NAADP-Mediated Ca2+ Signalling

Pharmacological inhibition reveals participation of the endocytic compartment in positive feedback IL-6 secretion in human skeletal myotubes

IL-6 is an important cytokine involved in metabolic, immunological, and cell-fate responses. It is released upon stimulation by skeletal muscle cells through partially characterized mechanisms. In some cell types, IL-6 has been reported to activate a positive feedback loop involving endocytic vesicles, but evidence is mostly based on transcription and signal transduction mechanisms and is very scarce in muscle cells. Our aim was to directly demonstrate the presence of positive feedback in the ATP-induced release of IL-6 into the supernatant of human skeletal muscle cultures. The total release (production) of IL-6 was reduced for higher volumes of supernatant, when the secreted IL-6 molecules are more diluted, and enhanced when the supernatant volume was lower. In addition, secretion was impaired both by tocilizumab, a blocker of human IL-6 receptors, and by the soluble form of the receptor. The secretion in response to ATP was also inhibited by treatment with the endocytosis inhibitor dynasore, and by disruption of the acidic gradient of the endocytic compartment using different methods (chloroquine, NH4Cl or monensin). IL-6 secretion was also impaired by NED-19, a specific inhibitor of the two pore channels receptor mediating Ca2+ release from the endolysosomal compartment. IL-6 and ATP increased IL-6 mRNA levels, an effect blocked by tocilizumab. Altogether, our results demonstrate that ATP-secreted IL-6 activates a positive loop based on IL-6 receptors, endocytosis, two pore channels and IL-6 transcription. Given the importance of muscle IL-6 as a systemic regulator and as an inflammatory mediator, our study can help to understand muscle pathophysiology.

Lysosomal TRPML1 triggers global Ca2+ signals and nitric oxide release in human cerebrovascular endothelial cells

Lysosomal Ca2+ signaling is emerging as a crucial regulator of endothelial Ca2+ dynamics. Ca2+ release from the acidic vesicles in response to extracellular stimulation is usually promoted via Two Pore Channels (TPCs) and is amplified by endoplasmic reticulum (ER)-embedded inositol-1,3,4-trisphosphate (InsP3) receptors and ryanodine receptors. Emerging evidence suggests that sub-cellular Ca2+ signals in vascular endothelial cells can also be generated by the Transient Receptor Potential Mucolipin 1 channel (TRPML1) channel, which controls vesicle trafficking, autophagy and gene expression. Herein, we adopted a multidisciplinary approach, including live cell imaging, pharmacological manipulation, and gene targeting, revealing that TRPML1 protein is expressed and triggers global Ca2+ signals in the human brain microvascular endothelial cell line, hCMEC/D3. The direct stimulation of TRPML1 with both the synthetic agonist, ML-SA1, and the endogenous ligand phosphatidylinositol 3,5-bisphosphate (PI(3,5)P2) induced a significant increase in [Ca2+]i, that was reduced by pharmacological blockade and genetic silencing of TRPML1. In addition, TRPML1-mediated lysosomal Ca2+ release was sustained both by lysosomal Ca2+ release and ER Ca2+- release through inositol-1,4,5-trisphophate receptors and store-operated Ca2+ entry. Notably, interfering with TRPML1-mediated lysosomal Ca2+ mobilization led to a decrease in the free ER Ca2+ concentration. Imaging of DAF-FM fluorescence revealed that TRPML1 stimulation could also induce a significant Ca2+-dependent increase in nitric oxide concentration. Finally, the pharmacological and genetic blockade of TRPML1 impaired ATP-induced intracellular Ca2+ release and NO production. These findings, therefore, shed novel light on the mechanisms whereby the lysosomal Ca2+ store can shape endothelial Ca2+ signaling and Ca2+-dependent functions in vascular endothelial cells.

Cracking the Endothelial Calcium (Ca2+) Code: A Matter of Timing and Spacing

A monolayer of endothelial cells lines the innermost surface of all blood vessels, thereby coming into close contact with every region of the body and perceiving signals deriving from both the bloodstream and parenchymal tissues. An increase in intracellular Ca2+ concentration ([Ca2+]i) is the main mechanism whereby vascular endothelial cells integrate the information conveyed by local and circulating cues. Herein, we describe the dynamics and spatial distribution of endothelial Ca2+ signals to understand how an array of spatially restricted (at both the subcellular and cellular levels) Ca2+ signals is exploited by the vascular intima to fulfill this complex task. We then illustrate how local endothelial Ca2+ signals affect the most appropriate vascular function and are integrated to transmit this information to more distant sites to maintain cardiovascular homeostasis. Vasorelaxation and sprouting angiogenesis were selected as an example of functions that are finely tuned by the variable spatio-temporal profile endothelial Ca2+ signals. We further highlighted how distinct Ca2+ signatures regulate the different phases of vasculogenesis, i.e., proliferation and migration, in circulating endothelial precursors.

Intracellular Ca2+ signalling: unexpected new roles for the usual suspect

Cytosolic Ca2+ signals are organized in complex spatial and temporal patterns that underlie their unique ability to regulate multiple cellular functions. Changes in intracellular Ca2+ concentration ([Ca2+]i) are finely tuned by the concerted interaction of membrane receptors and ion channels that introduce Ca2+ into the cytosol, Ca2+-dependent sensors and effectors that translate the elevation in [Ca2+]i into a biological output, and Ca2+-clearing mechanisms that return the [Ca2+]i to pre-stimulation levels and prevent cytotoxic Ca2+ overload. The assortment of the Ca2+ handling machinery varies among different cell types to generate intracellular Ca2+ signals that are selectively tailored to subserve specific functions. The advent of novel high-speed, 2D and 3D time-lapse imaging techniques, single-wavelength and genetic Ca2+ indicators, as well as the development of novel genetic engineering tools to manipulate single cells and whole animals, has shed novel light on the regulation of cellular activity by the Ca2+ handling machinery. A symposium organized within the framework of the 72nd Annual Meeting of the Italian Society of Physiology, held in Bari on 14-16th September 2022, has recently addressed many of the unexpected mechanisms whereby intracellular Ca2+ signalling regulates cellular fate in healthy and disease states. Herein, we present a report of this symposium, in which the following emerging topics were discussed: 1) Regulation of water reabsorption in the kidney by lysosomal Ca2+ release through Transient Receptor Potential Mucolipin 1 (TRPML1); 2) Endoplasmic reticulum-to-mitochondria Ca2+ transfer in Alzheimer's disease-related astroglial dysfunction; 3) The non-canonical role of TRP Melastatin 8 (TRPM8) as a Rap1A inhibitor in the definition of some cancer hallmarks; and 4) Non-genetic optical stimulation of Ca2+ signals in the cardiovascular system.

Transient Receptor Potential Ankyrin 1 (TRPA1) Channel as a Sensor of Oxidative Stress in Cancer Cells

Moderate levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS), such as hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂), fuel tumor metastasis and invasion in a variety of cancer types. Conversely, excessive ROS levels can impair tumor growth and metastasis by triggering cancer cell death. In order to cope with the oxidative stress imposed by the tumor microenvironment, malignant cells exploit a sophisticated network of antioxidant defense mechanisms. Targeting the antioxidant capacity of cancer cells or enhancing their sensitivity to ROS-dependent cell death represent a promising strategy for alternative anticancer treatments. Transient Receptor Potential Ankyrin 1 (TRPA1) is a redox-sensitive non-selective cation channel that mediates extracellular Ca²⁺ entry upon an increase in intracellular ROS levels. The ensuing increase in intracellular Ca²⁺ concentration can in turn engage a non-canonical antioxidant defense program or induce mitochondrial Ca²⁺ dysfunction and apoptotic cell death depending on the cancer type. Herein, we sought to describe the opposing effects of ROS-dependent TRPA1 activation on cancer cell fate and propose the pharmacological manipulation of TRPA1 as an alternative therapeutic strategy to enhance cancer cell sensitivity to oxidative stress.

NAADP-Evoked Ca2+ Signaling: The DUOX2-HN1L/JPT2-Ryanodine Receptor 1 Axis

Nicotinic acid adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NAADP) is the most potent Ca²⁺ mobilizing second messenger known to date. Major steps elucidating metabolism and Ca²⁺ mobilizing activity of NAADP are reviewed, with emphasis on a novel redox cycle between the inactive reduced form, NAADPH, and the active oxidized form, NAADP. Oxidation from NAADPH to NAADP is catalyzed in cell free system by (dual) NADPH oxidases NOX5, DUOX1, and DUOX2, whereas reduction from NAADP to NAADPH is catalyzed by glucose 6-phosphate dehydrogenase. Using different knockout models for NOX and DUOX isozymes, DUOX2 was identified as NAADP forming enzyme in early T-cell activation.Recently, receptors or binding proteins for NAADP were identified: hematological and neurological expressed 1-like protein (HN1L)/Jupiter microtubule associated homolog 2 (JPT2) and Lsm12 are small cytosolic proteins that bind NAADP. In addition, they interact with NAADP-sensitive Ca²⁺ channels, such as ryanodine receptor type 1 (RYR1) or two-pore channels (TPC).Due to its role as Ca²⁺ mobilizing second messenger in T cells, NAADP's involvement in inflammation is also reviewed. In the central nervous system (CNS), NAADP regulates autoimmunity because NAADP antagonism affects a couple of T-cell migration and re-activation events, e.g. secretion of the pro-inflammatory cytokine interleukin-17. Further, the role of NAADP in transdifferentiation of IL-17-producing Th17 cells into T regulatory type 1 cells in vitro and in vivo is discussed.

A Role for Two-Pore Channel Type 2 (TPC2)-Mediated Regulation of Membrane Contact Sites During Zebrafish Notochord Biogenesis?

We have previously shown that in the developing trunk of zebrafish embryos, two-pore channel type 2 (TPC2)-mediated Ca2+ release from endolysosomes plays a role in the formation of the skeletal slow muscle. In addition, TPC2-mediated Ca2+ signaling is required for axon extension and the establishment of synchronized activity in the primary motor neurons. Here, we report that TPC2 might also play a role in the development of the notochord of zebrafish embryos. For example, when tpcn2 was knocked down or out, increased numbers of small vacuoles were formed in the inner notochord cells, compared with the single large vacuole in the notochord of control embryos. This abnormal vacuolation was associated with embryos displaying attenuated body axis straightening. We also showed that TPC2 has a distinct pattern of localization in the notochord in embryos at ∼24 hpf. Finally, we conducted RNAseq to identify differentially expressed genes in tpcn2 mutants compared to wild-type controls, and found that those involved in actin filament severing, cellular component morphogenesis, Ca2+ binding, and structural constituent of cytoskeleton were downregulated in the mutants. Together, our data suggest that TPC2 activity plays a key role in notochord biogenesis in zebrafish embryos.

Iron-induced cytotoxicity mediated by endolysosomal TRPML1 channels is reverted by TFEB

Increased brain iron content has been consistently reported in sporadic Parkinson's disease (PD) patients, and an increase in cytosolic free iron is known to cause oxidative stress and cell death. However, whether iron also accumulates in susceptible brain areas in humans or in mouse models of familial PD remains unknown. In addition, whilst the lysosome functions as a critical intracellular iron storage organelle, little is known about the mechanisms underlying lysosomal iron release and how this process is influenced by lysosome biogenesis and/or lysosomal exocytosis. Here, we report an increase in brain iron content also in PD patients due to the common G2019S-LRRK2 mutation as compared to healthy age-matched controls, whilst differences in iron content are not observed in G2019S-LRRK2 knockin as compared to control mice. Chemically triggering iron overload in cultured cells causes cytotoxicity via the endolysosomal release of iron which is mediated by TRPML1. TFEB expression reverts the iron overload-associated cytotoxicity by causing lysosomal exocytosis, which is dependent on a TRPML1-mediated increase in cytosolic calcium levels. Therefore, approaches aimed at increasing TFEB levels, or pharmacological TRPML1 activation in conjunction with iron chelation may prove beneficial against cell death associated with iron overload conditions such as those associated with PD.