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Shen W, Ren S, Hou Y, Zuo Z, Liu S, Liu Z, Fu J, Wang H, Yang B, Zhao R, Chen Y, Yamamoto M, Xu Y, Zhang Q, Pi J. Single-nucleus RNA-sequencing reveals NRF1/NFE2L1 as a key factor determining the thermogenesis and cellular heterogeneity and dynamics of brown adipose tissues in mice. Redox Biol 2023; 67:102879. [PMID: 37716088 PMCID: PMC10511808 DOI: 10.1016/j.redox.2023.102879] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/03/2023] [Revised: 08/30/2023] [Accepted: 09/05/2023] [Indexed: 09/18/2023] Open
Abstract
Brown adipose tissue (BAT) is a major site of non-shivering thermogenesis in mammals and plays an important role in energy homeostasis. Nuclear factor-erythroid 2-related factor 1 (NFE2L1, also known as Nrf1), a master regulator of cellular metabolic homeostasis and numerous stress responses, has been found to function as a critical driver in BAT thermogenic adaption to cold or obesity by providing proteometabolic quality control. Our recent studies using adipocyte-specific Nfe2l1 knockout [Nfe2l1(f)-KO] mice demonstrated that NFE2L1-dependent transcription of lipolytic genes is crucial for white adipose tissue (WAT) homeostasis and plasticity. In the present study, we found that Nfe2l1(f)-KO mice develop an age-dependent whitening and shrinking of BAT, with signatures of down-regulation of proteasome, impaired mitochondrial function, reduced thermogenesis, pro-inflammation, and elevated regulatory cell death (RCD). Mechanistic studies revealed that deficiency of Nfe2l1 in brown adipocytes (BAC) primarily results in down-regulation of lipolytic genes, which decelerates lipolysis, making BAC unable to fuel thermogenesis. These changes lead to BAC hypertrophy, inflammation-associated RCD, and consequently cold intolerance. Single-nucleus RNA-sequencing of BAT reveals that deficiency of Nfe2l1 induces significant transcriptomic changes leading to aberrant expression of a variety of genes involved in lipid metabolism, proteasome, mitochondrial stress, inflammatory responses, and inflammation-related RCD in distinct subpopulations of BAC. Taken together, our study demonstrated that NFE2L1 serves as a vital transcriptional regulator that controls the lipid metabolic homeostasis in BAC, which in turn determines the metabolic dynamics, cellular heterogeneity and subsequently cell fates in BAT.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wei Shen
- Key Laboratory of Environmental Stress and Chronic Disease Control & Prevention, Ministry of Education (China Medical University), No. 77 Puhe Road, Shenyang North New Area, Shenyang, Liaoning, 110122, China; Key Laboratory of Liaoning Province on Toxic and Biological Effects of Arsenic (China Medical University), No. 77 Puhe Road, Shenyang North New Area, Shenyang, Liaoning, 110122, PR China; Program of Environmental Toxicology, School of Public Health, China Medical University, No. 77 Puhe Road, Shenyang North New Area, Shenyang, Liaoning, 110122, China
| | - Suping Ren
- Key Laboratory of Environmental Stress and Chronic Disease Control & Prevention, Ministry of Education (China Medical University), No. 77 Puhe Road, Shenyang North New Area, Shenyang, Liaoning, 110122, China; Key Laboratory of Liaoning Province on Toxic and Biological Effects of Arsenic (China Medical University), No. 77 Puhe Road, Shenyang North New Area, Shenyang, Liaoning, 110122, PR China; Program of Environmental Toxicology, School of Public Health, China Medical University, No. 77 Puhe Road, Shenyang North New Area, Shenyang, Liaoning, 110122, China
| | - Yongyong Hou
- Key Laboratory of Environmental Stress and Chronic Disease Control & Prevention, Ministry of Education (China Medical University), No. 77 Puhe Road, Shenyang North New Area, Shenyang, Liaoning, 110122, China; Key Laboratory of Liaoning Province on Toxic and Biological Effects of Arsenic (China Medical University), No. 77 Puhe Road, Shenyang North New Area, Shenyang, Liaoning, 110122, PR China; Department of Nutrition and Food Hygiene, School of Public Health, China Medical University, No. 77 Puhe Road, Shenyang North New Area, Shenyang, Liaoning, 110122, China
| | - Zhuo Zuo
- Program of Environmental Toxicology, School of Public Health, China Medical University, No. 77 Puhe Road, Shenyang North New Area, Shenyang, Liaoning, 110122, China
| | - Shengnan Liu
- Key Laboratory of Environmental Stress and Chronic Disease Control & Prevention, Ministry of Education (China Medical University), No. 77 Puhe Road, Shenyang North New Area, Shenyang, Liaoning, 110122, China; Key Laboratory of Liaoning Province on Toxic and Biological Effects of Arsenic (China Medical University), No. 77 Puhe Road, Shenyang North New Area, Shenyang, Liaoning, 110122, PR China; Program of Environmental Toxicology, School of Public Health, China Medical University, No. 77 Puhe Road, Shenyang North New Area, Shenyang, Liaoning, 110122, China
| | - Zhiyuan Liu
- Key Laboratory of Environmental Stress and Chronic Disease Control & Prevention, Ministry of Education (China Medical University), No. 77 Puhe Road, Shenyang North New Area, Shenyang, Liaoning, 110122, China; Key Laboratory of Liaoning Province on Toxic and Biological Effects of Arsenic (China Medical University), No. 77 Puhe Road, Shenyang North New Area, Shenyang, Liaoning, 110122, PR China; Program of Environmental Toxicology, School of Public Health, China Medical University, No. 77 Puhe Road, Shenyang North New Area, Shenyang, Liaoning, 110122, China
| | - Jingqi Fu
- Key Laboratory of Environmental Stress and Chronic Disease Control & Prevention, Ministry of Education (China Medical University), No. 77 Puhe Road, Shenyang North New Area, Shenyang, Liaoning, 110122, China; Key Laboratory of Liaoning Province on Toxic and Biological Effects of Arsenic (China Medical University), No. 77 Puhe Road, Shenyang North New Area, Shenyang, Liaoning, 110122, PR China; Program of Environmental Toxicology, School of Public Health, China Medical University, No. 77 Puhe Road, Shenyang North New Area, Shenyang, Liaoning, 110122, China
| | - Huihui Wang
- Key Laboratory of Environmental Stress and Chronic Disease Control & Prevention, Ministry of Education (China Medical University), No. 77 Puhe Road, Shenyang North New Area, Shenyang, Liaoning, 110122, China; Key Laboratory of Liaoning Province on Toxic and Biological Effects of Arsenic (China Medical University), No. 77 Puhe Road, Shenyang North New Area, Shenyang, Liaoning, 110122, PR China; Group of Chronic Disease and Environmental Genomics, School of Public Health, China Medical University, No. 77 Puhe Road, Shenyang North New Area, Shenyang, Liaoning, 110122, China
| | - Bei Yang
- Key Laboratory of Environmental Stress and Chronic Disease Control & Prevention, Ministry of Education (China Medical University), No. 77 Puhe Road, Shenyang North New Area, Shenyang, Liaoning, 110122, China; School of Basic Medical Sciences, China Medical University, No. 77 Puhe Road, Shenyang North New Area, Shenyang, Liaoning, 110122, China
| | - Rui Zhao
- Key Laboratory of Environmental Stress and Chronic Disease Control & Prevention, Ministry of Education (China Medical University), No. 77 Puhe Road, Shenyang North New Area, Shenyang, Liaoning, 110122, China; School of Forensic Medicine, China Medical University, No. 77 Puhe Road, Shenyang North New Area, Shenyang, Liaoning, 110122, China
| | - Yanyan Chen
- The First Affiliated Hospital, China Medical University, No. 155 Nanjing North Road, Heping Area, Shenyang, Liaoning, 110001, China
| | - Masayuki Yamamoto
- Department of Medical Biochemistry, Tohoku University Graduate School of Medicine, Sendai, 980-8575, Japan
| | - Yuanyuan Xu
- Key Laboratory of Environmental Stress and Chronic Disease Control & Prevention, Ministry of Education (China Medical University), No. 77 Puhe Road, Shenyang North New Area, Shenyang, Liaoning, 110122, China; Key Laboratory of Liaoning Province on Toxic and Biological Effects of Arsenic (China Medical University), No. 77 Puhe Road, Shenyang North New Area, Shenyang, Liaoning, 110122, PR China; Group of Chronic Disease and Environmental Genomics, School of Public Health, China Medical University, No. 77 Puhe Road, Shenyang North New Area, Shenyang, Liaoning, 110122, China
| | - Qiang Zhang
- Gangarosa Department of Environmental Health, Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, GA, 30322, USA.
| | - Jingbo Pi
- Key Laboratory of Environmental Stress and Chronic Disease Control & Prevention, Ministry of Education (China Medical University), No. 77 Puhe Road, Shenyang North New Area, Shenyang, Liaoning, 110122, China; Key Laboratory of Liaoning Province on Toxic and Biological Effects of Arsenic (China Medical University), No. 77 Puhe Road, Shenyang North New Area, Shenyang, Liaoning, 110122, PR China; Program of Environmental Toxicology, School of Public Health, China Medical University, No. 77 Puhe Road, Shenyang North New Area, Shenyang, Liaoning, 110122, China.
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Kotschi S, Jung A, Willemsen N, Ofoghi A, Proneth B, Conrad M, Bartelt A. NFE2L1-mediated proteasome function protects from ferroptosis. Mol Metab 2022; 57:101436. [PMID: 34999280 PMCID: PMC8814388 DOI: 10.1016/j.molmet.2022.101436] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/08/2021] [Revised: 12/23/2021] [Accepted: 01/03/2022] [Indexed: 11/04/2022] Open
Abstract
Objective Ferroptosis continues to emerge as a novel modality of cell death with important therapeutic implications for a variety of diseases, most notably cancer and degenerative diseases. While susceptibility, initiation, and execution of ferroptosis have been linked to reprogramming of cellular lipid metabolism, imbalances in iron-redox homeostasis, and aberrant mitochondrial respiration, the detailed mechanisms of ferroptosis are still insufficiently well understood. Methods and results Here we show that diminished proteasome function is a new mechanistic feature of ferroptosis. The transcription factor nuclear factor erythroid-2, like-1 (NFE2L1) protects from ferroptosis by sustaining proteasomal activity. In cellular systems, loss of NFE2L1 reduced cellular viability after the induction of both chemically and genetically induced ferroptosis, which was linked to the regulation of proteasomal activity under these conditions. Importantly, this was reproduced in a Sedaghatian-type Spondylometaphyseal Dysplasia (SSMD) patient-derived cell line carrying mutated glutathione peroxidase-4 (GPX4), a critical regulator of ferroptosis. Also, reduced proteasomal activity was associated with ferroptosis in Gpx4-deficient mice. In a mouse model for genetic Nfe2l1 deficiency, we observed brown adipose tissue (BAT) involution, hyperubiquitination of ferroptosis regulators, including the GPX4 pathway, and other hallmarks of ferroptosis. Conclusion Our data highlight the relevance of the NFE2L1-proteasome pathway in ferroptosis. Manipulation of NFE2L1 activity might enhance ferroptosis-inducing cancer therapies as well as protect from aberrant ferroptosis in neurodegeneration, general metabolism, and beyond. Proteasome function is diminished during ferroptosis. NFE2L1-mediated proteasomal activity protects from ferroptosis. The ubiquitination of the GPX4-glutathione pathway is implicated in Nfe2l1 deficiency. NFE2L1 deficiency in brown fat is associated with hallmarks of ferroptosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stefan Kotschi
- Institute for Cardiovascular Prevention (IPEK), Ludwig-Maximilians-University Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Anna Jung
- Institute for Cardiovascular Prevention (IPEK), Ludwig-Maximilians-University Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Nienke Willemsen
- Institute for Cardiovascular Prevention (IPEK), Ludwig-Maximilians-University Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Anahita Ofoghi
- Institute for Cardiovascular Prevention (IPEK), Ludwig-Maximilians-University Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Bettina Proneth
- Institute of Metabolism and Cell Death, Helmholtz Center Munich, Neuherberg, Germany
| | - Marcus Conrad
- Institute of Metabolism and Cell Death, Helmholtz Center Munich, Neuherberg, Germany; Pirogov Russian National Research Medical University, Laboratory of Experimental Oncology, Moscow, Russia
| | - Alexander Bartelt
- Institute for Cardiovascular Prevention (IPEK), Ludwig-Maximilians-University Munich, Munich, Germany; Institute for Diabetes and Cancer (IDC), Helmholtz Center Munich, Neuherberg, Germany; German Center for Cardiovascular Research, Partner Site Munich Heart Alliance, Munich, Germany; Department of Molecular Metabolism & Sabri Ülker Center for Metabolic Research, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, United States.
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