Inhibitor of growth 4 (ING4) is up-regulated by a low K intake and suppresses renal outer medullary K channels (ROMK) by MAPK stimulation

ING4 Promotes Stemness Enrichment of Human Renal Cell Carcinoma Cells Through Inhibiting DUSP4 Expression to Activate the p38 MAPK/type I IFN-Stimulated Gene Signaling Pathway

Renal cell carcinoma (RCC) recurs frequently due to high metastatic spread, resulting in a high mortality. Cancer stem cells play a critical role in initiating the tumor metastasis. Inhibitor of growth 4 (ING4) is a member of the ING family, but its impact on cancer stem cells in RCC is still unknown. In this study, we found that ING4 significantly promoted the sphere-forming size and number of RCC cells under an ultralow-attachment culture condition in vitro, tumor growth and metastasis in vivo, and the expression of some stem-like or pluripotent biomarkers CD44, MYC, OCT4, and NANOG, indicating that ING4 increased the stemness enrichment of RCC cells. Mechanistically, the ING4-activated p38 MAPK pathway possibly upregulated the expression of type I IFN-stimulated genes to promote the formation of RCC stem cells. ING4 could inhibit the expression of DUSP4 to activate p38 MAPK. In addition, selective pharmacological p38 MAPK inhibitors could significantly inhibit stemness enrichment only in ING4-overexpressed RCC cells, suggesting that the p38 MAPK inhibitors might be effective in patients with high ING4 expression in RCC tissue. Taken together, our findings proposed that ING4 might serve as a potential therapeutic target for metastatic RCC, particularly RCC stem cells.

Inhibitor of growth 4 affects hypoxia-induced migration and angiogenesis regulation in retinal pigment epithelial cells

Inhibitor of growth 4 (ING4), a potential tumor suppressor, is implicated in cell migration and angiogenesis. However, its effects on diabetic retinopathy (DR) have not been elucidated. In this study, we aimed to evaluate ING4 expression in normal and diabetic rats and clarify its effects on hypoxia-induced dysfunction in human retinal pigment epithelial (ARPE-19) cells. A Type 1 diabetic model was generated by injecting rats intraperitoneally with streptozotocin and then killed them 4, 8, or 12 weeks later. ING4 expression in retinal tissue was detected using western blot analysis, reverse transcription quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR), and immunohistochemistry assays. After transfection with an ING4 overexpression lentiviral vector or small interfering RNA (siRNA), ARPE-19 migration under hypoxia was tested using wound healing and transwell assays. The angiogenic effect of conditioned medium (CM) from ARPE-19 cells was examined by assessing human retinal endothelial cell (HREC) capillary tube formation. Additionally, western blot analysis and RT-qPCR were performed to investigate the signaling pathways in which ING4, specificity protein 1 (Sp1), matrix metalloproteinase 2 (MMP-2), MMP-9, and vascular endothelial growth factor A (VEGF-A) were involved. Here, we found that ING4 expression was significantly reduced in the diabetic rats' retinal tissue. Silencing ING4 aggravated hypoxia-induced ARPE-19 cell migration. CM collected from ING4 siRNA-transfected ARPE-19 cells under hypoxia promoted HREC angiogenesis. These effects were reversed by ING4 overexpression. Furthermore, ING4 suppressed MMP-2, MMP-9, and VEGF-A expression in an Sp1-dependent manner in hypoxia-conditioned ARPE-19 cells. Overall, our results provide valuable mechanistic insights into the protective effects of ING4 on hypoxia-induced migration and angiogenesis regulation in ARPE-19 cells. Restoring ING4 may be a novel strategy for treating DR.

The essential role of tumor suppressor gene ING4 in various human cancers and non-neoplastic disorders

Inhibitor of growth 4 (ING4), a member of the ING family discovered in 2003, has been shown to act as a tumor suppressor and is frequently down-regulated in various human cancers. Numerous published in vivo and in vitro studies have shown that ING4 is responsible for important cancer hallmarks such as pathologic cell cycle arrest, apoptosis, autophagy, contact inhibition, and hypoxic adaptation, and also affects tumor angiogenesis, invasion, and metastasis. These characteristics are typically associated with regulation through chromatin acetylation by binding histone H3 trimethylated at lysine 4 (H3K4me3) and through transcriptional activity of transcription factor P53 and NF-κB. In addition, emerging evidence has indicated that abnormalities in ING4 expression and function play key roles in non-neoplastic disorders. Here, we provide an overview of ING4-modulated chromosome remodeling and transcriptional function, as well as the functional consequences of different genetic variants. We also present the current understanding concerning the role of ING4 in the development of neoplastic and non-neoplastic diseases. These studies offer inspiration for pursuing novel therapeutics for various cancers.

SIRT Is Required for EDP-Mediated Protective Responses toward Hypoxia-Reoxygenation Injury in Cardiac Cells

Hypoxia–reoxygenation (H/R) injury is known to cause extensive injury to cardiac myocardium promoting development of cardiac dysfunction. Despite the vast number of studies dedicated to studying H/R injury, the molecular mechanisms behind it are multiple, complex, and remain very poorly understood, which makes development of novel pharmacological agents challenging. Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA, 22:6n3) is an n - 3 polyunsaturated fatty acid obtained from dietary sources, which produces numerous effects including regulation of cell survival and death mechanisms. The beneficial effects of DHA toward the cardiovascular system are well documented but the relative role of DHA or one of its more potent metabolites is unresolved. Emerging evidence indicates that cytochrome P450 (CYP) epoxygenase metabolites of DHA, epoxydocosapentaenoic acids (EDPs), have more potent biological activity than DHA in cardiac cells. In this study we examined whether EDPs protect HL-1 cardiac cells from H/R injury. Our observations demonstrate that treatment with 19,20-EDP protected HL-1 cardiac cells from H/R damage through a mechanism(s) protecting and enhancing mitochondrial quality. EDP treatment increased the relative rates of mitobiogenesis and mitochondrial respiration in control and H/R exposed cardiac cells. The observed EDP protective response toward H/R injury involved SIRT1-dependent pathways.

Roles and Regulation of Renal K Channels

More than two dozen types of potassium channels, with different biophysical and regulatory properties, are expressed in the kidney, influencing renal function in many important ways. Recently, a confluence of discoveries in areas from human genetics to physiology, cell biology, and biophysics has cast light on the special function of five different potassium channels in the distal nephron, encoded by the genes KCNJ1, KCNJ10, KCNJ16, KCNMA1, and KCNN3. Research aimed at understanding how these channels work in health and go awry in disease has transformed our understanding of potassium balance and provided new insights into mechanisms of renal sodium handling and the maintenance of blood pressure. This review focuses on recent advances in this rapidly evolving field.

Reduced ING4 Expression Is Associated with the Malignancy of Human Bladder

Introduction: Inhibitor of growth 4 (ING4) is a tumor suppressor. However the role of ING4 in human bladder malignancy is unknown. In this study, ING4 expression in human bladder cancer and its potential effects were studied. Materials and Methods: ING4 expression in 47 human bladder cancer tissues and paired adjacent normal tissues was detected by Western blotting, quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction, and immunohistochemistry. The migration and cell cycle progression of SV-HUC-1 and T24 cells with aberrant ING4 expression were examined. Results: ING4 protein and mRNA were significantly decreased in bladder cancer tissues. ING4 protein level was significantly lower in the group of patients over 50 years of age. ING4 knockdown caused more rapid cell migration and increased the population of SV-HUC-1 and T24 cells in the G2-M phase. Conclusion: Our data suggest a close connection between aberrant ING4 expression and the carcinogenesis of human bladder cells. ING4 may be a potential target for bladder cancer chemotherapy.

Recent advances in understanding integrative control of potassium homeostasis

The potassium homeostatic system is very tightly regulated. Recent studies have shed light on the sensing and molecular mechanisms responsible for this tight control. In addition to classic feedback regulation mediated by a rise in extracellular fluid (ECF) [K(+)], there is evidence for a feedforward mechanism: Dietary K(+) intake is sensed in the gut, and an unidentified gut factor is activated to stimulate renal K(+) excretion. This pathway may explain renal and extrarenal responses to altered K(+) intake that occur independently of changes in ECF [K(+)]. Mechanisms for conserving ECF K(+) during fasting or K(+) deprivation have been described: Kidney NADPH oxidase activation initiates a cascade that provokes the retraction of K(+) channels from the cell membrane, and muscle becomes resistant to insulin stimulation of cellular K(+) uptake. How these mechanisms are triggered by K(+) deprivation remains unclear. Cellular AMP kinase-dependent protein kinase activity provokes the acute transfer of K(+) from the ECF to the ICF, which may be important in exercise or ischemia. These recent advances may shed light on the beneficial effects of a high-K(+) diet for the cardiovascular system.

K restriction inhibits protein phosphatase 2B (PP2B) and suppression of PP2B decreases ROMK channel activity in the CCD

We used Western blot analysis to examine the effect of dietary K intake on the expression of serine/threonine protein phosphatase in the kidney. K restriction significantly decreased the expression of catalytic subunit of protein phosphatase (PP)2B but increased the expression of PP2B regulatory subunit in both rat and mouse kidney. However, K depletion did not affect the expression of PP1 and PP2A. Treatment of M-1 cells, mouse cortical collecting duct (CCD) cells, or 293T cells with glucose oxidase (GO), which generates superoxide anions through glucose metabolism, mimicked the effect of K restriction on PP2B expression and significantly decreased expression of PP2B catalytic subunits. However, GO treatment increased expression of regulatory subunit of PP2B and had no effect on expression of PP1, PP2A, and protein tyrosine phosphatase 1D. Moreover, deletion of gp91-containing NADPH oxidase abolished the effect of K depletion on PP2B. Thus superoxide anions or related products may mediate the inhibitory effect of K restriction on the expression of PP2B catalytic subunit. We also used patch-clamp technique to study the effect of inhibiting PP2B on renal outer medullary K (ROMK) channels in the CCD. Application of cyclosporin A or FK506, inhibitors of PP2B, significantly decreased ROMK channels, and the effect of PP2B inhibitors was abolished by blocking p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) and ERK. Furthermore, Western blot demonstrated that inhibition of PP2B with cyclosporin A or small interfering RNA increased the phosphorylation of ERK and p38 MAPK. We conclude that K restriction suppresses the expression of PP2B catalytic subunits and that inhibition of PP2B decreases ROMK channel activity through stimulation of MAPK in the CCD.