p73 Regulates Primary Cortical Neuron Metabolism: a Global Metabolic Profile

Integrated transcriptomic and metabolomic analysis of cortical neurons reveals dysregulated lipid metabolism, enhanced glycolysis and activated HIF-1 signaling pathways in acute hypoxia

The brain is the main oxygen-consuming organ and is vulnerable to ischemic shock or insufficient blood perfusion. Brain hypoxia has a persistent and detrimental effect on resident neurons. Previous studies have identified alterations in genes and metabolites in ischemic brain shock by single omics, but the adaptive systems that neurons use to cope with hypoxia remain uncovered. In the present study, we constructed an acute hypoxia model and performed a multi-omics analysis from RNA-sequencing and liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS)-based metabolomics on exploring potentially differentially expressed genes (DEGs) and metabolites (DEMs) in primary cortical neurons under severe acute hypoxic conditions. The TUNEL assay showed acute hypoxia-induced apoptosis in cortical neurons. Omics analysis identified 564 DEGs and 46 DEMs categorized in the Kyoto encyclopedia of genes and genomes (KEGG) database. Integrative pathway analysis highlighted that dysregulated lipid metabolism, enhanced glycolysis, and activated HIF-1 signaling pathways could regulate neuron physiology and pathophysiology under hypoxia. These findings may help us understand the transcriptional and metabolic mechanisms by which cortical neurons respond to hypoxia and identify potential targets for neuron protection.

TAp63 regulates bone remodeling by modulating the expression of TNFRSF11B/Osteoprotegerin

ABBREVIATIONS

MSC, mesenchymal stem cells; OPG, osteoprotegerin; RUNX2, Run-trelated transcription factor 2.

p53/p73 Protein Network in Colorectal Cancer and Other Human Malignancies

Simple Summary

The p53 family of proteins comprises p53, p63, and p73, which share high structural and functional similarity. The two distinct promoters of each locus, the alternative splicing, and the alternative translation initiation sites enable the generation of numerous isoforms with different protein-interacting domains and distinct activities. The co-expressed p53/p73 isoforms have significant but distinct roles in carcinogenesis. Their activity is frequently impaired in human tumors including colorectal carcinoma due to dysregulated expression and a dominant-negative effect accomplished by some isoforms and p53 mutants. The interactions between isoforms are particularly important to understand the onset of tumor formation, progression, and therapeutic response. The understanding of the p53/p73 network can contribute to the development of new targeted therapies.

Abstract

The p53 tumor suppressor protein is crucial for cell growth control and the maintenance of genomic stability. Later discovered, p63 and p73 share structural and functional similarity with p53. To understand the p53 pathways more profoundly, all family members should be considered. Each family member possesses two promoters and alternative translation initiation sites, and they undergo alternative splicing, generating multiple isoforms. The resulting isoforms have important roles in carcinogenesis, while their expression is dysregulated in several human tumors including colorectal carcinoma, which makes them potential targets in cancer treatment. Their activities arise, at least in part, from the ability to form tetramers that bind to specific DNA sequences and activate the transcription of target genes. In this review, we summarize the current understanding of the biological activities and regulation of the p53/p73 isoforms, highlighting their role in colorectal tumorigenesis. The analysis of the expression patterns of the p53/p73 isoforms in human cancers provides an important step in the improvement of cancer therapy. Furthermore, the interactions among the p53 family members which could modulate normal functions of the canonical p53 in tumor tissue are described. Lastly, we emphasize the importance of clinical studies to assess the significance of combining the deregulation of different members of the p53 family to define the outcome of the disease.

Effects of sevoflurane anesthesia and abdominal surgery on the systemic metabolome: a prospective observational study

Background

Metabolic status can be impacted by general anesthesia and surgery. However, the exact effects of general anesthesia and surgery on systemic metabolome remain unclear, which might contribute to postoperative outcomes.

Methods

Five hundred patients who underwent abdominal surgery were included. General anesthesia was mainly maintained with sevoflurane. The end-tidal sevoflurane concentration (ET_sevo) was adjusted to maintain BIS (Bispectral index) value between 40 and 60. The mean ET_sevo from 20 min after endotracheal intubation to 2 h after the beginning of surgery was calculated for each patient. The patients were further divided into low ET_sevo group (mean − SD) and high ET_sevo group (mean + SD) to investigate the possible metabolic changes relevant to the amount of sevoflurane exposure.

Results

The mean ET_sevo of the 500 patients was 1.60% ± 0.34%. Patients with low ET_sevo (n = 55) and high ET_sevo (n = 59) were selected for metabolomic analysis (1.06% ± 0.13% vs. 2.17% ± 0.16%, P < 0.001). Sevoflurane and abdominal surgery disturbed the tricarboxylic acid cycle as identified by increased citrate and cis-aconitate levels and impacted glycometabolism as identified by increased sucrose and D-glucose levels in these 114 patients. Glutamate metabolism was also impacted by sevoflurane and abdominal surgery in all the patients. In the patients with high ET_sevo, levels of L-glutamine, pyroglutamic acid, sphinganine and L-selenocysteine after sevoflurane anesthesia and abdominal surgery were significantly higher than those of the patients with low ET_sevo, suggesting that these metabolic changes might be relevant to the amount of sevoflurane exposure.

Conclusions

Sevoflurane anesthesia and abdominal surgery can impact principal metabolic pathways in clinical patients including tricarboxylic acid cycle, glycometabolism and glutamate metabolism. This study may provide a resource data for future studies about metabolism relevant to general anaesthesia and surgeries.

Trial registration

www.chictr.org.cn. identifier: ChiCTR1800014327.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12871-021-01301-0.

Regulation of Adult Neurogenesis in Mammalian Brain

Adult neurogenesis is a multistage process by which neurons are generated and integrated into existing neuronal circuits. In the adult brain, neurogenesis is mainly localized in two specialized niches, the subgranular zone (SGZ) of the dentate gyrus and the subventricular zone (SVZ) adjacent to the lateral ventricles. Neurogenesis plays a fundamental role in postnatal brain, where it is required for neuronal plasticity. Moreover, perturbation of adult neurogenesis contributes to several human diseases, including cognitive impairment and neurodegenerative diseases. The interplay between extrinsic and intrinsic factors is fundamental in regulating neurogenesis. Over the past decades, several studies on intrinsic pathways, including transcription factors, have highlighted their fundamental role in regulating every stage of neurogenesis. However, it is likely that transcriptional regulation is part of a more sophisticated regulatory network, which includes epigenetic modifications, non-coding RNAs and metabolic pathways. Here, we review recent findings that advance our knowledge in epigenetic, transcriptional and metabolic regulation of adult neurogenesis in the SGZ of the hippocampus, with a special attention to the p53-family of transcription factors.

GW9508 ameliorates cognitive impairment via the cAMP-CREB and JNK pathways in APPswe/PS1dE9 mouse model of Alzheimer's disease

GPR40 was utilized as the drug target to the treatment of diabetes, but the function and mechanisms ameliorating the Alzheimer's disease (AD) remain unknown. In present study, the typical APP/PS1 mouse model was applied to explore the function and mechanism of GPR40 in AD. GPR40 agonist GW9508 and antagonist GW1100 were respectively given by i.c.v. injection to activate/inhibit the GPR40 in the brain of APP/PS1 mice which illustrated the function and mechanism of GPR40 in ameliorating AD symptoms. Morris water maze test, step-through test, Y-maze spontaneous alternation test, open field test and new object recognition test were used to test the cognitive function and memory ability of mice, while molecular biology experiments such as Western blot, immunofluorescence, JC-1 were used to detect the corresponding changes of signal pathways. The results revealed that treatment with GW9508 could significantly ameliorate cognitive deficits of APP/PS1 mice, upregulate the expression levels of cAMP, p-CREB and neurotrophic factors in vivo, while GW9508 also ameliorate Aβ_1-42-induced neuron damage and downregulate the expression levels of pathological protein such as p-JNK, JNK and apoptosis-related proteins such as IL-6, IL-1β, TNF-α and caspase-3 in vitro. Meanwhile, high-content screening also showed that GW9508 promoted the cellular differentiation of SH-SY5Y cells, while GW1100 reversed the effects of GW9508. These results suggested that GPR40 was an underlying therapeutic target for the treatment of AD and GPR40 agonist could be explored as the emerging AD therapeutic drug.

Cajal-Retzius neurons are required for the development of the human hippocampal fissure

Cajal-Retzius neurons (CRN) are the main source of Reelin in the marginal zone of the developing neocortex and hippocampus (HC). They also express the transcription factor p73 and are complemented by later-appearing GABAergic Reelin⁺ interneurons. The human dorsal HC forms at gestational week 10 (GW10), when it develops a rudimentary Ammonic plate and incipient dentate migration, although the dorsal hippocampal fissure (HF) remains shallow and contains few CRN. The dorsal HC transforms into the indusium griseum (IG), concurrently with the rostro-caudal appearance of the corpus callosum, by GW14-17. Dorsal and ventral HC merge at the site of the former caudal hem, which is located at the level of the future atrium of the lateral ventricle and closely connected with the choroid plexus. The ventral HC forms at GW11 in the temporal lobe. The ventral HF is wide open at GW14-16 and densely populated by large numbers of CRNs. These are in intimate contact with the meninges and meningeal blood vessels, suggesting signalling through diverse pathways. At GW17, the fissure deepens and begins to fuse, although it is still marked by p73/Reelin⁺ CRNs. The p73KO mouse illustrates the importance of p73 in CRN for HF formation. In the mutant, Tbr1/Reelin⁺ CRNs are born in the hem but do not leave it and subsequently disappear, so that the mutant cortex and HC lack CRN from the onset of corticogenesis. The HF is absent, which leads to profound architectonic alterations of the HC. To determine which p73 isoform is important for HF formation, isoform-specific TAp73- and DeltaNp73-deficient embryonic and early postnatal mice were examined. In both mutants, the number of CRNs was reduced, but each of their phenotypes was much milder than in the global p73KO mutant missing both isoforms. In the TAp73KO mice, the HF of the dorsal HC failed to form, but was present in the ventral HC. In the DeltaNp73KO mice, the HC had a mild patterning defect along with a shorter HF. Complex interactions between both isoforms in CRNs may contribute to their crucial activity in the developing brain.

The hypoxic tumour microenvironment

Cancer progression often benefits from the selective conditions present in the tumour microenvironment, such as the presence of cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs), deregulated ECM deposition, expanded vascularisation and repression of the immune response. Generation of a hypoxic environment and activation of its main effector, hypoxia-inducible factor-1 (HIF-1), are common features of advanced cancers. In addition to the impact on tumour cell biology, the influence that hypoxia exerts on the surrounding cells represents a critical step in the tumorigenic process. Hypoxia indeed enables a number of events in the tumour microenvironment that lead to the expansion of aggressive clones from heterogeneous tumour cells and promote a lethal phenotype. In this article, we review the most relevant findings describing the influence of hypoxia and the contribution of HIF activation on the major components of the tumour microenvironment, and we summarise their role in cancer development and progression.

Non-oncogenic roles of TAp73: from multiciliogenesis to metabolism

The p53 family of transcription factors (p53, p63 and p73) covers a wide range of functions critical for development, homeostasis and health of mammals across their lifespan. Beside the well-established tumor suppressor role, recent evidence has highlighted novel non-oncogenic functions exerted by p73. In particular, p73 is required for multiciliated cell (MCC) differentiation; MCCs have critical roles in brain and airways to move fluids across epithelial surfaces and to transport germ cells in the reproductive tract. This novel function of p73 provides a unifying cellular mechanism for the disparate inflammatory and immunological phenotypes of p73-deficient mice. Indeed, mice with Trp73 deficiency suffer from hydrocephalus, sterility and chronic respiratory tract infections due to profound defects in ciliogenesis and complete loss of mucociliary clearance since MCCs are essential for cleaning airways from inhaled pollutants, pathogens and allergens. Cross-species genomic analyses and functional rescue experiments identify TAp73 as the master transcriptional integrator of ciliogenesis, upstream of previously known central nodes. In addition, TAp73 shows a significant ability to regulate cellular metabolism and energy production through direct transcriptional regulation of several metabolic enzymes, such as glutaminase-2 and glucose-6 phosphate dehydrogenase. This recently uncovered role of TAp73 in the regulation of cellular metabolism strongly affects oxidative balance, thus potentially influencing all the biological aspects associated with p73 function, including development, homeostasis and cancer. Although through different mechanisms, p63 isoforms also contribute to regulation of cellular metabolism, thus indicating a common route used by all family members to control cell fate. At the structural level, the complexity of p73's function is further enhanced by its ability to form heterotetramers with some p63 isoforms, thus indicating the existence of an intrafamily crosstalk that determines the global outcome of p53 family function. In this review, we have tried to summarize all the recent evidence that have emerged on the novel non-oncogenic roles of p73, in an attempt to provide a unified view of the complex function of this gene within its family.