雷帕霉素靶蛋白与自噬在衰老中的交互作用

衰老是一个非常复杂的过程,与细胞和组织中累积的各种大分子（DNA、蛋白质和脂质）损伤密不可分,并且是由细胞中不同的信号通道共同调控的结果,而雷帕霉素靶标途径就是其中的一种。该途径整合了各种来自细胞内外的信号以调控细胞的生长、增殖和代谢。越来越多证据表明,雷帕霉素靶蛋白（target of rapamycin,TOR）控制着细胞和组织老化的速度,影响着整个机体衰老过程。另外TOR参与调控自噬的发生,而自噬能使生物大分子和细胞器降解并回收重复利用。多种生物模型研究发现,衰老其实是与自噬的不足有关联。本文对TOR和自噬在衰老过程中的作用和相互关系进行综述,为发展与老年疾病相关的新型治疗方法提供思路。     

mTOR信号通路在糖尿病肾病发病机制中的研究进展

糖尿病肾病（diabetic nephropathy,DN）是糖尿病最常见的并发症之一,因其具有高发病率且与晚期肾病、心血管疾病和过早死亡等风险相关,糖尿病肾病已成为全球性的公共健康问题,但目前其发病机制尚不清楚。雷帕霉素靶蛋白（mammalian target of rapamycin,mTOR）是一种丝氨酸/苏氨酸的蛋白酶,在延迟细胞凋亡以及促进细胞分裂、细胞存活、血管生成中发挥着重要作用。近年来有研究表明,mTOR存在于DN进展的关键步骤中,包括自噬、炎症及氧化应激等。因此,就mTOR介导的自噬、炎症及氧化应激信号通路在DN发病机制中的相关研究进展做一综述,以期为DN治疗及预防提供理论参考。     

异亮氨酸对鳜mTOR信号通路及氮代谢影响

通过脑室注射异亮氨酸, 探究短期内异亮氨酸对鳜(Siniperca chuatsi)雷帕霉素靶蛋白(Mammalian target of rapamycin, mTOR)信号通路及氮代谢影响。结果显示: 脑室注射异亮氨酸后, (1)促进鳜氨氮排泄; (2)谷氨酸脱氢酶基因(Glutamate dehydrogenase, GDH)、谷草转氨酶基因(Glutamic oxaloacetic transaminase, GOT)和腺苷酸脱氨酶基因(Adenosine monophosphate deaminase, AMPD)氮代谢基因相对表达量显著性上调(P<0.05); (3)鳜血糖含量在0.5h显著性降低(P<0.05); (4)激活了鳜肝脏mTOR信号通路, 促使下游分子核糖体蛋白S6磷酸化(P<0.05)。结果表明: 异亮氨酸能够激活鳜肝脏mTOR信号通路, 介导氨基酸代谢, 提高鳜氮代谢基因的转录水平, 促使氨氮排泄增多。     

自噬在孤独症谱系障碍中的研究进展

孤独症谱系障碍(autism spectrum disorder, ASD)是一种广泛性发育障碍,以社会交流障碍和刻板重复行为为主要临床表现。ASD的发生受到遗传和环境等因素的影响,但具体发病机制尚未明确,且目前尚无有效治疗方法。自噬(autophagy)是一种维持蛋白质和细胞稳态的庞大代谢系统,参与多种神经发育性疾病的遗传和分子发病机理,也参与调控ASD样行为和疾病发生。该文着重探讨自噬在ASD中的研究进展,分析自噬基因和通路蛋白等在ASD中的调控作用,为ASD的治疗干预提供潜在的靶标。     

mTOR信号通路与癌症治疗

哺乳动物雷帕霉素靶蛋白(mammalian target of rapamycin,mTOR)是一种非典型的丝氨酸／苏氨酸蛋白激酶,在细胞的生长、分化、增殖、迁移和存活上扮演了重要的角色。由于mTOR信号转导通路在细胞周期进程中发挥了重要作用,而细胞周期进程调节异常与许多疾病尤其是癌症的发生、发展有关,因此mTOR信号通路的失调可引起多种癌症。mTOR的特异性抑制剂雷帕霉素及其衍生物CCI-779能抑制mTOR的功能,使细胞阻滞在G。期,并引起凋亡。CCI-779作为抗癌药物已分别进入Ⅱ期临床。通过临床实验CCI-779显示出较高的抗癌活性和相对较小的副作用。越来越多的实验证据显示,mTOR信号转导通路的抑制剂可开发成为潜在的肿瘤特异性治疗药物。     

mTOR信号通路与“炎-癌”转变

慢性炎症是指刺激因素持续作用或其他原因导致的难以消退的炎症反应.它与许多重大疾病的发生、发展密切相关.近年来,慢性炎症在癌症发生发展中的关键作用得到普遍认可,其促癌作用的机制已成为当前生命科学研究热点之一.哺乳动物雷帕霉素靶蛋白(mammalian target of rapamycin,mTOR)是接受细胞内外各种信号、调节细胞生长与代谢的关键分子,多数肿瘤存在mTOR通路的过度激活.最近,我们与其他实验室的研究发现mTOR通路在"炎-癌"转变中起重要作用.本综述将对慢性炎症与癌症的关系、慢性炎症的促癌作用机制做一概括介绍,重点讨论mTOR信号通路介导慢性炎症促癌效应的作用、机制及未来研究方向,为慢性炎症恶性转化分子机制研究提供新的观点.     

亚精胺诱导自噬的作用机制

亚精胺(spermidine)是含有3个胺基的低分子量脂肪族碳化物,是存在于所有生物体中的天然多胺之一。自噬(autophagy)对于降解细胞内受损蛋白质和细胞器是必需的。外源性亚精胺可作为自噬的天然诱导剂,并且是安全和无毒的。新近研究表明,亚精胺可通过AKT/AMPK-FoxO3-Atg途径诱导自噬,还能促进组蛋白脱乙酰基酶4(histone deacetylase 4,HDAC4)向细胞核转运,降低细胞质HDAC4含量,进而增强微管相关蛋白1S(microtubule-associated protein 1S,MAP1S)乙酰化和稳定性以激活自噬。此外,亚精胺可作为乙酰转移酶抑制剂调节EP300活性,进而改变Atg5、Atg7、LC3和Atg12的乙酰化状态。同时,还可通过诱导哺乳动物雷帕霉素靶蛋白(mammalian target of rapamycin,mTOR)去磷酸化,激活ULK1/2-Atg13-FIP200复合物参与调控动物机体内的自噬过程。本文就自噬概念和亚精胺诱导自噬作用途径的最新研究进展作一综述。     

mTORC1信号通路调控细胞自噬的研究进展

蛋白激酶mTORC1主要感应细胞内的营养状态和细胞外的压力刺激,通过磷酸化众多下游底物蛋白,参与调控细胞的生长、增殖和代谢等过程.近年来的研究表明, m TORC1信号通路在细胞内的重要分解代谢过程——细胞自噬的调控中发挥主导作用.在细胞自噬过程的不同阶段发挥作用的多个蛋白陆续被鉴定为mTORC1的直接磷酸化底物,表明mTORC1在细胞自噬过程的不同阶段均发挥调控作用.以上作用机制让mTORC1精确而全面地控制细胞自噬的起始、终止和强度,进而帮助细胞更好地应对细胞内外环境的改变.本文将围绕mTORC1信号通路在细胞自噬调控中的主导作用综述近年来的相关研究进展.     

细胞自噬及真菌中自噬研究概述

细胞自噬是真核生物中广泛存在的、主要依赖于溶酶体或液泡的保守的降解途径,通过降解细胞内过多或异常的蛋白、细胞器等以维持正常的细胞功能。近10年来自噬研究方面的飞速进展显示出自噬与癌症、神经退行性疾病、衰老及心脏病等人类疾病相关。与此同时,自噬在丝状真菌的生长、形态和发育等方面发挥着重要作用,特别是在丝状真菌的细胞分化过程中,自噬起到了关键性作用,如致病性生长、程序性细胞死亡及孢子形成。本文主要论述了什么是自噬,自噬的检测方法及以真菌为对象的自噬研究进展。     

Nutrient-regulated Phosphorylation of ATG13 Inhibits Starvation-induced Autophagy

Autophagy is a conserved catabolic process that utilizes a defined series of membrane trafficking events to generate a de novo double-membrane vesicle termed the autophagosome, which matures by fusing to the lysosome. Subsequently, the lysosome facilitates the degradation and recycling of the cytoplasmic cargo. In yeast, the upstream signals that regulate the induction of starvation-induced autophagy are clearly defined. The nutrient-sensing kinase Tor inhibits the activation of autophagy by regulating the formation of the Atg1-Atg13-Atg17 complex, through hyperphosphorylation of Atg13. However, in mammals, the ortholog complex ULK1-ATG13-FIP200 is constitutively formed. As such, the molecular mechanism by which mTOR regulates mammalian autophagy is unknown. Here we report the identification and characterization of novel nutrient-regulated phosphorylation sites on ATG13: Ser-224 and Ser-258. mTOR directly phosphorylates ATG13 on Ser-258 while Ser-224 is modulated by the AMPK pathway. In ATG13 knock-out cells reconstituted with an unphosphorylatable mutant of ATG13, ULK1 kinase activity is more potent, and amino acid starvation induced more rapid ATG13 and ULK1 translocation. These events culminated in a more rapid starvation-induced autophagy response. Therefore, ATG13 phosphorylation plays a crucial role in autophagy regulation.     

mTOR信号通路对脂肪生成的调控作用

脂肪组织是一种主要的能量储存和内分泌器官。脂肪生成是一系列复杂的细胞分化过程,受到细胞营养水平、激素和代谢物等调节。哺乳动物雷帕霉素靶蛋白(mammalian target of rapamycin, mTOR)复合物包括哺乳动物雷帕霉素靶蛋白复合体1(mammalian target of rapamycin complex 1,mTORC1)和mTORC2两种蛋白质复合体。mTOR复合物含有的脂质激酶样域奠定了mTOR通路调控脂肪生成的基础。对mTORC1和mTORC2的部分组成蛋白质研究也验证了mTOR调控成脂的功能。基于前期的研究,我们综述了miR-199a-3p、miR-103、miR-188、68 kD有丝分裂中的Src相关底物(Src-associated substrate in mitosis of 68 kD,Sam68)、内皮抑素等物质通过mTORC1和mTORC2蛋白质复合体调控脂肪生成的机制。同时,进一步构建了包括胰岛素/IGF通路、PI3K-AKT通路、氨基酸通路、AMPK通路、cAMP通路、cGMP通路、NOTCH通路以及影响上述通路的bta-miR-15...     

活性氧类与mTOR信号通路

哺乳动物雷帕霉素靶蛋白(mammalian target of rapamycin,mTOR)是整合细胞内外各种信号,调节蛋白质翻译与细胞生长增殖等多种生理活动的中心信号分子。活性氧类(reactive oxygen species,ROS)作为第二信使分子,可介导多种细胞信号通路并发挥广泛的生理效应。近年的研究发现ROS可通过一定的途径激活或抑制mTOR通路。而作为反馈调节,mTOR通路活性的轻度上调可促进细胞抗氧化物质的生成,而过度激活则会促进ROS生成,并增加细胞对氧化应激的敏感性,形成正反馈。本文将ROS与mTOR之间相互调节与相互作用的特点及机制的研究进展作一综述。     

Tadalafil Integrates Nitric Oxide-Hydrogen Sulfide Signaling to Inhibit High Glucose-induced Matrix Protein Synthesis in Podocytes

Diabetes-induced kidney cell injury involves an increase in matrix protein expression that is only partly alleviated by current treatment, prompting a search for new modalities. We have previously shown that hydrogen sulfide (H₂S) inhibits high glucose-induced protein synthesis in kidney podocytes. We tested whether tadalafil, a phosphodiesterase 5 inhibitor used to treat erectile dysfunction, ameliorates high glucose stimulation of matrix proteins by generating H₂S in podocytes. Tadalafil abrogated high glucose stimulation of global protein synthesis and matrix protein laminin γ1. Tadalafil inhibited high glucose-induced activation of mechanistic target of rapamycin complex 1 and laminin γ1 accumulation in an AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK)-dependent manner. Tadalafil increased AMPK phosphorylation by stimulating calcium-calmodulin kinase kinase β. Tadalafil rapidly increased the expression and activity of the H₂S-generating enzyme cystathionine γ-lyase (CSE) by promoting its translation. dl-Propargylglycine, a CSE inhibitor, and siRNA against CSE inhibited tadalafil-induced AMPK phosphorylation and abrogated the tadalafil effect on high glucose stimulation of laminin γ1. In tadalafil-treated podocytes, we examined the interaction between H₂S and nitric oxide (NO). N^ω-Nitro-l-arginine methyl ester and 1H-[1,2,4]-oxadiazolo-[4,3-a]-quinoxalin-1-one, inhibitors of NO synthase (NOS) and soluble guanylyl cyclase, respectively, abolished tadalafil induction of H₂S and AMPK phosphorylation. Tadalafil rapidly augmented inducible NOS (iNOS) expression by increasing its mRNA, and siRNA for iNOS and 1400W, an iNOS blocker, inhibited tadalafil stimulation of CSE expression and AMPK phosphorylation. We conclude that tadalafil amelioration of high glucose stimulation of synthesis of proteins including matrix proteins in podocytes requires integration of the NO-H₂S-AMPK axis leading to the inhibition of high glucose-induced mechanistic target of rapamycin complex 1 activity and mRNA translation.     

Rapamycin combined with MCC950 to treat multiple sclerosis in experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a highly disabling demyelinating disease, which mainly affects young adults and is difficult to cure. Activated microglia may be involved in the process of neuronal cell damage and release inflammatory cytokines to injure neurons. Rapamycin (RAPA), an immunosuppressant, can induce autophagy in microglia to delay the process of the disease. As an inhibitor of NLRP3, MCC950 (CP-456773) can regulate the activation of inflammasome. An experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis model, a disease model of MS, was established to detect the role of activated microglia in the dynamic evolution of MS. Our research showed that RAPA and MCC950 could reduce both the clinical symptom and the release of cytokines in immune cells. MCC950 reduced interleukin-1β (IL-1β) production in vivo and enhanced the effect of RAPA. We hypothesized that inflammation and demyelination in the central nervous system can be reduced by inhibiting the immune response mediated by microglia. This study provides theoretical support to the therapeutic evaluation of RAPA and MCC950 to make the mammalian targets of RAPA and NLRP3 the therapeutic targets of MS.     

Lead toxicity induces autophagy to protect against cell death through mTORC1 pathway in cardiofibroblasts

Heavy metals, such as lead (Pb²⁺), are usually accumulated in human bodies and impair human''s health. Lead is a metal with many recognized adverse health side effects and yet the molecular processes underlying lead toxicity are still poorly understood. In the present study, we proposed to investigate the effects of lead toxicity in cultured cardiofibroblasts. After lead treatment, cultured cardiofibroblasts showed severe endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress. However, the lead-treated cardiofibroblasts were not dramatically apoptotic. Further, we found that these cells determined to undergo autophagy through inhibiting mammalian target of rapamycin complex 1 (mTORC1) pathway. Moreover, inhibition of autophagy by 3-methyladenine (3-MA) may dramatically enhance lead toxicity in cardiofibroblasts and cause cell death. Our data establish that lead toxicity induces cell stress in cardiofibroblasts and protective autophagy is activated by inhibition of mTORC1 pathway. These findings describe a mechanism by which lead toxicity may promote the autophagy of cardiofibroblasts cells, which protects cells from cell stress. Our findings provide evidence that autophagy may help cells to survive under ER stress conditions in cardiofibroblasts and may set up an effective therapeutic strategy for heavy metal toxicity.     

Anti-proliferative effect of rosiglitazone on angiotensin II-induced vascular smooth muscle cell proliferation is mediated by the mTOR pathway

VSMC (vascular smooth muscle cell) proliferation contributes significantly to intimal thickening in atherosclerosis, restenosis and venous bypass graft diseases. Ang II (angiotensin II) has been implicated in VSMC proliferation though the activation of multiple growth-promoting signals. Although TZDs (thiazolidinediones) can inhibit VSMC proliferation and reduce Ang II-induced fibrosis, the mechanism underlying the inhibition of VSMC proliferation and fibrosis needs elucidation. We have used primary cultured rat aortic VSMCs and specific antibodies to investigate the inhibitory mechanism of rosiglitazone on Ang II-induced VSMC proliferation. Rosiglitazone treatment significantly inhibited Ang II-induced rat aortic VSMC proliferation in a dose-dependent manner. Western blot analysis showed that rosiglitazone significantly lowered phosphorylated ERK1/2 (extracellular-signal-regulated kinase 1/2), Akt (also known as protein kinase B), mTOR (mammalian target of rapamycin), p70S6K (70 kDa S6 kinase) and 4EBP1 (eukaryotic initiation factor 4E-binding protein) levels in Ang II-treated VSMCs. In addition, PPAR-γ (peroxisome-proliferator-activated receptor γ) mRNA increased significantly and CTGF (connective tissue growth factor), Fn (fibronectin) and Col III (collagen III) levels decreased significantly. The results demonstrate that the rosiglitazone directly inhibits the pro-atherosclerotic effect of Ang II on rat aortic VSMCs. It also attenuates Ang II-induced ECM (extracellular matrix) molecules and CTGF production in rat aortic VSMCs, reducing fibrosis. Importantly, PPAR-γ activation mediates these effects, in part, through the mTOR-p70S6K and -4EBP1 system.