Modulation of the c-Jun N-terminal kinase activity in the embryonic heart in response to anoxia-reoxygenation: involvement of the Ca2+ and mitoKATP channels

Whether the response of the fetal heart to ischemia-reperfusion is associated with activation of the c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) pathway is not known. In contrast, involvement of the sarcolemmal L-type Ca2+ channel (LCC) and the mitochondrial KATP (mitoKATP) channel has been established. This work aimed at investigating the profile of JNK activity during anoxia-reoxygenation and its modulation by LCC and mitoK(ATP) channel. Hearts isolated from 4-day-old chick embryos were submitted to anoxia (30 min) and reoxygenation (60 min). Using the kinase assay method, the profile of JNK activity in the ventricle was determined every 10 min throughout anoxia-reoxygenation. Effects on JNK activity of the LCC blocker verapamil (10 nM), the mitoK(ATP) channel opener diazoxide (50 microM) and the blocker 5-hydroxydecanoate (5-HD, 500 microM), the mitochondrial Ca2+ uniporter (MCU) inhibitor Ru360 (10 microM), and the antioxidant N-(2-mercaptopropionyl) glycine (MPG, 1 mM) were determined. In untreated hearts, JNK activity was increased by 40% during anoxia and peaked fivefold relative to basal level after 30-40 min reoxygenation. This peak value was reduced by half by diazoxide and was tripled by 5-HD. Furthermore, the 5-HD-mediated stimulation of JNK activity during reoxygenation was abolished by diazoxide, verapamil or Ru360. MPG had no effect on JNK activity, whatever the conditions. None of the tested pharmacological agents altered JNK activity under basal normoxic conditions. Thus, in the embryonic heart, JNK activity exhibits a characteristic pattern during anoxia and reoxygenation and the respective open-state of LCC, MCU and mitoKATP channel can be a major determinant of JNK activity in a ROS-independent manner.     

Calcium- and proteasome-dependent degradation of the JNK scaffold protein islet-brain 1

In models of type 1 diabetes, cytokines induce pancreatic beta-cell death by apoptosis. This process seems to be facilitated by a reduction in the amount of the islet-brain 1/JNK interacting protein 1 (IB1/JIP1), a JNK-scaffold with an anti-apoptotic effect. A point mutation S59N at the N terminus of the scaffold, which segregates in diabetic patients, has the functional consequence of sensitizing cells to apoptotic stimuli. Neither the mechanisms leading to IB1/JIP1 down-regulation by cytokines nor the mechanisms leading to the decreased capacity of the S59N mutation to protect cells from apoptosis are understood. Here, we show that IB1/JIP1 stability is modulated by intracellular calcium. The effect of calcium depends upon JNK activation, which primes the scaffold for ubiquitination-mediated degradation via the proteasome machinery. Furthermore, we observe that the S59N mutation decreases IB1/JIP1 stability by sensitizing IB1/JIP1 to calcium- and proteasome-dependent degradation. These data indicate that calcium influx initiated by cytokines mediates ubiquitination and degradation of IB1/JIP1 and may, therefore, provide a link between calcium influx and JNK-mediated apoptosis in pancreatic beta-cells.     

Functional reconstitution of human FcRn in Madin-Darby canine kidney cells requires co-expressed human beta 2-microglobulin

The major histocompatibility complex class I-related neonatal Fc receptor, FcRn, assembles as a heterodimer consisting of a heavy chain and beta(2)-microglobulin (beta(2)m), which is essential for FcRn function. We observed that, in Madin-Darby canine kidney (MDCK) cells, the function of human FcRn in mediating the bidirectional transport of IgG was significantly increased upon co-expression of the human isoform of beta(2)m. In MDCK cells, the presence of human beta(2)m endowed upon human FcRn an enhanced ability to exit the endoplasmic reticulum and acquire mature carbohydrate side-chain modifications at steady state, a faster kinetics of maturation, and augmented localization at the cell surface as a mature glycoprotein able to bind IgG. Although human FcRn with immature carbohydrate side-chain modifications was capable of exhibiting pH-dependent binding of IgG, only human FcRn with mature carbohydrate side-chain modifications was detected on the cell surface. These results show that human FcRn travels to the cell surface via the normal secretory pathway and that the appropriate expression and function of human FcRn in MDCK cells depends upon the co-expression of human beta(2)m.     

Brain Processing of Biologically Relevant Odors in the Awake Rat,as Revealed by Manganese-Enhanced MRI

Background

So far, an overall view of olfactory structures activated by natural biologically relevant odors in the awake rat is not available. Manganese-enhanced MRI (MEMRI) is appropriate for this purpose. While MEMRI has been used for anatomical labeling of olfactory pathways, functional imaging analyses have not yet been performed beyond the olfactory bulb. Here, we have used MEMRI for functional imaging of rat central olfactory structures and for comparing activation maps obtained with odors conveying different biological messages.

Methodology/Principal Findings

Odors of male fox feces and of chocolate flavored cereals were used to stimulate conscious rats previously treated by intranasal instillation of manganese (Mn). MEMRI activation maps showed Mn enhancement all along the primary olfactory cortex. Mn enhancement elicited by male fox feces odor and to a lesser extent that elicited by chocolate odor, differed from that elicited by deodorized air. This result was partly confirmed by c-Fos immunohistochemistry in the piriform cortex.

Conclusion/Significance

By providing an overall image of brain structures activated in awake rats by odorous stimulation, and by showing that Mn enhancement is differently sensitive to different stimulating odors, the present results demonstrate the interest of MEMRI for functional studies of olfaction in the primary olfactory cortex of laboratory small animals, under conditions close to natural perception. Finally, the factors that may cause the variability of the MEMRI signal in response to different odor are discussed.     

Cell-permeable peptides induce dose- and length-dependent cytotoxic effects

We have explored the threshold of tolerance of three unrelated cell types to treatments with potential cytoprotective peptides bound to Tat(48-57) and Antp(43-58) cell-permeable peptide carriers. Both Tat(48-57) and Antp(43-58) are well known for their good efficacy at crossing membranes of different cell types, their overall low toxicity, and their absence of leakage once internalised. Here, we show that concentrations of up to 100 microM of Tat(48-57) were essentially harmless in all cells tested, whereas Antp(43-58) was significantly more toxic. Moreover, all peptides bound to Tat(48-57) and Antp(43-58) triggered significant and length-dependent cytotoxicity when used at concentrations above 10 microM in all but one cell types (208F rat fibroblasts), irrespective of the sequence of the cargo. Absence of cytotoxicity in 208F fibroblasts correlated with poor intracellular peptide uptake, as monitored by confocal laser scanning fluorescence microscopy. Our data further suggest that the onset of cytotoxicity correlates with the activation of two intracellular stress signalling pathways, namely those involving JNK, and to a lesser extent p38 mitogen-activated protein kinases. These responses are of particular concern for cells that are especially sensitive to the activation of stress kinases. Collectively, these results indicate that in order to avoid unwanted and unspecific cytotoxicity, effector molecules bound to Tat(48-57) should be designed with the shortest possible sequence and the highest possible affinity for their binding partners or targets, so that concentrations below 10 microM can be successfully applied to cells without harm. Considering that cytotoxicity associated to Tat(48-57)- and Antp(43-58) bound peptide conjugates was not restricted to a particular type of cells, our data provide a general framework for the design of cell-penetrating peptides that may apply to broader uses of intracellular peptide and drug delivery.     

A peptide inhibitor of c-Jun NH2-terminal kinase reduces myocardial ischemia-reperfusion injury and infarct size in vivo

The c-Jun NH(2)-terminal kinase (JNK) pathway of the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling cascade regulates cell function and survival after stress stimulation. Equally robust studies reported dichotomous results suggesting both protective and detrimental effects of JNK during myocardial ischemia-reperfusion (I/R). The lack of a highly specific JNK inhibitor contributed to this controversy. We recently developed a cell-penetrating, protease-resistant peptide inhibitor of JNK, d-JNKI-1. Here we report on the effects of d-JNKI-1 in myocardial I/R. d-JNKI-1 was tested in isolated-perfused adult rat hearts. Increased activation of JNK, p38-MAPK, and extracellular signal-regulated kinase-1/2 (ERK1/2), as assessed by kinase assays and Western blotting, occurred during I/R. d-JNKI-1 delivered before onset of ischemia prevented the increase in JNK activity while not affecting ERK1/2 and p38-MAPK activation. JNK inhibition reduced ischemic injury, as manifested by increased time to contracture (P < 0.05) and decreased left ventricular end-diastolic pressure during ischemia (P < 0.01), and enhanced posthypoxic recovery of systolic and diastolic function (P < 0.01). d-JNKI-1 reduced mitochondrial cytochrome-c release, caspase-3 activation, and the number of apoptotic cells determined by terminal deoxynucleotidyltransferase-mediated dUTP nick-end labeling (P < 0.05), indicating suppression of the mitochondrial machinery of apoptosis. d-JNKI-1 delivered at the time of reperfusion did not improve functional recovery but still prevented apoptosis. In vivo, d-JNKI-1 reduced infarct size after coronary artery occlusion and reperfusion by approximately 50% (P < 0.01). In conclusion, d-JNKI-1 is an important compound that can be used in preclinical models to investigate the role of JNK signaling in vivo. Inhibition of JNK during I/R is cardioprotective in anesthetized rats in vivo.