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Yu X, Dang L, Zhang R, Yang W. Therapeutic Potential of Targeting the PERK Signaling Pathway in Ischemic Stroke. Pharmaceuticals (Basel) 2024; 17:353. [PMID: 38543139 PMCID: PMC10974972 DOI: 10.3390/ph17030353] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/25/2024] [Revised: 02/15/2024] [Accepted: 03/05/2024] [Indexed: 04/01/2024] Open
Abstract
Many pathologic states can lead to the accumulation of unfolded/misfolded proteins in cells. This causes endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress and triggers the unfolded protein response (UPR), which encompasses three main adaptive branches. One of these UPR branches is mediated by protein kinase RNA-like ER kinase (PERK), an ER stress sensor. The primary consequence of PERK activation is the suppression of global protein synthesis, which reduces ER workload and facilitates the recovery of ER function. Ischemic stroke induces ER stress and activates the UPR. Studies have demonstrated the involvement of the PERK pathway in stroke pathophysiology; however, its role in stroke outcomes requires further clarification. Importantly, considering mounting evidence that supports the therapeutic potential of the PERK pathway in aging-related cognitive decline and neurodegenerative diseases, this pathway may represent a promising therapeutic target in stroke. Therefore, in this review, our aim is to discuss the current understanding of PERK in ischemic stroke, and to summarize pharmacologic tools for translational stroke research that targets PERK and its associated pathways.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Wei Yang
- Multidisciplinary Brain Protection Program, Department of Anesthesiology, Duke University Medical Center, Box 3094, 303 Research Drive, Durham, NC 27710, USA
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Xie J, Zhang Y, Li B, Xi W, Wang Y, Li L, Liu C, Shen L, Han B, Kong Y, Yao H, Zhang Z. Inhibition of OGFOD1 by FG4592 confers neuroprotection by activating unfolded protein response and autophagy after ischemic stroke. J Transl Med 2024; 22:248. [PMID: 38454480 PMCID: PMC10921652 DOI: 10.1186/s12967-024-04993-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/27/2023] [Accepted: 02/12/2024] [Indexed: 03/09/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Acute ischemic stroke is a common neurological disease with a significant financial burden but lacks effective drugs. Hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF) and prolyl hydroxylases (PHDs) participate in the pathophysiological process of ischemia. However, whether FG4592, the first clinically approved PHDs inhibitor, can alleviate ischemic brain injury remains unclear. METHODS The infarct volumes and behaviour tests were first analyzed in mice after ischemic stroke with systemic administration of FG4592. The knockdown of HIF-1α and pretreatments of HIF-1/2α inhibitors were then used to verify whether the neuroprotection of FG4592 is HIF-dependent. The targets predicting and molecular docking methods were applied to find other targets of FG4592. Molecular, cell biological and gene knockdown methods were finally conducted to explore the potential neuroprotective mechanisms of FG4592. RESULTS We found that the systemic administration of FG4592 decreased infarct volume and improved neurological defects of mice after transient or permanent ischemia. Meanwhile, FG4592 also activated autophagy and inhibited apoptosis in peri-infarct tissue of mice brains. However, in vitro and in vivo results suggested that the neuroprotection of FG4592 was not classical HIF-dependent. 2-oxoglutarate and iron-dependent oxygenase domain-containing protein 1 (OGFOD1) was found to be a novel target of FG4592 and regulated the Pro-62 hydroxylation in the small ribosomal protein s23 (Rps23) with the help of target predicting and molecular docking methods. Subsequently, the knockdown of OGFOD1 protected the cell against ischemia/reperfusion injury and activated unfolded protein response (UPR) and autophagy. Moreover, FG4592 was also found to activate UPR and autophagic flux in HIF-1α independent manner. Blocking UPR attenuated the neuroprotection, pro-autophagy effect and anti-apoptosis ability of FG4592. CONCLUSION This study demonstrated that FG4592 could be a candidate drug for treating ischemic stroke. The neuroprotection of FG4592 might be mediated by inhibiting alternative target OGFOD1, which activated the UPR and autophagy and inhibited apoptosis after ischemic injury. The inhibition of OGFOD1 is a novel therapy for ischemic stroke.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jian Xie
- Department of Neurology, Affiliated ZhongDa Hospital, School of Medicine, Institution of Neuropsychiatry, Key Laboratory of Developmental Genes and Human Disease, Southeast University, Nanjing, 210009, Jiangsu, China
| | - Yuan Zhang
- Department of Pharmacology, School of Medicine, Southeast University, Nanjing, 210009, Jiangsu, China
| | - Bin Li
- Department of Pharmacology, School of Medicine, Southeast University, Nanjing, 210009, Jiangsu, China
| | - Wen Xi
- Department of Pharmacology, School of Medicine, Southeast University, Nanjing, 210009, Jiangsu, China
| | - Yu Wang
- Department of Pharmacology, School of Medicine, Southeast University, Nanjing, 210009, Jiangsu, China
| | - Lu Li
- Department of Pharmacology, School of Medicine, Southeast University, Nanjing, 210009, Jiangsu, China
| | - Chenchen Liu
- Department of Pharmacology, School of Medicine, Southeast University, Nanjing, 210009, Jiangsu, China
| | - Ling Shen
- Department of Pharmacology, School of Medicine, Southeast University, Nanjing, 210009, Jiangsu, China
| | - Bing Han
- Department of Pharmacology, School of Medicine, Southeast University, Nanjing, 210009, Jiangsu, China
| | - Yan Kong
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, School of Medicine, Southeast University, No. 87 Dingjiaqiao Road, Nanjing, 210009, Jiangsu, China
| | - HongHong Yao
- Department of Pharmacology, School of Medicine, Southeast University, Nanjing, 210009, Jiangsu, China.
| | - Zhijun Zhang
- Department of Neurology, Affiliated ZhongDa Hospital, School of Medicine, Institution of Neuropsychiatry, Key Laboratory of Developmental Genes and Human Disease, Southeast University, Nanjing, 210009, Jiangsu, China.
- The Brain Cognition and Brain Disease Institute of Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen, 518055, Guangdong, China.
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Wang Z, Li Q, Kolls BJ, Mace B, Yu S, Li X, Liu W, Chaparro E, Shen Y, Dang L, Del Águila Á, Bernstock JD, Johnson KR, Yao J, Wetsel WC, Moore SD, Turner DA, Yang W. Sustained overexpression of spliced X-box-binding protein-1 in neurons leads to spontaneous seizures and sudden death in mice. Commun Biol 2023; 6:252. [PMID: 36894627 PMCID: PMC9998612 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-023-04594-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/25/2022] [Accepted: 02/14/2023] [Indexed: 03/11/2023] Open
Abstract
The underlying etiologies of seizures are highly heterogeneous and remain incompletely understood. While studying the unfolded protein response (UPR) pathways in the brain, we unexpectedly discovered that transgenic mice (XBP1s-TG) expressing spliced X-box-binding protein-1 (Xbp1s), a key effector of UPR signaling, in forebrain excitatory neurons, rapidly develop neurologic deficits, most notably recurrent spontaneous seizures. This seizure phenotype begins around 8 days after Xbp1s transgene expression is induced in XBP1s-TG mice, and by approximately 14 days post induction, the seizures evolve into status epilepticus with nearly continuous seizure activity followed by sudden death. Animal death is likely due to severe seizures because the anticonvulsant valproic acid could significantly prolong the lives of XBP1s-TG mice. Mechanistically, our gene profiling analysis indicates that compared to control mice, XBP1s-TG mice exhibit 591 differentially regulated genes (mostly upregulated) in the brain, including several GABAA receptor genes that are notably downregulated. Finally, whole-cell patch clamp analysis reveals a significant reduction in both spontaneous and tonic GABAergic inhibitory responses in Xbp1s-expressing neurons. Taken together, our findings unravel a link between XBP1s signaling and seizure occurrence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhuoran Wang
- Multidisciplinary Brain Protection Program, Department of Anesthesiology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Qiang Li
- Department of Neurology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Brad J Kolls
- Department of Neurology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Brian Mace
- Department of Neurology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Shu Yu
- Multidisciplinary Brain Protection Program, Department of Anesthesiology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Xuan Li
- Multidisciplinary Brain Protection Program, Department of Anesthesiology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Wei Liu
- Department of Bioengineering, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Eduardo Chaparro
- Department of Neurosurgery, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Yuntian Shen
- Multidisciplinary Brain Protection Program, Department of Anesthesiology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Lihong Dang
- Multidisciplinary Brain Protection Program, Department of Anesthesiology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Ángela Del Águila
- Multidisciplinary Brain Protection Program, Department of Anesthesiology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Joshua D Bernstock
- National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, NINDS/NIH, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Kory R Johnson
- National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, NINDS/NIH, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Junjie Yao
- Department of Bioengineering, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
| | - William C Wetsel
- Department of Neurology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, USA
- Departments of Neurobiology and Cell Biology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Scott D Moore
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Dennis A Turner
- Departments of Neurosurgery, Neurobiology and Biomedical Engineering, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Wei Yang
- Multidisciplinary Brain Protection Program, Department of Anesthesiology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, USA.
- Department of Neurology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, USA.
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Yuan Z, Lu L, Lian Y, Zhao Y, Tang T, Xu S, Yao Z, Yu Z. AA147 ameliorates post-cardiac arrest cerebral ischemia/reperfusion injury through the co-regulation of the ATF6 and Nrf2 signaling pathways. Front Pharmacol 2022; 13:1028002. [PMID: 36506549 PMCID: PMC9727236 DOI: 10.3389/fphar.2022.1028002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/25/2022] [Accepted: 11/07/2022] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Ischemia/reperfusion caused by cardiac arrest (CA) disturbs endoplasmic reticulum (ER) homeostasis and redox balance in neurons. AA147, originally developed as a pharmacologic activator of the activating transcription factor 6 (ATF6), can protect multiple tissues from ischemia/reperfusion injury (IRI) by decreasing reactive oxygen species (ROS) and restoring ER function. However, it is unclear whether pharmacologic treatment of AA147 could ameliorate post-CA cerebral IRI and whether it is associated with proteostasis regulation and anti-oxidative stress mechanism. In the present study, mice were subjected to 9 min-CA surgery followed by cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR). AA147 or vehicle was administered 1 day before the operation and 15 min after the return of spontaneous circulation. We found that AA147 restored neurological function and reduced dead neurons in mice suffering from CA. Moreover, AA147 inhibited CA/CPR-caused neuronal apoptosis and ER stress, indicated by reduced TUNEL-positive neurons, surged expression of Bcl-2/Bax, and down expression of cleaved caspase-3, caspase-12, C/EBP homologous protein (CHOP). The expression of ATF6 and its regulated gene glucose-regulated protein 78 (GRP78) increased significantly after the administration of AA147, suggesting the activation of the ATF6 pathway. In addition, AA147 also alleviated the upsurge of the ROS generation and MDA levels as well as increased SOD activity, accompanied by enhancement of the nuclear factor E2-related factor 2 (Nrf2) and its modulated heme-oxygenase-1 (HO-1) expressions. Cotreatment of AA147 with inhibitors of the ATF6 or Nrf2 significantly suppressed AA147-dependent reductions in ROS scavenging and neuronal death after CA/CPR. The results suggested that AA147 could confer neuroprotection against post-CA cerebral IRI through inhibition of oxidative stress along with ER stress-associated apoptosis, which is attributed to the coregulation of both ATF6 and Nrf2 signaling pathways activity. Our findings support the potential for AA147 as a therapeutic approach to improve post-CA brain injury.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhu Yuan
- Department of Critical Care Medicine, Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan, China,Central Laboratory, Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan, China
| | - Liping Lu
- Department of Critical Care Medicine, Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan, China
| | - Yingtao Lian
- Department of Anesthesiology, Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan, China
| | - Yuanrui Zhao
- Department of Critical Care Medicine, Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan, China,Central Laboratory, Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan, China
| | - Tingting Tang
- Department of Critical Care Medicine, Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan, China,Central Laboratory, Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan, China
| | - Song Xu
- Department of Critical Care Medicine, Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan, China
| | - Zhun Yao
- Department of Critical Care Medicine, Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan, China,Central Laboratory, Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan, China
| | - Zhui Yu
- Department of Critical Care Medicine, Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan, China,*Correspondence: Zhui Yu,
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Li X, Li R, Lu L, Dhar A, Sheng H, Yang W. Beneficial effects of neuronal ATF6 activation in permanent ischemic stroke. Front Cell Neurosci 2022; 16:1016391. [PMID: 36313623 PMCID: PMC9614111 DOI: 10.3389/fncel.2022.1016391] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/10/2022] [Accepted: 09/23/2022] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Objective: Brain ischemia leads to the accumulation of unfolded/misfolded proteins in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) lumen and consequently, ER stress. To help cells restore ER function, a series of adaptive stress response pathways, collectively termed the unfolded protein response (UPR), are activated. We have previously demonstrated that the UPR pathway initiated by ATF6 is pro-survival in transient ischemic stroke. However, the effect of ATF6 activation on the outcome after permanent ischemic stroke remains unknown. Here, we addressed this knowledge gap. Method: sATF6-KI mice with functional short-form ATF6 (sATF6) predominantly expressed in forebrain neurons were subjected to two ischemic stroke models: photothrombotic stroke and permanent middle cerebral artery occlusion (pMCAO). Both short-term and long-term functional outcomes were evaluated. Changes in neuroinflammation and cerebrovascular density after pMCAO were also assessed. Results: Compared to littermate controls, sATF6-KI mice performed significantly better in open field, cylinder, and foot fault tests on day 1 or 3 after photothrombotic stroke. However, on days 7 and 14 after stroke, the performance of these functional tests was not significantly different between groups, which is likely related to mild brain damage associated with this stroke model. Thus, to evaluate the long-term effects of ATF6 activation in permanent stroke, we turned to our pMCAO model. We first found that on day 4 after pMCAO, functional outcome was better, and infarct volumes were smaller in sATF6-KI mice vs controls. Next, the 15-day stroke outcome study indicated that compared to control mice, sATF6-KI mice consistently exhibited improved performance in neurologic scoring, tight rope test, and tape removal test, after pMCAO. Moreover, sATF6-KI mice showed higher vascular density and lower activation of both astrocytes and microglia around stroke regions on day 16 after pMCAO. Conclusions: Here, we presented the first evidence that activation of the ATF6 UPR branch is protective in permanent ischemic stroke, which further supports the therapeutic potential of targeting the ATF6 pathway in stroke.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | | | - Wei Yang
- Multidisciplinary Brain Protection Program, Department of Anesthesiology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, United States
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