Deoxyribonuclease II (DNase II) activity in mouse tissues and body fluids

Pt(II)-PLGA Hybrid in a pH-Responsive Nanoparticle System Targeting Ovarian Cancer

Platinum-based agents are the main treatment option in ovarian cancer (OC). Herein, we report a poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) nanoparticle (NP) encapsulating platinum (II), which is targeted to a cell-spanning protein overexpressed in above 90% of late-stage OC, mucin 1 (MUC1). The NP is coated with phospholipid-DNA aptamers against MUC1 and a pH-sensitive PEG derivative containing an acid-labile hydrazone linkage. The pH-sensitive PEG serves as an off-on switch that provides shielding effects at the physiological pH and is shed at lower pH, thus exposing the MUC1 ligands. The pH-MUC1-Pt NPs are stable in the serum and display pH-dependent PEG cleavage and drug release. Moreover, the NPs effectively internalize in OC cells with higher accumulation at lower pH. The Pt (II) loading into the NP was accomplished via PLGA-Pt (II) coordination chemistry and was found to be 1.62 wt.%. In vitro screening using a panel of OC cell lines revealed that pH-MUC1-Pt NP has a greater effect in reducing cellular viability than carboplatin, a clinically relevant drug analogue. Biodistribution studies have demonstrated NP accumulation at tumor sites with effective Pt (II) delivery. Together, these results demonstrate a potential for pH-MUC1-Pt NP for the enhanced Pt (II) therapy of OC and other solid tumors currently treated with platinum agents.

Cytosolic dsDNA of mitochondrial origin induces cytotoxicity and neurodegeneration in cellular and zebrafish models of Parkinson's disease

Mitochondrial dysfunction and lysosomal dysfunction have been implicated in Parkinson's disease (PD), but the links between these dysfunctions in PD pathogenesis are still largely unknown. Here we report that cytosolic dsDNA of mitochondrial origin escaping from lysosomal degradation was shown to induce cytotoxicity in cultured cells and PD phenotypes in vivo. The depletion of PINK1, GBA and/or ATP13A2 causes increases in cytosolic dsDNA of mitochondrial origin and induces type I interferon (IFN) responses and cell death in cultured cell lines. These phenotypes are rescued by the overexpression of DNase II, a lysosomal DNase that degrades discarded mitochondrial DNA, or the depletion of IFI16, which acts as a sensor for cytosolic dsDNA of mitochondrial origin. Reducing the abundance of cytosolic dsDNA by overexpressing human DNase II ameliorates movement disorders and dopaminergic cell loss in gba mutant PD model zebrafish. Furthermore, IFI16 and cytosolic dsDNA puncta of mitochondrial origin accumulate in the brain of patients with PD. These results support a common causative role for the cytosolic leakage of mitochondrial DNA in PD pathogenesis.

Nuclease resistance of DNA nanostructures

DNA nanotechnology has progressed from proof-of-concept demonstrations of structural design towards application-oriented research. As a natural material with excellent self-assembling properties, DNA is an indomitable choice for various biological applications, including biosensing, cell modulation, bioimaging and drug delivery. However, a major impediment to the use of DNA nanostructures in biological applications is their susceptibility to attack by nucleases present in the physiological environment. Although several DNA nanostructures show enhanced resistance to nuclease attack compared with duplexes and plasmid DNA, this may be inadequate for practical application. Recently, several strategies have been developed to increase the nuclease resistance of DNA nanostructures while retaining their functions, and the stability of various DNA nanostructures has been studied in biological fluids, such as serum, urine and cell lysates. This Review discusses the approaches used to modulate nuclease resistance in DNA nanostructures and provides an overview of the techniques employed to evaluate resistance to degradation and quantify stability.

DNase I Induces Other Endonucleases in Kidney Tubular Epithelial Cells by Its DNA-Degrading Activity

Endonuclease-mediated DNA fragmentation is both an immediate cause and a result of apoptosis and of all other types of irreversible cell death after injury. It is produced by nine enzymes including DNase I, DNase 2, their homologs, caspase-activated DNase (CAD) and endonuclease G (EndoG). The endonucleases act simultaneously during cell death; however, regulatory links between these enzymes have not been established. We hypothesized that DNase I, the most abundant of endonucleases, may regulate other endonucleases. To test this hypothesis, rat kidney tubular epithelial NRK-52E cells were transfected with the DNase I gene or its inactive mutant in a pECFP expression vector, while control cells were transfected with the empty vector. mRNA expression of all nine endonucleases was studied using real-time RT-PCR; DNA strand breaks in endonuclease genes were determined by PCR and protein expression of the enzymes was measured by Western blotting and quantitative immunocytochemistry. Our data showed that DNase I, but not its inactive mutant, induces all other endonucleases at varying time periods after transfection, causes DNA breaks in endonuclease genes, and elevates protein expression of several endonucleases. This is the first evidence that endonucleases seem to be induced by the DNA-degrading activity of DNase I.

DNase II activated by the mitochondrial apoptotic pathway regulates RIP1-dependent non-apoptotic hepatocyte death via the TLR9/IFN-β signaling pathway

Cell death, including apoptotic and non-apoptotic cell death, is frequently observed in liver disease. Upon activation of the mitochondrial apoptotic pathway, mitochondria release not only apoptogenic cytochrome c but also mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) into the cytosol. The impact of DNase II, a lysosomal acid DNase that degrades mtDNA, on hepatocyte death remains unclear. Administration of ABT-737, a Bcl-xL inhibitor, upregulated DNase II activity in murine hepatocyte cell line BNL CL.2 cells and induced apoptosis. In cells treated with DNase II siRNA, ABT-737 led to accumulation of mtDNA in the cytosol and increased expression of interferon (IFN)-β and induction of propidium iodide (PI)-positive cells, in addition to apoptosis. Induced PI-positive cells were suppressed by RIP1 inhibitor, Necrostatin-1, but not by pan-caspase inhibitor, ZVAD-FMK, suggesting non-apoptotic cell death. Both the increase in IFN-β and the induction of non-apoptotic cell death were abolished by administering a TLR9 antagonist, ODN2088, or by the removal of mtDNA from cells with ethidium bromide. Hepatocyte-specific Mcl-1 knockout mice developed hepatocyte apoptosis accompanied by upregulated DNase II activity in their livers. Further knockout of DNase II induced IFN-β expression and RIP1-dependent non-apoptotic hepatocyte death, both of which were suppressed by the administration of ODN2088. Mice fed a high-fat diet (HFD), an obesity-associated fatty liver model, showed increased expression of IFN-β with suppression of DNase II activity in their livers and developed not only hepatocyte apoptosis but also non-apoptotic hepatocyte death. Hepatocyte-specific knockout of DNase II exacerbated HFD-induced non-apoptotic hepatocyte death and liver fibrosis. In conclusion, without DNase II, apoptotic stimulation on hepatocytes induces TLR9-dependent IFN-β production and RIP1-dependent non-apoptotic cell death originating from mtDNA. In fatty livers, DNase II activity is suppressed in contrast to simple inactivation of Bcl-xL or Mcl-1, and both apoptotic and non-apoptotic hepatocyte death can develop, leading to the progression of liver fibrosis.

Circulating mitochondrial DNA and Toll-like receptor 9 are associated with vascular dysfunction in spontaneously hypertensive rats

AIMS

Immune system activation is a common feature of hypertension pathogenesis. However, the mechanisms that initiate this activation are not well understood. Innate immune system recognition and response to danger are becoming apparent in many cardiovascular diseases. Danger signals can arise from not only pathogens, but also damage-associated molecular patterns (DAMPs). Our first hypothesis was that the DAMP, mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA), which is recognized by Toll-like receptor 9 (TLR9), is elevated in the circulation of spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR), and that the deoxyribonuclease enzymes responsible for its degradation have decreased activity in SHR. Based on these novel SHR phenotypes, we further hypothesized that (i) treatment of SHR with an inhibitory oligodinucleotide for TLR9 (ODN2088) would lower blood pressure and that (ii) treatment of normotensive rats with a TLR9-specific CpG oligonucleotide (ODN2395) would cause endothelial dysfunction and increase blood pressure.

METHODS AND RESULTS

We observed that SHR have elevated circulating mtDNA and diminished deoxyribonuclease I and II activity. Additionally, treatment of SHR with ODN2088 lowered systolic blood pressure. On the other hand, treatment of normotensive rats with ODN2395 increased systolic blood pressure and rendered their arteries less sensitive to acetylcholine-induced relaxation and more sensitive to norepinephrine-induced contraction. This dysfunctional vasoreactivity was due to increased cyclooxygenase and p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase activation, increased reactive oxygen species generation, and reduced nitric oxide bioavailability.

CONCLUSION

Circulating mtDNA and impaired deoxyribonuclease activity may lead to the activation of the innate immune system, via TLR9, and contribute to elevated arterial pressure and vascular dysfunction in SHR.

Addressing the instability of DNA nanostructures in tissue culture

DNA nanotechnology is an advanced technique that could contribute diagnostic, therapeutic, and biomedical research devices to nanomedicine. Although such devices are often developed and demonstrated using in vitro tissue culture models, these conditions may not be compatible with DNA nanostructure integrity and function. The purpose of this study was to characterize the sensitivity of 3D DNA nanostructures produced via the origami method to the in vitro tissue culture environment and identify solutions to prevent loss of nanostructure integrity. We examined whether the physiological cation concentrations of cell culture medium and the nucleases present in fetal bovine serum (FBS) used as a medium supplement result in denaturation and digestion, respectively. DNA nanostructure denaturation due to cation depletion was design- and time-dependent, with one of four tested designs remaining intact after 24 h at 37 °C. Adjustment of medium by addition of MgSO4 prevented denaturation. Digestion of nanostructures by FBS nucleases in Mg(2+)-adjusted medium did not appear design-dependent and became significant within 24 h and when medium was supplemented with greater than 5% FBS. We estimated that medium supplemented with 10% FBS contains greater than 256 U/L equivalent of DNase I activity in digestion of DNA nanostructures. Heat inactivation at 75 °C and inclusion of actin protein in medium inactivated and inhibited nuclease activity, respectively. We examined the impact of medium adjustments on cell growth, viability, and phenotype. Adjustment of Mg(2+) to 6 mM did not appear to have a detrimental impact on cells. Heat inactivation was found to be incompatible with in vitro tissue culture, whereas inclusion of actin had no observable effect on growth and viability. In two in vitro assays, immune cell activation and nanoparticle endocytosis, we show that using conditions compatible with cell phenotype and nanostructure integrity is critical for obtaining reliable experimental data. Our study thus describes considerations that are vital for researchers undertaking in vitro tissue culture studies with DNA nanostructures and some potential solutions for ensuring that nanostructure integrity and functions are maintained during experiments.

Biogenesis and proteolytic processing of lysosomal DNase II

Deoxyribonuclease II (DNase II) is a key enzyme in the phagocytic digestion of DNA from apoptotic nuclei. To understand the molecular properties of DNase II, particularly the processing, we prepared a polyclonal antibody against carboxyl-terminal sequences of mouse DNase II. In the present study, partial purification of DNase II using Con A Sepharose enabled the detection of endogenous DNase II by Western blotting. It was interesting that two forms of endogenous DNase II were detected--a 30 kDa form and a 23 kDa form. Neither of those forms carried the expected molecular weight of 45 kDa. Subcellular fractionation showed that the 23 kDa and 30 kDa proteins were localized in lysosomes. The processing of DNase II in vivo was also greatly altered in the liver of mice lacking cathepsin L. DNase II that was extracellularly secreted from cells overexpressing DNase II was detected as a pro-form, which was activated under acidic conditions. These results indicate that DNase II is processed and activated in lysosomes, while cathepsin L is involved in the processing of the enzyme.

Mitochondrial DNA that escapes from autophagy causes inflammation and heart failure

Heart failure is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality in industrialized countries. Although infection with microorganisms is not involved in the development of heart failure in most cases, inflammation has been implicated in the pathogenesis of heart failure¹. However, the mechanisms responsible for initiating and integrating inflammatory responses within the heart remain poorly defined. Mitochondria are evolutionary endosymbionts derived from bacteria and contain DNA similar to bacterial DNA^2,3,4. Mitochondria damaged by external hemodynamic stress are degraded by the autophagy/lysosome system in cardiomyocytes⁵. Here, we show that mitochondrial DNA that escapes from autophagy cell-autonomously leads to Toll-like receptor (TLR) 9-mediated inflammatory responses in cardiomyocytes and is capable of inducing myocarditis, and dilated cardiomyopathy. Cardiac-specific deletion of lysosomal deoxyribonuclease (DNase) II showed no cardiac phenotypes under baseline conditions, but increased mortality and caused severe myocarditis and dilated cardiomyopathy 10 days after treatment with pressure overload. Early in the pathogenesis, DNase II-deficient hearts exhibited infiltration of inflammatory cells and increased mRNA expression of inflammatory cytokines, with accumulation of mitochondrial DNA deposits in autolysosomes in the myocardium. Administration of the inhibitory oligodeoxynucleotides against TLR9, which is known to be activated by bacterial DNA⁶, or ablation of Tlr9 attenuated the development of cardiomyopathy in DNase II-deficient mice. Furthermore, Tlr9-ablation improved pressure overload-induced cardiac dysfunction and inflammation even in mice with wild-type Dnase2a alleles. These data provide new perspectives on the mechanism of genesis of chronic inflammation in failing hearts.

Sensitivity of human prostate cancer cells to chemotherapeutic drugs depends on EndoG expression regulated by promoter methylation

Analysis of promoter sequences of all known human cytotoxic endonucleases showed that endonuclease G (EndoG) is the only endonuclease that contains a CpG island, a segment of DNA with high G+C content and a site for methylation, in the promoter region. A comparison of three human prostate cancer cell lines showed that EndoG is highly expressed in 22Rv1 and LNCaP cells. In PC3 cells, EndoG was not expressed and the EndoG CpG island was hypermethylated. The expression of EndoG correlated positively with sensitivity to cisplatin and etoposide, and the silencing of EndoG by siRNA decreased the sensitivity of the cells to the chemotherapeutic agents in the two EndoG-expressing cell lines. 5-aza-2'-deoxycytidine caused hypomethylation of the EndoG promoter in PC3 cells, induced EndoG mRNA and protein expression, and made the cells sensitive to both cisplatin and etoposide. The acetylation of histones by trichostatin A, the histone deacetylase inhibitor, induced EndoG expression in 22Rv1 cells, while it had no such effect in PC3 cells. These data are the first indication that EndoG may be regulated by methylation of its gene promoter, and partially by histone acetylation, and that EndoG is essential for prostate cancer cell death in the used models.

Gender differences in kidney function

Sex hormones influence the development of female (F) and male (M) specific traits and primarily affect the structure and function of gender-specific organs. Recent studies also indicated their important roles in regulating structure and/or function of nearly every tissue and organ in the mammalian body, including the kidneys, causing gender differences in a variety of characteristics. Clinical observations in humans and studies in experimental animals in vivo and in models in vitro have shown that renal structure and functions under various physiological, pharmacological, and toxicological conditions are different in M and F, and that these differences may be related to the sex-hormone-regulated expression and action of transporters in the apical and basolateral membrane of nephron epithelial cells. In this review we have collected published data on gender differences in renal functions, transporters and other related parameters, and present our own microarray data on messenger RNA expression for various transporters in the kidney cortex of M and F rats. With these data we would like to emphasize the importance of sex hormones in regulation of a variety of renal transport functions and to initiate further studies of gender-related differences in kidney structure and functions, which would enable us to better understand occurrence and development of various renal diseases, pharmacotherapy, and drug-induced nephrotoxicity in humans and animals.

Isolation and characterization of the DLAD/Dlad genes, which lie head-to-head with the genes for urate oxidase

We previously found that a novel DNA endonuclease named DLAD (DNase II-Like Acid DNase) is specifically expressed in murine liver. Here, we describe the isolation and characterization of the human DLAD and mouse Dlad genes. Both DLAD and Dlad consist of 6 exons. DLAD encodes a 361 amino acid protein sharing 34.6% amino acid identity with human DNase II. Although a recombinant protein for the putative human DLAD has a divalent cation-independent acid DNase activity, expression of the DLAD mRNA containing the entire open reading frame was not detected in any human tissues tested, except for lung, in which a short 1.1 kb transcript lacking the first two exons is expressed. Interestingly, sequence analysis of Dlad showed that the 1st exon of the urate oxidase gene, Uox, is located on the opposite strand in its 5'-flanking region. The head-to-head organization of DLAD and UOX is conserved in the human genomic sequence. Promoter analysis revealed that the intergenic region between Dlad and Uox has promoter activity for both the Dlad and Uox directions, however, the corresponding human genomic fragment has promoter activity only for DLAD. It is known that murine Uox is expressed only in the liver, whereas human UOX has been inactivated as a pseudogene. On the basis of these results, the expression of DLAD/Dlad and UOX/Uox is suggested to be coordinated by a common regulatory mechanism(s), and the balance between the two enzymes is thought to be important for maintaining the purine nucleotide pool in the liver.

Molecular cloning and characterization of human and murine DNase II

We have cloned and sequenced novel cDNAs that encode human and murine DNase II, the acidic deoxyribonuclease. Sequence analysis predicts that huDNase II contains an N-terminal signal sequence and that mature DNase II has 344 residues with a calculated molecular mass of 38 032 Da. DNase II is a novel enzyme with no homologies to proteins of known function. Surprisingly, C. elegans appears to possess a family of DNase II homologs. Unlike DNase I-like enzymes that have tissue-specific expression patterns, huDNase II is ubiquituously expressed at low levels. When huDNase II is expressed in human 293 cells, we observe secretion of a novel 42-44 kDa glycoprotein; approximately 20-30% of recombinant human DNase II activity is secreted in this system. The secreted enzyme possesses DNA hydrolytic activity and shares biochemical properties with purified DNase II obtained from other species. We also show that the mechanism by which DNase II cuts DNA is similar to DNase I in that the enzyme produces nicks rather than double-strand cuts.

Porcine spleen deoxyribonuclease II. Covalent structure, cDNA sequence, molecular cloning, and gene expression

Porcine spleen DNase II, a lysosomal acid hydrolase, is a noncovalently linked alpha.beta heterodimer (Liao, T.-H. (1985) J. Biol. Chem. 260, 10708-10713). The alpha subunit, after disulfide cleavage, yields two chains, alpha1 and alpha2. The complete amino acid sequences of the alpha1, beta, and alpha2 chains were elucidated by protein sequencing, and the pairings of one interchain disulfide between alpha1 and alpha2 and of three intrachain disulfides in alpha2 were assigned. Six carbohydrate attachment sites, two in beta and four in alpha2, were detected by sugar analyses. The cDNA of DNase II was amplified using primers synthesized on the basis of the amino acid sequences determined. The amplified fragments shown to be a cDNA sequence of 1,292 bases. This cDNA sequence has an open reading frame encoding a 364-amino acid polypeptide containing a putative transmembrane peptide at the NH2-end, two small connecting peptides in the middle, and a peptide at the COOH terminus. These are evidently removed to form mature DNase II. Thus, all three chains in the sequence alpha1, beta, and alpha2 are coded by the same cDNA. When Chinese hamster ovary cells were transfected with a cloned plasmid with an inserted cDNA fragment encoding the entire reading frame, the expressed protein was released into the growth medium as an active form of DNase II.

Cloning of cDNAs encoding porcine and human DNase II

We report the molecular cloning of cDNAs encoding porcine and human DNase II and the genomic structure of the human DNase II gene. The full length cDNAs for porcine and human DNase II were isolated by polymerase chain reaction on the basis of amino acid sequences determined for the tryptic peptides of porcine liver DNase II. The porcine and human cDNAs contain 1095 and 1083 bp open reading frames, respectively, and encode 364 and 360 amino acid proteins with calculated molecular masses of 40,157 and 39,555, respectively. The amino acid sequencing of purified porcine DNase II reveals two N-termini with corresponding sequences present within the same open reading frame, suggesting proteolytic processing for the covalently bonded subunit structure of DNase II. Northern blot analysis demonstrated that a single transcript of 2.0 kb mRNA coding for DNase II is ubiquitously expressed in human tissues. A database search revealed that the human genomic sequence of chromosome 19p13.2 contains the DNase II gene. Characterization of the genomic sequence showed that the DNase II gene consists of six exons separated by five introns whose splice acceptor/donor sites agree with the GT/AG rule.

Deoxyribonuclease II (DNase II) activity is regulated systemically by a single locus in mice

A survey of inbred strains of mice revealed genetic variation in DNase II activity in the spleen, liver, kidney, lung, heart, coagulating gland and preputial gland. Since DNase II activities in these tissues were closely correlated to each other, systemic regulation of the enzyme was suggested. The inheritance of quantitative variation in the DNase II activity was studied in a test cross using the spleen DNase II activity level as an indicator of progeny phenotypes. The results showed that the strain difference in DNase II activity was controlled by a single autosomal locus. The locus for the mouse DNase II activity level, designated as Dnl2al, had at least two alleles. The allele Dnl2ala determines high DNase II activity and occurs in C57BL/6 and C3H/He strains. The other allele Dnl2alb determines low enzyme activity and occurs in BALB/c and DBA/2 strains.