SUMOylation of SIRT1 activating PGC-1α/PPARα pathway mediates the protective effect of LncRNA-MHRT in cardiac hypertrophy

Olive oil protects against cardiac hypertrophy in D-galactose induced aging rats

BACKGROUND

Aged heart is defined via structural and mitochondrial dysfunction of the heart. However, there is still no potent compound to improve cardiac function abnormalities in aged individuals. Olive oil (OLO), as an oil with monounsaturated fatty acids, has diverse protective effects on the cardiovascular system, including anti-inflammatory, anti-diabetic, and mitigating effects on blood pressure. In the present study, we evaluated the protective effects of OLO against aging-related cardiac dysfunction.

METHODS

Male Wistar rats were randomly divided into three groups: Control, D-galactose-induced aging rats (D-GAL group), and aging rats treated with OLO (D-GAL + OLO group). Aging in rats was induced by intraperitoneal injection of D-GAL at 150 mg/kg dose for eight weeks and the D-GAL + OLO group was treated with oral OLO by gavage for eight weeks. The heart tissues were harvested to assay the oxidative stress, molecular parameters, and histological analysis.

RESULTS

The D-GAL given rats indicated increased cardiomyocyte diameter as cardiac hypertrophy marker (21 ± 0.8, p < 0.001), an increased Malondialdehyde (MDA) level (27 ± 3, p < 0.001), a reduced Superoxide dismutase (SOD) (p < 0.001, 18.12 ± 1.3), and reduction in gene expression of Sirtuin 1 (SIRT1) (p < 0.05, 0.37 ± 0.06), Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-gamma coactivator (PGC)-1α (p < 0.001, 0.027 ± 0.04), and Transcription Factor A, Mitochondrial (TFAM) (p < 0.001, 0.023 ± 0.01), Bcl2 (p < 0.001, 0.04 ± 0.004) and an increase in gene expression of Bax (p < 0.001, 23.5 ± 5.4) in comparison with the control animals. Treatment with OLO improved cardiac hypertrophy (14 ± 0.4, p < 0.001), MDA (22 ± 2.5, p < 0.01), SOD (p < 0.001, 34.9 ± 2), SIRT1 (p < 0.05, 1.37 ± 0.46), PGC-1α (p < 0.001, 1.11 ± 0.1), TFAM (p < 0.01, 0.23 ± 0.02), Bcl2 (p < 0.05, 0.35 ± 0.05) and Bax genes (p < 0.01, 0.1 ± 0.03).

CONCLUSIONS

Overall, OLO protects the heart against D-GAL-induced aging via increasing antioxidant effects, and enhancing cardiac expression of SIRT1, PGC-1α, TFAM, Bcl2 and Bax genes.

Dual-edged role of SIRT1 in energy metabolism and cardiovascular disease

Regulation of energy metabolism is pivotal in the development of cardiovascular diseases. Dysregulation in mitochondrial fatty acid oxidation has been linked to cardiac lipid accumulation and diabetic cardiomyopathy. Sirtuin 1 (SIRT1) is a deacetylase that regulates the acetylation of various proteins involved in mitochondrial energy metabolism. SIRT1 mediates energy metabolism by directly and indirectly affecting multiple aspects of mitochondrial processes, such as mitochondrial biogenesis. SIRT1 interacts with essential mitochondrial energy regulators such as peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-α (PPARα), PPARγ coactivator-1α, estrogen-related receptor-α, and their downstream targets. Apart from that, SIRT1 regulates additional proteins, including forkhead box protein O1 and AMP-activated protein kinase in cardiac disease. Interestingly, studies have also shown that the expression of SIRT1 plays a dual-edged role in energy metabolism. Depending on the physiological state, SIRT1 expression can be detrimental or protective. This review focuses on the molecular pathways through which SIRT1 regulates energy metabolism in cardiovascular diseases. We will review SIRT1 and discuss its role in cardiac energy metabolism and its benefits and detrimental effects in heart disease.

Lactate regulates pathological cardiac hypertrophy via histone lactylation modification

Under the long-term pressure overload stimulation, the heart experiences embryonic gene activation, leading to myocardial hypertrophy and ventricular remodelling, which can ultimately result in the development of heart failure. Identifying effective therapeutic targets is crucial for the prevention and treatment of myocardial hypertrophy. Histone lysine lactylation (HKla) is a novel post-translational modification that connects cellular metabolism with epigenetic regulation. However, the specific role of HKla in pathological cardiac hypertrophy remains unclear. Our study aims to investigate whether HKla modification plays a pathogenic role in the development of cardiac hypertrophy. The results demonstrate significant expression of HKla in cardiomyocytes derived from an animal model of cardiac hypertrophy induced by transverse aortic constriction surgery, and in neonatal mouse cardiomyocytes stimulated by Ang II. Furthermore, research indicates that HKla is influenced by glucose metabolism and lactate generation, exhibiting significant phenotypic variability in response to various environmental stimuli. In vitro experiments reveal that exogenous lactate and glucose can upregulate the expression of HKla and promote cardiac hypertrophy. Conversely, inhibition of lactate production using glycolysis inhibitor (2-DG), LDH inhibitor (oxamate) and LDHA inhibitor (GNE-140) reduces HKla levels and inhibits the development of cardiac hypertrophy. Collectively, these findings establish a pivotal role for H3K18la in pathological cardiac hypertrophy, offering a novel target for the treatment of this condition.

Non-coding RNAs in the pathophysiology of heart failure with preserved ejection fraction

Heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) is the largest unmet clinical need in cardiovascular medicine. Despite decades of research, the treatment option for HFpEF is still limited, indicating our ongoing incomplete understanding on the underlying molecular mechanisms. Non-coding RNAs, comprising of microRNAs (miRNAs), long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) and circular RNAs (circRNAs), are non-protein coding RNA transcripts, which are implicated in various cardiovascular diseases. However, their role in the pathogenesis of HFpEF is unknown. Here, we discuss the role of miRNAs, lncRNAs and circRNAs that are involved in the pathophysiology of HFpEF, namely microvascular dysfunction, inflammation, diastolic dysfunction and cardiac fibrosis. We interrogated clinical evidence and dissected the molecular mechanisms of the ncRNAs by looking at the relevant in vivo and in vitro models that mimic the co-morbidities in patients with HFpEF. Finally, we discuss the potential of ncRNAs as biomarkers and potential novel therapeutic targets for future HFpEF treatment.

Cellular and molecular biology of sirtuins in cardiovascular disease

Sirtuins (SIRTs) are a nicotinic adenine dinucleotide (+) -dependent histone deacetylase that regulates critical signaling pathways in prokaryotes and eukaryotes. Studies have identified seven mammalian homologs of the yeast SIRT silencing message regulator 2, namely, SIRT1-SIRT7. Recent in vivo and in vitro studies have successfully demonstrated the involvement of SIRTs in key pathways for cell biological function in physiological and pathological processes of the cardiovascular system, including processes including cellular senescence, oxidative stress, apoptosis, DNA damage, and cellular metabolism. Emerging evidence has stimulated a significant evolution in preventing and treating cardiovascular disease (CVD). Here, we review the important roles of SIRTs for the regulatory pathways involved in the pathogenesis of cardiovascular diseases and their molecular targets, including novel protein post-translational modifications of succinylation. In addition, we summarize the agonists and inhibitors currently identified to target novel specific small molecules of SIRTs. A better understanding of the role of SIRTs in the biology of CVD opens new avenues for therapeutic intervention with great potential for preventing and treating CVD.

Changes to PUFA-PPAR pathway during mesaconitine induced myocardial coagulative necrosis

Coagulation necrosis is characterized by the denaturation of structural proteins and lysosomal enzymes; its occurrence in myocardium can lead to heart failure. Current studies on myocardial injury primarily focus on inflammation, hypertrophy, and hemorrhage, while those on myocardial coagulation necrosis are still limited. Mesaconitine (MA), a C₁₉ diester diterpenoid alkaloid derived from Aconitum carmichaelii Debx, has strong cardiotoxicity. During this study, the myocardial cells of SD rats showed significant coagulative necrosis after 6 days of oral administration of MA at a dose of 1.2 mg/kg/day. Investigations of its biological mechanism showed abnormal levels of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) and Peroxisome proliferator activated receptors Alpha (PPARα) pathway related protein. Moreover, MA affected the PPARα signaling pathway through interactions with proteins such as POR, TFAM and GPD1, indirectly indicating that these above proteins are important targets for blocking myocardial coagulative necrosis. This study thus discusses the effects of the use of cardiotoxic compound, MA, to initiate myocardial coagulative necrosis and its associated toxic mechanisms.

Noncoding RNAs as Key Regulators for Cardiac Development and Cardiovascular Diseases

Noncoding RNAs (ncRNAs) play fundamental roles in cardiac development and cardiovascular diseases (CVDs), which are a major cause of morbidity and mortality. With advances in RNA sequencing technology, the focus of recent research has transitioned from studies of specific candidates to whole transcriptome analyses. Thanks to these types of studies, new ncRNAs have been identified for their implication in cardiac development and CVDs. In this review, we briefly describe the classification of ncRNAs into microRNAs, long ncRNAs, and circular RNAs. We then discuss their critical roles in cardiac development and CVDs by citing the most up-to-date research articles. More specifically, we summarize the roles of ncRNAs in the formation of the heart tube and cardiac morphogenesis, cardiac mesoderm specification, and embryonic cardiomyocytes and cardiac progenitor cells. We also highlight ncRNAs that have recently emerged as key regulators in CVDs by focusing on six of them. We believe that this review concisely addresses perhaps not all but certainly the major aspects of current progress in ncRNA research in cardiac development and CVDs. Thus, this review would be beneficial for readers to obtain a recent picture of key ncRNAs and their mechanisms of action in cardiac development and CVDs.

HypERlnc attenuates angiotensin II-induced cardiomyocyte hypertrophy via promoting SIRT1 SUMOylation-mediated activation of PGC-1α/PPARα pathway in AC16 cells

Cardiac hypertrophy is a well-established risk factor for cardiovascular mortality worldwide. According to a recent study, hypoxia-induced endoplasmic reticulum stress regulating long noncoding RNA (HypERlnc) is significantly reduced in the left ventricular myocardium of heart failure (HF) patients compared with healthy controls. However, the effect of HypERlnc on hypertrophy is unclear. In this study, the expression level of HypERlnc in serum of patients with chronic HF was analyzed. Moreover, the cardioprotective effect and mechanism of HypERlnc against cardiomyocyte hypertrophy were explored. Here, the level of HypERlnc expression was reduced in serum of patients with HF and in Angiotensin II (Ang II)-stimulated AC16 cells. HypERlnc overexpression could reduce cell size and inhibit expression of hypertrophy genes (ANP, BNP, and β-MHC) in the Ang II-induced cardiomyocyte hypertrophy. Meanwhile, HypERlnc could improve the Ang II-induced energy metabolism dysfunction and mitochondrial damage via upregulating PGC-1α/PPARα signaling pathway. Furthermore, it is found that SIRT1 SUMOylation mediated the HypERlnc-induced inhibition of cardiomyocyte hypertrophy and the improvement of energy metabolism. Taken together, this study suggests that HypERlnc suppresses cardiomyocyte hypertrophy and energy metabolism dysfunction via enhancing SUMOylation of SIRT1 protein. HypERlnc is a potential novel molecular target for preventing and treating pathological cardiac hypertrophy.

Regulation of SUMOylation on RNA metabolism in cancers

Post-translational modifications of proteins play very important roles in regulating RNA metabolism and affect many biological pathways. Here we mainly summarize the crucial functions of small ubiquitin-like modifier (SUMO) modification in RNA metabolism including transcription, splicing, tailing, stability and modification, as well as its impact on the biogenesis and function of microRNA (miRNA) in particular. This review also highlights the current knowledge about SUMOylation regulation in RNA metabolism involved in many cellular processes such as cell proliferation and apoptosis, which is closely related to tumorigenesis and cancer progression.