不同浓度桦木酸对人胃癌MGC-803细胞自噬的影响

目的: 本研究利用不同浓度桦木酸处理人胃癌MGC-803细胞,以探究其对细胞自噬的影响。方法: 将人胃癌MGC-803细胞分为4组,每组3个复孔,对照组不加桦木酸处理,其余三组分别加入终浓度为10、20、30 mg/L桦木酸。桦木酸处理细胞48 h后,qRT-PCR检测桦木酸对人胃癌MGC-803细胞自噬相关基因mRNA表达的影响。Western blot检测药物处理细胞自噬相关基因的蛋白表达。利用免疫荧光检测药物处理后MGC-803细胞内LC3蛋白的胞内定位及表达。结果: 与对照组相比,在10～30 mg/L浓度范围内,桦木酸处理的人胃癌MGC-803细胞LC3、Beclin-1 mRNA的表达明显升高(P＜0.05),Beclin-1、LC3-Ⅱ蛋白的表达显著升高(P＜0.05),LC3-Ⅰ蛋白的表达明显降低(P＜0.05),其中30 mg/L处理组表现最佳。此外,桦木酸还可诱导MGC-803细胞LC3蛋白在细胞质内形成点状聚集。结论: 在10～30 mg/L浓度范围内,桦木酸能诱导人胃癌MGC-803细胞发生自噬。     

小鼠缺血性脑损伤模型急性期海马SIRT3与自噬相关蛋白表达水平的相关性分析

摘要 目的：观察小鼠缺血性脑损伤模型急性期海马区域沉默信息因子3(SIRT3)和自噬相关蛋白的表达,并探讨两者的相关性。方法：选择C57BL/6J小鼠,采用大脑中动脉阻塞(MCAO)法建立缺血性脑损伤模型,并将小鼠随机分为假手术组(sham)和模型组(MCAO)。缺血性脑损伤急性期(6h),采用间接免疫荧光法观察小鼠海马CA1、CA3和DG区域SIRT3的表达,应用蛋白印迹法检测SIRT3、自噬相关蛋白LC3 I/II和Beclin-1的表达,而后用Spearman相关性分析明确SIRT3和LC3-II、Beclin-1表达的相关性。结果：海马各区域SIRT3阳性细胞数量在损伤后明显增多(P<0.05),且SIRT3蛋白表达也相对上调(P<0.05);损伤后自噬相关蛋白LC3-II和Beclin-1表达亦增高(P<0.05);Spearman相关性分析发现SIRT3与自噬相关蛋白LC3-II、Beclin-1表达均呈显著正相关(P<0.05)。结论：小鼠缺血性脑损伤模型急性期海马区域SIRT3和自噬相关蛋白的表达具有显著相关性,SIRT3对海马区域自噬的调节可能有重要作用。     

内质网应激及自噬参与百草枯中毒所致肺损伤

目的:探讨内质网应激及自噬在百草枯中毒所致大鼠肺脏损伤中的作用。方法:选取Wistar大鼠腹80只,腹腔注射百草枯(15 mg/kg)建立百草枯中毒肺脏损伤的动物模型。染毒后1、3、7、14、21 d处死动物取肺组织,采用HE染色和Van Gieson(V.G)染色观察大鼠肺脏损伤及纤维化情况,电镜观察Wistar大鼠肺脏胞浆空泡变、自噬体的形成以及肺脏损伤。Western-blot方法观察Wistar大鼠内质网应激相关蛋白(GRP94、Caspase-12和CHOP)和自噬相关蛋白(LC3-II、Beclin-1)的表达。结果:HE及V.G染色结果显示随中毒时间延长,百草枯中毒肺损伤及肺纤维化逐渐加重;电镜结果显示百草枯中毒肺脏发生胞浆空泡变、自噬体形成。与对照组比较,在百草枯中毒组内质网应激相关蛋白GRP94在3 d表达达到峰值(P0.001),7 d表达开始降低(P0.05),CHOP蛋白表达3 d开始增加(P0.001),cleaved caspase-12蛋白表达7 d开始增加(P0.001),并逐渐加强,自噬相关蛋白LC3-II和Beclin-1表达3 d开始增加(P0.001),14 d表达最高(P0.001)。结论:内质网应激以及细胞自噬共同参与百草枯中毒所致肺脏损伤。     

Cardioprotection by adaptation to ischaemia augments autophagy in association with BAG-1 protein

Autophagy is an intracellular process in which a cell digests its own constituents via lysosomal degradative pathway. Though autophagy has been shown in several cardiac diseases like heart failure, hypertrophy and ischaemic cardiomyopathy, the role and the regulation of autophagy is still largely unknown. Bcl-2-associated athanogene (BAG-1) is a multifunctional pro-survival molecule that binds with Hsp70/Hsc70. In this study, myocardial adaptation to ischaemia by repeated brief episodes of ischaemia and reperfusion (I/R) prior to lethal I/R enhanced the expression of autophagosomal membrane specific protein light chain 3 (LC3)-II, and Beclin-1, a molecule involved in autophagy and BAG-1. Autophagosomes structures were found in the adapted myocardium through electron microscopy. Co-immunoprecipitation and co-immunofluorescence analyses revealed that LC3-II was bound with BAG-1. Inhibition of autophagy by treating rats with Wortmannin (15 μg/kg; intraperitoneally) abolished the ischaemic adaptation-induced induction of LC3-II, Beclin-1, BAG-1 and cardioprotection. Intramyocardial injection of BAG-1 siRNA attenuated the induction of LC3-II, and abolished the cardioprotection achieved by adaptation. Furthermore, hypoxic adaptation in cardiac myoblast cells induced LC3-II and BAG-1. BAG-1 siRNA treatment attenuated hypoxic adaptation-induced LC3-II and BAG-1, and abolished improvement in cardiac cell survival and reduction of cell death. These results clearly indicate that myocardial protection elicited by adaptation is mediated at least in part via up-regulation of autophagy in association with BAG-1 protein.     

Inhibition of miR-191 contributes to radiation-resistance of two lung cancer cell lines by altering autophagy activity

Background

Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related morbidity and mortality all over the world. Surgery resection, radiotherapy, chemotherapy, immunotherapy and combined treatments have been discovered and well established for treatments. However, low survival rate of five years after clinical treatments mainly due to recurrence of stress-resistant cancer cells calls for better understanding and new ideas. Our project aimed to understand the forming process of stress resistant lung cancer cells after radiotherapy.

Methods

Two classic non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) cell lines A549 and H1299 initially were radiated with a ¹³⁷Cs gamma-ray source with doses ranging from 0 to 12 Gy to generate radiation-resistant cancer cells. 8 Gy of radiation was regard as a standard dosage since it provides effective killing as well as good amount of survivals. The expression levels of autophagy-related proteins including Beclin-1, LC3-II and p62 were studied and measured by both western blot and quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (real-time RT-PCR).

Results

Increased Beclin-1, LC3-II and decreased p62 have been observed in radiation-resistant cells indicating elevated autophagy level. Decreased miR-191 in radiation-resistant cells performed by Taqman qRT-PCR also has been seen. Two binding sites between Beclin-1 and miR-191 suggest potential association between.

Conclusions

It is reasonable to speculate that inhibition of miR-191 expression in lung cancer cells would contribute to the establishment of radiation-resistant cells via mediating cellular autophagy. Therefore, miR-191 is a potential target for therapy in treating radiation-resistant lung cancer.     

丙泊酚对转化生长因子-β1诱导肝星状细胞激活的影响及其机制

目的: 观察丙泊酚对转化生长因子-β1(TGF-β1)诱导的肝星状细胞系HSC2-T6细胞激活的影响并探讨其可能的作用机制。方法: 实验分为对照组、TGF-β1组、丙泊酚组、TGF-β1+丙泊酚组、雷帕霉素组、TGF-β1+丙泊酚+雷帕霉素组。先用含雷帕霉素(5 μmol/L)DMEM培养液培养1 h,用丙泊酚(100 μmol/L)处理1 h,然后再加入TGF-β1(5 ng/ml)继续共同培养24 h。细胞的增殖水平通过MTT法测量,细胞培养液上清中透明质酸(HA)、IV型胶原(IV-C)和层粘连蛋白(LN)的浓度采用ELISA法测量,细胞的超微结构采用透射电镜观测,α-平滑肌肌动蛋白(α-SMA)、哺乳动物雷帕霉素靶蛋白(mTOR)、磷酸化mTOR(p-mTOR)及自噬相关基因Beclin 1、微管相关蛋白1轻链3(LC3)和p62的表达通过Western blot测量。结果: 与对照组比较,TGF-β1组细胞增殖、α-SMA蛋白的表达、培养液上清中HA、IV-C和LN的浓度、自噬体数量、Beclin-1和LC3-Ⅱ的蛋白表达及LC3-Ⅱ/LC3-Ⅰ比值显著性增加(P均＜0.05),p-mTOR蛋白的表达和p-mTOR/mTOR比值及p62的蛋白表达显著性降低(P均＜0.05)。与TGF-β1组比较,丙泊酚+TGF-β1组细胞增殖、α-SMA蛋白的表达、培养液上清中HA、IV-C和LN的浓度、自噬体数量、Beclin-1和LC3-Ⅱ的蛋白表达及LC3-Ⅱ/LC3-Ⅰ比值均显著性降低(P均＜0.05),p-mTOR蛋白表达和p-mTOR/TOR比值及p62的蛋白表达均显著性增加(P均＜0.05)。mTOR抑制剂雷帕霉素部分逆转丙泊酚的作用。结论: 丙泊酚抑制TGFβ1诱导的肝星状细胞激活,其机制涉及mTOR-自噬途径。     

Tissue transglutaminase inhibits autophagy in pancreatic cancer cells

Elevated expression of tissue transglutaminase (TG2) in cancer cells has been implicated in the development of drug resistance and metastatic phenotypes. However, the role and the mechanisms that regulate TG2 expression remain elusive. Here, we provide evidence that protein kinase Cdelta (PKCdelta) regulates TG2 expression, which in turn inhibits autophagy, a type II programmed cell death, in pancreatic cancer cells that are frequently insensitive to standard chemotherapeutic agents. Rottlerin, a PKCdelta-specific inhibitor, and PKCdelta small interfering RNA (siRNA) down-regulated the expression of TG2 mRNA and protein and induced growth inhibition without inducing apoptosis in pancreatic cancer cells. Inhibition of PKCdelta by rottlerin or knockdown of TG2 protein by a TG2-specific siRNA resulted in a marked increase in autophagy shown by presence of autophagic vacuoles in the cytoplasm, formation of the acidic vesicular organelles, membrane association of microtubule-associated protein 1 light chain 3 (LC3) with autophagosomes, and a marked induction of LC3-II protein, important hallmarks of autophagy, and by electron microscopy. Furthermore, inhibition of TG2 by rottlerin or by the siRNA led to accumulation of green fluorescent protein (GFP)-LC3-II in autophagosomes in pancreatic cancer cells transfected with GFP-LC3 (GFP-ATG8) expression vector. Knockdown of Beclin-1, a specific autophagy-promoting protein and the product of Becn1 (ATG6), inhibited rottlerin-induced and TG2 siRNA-induced autophagy, indicating that Beclin-1 is required for this process. These results revealed that PKCdelta plays a critical role in the expression of TG2, which in turn regulates autophagy. In conclusion, these results suggest a novel mechanism of regulation of TG2 and TG2-mediated autophagy in pancreatic cancer cells.     

氧化低密度脂蛋白经AMPK/mTOR信号通路诱导HUVECs自噬

氧化低密度脂蛋白（oxygenized low density lipoprotein, ox-LDL）诱导人脐静脉内皮细胞（human umbilical vein endothelial cells, HUVECs）损伤有助于动脉粥样硬化（atherosclerosis, AS）的发展。但ox-LDL对HUVECs自噬的影响及机制尚不清楚。为探究其机制,采用体外培养HUVECs,建立ox-LDL损伤模型。透射电子显微镜观察HUVECs中自噬体的变化;Western印迹法检测p-AMPK、AMPK、p-mTOR、mTOR及Beclin1、LC3-II、P62的表达。结果显示,与对照组比较,透射电子显微镜下观察到ox-LDL组的自噬体明显增多。Western印迹结果显示,与对照组比较,ox-LDL组Beclin1(0.81±0.04 vs. 1.83±0.11,P＜0.01)、LC3-II(0.80±0.06 vs. 1.61±0.06, P＜0.01)和P62(0.65±0.10 vs. 1.64±0.17, P＜0.01)表达显著增高。ox-LDL和BafilomycinA1共同干预组Beclin-1(3.15±0.15 vs. 3.17±0.13, P>0.05)、LC3-II(2.95±0.12 vs. 2.96±0.12, P >0.05)和P62(3.26±0.15 vs. 3.19±0.15, P>0.05)表达与BafilomycinA1组无显著差异,ox-LDL未使自噬起始增加,可能是降解受损导致自噬体的积累。与对照组比较,ox-LDL增加p-AMPK (0.47±0.03 vs. 0.96±0.03, P＜0.01)表达,并降低p-mTOR(0.86±0.04 vs. 0.25±0.05, P＜0.01)表达。单独阻断mTOR时, Beclin-1(0.81±0.05 vs. 2.19±0.17, P＜0.01)、LC3-II(0.76±0.13 vs 2.00±0.05, P＜0.01)和P62(0.74±0.12 vs. 1.94±0.11, P＜0.01)表达显著增加。亮氨酸（Leucine）可增加p-mTOR(0.87±0.11 vs. 1.67±0.07, P＜0.01)表达,并降低Beclin-1(0.81±0.05 vs. 0.37±0.03, P＜0.01)、LC3-II（0.76±0.13 vs. 0.41±0.02, P＜0.01）和P62（0.76±0.10 vs. 0.44±0.04, P＜0.01）表达,但ox-LDL可使Leucine预处理后的p-mTOR（1.67±0.11 vs. 0.82±0.02, P＜0.01）表达显著降低,并且Beclin-1（0.37±0.03 vs. 0.78±0.04, P＜0.01）、LC3-II（0.41±0.02 vs. 0.78±0.02, P＜0.01）和P62（0.44±0.04 vs. 0.74±0.04, P＜0.01）表达显著增加。说明mTOR参与ox-LDL诱导的自噬。与ox-LDL组相比,ox-LDL和Si-AMPK共同处理组p-mTOR(0.25±0.05 vs. 0.46±0.03, P＜0.01)表达增加以及Beclin-1(1.97±0.04 vs. 1.26±0.12, P＜0.01)、LC3-II(1.42±0.10 vs. 0.95±0.05, P＜0.01)和P62(1.58±0.09 vs. 0.98±0.11, P＜0.01)表达降低。以上结果表明,ox-LDL通过AMPK/mTOR途径诱导HUVECs发生自噬,并且导致自噬体的积累。     

Deregulation of Beclin 1 in patients with tobacco-related oral squamous cell carcinoma

Autophagy is a physiologically regulated and evolutionary conserved process that plays a critical role in degradation of cytoplasmic proteins and other macromolecules within the lysosomes. Beclin-1, the mammalian orthologue of yeast Atg6, is an important mediator of autophagy that has been studied in many human cancers. However, the expression of Beclin-1 has not yet been investigated in oral cancer. We for the first time investigated the expression of Beclin-1 in serum and tissues and correlated it with the clinic-pathological features of oral cancer patients. m-RNA expression of Beclin-1 was evaluated in tumor and normal areas of surgical specimens from 10 oral cancer patients by real-time PCR. Approximately, 8-fold lower expression (p<0.001) of Beclin-1 mRNA was observed in tumor tissue as compared to the normal tissue. Serum levels of Beclin-1 were evaluated by SPR and ELISA. No significant difference was observed in serum Beclin-1 levels in patients as compared to healthy subjects, similarly no correlation was found between serum levels and clinic-pathological parameters such as stage, lymph node involvement and tumor size. Our results demonstrate that down-regulation of Beclin-1 may play an important role in the development and progression of oral cancer possibly by dysregulation of autophagy in tumor cells.     

Long noncoding RNA AK088388 regulates autophagy through miR-30a to affect cardiomyocyte injury

Finding ways to reduce myocardial ischemia/reperfusion injury in the process of myocardial infarction has been an area of intense study in the field of heart disease. Recent studies have shown that long noncoding RNA (lncRNA) and autophagy play important roles in cardiovascular diseases. In our study, software analysis and dual-luciferase reporter assays have shown that miR-30a has binding sites on both AK088388 and Beclin-1. Continuing experiments found that miR-30a expression is downregulated, while the expressions of AK088388, Beclin-1, and LC3-II are upregulated in hypoxia/reoxygenation (H/R) cardiomyocytes; miR-30a inhibits the expression of AK088388, Beclin-1, and LC3-II in H/R cardiomyocytes, while AK088388 promotes the expression of Beclin-1 and LC3-II and inhibits miR-30a expression. AK088388 small interfering RNA and miR-30a mimics can promote the viability of H/R cardiomyocytes, reduce lactate dehydrogenase release, and reduce apoptosis. Mutations of the miR-30a binding site in AK088388 could not block the effects of miR-30a mentioned above. Therefore, AK088388 can competitively bind to miR-30a, promoting the expression of Beclin-1 and LC3-II, autophagy, and eventually cell damage. This finding provides new evidence for understanding the role of lncRNA in myocardial ischemia/reperfusion injury.     

miR-199a-3p负调控CBX7影响肺癌细胞NCI-H460的生物学行为研究

目的:探讨mi R-199a-3p负调控CBX7影响肺癌细胞NCI-H460的生物学行为。方法:qRT-PCR法检测并比较肺癌组织、癌旁正常组织、肺癌细胞、正常肺上皮细胞中的mi R-199a-3p m RNA相对表达量。比较远处转移肺癌组织、未转移肺癌组织中mi R-199a-3p m RNA相对表达量。qRT-PCR法、Western Blot法检测并比较肺癌组织、癌旁正常组织中的CBX7 m RNA及蛋白的表达水平。荧光素酶活性法检测mi R-199a-3p与靶基因CBX7的结合。比较mi R-199a-3p模拟物转染组与阴性对照组的肺癌细胞中的CBX7 m RNA相对表达量及CBX7蛋白表达水平。CCK8实验检测mi R-199a-3p对肺癌细胞增殖的促进作用。Tranwell实验检测mi R-199a-3p对肺癌细胞侵袭与迁移能力的影响。结果:肺癌组织中mi R-199a-3p明显高于癌旁正常组织,发生远处转移的肺癌组织中mi R-199a-3p m RNA的表达量明显高于未发生转移的肺癌组织,差异有统计学意义(P<0.001)。肺癌组织中CBX7m RNA、CBX7蛋白表达水平均明显低于癌旁正常组织,差异有统计学意义(P<0.001)。荧光素酶活性法证实mi R-199a-3p可与靶基因CBX7结合抑制CBX7的表达。肺癌细胞中mi R-199a-3p m RNA的相对表达量明显高于正常肺上皮细胞,CBX7 m RNA相对表达量明显低于正常肺上皮细胞(P<0.05)。对于肺癌细胞,mi R-199a-3p模拟物转染组的CBX7 m RNA相对表达量及CBX7蛋白表达水平均明显低于阴性对照组(P<0.001)。CCK8实验证实mi R-199a-3p能够促进肺癌细胞的增殖,Tranwell实验证实mi R-199a-3p对肺癌细胞侵袭与迁移具有积极的促进作用。结论:mi R-199a-3p在肺癌的发生发展过程中发挥重要作用,能够通过抑制CBX7基因的表达,促进肺癌细胞的增殖、侵袭和转移。     

Mimulone-Induced Autophagy through p53-Mediated AMPK/mTOR Pathway Increases Caspase-Mediated Apoptotic Cell Death in A549 Human Lung Cancer Cells

Anticancer properties and mechanisms of mimulone (MML), C-geranylflavonoid isolated from the Paulownia tomentosa fruits, were firstly elucidated in this study. MML prevented cell proliferation in a dose- and time-dependent way and triggered apoptosis through the extrinsic pathway in A549 human lung adenocarcinoma cells. Furthermore, MML-treated cells displayed autophagic features, such as the formation of autophagic vacuoles, a primary morphological feature of autophagy, and the accumulation of microtubule-associated protein 1 light chain 3 (LC3) puncta, another typical maker of autophagy, as determined by FITC-conjugated immunostaining and monodansylcadaverine (MDC) staining, respectively. The expression levels of LC3-I and LC3-II, specific markers of autophagy, were also augmented by MML treatment. Autophagy inhibition by 3-methyladenine (3-MA), pharmacological autophagy inhibitor, and shRNA knockdown of Beclin-1 reduced apoptotic cell death induced by MML. Autophagic flux was not significantly affected by MML treatment and lysosomal inhibitor, chloroquine (CQ) suppressed MML-induced autophagy and apoptosis. MML-induced autophagy was promoted by decreases in p53 and p-mTOR levels and increase of p-AMPK. Moreover, inhibition of p53 transactivation by pifithrin-α (PFT-α) and knockdown of p53 enhanced induction of autophagy and finally promoted apoptotic cell death. Overall, the results demonstrate that autophagy contributes to the cytotoxicity of MML in cancer cells harboring wild-type p53. This study strongly suggests that MML is a potential candidate for an anticancer agent targeting both autophagy and apoptotic cell death in human lung cancer. Moreover, co-treatment of MML and p53 inhibitor would be more effective in human lung cancer therapy.     

Silencing of Bcl-2 expression by small interfering RNA induces autophagic cell death in MCF-7 breast cancer cells

Apoptosis (programmed cell death type I) and autophagy (type II) are crucial mechanisms regulating cell death and homeostasis. The Bcl-2 proto-oncogene is overexpressed in 50-70% of breast cancers, potentially leading to resistance to chemotherapy, radiation and hormone therapy-induced apoptosis. Here, we investigated the role of Bcl-2 in autophagy in breast cancer cells. Silencing of Bcl-2 by siRNA in MCF-7 breast cancer cells downregulated Bcl-2 protein levels (>85%) and led to inhibition of cell growth (71%) colony formation (79%), and cell death (up to 55%) by autophagy but not apoptosis. Induction of autophagy was demonstrated by acridine orange staining, electron microscopy and an accumulation of GFP-LC3-II in autophagosomal membranes in MCF-7 cells transfected with GFP-LC-3(GFP-ATG8). Silencing of Bcl-2 by siRNA also led to induction of LC-3-II, a hallmark of autophagy, ATG5 and Beclin-1 autophagy promoting proteins. Knockdown of ATG5 significantly inhibited Bcl-2 siRNA-induced LC3-II expression, the number of GFP-LC3-II-labeled autophagosome positive cells and autophagic cell death (p < 0.05). Furthermore, doxorubicin at a high dose (IC(95), 1 microM) induced apoptosis but at a low dose (IC(50), 0.07 microM) induced only autophagy and Beclin-1 expression. When combined with Bcl-2 siRNA, doxorubicin (IC(50)) enhanced autophagy as indicated by the increased number cells with GFP-LC3-II-stained autophagosomes (punctuated pattern positive). These results provided the first evidence that targeted silencing of Bcl-2 induces autophagic cell death in MCF-7 breast cancer cells and that Bcl-2 siRNA may be used as a therapeutic strategy alone or in combination with chemotherapy in breast cancer cells that overexpress Bcl-2.     

Redox regulation of mitophagy in the lung during murine Staphylococcus aureus sepsis

Oxidative mitochondrial damage is closely linked to inflammation and cell death, but low levels of reactive oxygen and nitrogen species serve as signals that involve mitochondrial repair and resolution of inflammation. More specifically, cytoprotection relies on the elimination of damaged mitochondria by selective autophagy (mitophagy) during mitochondrial quality control. This aim of this study was to identify and localize mitophagy in the mouse lung as a potentially upregulatable redox response to Staphylococcus aureus sepsis. Fibrin clots loaded with S. aureus (1×10⁷ CFU) were implanted abdominally into anesthetized C57BL/6 and B6.129X1-Nfe2l2tm1Ywk/J (Nrf2^−/−) mice. At the time of implantation, mice were given vancomycin (6 mg/kg) and fluid resuscitation. Mouse lungs were harvested at 0, 6, 24, and 48 h for bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL), Western blot analysis, and qRT-PCR. To localize mitochondria with autophagy protein LC3, we used lung immunofluorescence staining in LC3–GFP transgenic mice. In C57BL/6 mice, sepsis-induced pulmonary inflammation was detected by significant increases in mRNA for the inflammatory markers IL-1β and TNF-α at 6 and 24 h, respectively. BAL cell count and protein also increased. Sepsis suppressed lung Beclin-1 protein, but not mRNA, suggesting activation of canonical autophagy. Notably sepsis also increased the LC3-II autophagosome marker, as well as the lung׳s noncanonical autophagy pathway as evidenced by loss of p62, a redox-regulated scaffolding protein of the autophagosome. In LC3–GFP mouse lungs, immunofluorescence staining showed colocalization of LC3-II to mitochondria, mainly in type 2 epithelium and alveolar macrophages. In contrast, marked accumulation of p62, as well as attenuation of LC3-II in Nrf2-knockout mice supported an overall decrease in autophagic turnover. The downregulation of canonical autophagy during sepsis may contribute to lung inflammation, whereas the switch to noncanonical autophagy selectively removes damaged mitochondria and accompanies tissue repair and cell survival. Furthermore, mitophagy in the alveolar region appears to depend on activation of Nrf2. Thus, efforts to promote mitophagy may be a useful therapeutic adjunct for acute lung injury in sepsis.     

Beclin-1 shRNA对低氧诱导的SH-SY5Y细胞自噬的影响

目的：构建Beclin-1基因短发夹干扰RNA（shRNA）慢病毒载体,感染人SH-SY5Y细胞,观察沉默Beclin-1基因后低氧对SH-SY5Y细胞自噬的影响。方法：构建特异性靶向Beclin-1基因的shRNA慢病毒表达载体和阴性对照序列慢病毒载体;再将载体转染入SH-SY5Y细胞;RT-PCR检测Beclin-1的mRNA表达;Western blot检测Beclin-1蛋白表达;CCK-8法测定Beclin-1 shRNA对SH-SY5Y细胞活力的影响。再将空白对照、阴性对照、转染型三种细胞分别以21%常氧及5%低氧培养,Western blot检测各组细胞LC3蛋白表达;电镜观察自噬小体。结果：Beclin-1 shRNA能明显抑制SH-SY5Y细胞Beclin-1的mRNA及蛋白的表达;沉默Beclin-1基因后,Beclin-1 shRNA组细胞存活率与阴性对照组相比无差异;成功建立了稳定表达Beclin-1 shRNA的SH-SY5Y细胞。5%低氧处理后,与阴性对照组相比较,Beclin-1 shRNA组细胞中LC3Ⅱ/LC3Ⅰ比值下调,细胞内自噬小体数量减少。结论：慢病毒介导的Beclin-1shRNA对SH-SY5Y细胞的活力无影响,但可以抑制低氧诱导的自噬。     

Contribution of Hippocampal 5-HT<Subscript>3</Subscript> Receptors in Hippocampal Autophagy and Extinction of Conditioned Fear Responses after a Single Prolonged Stress Exposure in Rats

One of the hypotheses about the pathogenesis of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is the dysfunction of serotonin (5-HT) neurotransmission. While certain 5-HT receptor subtypes are likely critical for the symptoms of PTSD, few studies have examined the role of 5-HT₃ receptor in the development of PTSD, even though 5-HT₃ receptor is critical for contextual fear extinction and anxiety-like behavior. Therefore, we hypothesized that stimulation of 5-HT₃ receptor in the dorsal hippocampus (DH) could prevent hippocampal autophagy and the development of PTSD-like behavior in animals. To this end, we infused SR57227, selective 5-HT₃ agonist, into the DH after a single prolonged stress (SPS) treatment in rats. Three weeks later, we evaluated the effects of this pharmacological treatment on anxiety-related behaviors and extinction of contextual fear memory. We also accessed hippocampal autophagy and the expression of 5-HT_3A subunit, Beclin-1, LC3-I, and LC3-II in the DH. We found that SPS treatment did not alter anxiety-related behaviors but prolonged the extinction of contextual fear memory, and such a behavioral phenomenon was correlated with increased hippocampal autophagy, decreased 5-HT_3A expression, and increased expression of Beclin-1 and LC3-II/LC3-I ratio in the DH. Furthermore, intraDH infusions of SR57227 dose-dependently promoted the extinction of contextual fear memory, prevented hippocampal autophagy, and decreased expression of Beclin-1 and LC3-II/LC3-I ratio in the DH. These results indicated that 5-HT₃ receptor in the hippocampus may play a critical role in the pathogenesis of hippocampal autophagy, and is likely involved in the pathophysiology of PTSD.