西格列汀对糖尿病小鼠心肌重构和自噬的影响及其机制

目的: 探讨西格列汀对糖尿病小鼠心肌重构和自噬的影响和可能的机制。方法: 10周龄的C57小鼠腹腔注射STZ 50 mg/(kg·d),连续注射5 d,7 d测血糖浓度＞16.7 mmol/L视为糖尿病小鼠造模成功,造模成功4周后给与药物干预。本实验分四组,对照组(control, 腹腔注射等体积的缓冲液, n=10)、模型组(Streptozocin, STZ腹腔注射诱导糖尿病模型,n=8)、处理组(在模型组基础上给与西格列汀灌胃10 mg/(kg·d),n=8)、抑制剂组(在处理组的基础上给与腹腔注射Compound C (AMPK通路抑制剂,10 mg/(kg·d),n=8),对照组腹腔注射等体积缓冲液,6周后称体重,处死,取小鼠心脏并分离心室称重,计算心室/体重比,HE染色观察心肌细胞形态,Masson染色观察纤维化程度,Western blot 检测心肌脑钠肽(BNP)、转化生长因子β(TGF-β)、缝隙连接蛋白43(Cx43)、AMP依赖的蛋白激酶(AMPK)、LC3B蛋白表达。结果: 给药6周后,与对照组相比,模型组小鼠体重没有明显改变,心室/体重比明显增加(P＜0.05),苏木素-伊红(HE)染色显示细胞增大,Masson染色显示心肌间隙纤维化增多,BNP、TGF-β蛋白明显升高,Cx43、LC3B、AMPK蛋白下降(P＜0.05)。与模型组相比,西格列汀组BNP、TGF-β蛋白明显下降,Cx43、LC3B、AMPK蛋白增多(P＜0.05)。然而Compound C会抑制Cx43、LC3B、AMPK蛋白表达的上调(P＜ 0.05)。结论: 西格列汀可以改善糖尿病小鼠心肌肥厚和纤维化,并且可以通过AMPK相关通路调节Cx43和自噬。     

Simvastatin-romidepsin combination kills bladder cancer cells synergistically

The HMG-CoA reductase inhibitor simvastatin activates AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) and thereby induces histone acetylation. We postulated that combining simvastatin with the histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitor romidepsin would kill bladder cancer cells by inducing histone acetylation cooperatively. The combination of romidepsin and simvastatin induced robust apoptosis and killed bladder cancer cells synergistically. In murine subcutaneous tumor models using MBT-2 cells, a 15-day treatment with 0.5 mg/kg romidepsin and 15 mg/kg simvastatin was well tolerated and inhibited tumor growth significantly. Mechanistically, the combination induced histone acetylation by activating AMPK. The combination also decreased the expression of HDACs, thus further promoting histone acetylation. This AMPK activation was essential for the combination's action because compound C, an AMPK inhibitor, suppressed the combination-induced histone acetylation and the combination's ability to induce apoptosis. We also found that the combination increased the expression of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR) γ, leading to reactive oxygen species production. Furthermore, the combination induced endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress and this ER stress was shown to be associated with increased AMPK expression and histone acetylation, thus playing an important role in the combination's action. Our study also suggests there is a positive feedback cycle between ER stress induction and PPARγ expression.     

Connexin36 contributes to INS-1E cells survival through modulation of cytokine-induced oxidative stress,ER stress and AMPK activity

Cell-to-cell communication mediated by gap junctions made of Connexin36 (Cx36) contributes to pancreatic β-cell function. We have recently demonstrated that Cx36 also supports β-cell survival by a still unclear mechanism. Using specific Cx36 siRNAs or adenoviral vectors, we now show that Cx36 downregulation promotes apoptosis in INS-1E cells exposed to the pro-inflammatory cytokines (IL-1β, TNF-α and IFN-γ) involved at the onset of type 1 diabetes, whereas Cx36 overexpression protects against this effect. Cx36 overexpression also protects INS-1E cells against endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress-mediated apoptosis, and alleviates the cytokine-induced production of reactive oxygen species, the depletion of the ER Ca²⁺ stores, the CHOP overexpression and the degradation of the anti-apoptotic protein Bcl-2 and Mcl-1. We further show that cytokines activate the AMP-dependent protein kinase (AMPK) in a NO-dependent and ER-stress-dependent manner and that AMPK inhibits Cx36 expression. Altogether, the data suggest that Cx36 is involved in Ca²⁺ homeostasis within the ER and that Cx36 expression is downregulated following ER stress and subsequent AMPK activation. As a result, cytokine-induced Cx36 downregulation elicits a positive feedback loop that amplifies ER stress and AMPK activation, leading to further Cx36 downregulation. The data reveal that Cx36 plays a central role in the oxidative stress and ER stress induced by cytokines and the subsequent regulation of AMPK activity, which in turn controls Cx36 expression and mitochondria-dependent apoptosis of insulin-producing cells.     

CaMKKβ-AMPKα2 signaling contributes to mitotic Golgi fragmentation and the G2/M transition in mammalian cells

Before a cell enters mitosis, the Golgi apparatus undergoes extensive fragmentation. This is required for the correct partitioning of the Golgi apparatus into daughter cells, and inhibition of this process leads to cell cycle arrest in G2 phase. AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) plays critical roles in regulating growth and reprogramming metabolism. Recent studies have suggested that AMPK promotes mitotic progression and Golgi disassembly, and that this seems independent of the cellular energy status. However, the molecular mechanism underlying these events is not well understood. Here, we show that both treatment with compound C and depletion of AMPKα2 (but not AMPKα1) delays the G2/M transition in synchronized HeLa cells, as evidenced by flow cytometry and mitotic index analysis. Furthermore, knockdown of AMPKα2 specifically delays further fragmentation of isolated Golgi stacks. Interestingly, pAMPKα^Thr172 signals transiently appear in the perinuclear region of late G2/early prophase cells, partially co-localizing with the Golgi matrix protein, GM-130. These Golgi pAMPKα^Thr172 signals were also specifically abolished by AMPKα2 knockdown, indicating specific spatio-temporal activation of AMPKα2 at Golgi complex during late G2/early prophases. We also found that the specific CaMKKβ inhibitor, STO-609, reduces the pAMPKα ^Thr172 signals in the perinuclear region of G2 phase cells and delays mitotic Golgi fragmentation. Taken together, these data suggest that AMPKα2 is the major catalytic subunit of AMPKα which regulates Golgi fragmentation and G2/M transition, and that the CaMKKβ activates AMPKα2 during late G2 phase.