肺上皮细胞自噬体在结核分枝杆菌感染中保护作用的分子机制

目的：构建Atg5．真核表达载体并瞬时转染肺上皮细胞细胞株,探讨自噬在结核分枝杆菌感染上皮细胞中保护作用的分子机制。方法：设计针对Atg5的RNAi序列,化学合成后经过变性,退火连接到pSilencerTM3．1-H1hygro真核表达载体,经测序验证其正确性。脂质体法瞬时转染真核细胞A549,免疫印迹法检测瞬时转染的效果。用结核分枝杆菌分别感染正常和自噬表达低下的A549细胞．通过检测LDH来观察细胞的坏死情况。结果：成功的构建了pSilencerTM3．1-H1hygro真核表达载体并建瞬时转染了A549细胞株,成功抑制了细胞的自噬功能。Atg5-细胞对结核杆菌的抵抗能力下降。结论：在自噬表达低下的细胞中,细胞对结核分枝杆菌的抵抗能力有明显下降。在结核分枝杆菌感染上皮细胞的过程中,自噬是一种保护机制。     

肺泡Ⅱ型上皮细胞自噬体与结核分枝杆菌相互作用的研究

目的:检测LC3在肺泡Ⅱ型上皮细胞A549上的表达情况,及结核分枝杆菌刺激后对其表达的影响,探讨自噬在结核分枝杆菌感染上皮细胞中所起的作用。方法:体外培养肺泡Ⅱ型上皮细胞A549,在结核分枝杆菌感染A549细胞0h,24h分别提取RNA,采用RT-PCR的方法检测LC3mRNA的表达情况。采用凋亡坏死染色试剂盒在结核分枝杆菌感染24h后检测对照组,3-MA组,MTB组和3-MA+MTB组的细胞坏死情况。在结核分枝杆菌感染A549细胞4h,8h,16,24h采用Non-Radioactive Cytocity Assay的方法检测对照组,3-MA组,MTB组和3-MA+MTB组上清液LDH的OD值。结果:LC3在肺泡Ⅱ型上皮细胞显著表达,结核分枝杆菌感染后LC3表达降低。细胞凋亡和坏死染色结果显示空白组和3-MA组没有明显差异(P>0.05),MTB组和3-MA+MTB组有明显差异(P<0.05)。LDH检测显示MTB组和3-MA+MTB组上清液LDH的OD值数据两两之间有明显差异(P<0.05)并且有时间依赖性。结论:肺泡II型上皮细胞自噬体在抵抗结核分枝杆菌的感染过程中起一定的作用。     

结核分枝杆菌eis基因对鼠巨噬细胞Raw264．7白噬影响的研究

目的探讨结核分枝杆菌eis基因对巨噬细胞自噬的影响。方法将鼠巨噬细胞Raw264．7以自噬体荧光表达质粒GFP-LC3转染,将含eis基因的重组耻垢分枝杆菌MS—pmv261-eis与不含eis基因的耻垢分枝杆菌MS—pmv261分别感染宿主巨噬细胞,透射电镜下观察自噬小体形成情况,荧光显微镜下观察自噬荧光并计数,Westernblot检测如基因表达的蛋白及自噬蛋白LC3-Ⅱ的表达水平。结果结核分枝杆菌eis基因可抑制感染宿主细胞自噬小体的形成,并显著抑制自噬荧光小点形成（P〈0．05）,显著降低了自噬蛋白LC3-Ⅱ表达水平。结论结核分枝杆菌e曲基因对Raw264．7细胞自噬有抑制作用。     

维甲酸核受体RARα真核表达载体的构建、突变纠正及表达

目的构建维甲酸核受体RARα真核表达载体,并检测其在人肺腺癌细胞A549中表达。方法从小鼠巨噬细胞RAW264.7中提取总RNA,以RT-PCR法扩增RARαcDNA,克隆至真核表达载体pDsRed1-C1中,测序结果显示RARα第1040位A→G,导致其编码蛋白的氨基酸发生改变。通过二次PCR将其纠正,重组载体RedC1-RARα转化大肠埃希菌Top10,筛选阳性克隆做酶切及测序鉴定。脂质体瞬时转染A549细胞,在荧光显微镜下观察RARα的表达。RT-PCR法检测RARα的mRNA水平表达。结果通过RT-PCR及二次PCR得到RARαcDNA,构建其真核表达载体,脂质体瞬时转染A549细胞得到了成功表达,RARα基因产物定位于细胞核内。结论成功构建维甲酸核受体RARα真核表达载体,且证实RARα编码蛋白定位于细胞核内,本研究结果为进一步探讨结核分枝杆菌固有免疫机制奠定了基础。     

塞内卡病毒A结构蛋白VP2诱导PK-15细胞自噬的研究

本研究在塞内卡病毒A(Senecavirus A,SVA)诱导自噬的基础上,着重探究VP2蛋白在细胞自噬过程中的作用。构建VP2基因真核表达载体pcDNA3.1-VP2,将其转染至PK-15细胞,通过检测自噬蛋白和相关基因的表达情况,明确VP2蛋白对细胞自噬的影响。结果显示,本研究成功构建了pcDNA3.1-VP2真核表达载体,且SVA VP2基因在PK-15细胞中正常表达;与对照组相比,VP2蛋白显著上调LC3蛋白的表达水平（P<0.01）;同时,自噬基因LC3、Beclin-1和ATG5转录水平均显著提高（P<0.01）。综上所述,本研究证实SVA VP2蛋白可诱导PK-15细胞自噬,且VP2蛋白与自噬蛋白和基因表达水平呈正相关,为进一步研究病毒感染与致病机制打下基础。     

鳞翅目昆虫中自噬相关分子Atg8的研究进展

自噬是细胞通过溶酶体自主降解以实现细胞内物质循环利用的过程,在昆虫细胞分化和个体发育中起着重要作用。鳞翅目昆虫属于完全变态昆虫,会通过自噬和凋亡完成蜕变重建过程,是研究自噬机制的模式生物。自噬相关蛋白Atg8是哺乳动物微管相关蛋白1轻链3的同系物,是自噬相关蛋白的核心蛋白家族,对自噬小体形成、膜的延伸、特定物质识别等具有重要意义。文中就鳞翅目昆虫Atg8在自噬信号通路中的作用、Atg8结构特点、Atg8表达分布及Atg8-PE/Atg8水平与自噬活性关系进行了综述。Atg8-PE是自噬信号通路中两个类泛素结合系统之一,在自噬中起着关键作用。序列分析表明,鳞翅目昆虫Atg8与其他真核生物同源蛋白的整体结构相似,尤其与其他昆虫同源蛋白的氨基酸序列高度一致,体现了Atg8的高度保守性。鳞翅目昆虫发育不同阶段,Atg8在中肠、唾液腺、卵巢、脂肪体、丝腺等器官中的表达分布各不相同。并且,Atg8在核质中分布也存在差异,Atg8在细胞核与细胞质之间的穿梭可能存在蛹化前阶段的某些细胞中。通过检测Atg8-PE在细胞内的表达水平或Atg8含量的变化,可以评价细胞自噬的发生程度。     

真核表达质粒pcDNA3.1-CSRP2-HA的构建及鉴定

目的:构建并鉴定真核表达质粒PcDNA3.1-CSRP2-HA。方法:据GeneBank中人CSRP2 CDS序列设计并合成引物,提取A549细胞总RNA,并将其逆转录成cDNA作为模板,进行PCR扩增,获得CSRP2目的基因后,再与PcDNA3.1-HA载体进行连接重组,构建PcDNA3.1-CSRP2-HA真核表达质粒,经限制性内切酶消化、PCR及DNA序列测序分析等方法鉴定后,瞬时转染入A549细胞,Western blot法检验CRP2蛋白表达。结果:成功构建PcDNA3.1-CSRP2-HA真核表达质粒,Western-blot结果显示PcDNA3.1-CSRP2-HA能够在A549细胞中表达。结论:PcDNA3.1-CSRP2-HA真核表达质粒构建并鉴定成功,为后续研究CRP2在炎症诱发氧化损伤机制中的转录调控作用奠定了基础。     

高糖背景下白蛋白抑制肾小管上皮细胞的自噬表达

目的:探讨高糖背景下白蛋白造成肾小管间质损伤的作用及其机制。方法:体外培养大鼠近端肾小管上皮细胞系NRK-52E细胞,观察高糖培养环境下细胞自噬表达的改变;同时观察低浓度牛血清白蛋白(BSA)单独刺激,对肾小管上皮细胞自噬蛋白表达的影响以及细胞凋亡蛋白的表达改变;接着在高糖培养环境下加入低浓度的白蛋白刺激,观察肾小管上皮细胞的损伤效应及自噬表达情况。结果:高糖培养条件下肾小管上皮细胞自噬蛋白Beclin-1表达增加(P0.05),低浓度白蛋白也诱导肾小管上皮细胞自噬蛋白Beclin-1、Atg12表达增加(P0.05),以及细胞凋亡蛋白cleaved caspase3的轻度增加,乳酸脱氢酶活性增加(P0.05);但高糖培养下,少量白蛋白却抑制了肾小管上皮细胞自噬蛋白Beclin-1、Atg12的表达,并且显著增加了肾小管上皮细胞的凋亡蛋白cleaved caspase3的表达(P0.05)。结论:自噬是细胞自身的一种保护机制。在高糖背景下,白蛋白通过影响自噬的自身调节机制,促进了肾小管间质的损害作用。     

细胞自噬对乙肝病毒感染细胞干扰素表达的影响

[目的]细胞自噬(Autophagy)是真核细胞用于清除胞内聚集物、损伤细胞器而维持其稳态平衡的一种溶酶体降解途径.细胞自噬不仅在细胞生长发育、成熟、分化等过程中起重要作用,且与病毒感染、细胞免疫密切相关.通过研究细胞自噬对乙肝病毒感染的Ⅰ型干扰素的影响,为进一步阐明乙肝病毒感染对机体天然免疫反应研究奠定基础.[方法]通过siRNA干扰Beclin1和Atg7表达,检测自噬小体形成,Real-TimePCR检测干扰素因子表达,分析了细胞自噬对乙肝病毒感染细胞中干扰素形成的影响.[结果]干扰Beclin1和Atg7均可抑制细胞自噬发生,抑制细胞自噬可降低干扰素因子的表达,而对细胞活力和细胞凋亡无明显影响.[结论]抑制细胞自噬,可降低HBV感染细胞中IFNβ和IFI27的表达,这在一定程度上意味着,HBV诱导的自噬具有增强感染细胞天然免疫反应的作用.     

MEKK3稳定表达细胞株的建立及其对A549细胞增殖的影响

目的 构建人MEKK3基因编码区序列（cDNA）的真核表达载体、建立其稳定表达细胞株并观察其对肺腺癌细胞增殖的影响.方法 从A549细胞中提取总RNA,应用RT-PCR扩增MEKK3 cDNA的全长序列后克隆入pcDNA3.1/hygro（＋）质粒中,构建成MEKK3基因的真核表达载体,然后转染入人肺腺癌A549细胞中,潮霉素筛选稳定转染克隆,通过MTT实验,研究转染MEKK3基因前后细胞增殖的变化.结果 重组载体经酶切鉴定和测序证实目的 基因正确无误,Western印迹检测结果显示MEKK3基因在A549细胞中具有良好的表达;荧光实时定量PCR结果表明MEKK3基因在其稳定转染的A549细胞克隆中表达上调,与空载体稳定转染及未转染细胞比较,差异具有统计学意义（P＜0.05）;MTT结果显示MEKK3表达上调的稳定克隆组,A549细胞的增殖活性显著增强（A570=0.876 1±0.074 5）,明显高于空载体稳定转染组（A570=0.582 8±0.070 3）及未转染亲代细胞组（A570=0.584 9±0.035 2）,差异具有统计学意义（P＜0.01）,而后两者之间差异无统计学意义（P＞0.05）.结论 MEKK3表达上调可导致肺腺癌细胞的增殖增强.     

Autophagy is a regulator of TRAIL-induced apoptosis in NSCLC A549 cells

Autophagy, a catabolic process by which cytoplasmic components are degraded in lysosomes, plays an important role in the maintenance of cellular homeostasis. Dysregulation of autophagy is associated with several diseases. However, few studies have addressed the role of autophagy in the lung, and its role in lung diseases remains unclear. In the present study, we examined the effect of tumor necrosis factor-related apoptosis-inducing ligand (TRAIL) on autophagy in A549 cells and explored the underlying mechanisms. We showed that TRAIL promoted autophagosome formation, as detected by the levels of LC3-II, and its effect on promoting autophagy was dependent on the expression of the autophagy related genes (ATGs) Atg5, Atg7, and beclin-1. TRAIL-induced ATG expression was attenuated by JNK silencing or treatment with the JNK inhibitor SP600125, indicating the involvement of the JNK pathway. Crosstalk between autophagy and apoptosis was demonstrated by silencing the autophagy related genes Atg5, Atg7, and beclin-1, and the dependence of TRAIL-induced apoptosis on autophagy-related gene expression. Taken together, our results indicate that TRAIL promotes autophagy in A549 cells via a mechanism involving the modulation of ATG expression through the JNK pathway. Inhibition of autophagy enhanced TRAIL-induced cell proliferative inhibition and apoptosis in A549 cells.     

Inhibition of autophagy by autophagic inhibitors enhances apoptosis induced by bortezomib in non-small cell lung cancer cells

Bortezomib is a novel proteasome inhibitor that has promising antitumor activity against various cancer cells. We have assessed its antitumor activity in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) A549 and H157 cells in vitro where it inhibited cell growth and induced apoptosis, which was associated with cytochrome c release and caspase-3 activation. Bortezomib upregulated autophagic-related proteins, the Atg12–Atg5 complex and LC3-II, which indicated autophagy had occurred. The combination of bortezomib with autophagic inhibitor 3-methyladenine or chloroquine significantly enhanced suppression of cell growth and apoptosis induced by bortezomib in A549 and H157 cells. Our study indicated that inhibition of both proteasome and autophagy has great potential for NSCLC treatment.     

Antimony trichloride induces a loss of cell viability via reactive oxygen species-dependent autophagy in A549 cells

Antimony (Sb) is one of the most prevalent heavy metals and frequently leads to biological toxicity. Although autophagy is believed to be involved in metal-associated cytotoxicity, there is no evidence of its involvement following exposure. Moreover, the underlying mechanism of autophagy remains unclear. In this study, treatment with antimony trichloride caused autophagy in a dose- and time-dependent manner in A549 cells but did not affect the level of Atg5 or Atg7 mRNA expression. Furthermore, Sb enhanced autophagic flux while upregulating p62 gene and protein levels. The classic mechanistic target of rapamycin (mTOR) pathway is not involved in Sb-induced autophagy. However, Sb-induced autophagy and the upregulation of p62 were inhibited by treatment with the antioxidant N-acetylcysteine (NAC). Subsequent analyses demonstrated that the inhibition of autophagy protected A549 cells from a loss of cell viability, while the activation of autophagy by rapamycin had the opposite effect. These data suggest that reactive oxygen species-dependent autophagy mediates Sb-stimulated cell viability loss in A549 cells.     

Autophagy activation is required for influenza A virus-induced apoptosis and replication

Autophagy and apoptosis are two major interconnected host cell responses to viral infection, including influenza A virus (IAV). Thus, delineating these events could facilitate the development of better treatment options and provide an effective anti-viral strategy for controlling IAV infection. We used A549 cells and mouse embryonic fibroblasts (MEF) to study the role of virus-induced autophagy and apoptosis, the cross-talk between both pathways, and their relation to IAV infection [ATCC strain A/Puerto Rico/8/34(H1N1) (hereafter; PR8)]. PR8-infected and mock-infected cells were analyzed by immunoblotting, immunofluorescence confocal microscopy, electron microscopy and flow cytometry (FACS). We found that PR8 infection simultaneously induced autophagy and apoptosis in A549 cells. Autophagy was associated with Bax and Bak activation, intrinsic caspase cleavage and subsequent PARP-1 and BID cleavage. Both Bax knockout (KO) and Bax/Bak double knockout MEFs displayed inhibition of virus-induced cytopathology and cell death and diminished virus-mediated caspase activation, suggesting that virus-induced apoptosis is Bax/Bak-dependent. Biochemical inhibition of autophagy induction with 3-methyladenine blocked both virus replication and apoptosis pathways. These effects were replicated using autophagy-refractory Atg3 KO and Atg5 KO cells. Taken together, our data indicate that PR8 infection simultaneously induces autophagy and Bax/caspase-dependent apoptosis, with autophagy playing a role to support PR8 replication, in part, by modulating virus-induced apoptosis.     

The 3p21.3 tumor suppressor RBM5 resensitizes cisplatin-resistant human non-small cell lung cancer cells to cisplatin

Objective: Increasing RBM5 levels inhibit tumor cell growth and promote apoptosis. In this study, we investigated the role of RBM5 in the cisplatin resistance observed in human lung non-small cell lung cancer cells and evaluated the effect of RBM5 modulation on cell growth inhibition and apoptosis induced by cisplatin in the parental non-small cell lung cancer cells A549 and their cisplatin resistant counterparts, A549/DDP cells. Methods: RBM5 mRNA and protein expression in the A549 and A549/DDP cells was analyzed by semi-quantitative RT-PCR and western blot. The A549/DDP cells were then transfected with a pcDNA3-RBM5 plasmid, and an RBM5-specific siRNA was transfected into A549 cells, prior to treatment with cisplatin. Semi-quantitative RT-PCR and western blot analyses were performed to confirm the expression of RBM5 mRNA or protein, and knockdown of RBM5 mRNA or protein, respectively. MTT assays were used to evaluate chemosensitivity to cisplatin. Apoptosis was assessed by DAPI nuclear staining and flow cytometric analysis with an Annexin-V-FITC apoptosis kit. Cytosolic cytochrome c, cleaved caspase-3 and cleaved caspase-9 were detected by western blot. Results: The expression of RBM5 mRNA and protein was significantly reduced in the A549/DDP cells compared with the A549 cells. Exogenous expression of RBM5 by the pcDNA3-RBM5 resensitized the response of A549/DDP to cisplatin, resulting in a significant increase in tumor-suppressing activity induced by cisplatin. In contrast, downregulation of RBM5 with siRNA in the A549 cells inhibited cisplatin-induced apoptosis. We also found that the RBM5-enhanced chemosensitivity was associated with the release of cytochrome c into the cytosol, activation of caspase-9 and the downstream marker caspase-3. Conclusion: Our results demonstrate that RBM5 may serve as a biomarker with the ability to predict a response to cisplatin. It may also act as a prognostic indicator in lung cancer patients. Our findings suggest that there may be clinical utility for ectopic RBM5 such as enhancing and resensitizing nonresponders to cisplatin.     

Targeted deletion of Atg5 reveals differential roles of autophagy in keratin K5-expressing epithelia

Autophagy contributes to the homeostasis of many tissues, yet its role in epithelia is incompletely understood. A recent report proposed that Atg5-dependent autophagy in thymic epithelial cells is essential for their function in the negative selection of self-reactive T-cells and, thus, for the suppression of tissue inflammation. Here we crossed mice carrying floxed alleles of the Atg5 gene with mice expressing the Cre recombinase under the control of the keratin K5 promoter to suppress autophagy in all K5-positive epithelia. The efficiency of autophagy abrogation was confirmed by immunoanalyses of LC3, which was converted to the autophagy-associated LC3-II form in normal but not Atg5-deficient cells, and of p62, which accumulated in Atg5-deficient cells. Mice carrying the epithelium-specific deletion of Atg5 showed normal weight gain, absence of tissue inflammation, and a normal morphology of the thymic epithelium. By contrast, autophagy-deficient epithelial cells of the preputial gland showed aberrant eosinophilic staining in histology and premature degradation of nuclear DNA during terminal differentiation. Taken together, the results of this study suggest that autophagy is dispensable for the suppression of autoimmunity by thymic epithelial cells but essential for normal differentiation of the preputial gland in mice.     

Compensatory activation of ERK1/2 in Atg5-deficient mouse embryo fibroblasts suppresses oxidative stress-induced cell death

Despite of the increasing evidence that oxidative stress may induce non-apoptotic cell death or autophagic cell death, the mechanism of this process is unclear. Here, we report a role and a down-stream molecular event of Atg5 during oxidative stress-induced cell death. Compared to wild type (WT) cells, Atg5-deficient mouse embryo fibroblasts (Atg5-/- MEFs) and Atg5 knockdown HT22 neuronal cells were more resistant to cell death induced by H2O2. On the contrary, Atg5-/- MEFs were as sensitive to tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha and cycloheximide as WT cells, and were more sensitive to cell death triggered by amino acid-deprivation than WT MEFs. Treatment with H2O2 induced the recruitment of a GFP-LC3 fusion protein and conversion of LC3 I to LC3 II, correlated with the extent of autophagosome formation in WT cells, but much less in Atg5-deficient cells. Among stress kinases, ERK1/2 was markedly activated in Atg5-/- MEFs and Atg5 knockdown HT22 and SH-SY5Y neuronal cells. The inhibition of ERK1/2 by MEK1 inhibitor (PD98059) or dominant negative ERK2 enhanced the susceptibility of Atg5-/- MEFs to H2O2-induced cell death. Further, reconstitution of Atg5 sensitized Atg5-/- MEFs to H2O2 and suppressed the activation of ERK1/2. These results suggest that the inhibitory effect of Atg5 deficiency on cell death is attributable by the compensatory activation of ERK1/2 in Atg5-/- MEFs during oxidative stress-induced cell death.     

转录因子WSTF对肺癌细胞增殖和侵袭的实验研究

目的:研究转录因子WSTF对肺癌细胞增殖和侵袭作用的影响。方法:采用慢病毒介导的基因转染方法建立A549细胞WSTF高表达细胞系A549-WSTF和空质粒对照细胞系A549-control。细胞增殖实验和克隆形成实验观察ING5过表达对肺癌A549细胞增殖能力的影响;Trans-well迁移实验和侵袭实验观察WSTF对肺癌细胞迁移和侵袭能力的影响。结果:Western blot验证A549-WSTF细胞WSTF蛋白水平显著高于对照细胞A549-control,P=0.0004。WSTF高表达明显促进了肺癌细胞的增殖能力(1-4天P值分别为0.002、0.0004、0.0002和3.21×10-5)和克隆形成能力(P=0.004);WSTF过表达还显著促进了肺癌细胞从trans-well小室迁移到下室的作用,其OD570值分别为0.626±0.013(A549-WSTF)和0.322±0.010(A549-control),P=2.37×10-5;WSTF还促进肺癌细胞穿透基质胶迁移到下室,其OD570值分别为0.600±0.027(A549-WSTF)和0.333±0.017(A549-control),P=0.0004。结论:WSTF可以促进肺癌细胞的增殖和侵袭能力而发挥促癌作用。     

The E2-Like Conjugation Enzyme Atg3 Promotes Binding of IRG and Gbp Proteins to Chlamydia- and Toxoplasma-Containing Vacuoles and Host Resistance

Cell-autonomous immunity to the bacterial pathogen Chlamydia trachomatis and the protozoan pathogen Toxoplasma gondii is controlled by two families of Interferon (IFN)-inducible GTPases: Immunity Related GTPases (IRGs) and Guanylate binding proteins (Gbps). Members of these two GTPase families associate with pathogen-containing vacuoles (PVs) and solicit antimicrobial resistance pathways specifically to the intracellular site of infection. The proper delivery of IRG and Gbp proteins to PVs requires the autophagy factor Atg5. Atg5 is part of a protein complex that facilitates the transfer of the ubiquitin-like protein Atg8 from the E2-like conjugation enzyme Atg3 to the lipid phosphatidylethanolamine. Here, we show that Atg3 expression, similar to Atg5 expression, is required for IRG and Gbp proteins to dock to PVs. We further demonstrate that expression of a dominant-active, GTP-locked IRG protein variant rescues the PV targeting defect of Atg3- and Atg5-deficient cells, suggesting a possible role for Atg proteins in the activation of IRG proteins. Lastly, we show that IFN-induced cell-autonomous resistance to C. trachomatis infections in mouse cells depends not only on Atg5 and IRG proteins, as previously demonstrated, but also requires the expression of Atg3 and Gbp proteins. These findings provide a foundation for a better understanding of IRG- and Gbp-dependent cell-autonomous resistance and its regulation by Atg proteins.