while promoting Cyclin D1/CDK4 and Cyclin E1/CDK2 activation. Furthermore, chrysin dramatically inhibited the IAV-triggered mitochondrial apoptotic pathway by altering the balance of Bax/Bcl-xl and reducing caspase-9 and caspase-3 activation. Accumulated reactive oxygen species (ROS) reduction may contribute to the inhibitory role of chrysin in cell cycle arrest and apoptosis following IAV infection. Notably, chrysin preferably inhibited IAV replication in the upper respiratory tract, indicating that it might be a promising drug for restraining the spread of respiratory viruses.
Project description:Inactivated Sendai virus (hemagglutinating virus of Japan; HVJ) envelope (HVJ-E) induces anticancer immunity and cancer cell-selective apoptosis through the recognition of viral RNA genome fragments by retinoic acid-inducible gene-I (RIG-I). Here, we discovered that the "copy-back" type of defective-interfering (DI) particles that exist in the Cantell strain of HVJ induced the human PC3 prostate cancer cell death more effectively than the Sendai/52 strain or Cantell strain, which contain fewer DI particles. DI particle genomic RNA (~550 bases) activated proapoptotic genes such as Noxa and/or TNF-related apoptosis-inducing ligand (TRAIL) in human prostate cancer cells to induce cancer cell-selective apoptosis. DI particle-derived RNA was synthesized by in vitro transcription (in vitro transcribed (IVT)-B2). IVT-B2 RNA, which has a double-stranded region in its secondary structure, promoted a stronger anticancer effect than IVT-HN RNA, which does not have a double-stranded region in its secondary structure. The intratumoral transfection of IVT-B2 significantly reduced the volume of a human prostate tumor and induced tumor cell apoptosis in the xenograft mouse model. Moreover, the involvement of natural killer (NK) cells in IVT-B2-RNA-induced anticancer effects was also suggested. These findings provide a novel nucleic acid medicine for the treatment of cancer.
Project description:Paramyxoviruses are negative-sense single-stranded RNA viruses that comprise many important human and animal pathogens, including human parainfluenza viruses. These viruses bud from the plasma membrane of infected cells after the viral ribonucleoprotein complex (vRNP) is transported from the cytoplasm to the cell membrane via Rab11a-marked recycling endosomes. The viral proteins that are critical for mediating this important initial step in viral assembly are unknown. Here, we used the model paramyxovirus, murine parainfluenza virus 1, or Sendai virus (SeV), to investigate the roles of viral proteins in Rab11a-driven virion assembly. We previously reported that infection with SeV containing high levels of copy-back defective viral genomes (DVGs) (DVG-high SeV) generates heterogenous populations of cells. Cells enriched in full-length (FL) virus produce viral particles containing standard or defective viral genomes, while cells enriched in DVGs do not, despite high levels of defective viral genome replication. Here, we took advantage of this heterogenous cell phenotype to identify proteins that mediate interaction of vRNPs with Rab11a. We examined the roles of matrix protein and nucleoprotein and determined that their presence is not sufficient to drive interaction of vRNPs with recycling endosomes. Using a combination of mass spectrometry and comparative analyses of protein abundance and localization in DVG-high and FL-virus-high (FL-high) cells, we identified viral polymerase complex component protein L and, specifically, its cofactor C as interactors with Rab11a. We found that accumulation of L and C proteins within the cell is the defining feature that differentiates cells that proceed to viral egress from cells containing viruses that remain in replication phases.IMPORTANCE Paramyxoviruses are members of a family of viruses that include a number of pathogens imposing significant burdens on human health. In particular, human parainfluenza viruses are an important cause of pneumonia and bronchiolitis in children for which there are no vaccines or directly acting antivirals. These cytoplasmic replicating viruses bud from the plasma membrane and co-opt cellular endosomal recycling pathways to traffic viral ribonucleoprotein complexes from the cytoplasm to the membrane of infected cells. The viral proteins required for viral engagement with the recycling endosome pathway are still not known. Here, we used the model paramyxovirus Sendai virus, or murine parainfluenza virus 1, to investigate the role of viral proteins in this initial step of viral assembly. We found that the viral polymerase components large protein L and accessory protein C are necessary for engagement with recycling endosomes. These findings are important in identifying viral proteins as potential targets for development of antivirals.