Real-Time Monitoring of Lysosomal Membrane Permeabilization Using Acridine Orange

Environmental Diagnosis through a Flow Cytometric Approach

In an era when ecological and environmental needs and responsibilities apply pressure on the world's countries and sustainability takes centre stage, ecologic/environmental (E/E) laboratories stand as beacons of scientific inquiry, innovating, optimising, and applying various tests for a better knowledge of our natural resources and the quality status of ecosystems. The purpose of this review is to provide an overview of the use of flow cytometry (FC) as a tool for assessing environmental quality, mainly using living organisms and their biological changes as bioindicators. Cytometric approaches applied to both marine and terrestrial ecosystems ensure the detection of biochemical and functional status of the cells composing either an organ thereof or the organism itself. In addition to cytometric evaluations of the biotic matrix, a brief overview of the techniques for the environmental assessment of biotic and abiotic matrices using mass spectrometry is given. The technique involving the continuous monitoring of the chemical and physical parameters of water, sediment, and soil is basically incapable of detecting any additive and synergetic effects of toxicants on living organisms. Therefore, techniques employing bioindicators provide valuable information for environmental diagnosis, and several studies have demonstrated the strong relationship between specific environmental data and cell/organ behaviour.

Hesperidin as a bioactive compound in citrus fruits reduces N-ethyl-N-nitrosourea-induced mortality and toxicity in mice: as a model for chronic lymphocytic leukemia

The current study is aimed at determining the preventive effects of hesperidin against death, weight changes, cellular damage, and oxidative stress in mice induced by n-ethyl-n-nitrosourea as a chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) model. Female mice were pretreated with hesperidin (20 mg/kg, intraperitoneally, daily for 30 days). Next, the animals received a single intraperitoneal injection of 80 mg/kg ENU on the 30th. Changes in weight and mortality were monitored for 120 days, and then the animals were sacrificed and parameters such as reactive oxygen species (ROS), mitochondrial dysfunction, lysosomal membrane integrity, oxidized/reduced glutathione (GSH/GSSG), and malondialdehyde (MDA) were analyzed in isolated lymphocytes. Hesperidin significantly increases the survival of mice up to 86% and delay in death time and prevents weight changes after exposure to ENU. Also, hesperidin improved cellular toxicity parameters such as ROS formation, MMP collapse, lysosomal membrane destabilization, and lipid peroxidation in isolated lymphocytes. These results promisingly showed that pretreatment with hesperidin increases delay in death time and reduces mortality cellular toxicities consistent with the carcinogenicity of alkylating compounds. This study confirms that the consumption of hesperidin and citrus most likely inhibits alkylating agents-induced carcinogenicity and toxicity.

Protocol for detecting lysosome quantity and membrane permeability in acute myeloid leukemia cell lines

Lysosomal function and activity are essential to support cellular adaptation to multiple stresses. For example, certain drugs can induce increased lysosomal membrane permeability to exert their anti-cancer effects. Here, we present a protocol to evaluate the lysosome alterations induced by drug treatment. We first describe the steps for inducing lysosomal alterations in cultured cells. We then show how to quantify the number of lysosomes, assess the integrity of lysosomal membranes, and determine lysosomal membrane permeabilization by using galectin puncta assay. For complete details on the use and execution of this protocol, please refer to Jiang et al.1.

Cathepsin C from extracellular histone-induced M1 alveolar macrophages promotes NETosis during lung ischemia-reperfusion injury

Primary graft dysfunction (PGD) is a severe form of acute lung injury resulting from lung ischemia/reperfusion injury (I/R) in lung transplantation (LTx), associated with elevated post-transplant morbidity and mortality rates. Neutrophils infiltrating during reperfusion are identified as pivotal contributors to lung I/R injury by releasing excessive neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs) via NETosis. While alveolar macrophages (AMs) are involved in regulating neutrophil chemotaxis and infiltration, their role in NETosis during lung I/R remains inadequately elucidated. Extracellular histones constitute the main structure of NETs and can activate AMs. In this study, we confirmed the significant involvement of extracellular histone-induced M1 phenotype of AMs (M1-AMs) in driving NETosis during lung I/R. Using secretome analysis, public protein databases, and transwell co-culture models of AMs and neutrophils, we identified Cathepsin C (CTSC) derived from AMs as a major mediator in NETosis. Further elucidating the molecular mechanisms, we found that CTSC induced NETosis through a pathway dependent on NADPH oxidase-mediated production of reactive oxygen species (ROS). CTSC could significantly activate p38 MAPK, resulting in the phosphorylation of the NADPH oxidase subunit p47phox, thereby facilitating the trafficking of cytoplasmic subunits to the cell membrane and activating NADPH oxidase. Moreover, CTSC up-regulated and activated its substrate membrane proteinase 3 (mPR3), resulting in an increased release of NETosis-related inflammatory factors. Inhibiting CTSC revealed great potential in mitigating NETosis-related injury during lung I/R. These findings suggests that CTSC from AMs may be a crucial factor in mediating NETosis during lung I/R, and targeting CTSC inhition may represent a novel intervention for PGD in LTx.

Carrier-free chemo-phototherapeutic nanomedicines with endo/lysosomal escape function enhance the therapeutic effect of drug molecules in tumors

Carrier-free nanomedicines offer advantages of extremely high drug loading capacity (>80%), minimal non-drug constituent burden, and facile preparation processes. Numerous studies have proved that multimodal cancer therapy can enhance chemotherapy efficiency and mitigate multi-drug resistance (MDR) through synergistic therapeutic effects. Upon penetration into the tumor matrix, nanoparticles (NPs) are anticipated to be uptaken by cancer cells, primarily through clathrin-meditated endocytosis pathways, leading to their accumulation in endosomes/lysosomes within cells. However, endo/lysosomes exhibit a highly degradative environment for organic NPs and drug molecules, often resulting in treatment failure. Hence, this study designed a lysosomal escape mechanism with carrier-free nanomedicine, combining the chemotherapeutic drug, curcumin (Cur), and the photothermal/photodynamic therapeutic drug, indocyanine green (ICG), for synergistic cancer treatment (ICG-Cur NPs) via a facile preparation process. To facilitate endo/lysosomal escape, ICG-Cur NPs were modified with metal-phenolic networks (MPNs) of different thickness. The results indicate that a thick MPN coating promotes rapid endo/lysosomal escape of ICG-Cur NPs within 4 h and enhances the photothermal conversion efficiency of ICG-Cur NPs by 55.8%, significantly improving anticancer efficacy in both chemo- and photo-therapies within 3D solid tumor models. This finding underscores the critical role of endo/lysosomal escape capacity in carrier-free drug NPs for therapeutic outcomes and offers a facile solution to achieve it.

Exploring lysosomal biology: current approaches and methods

Lysosomes are the degradation centers and signaling hubs in the cell. Lysosomes undergo adaptation to maintain cell homeostasis in response to a wide variety of cues. Dysfunction of lysosomes leads to aging and severe diseases including lysosomal storage diseases (LSDs), neurodegenerative disorders, and cancer. To understand the complexity of lysosome biology, many research approaches and tools have been developed to investigate lysosomal functions and regulatory mechanisms in diverse experimental systems. This review summarizes the current approaches and tools adopted for studying lysosomes, and aims to provide a methodological overview of lysosomal research and related fields.

Janus ACSP Nanoparticle for Synergistic Chemodynamic Therapy and Radiosensitization

Protective autophagy and DNA damage repair lead to tumor radio-resistance. Some hypoxic tumors exhibit a low radiation energy absorption coefficient in radiation therapy. High doses of X-rays may lead to side effects in the surrounding normal tissues. In order to overcome the radio-resistance and improve the efficacy of radiotherapy based on the characteristics of the tumor microenvironment, the development of radiosensitizers has attracted much attention. In this study, a Janus ACSP nanoparticle (NP) was developed for chemodynamic therapy and radiosensitization. The reactive oxygen species generated by the Fenton-like reaction regulated the distribution of cell cycles from a radioresistant phase to a radio-sensitive phase. The high-Z element, Au, enhanced the production of hydroxyl radicals (•OH) under X-ray radiation, promoting DNA damage and cell apoptosis. The NP delayed DNA damage repair by interfering with certain proteins involved in the DNA repair signaling pathway. In vivo experiments demonstrated that the combination of the copper-ion-based Fenton-like reaction and low-dose X-ray radiation enhanced the effectiveness of radiotherapy, providing a novel approach for synergistic chemodynamic and radiosensitization therapy. This study provides valuable insights and strategies for the development and application of NPs in cancer treatment.

Apoptosis and eryptosis: similarities and differences

Eryptosis is a regulated cell death (RCD) of mature erythrocytes initially described as a counterpart of apoptosis for enucleated cells. However, over the recent years, a growing number of studies have emphasized certain differences between both cell death modalities. In this review paper, we underline the hallmarks of eryptosis and apoptosis and highlight resemblances and dissimilarities between both RCDs. We summarize and critically discuss differences in the impact of caspase-3, Ca2+ signaling, ROS signaling pathways, opposing roles of casein kinase 1α, protein kinase C, Janus kinase 3, cyclin-dependent kinase 4, and AMP-activated protein kinase to highlight a certain degree of divergence between apoptosis and eryptosis. This review emphasizes the crucial importance of further studies that focus on deepening our knowledge of cell death machinery and identifying novel differences between cell death of nucleated and enucleated cells. This might provide evidence that erythrocytes can be defined as viable entities capable of programmed cell destruction. Additionally, the revealed cell type-specific patterns in cell death can facilitate the development of cell death-modulating therapeutic agents.

Low expression of lysosome-related genes KCNE1, NPC2, and SFTPD promote cancer cell proliferation and tumor associated M2 macrophage polarization in lung adenocarcinoma

Background

Recent research has shown that lysosomes play a critical role in the onset and progression of malignancy by regulating tumor cell death through several mechanisms. Nevertheless, the involvement of lysosome-associated genes (LSAGs) in lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) is still not well understood.

Methods

LSAGs were identified in malignant lung epithelial cells, as well as biologically and functionally annotated by the comprehensive integration of single-cell and bulk RNA-sequencing data. Prognostic characterization of LSAGs was established, of which the accuracy and reliability were assessed by one-way Cox and LASSO regression. Correlations between LSAG properties and immune cell infiltration, chemotherapy, and immunotherapy were analyzed by integrated omics data. Finally, we characterized the expression of three LSAGs (KCNE1, NPC2, and SFTPD) in malignant lung epithelium and assessed their impact on tumor malignancy related phenotypes.

Results

We identified 18 LSAGs associated with prognosis, of which 3 LSAGs were used to construct prognostic models. High-risk patients had worse survival and the model predicted it better than other clinical indicators. Based on the functional enrichment analyses, LSAGs were associated with binding and molecular activity functions, inhibition of DNA damage repair and tumor growth, IL7 signaling pathway, and glycolysis. M0 macrophages and M1 macrophages were substantially enriched in high-risk patients. Conversely, there was a considerable enrichment of resting dendritic cells and M2 macrophages in patients at low risk. We also found that risk scores predicted the outcome of immunotherapy. In vitro, we found that KCNE1, NPC2, and SFTPD were lowly expressed in malignant epithelial cells and patients with low expression of KCNE1, NPC2, and SFTPD had a higher percentage of M2 macrophage infiltration. Overexpression of KCNE1, NPC2, and SFTPD suppressed the proliferation and invasion of malignant cells, and M0 macrophages remarkably reduced M2 macrophage polarization and cellular secretion of pro-tumor cytokines.

Conclusions

We used three LASGs-KCNE1, NPC2, and SFTPD-to develop and validate a predictive signature for LUAD patients. Furthermore, we found that low expression of KCNE1, NPC2, and SFTPD promotes lung cancer cell proliferation and invasion and M2 macrophage polarization. Our study may provide fresh perspectives for customized immunotherapy.

Estrogen receptor-related receptor (Esrra) induces ribosomal protein Rplp1-mediated adaptive hepatic translation during prolonged starvation

Protein translation is an energy-intensive ribosome-driven process that is reduced during nutrient scarcity to conserve cellular resources. During prolonged starvation, cells selectively translate specific proteins to enhance their survival (adaptive translation); however, this process is poorly understood. Accordingly, we analyzed protein translation and mRNA transcription by multiple methods in vitro and in vivo to investigate adaptive hepatic translation during starvation. While acute starvation suppressed protein translation in general, proteomic analysis showed that prolonged starvation selectively induced translation of lysosome and autolysosome proteins. Significantly, the expression of the orphan nuclear receptor, estrogen-related receptor alpha (Esrra) increased during prolonged starvation and served as a master regulator of this adaptive translation by transcriptionally stimulating 60S acidic ribosomal protein P1 (Rplp1) gene expression. Overexpression or siRNA knockdown of Esrra expression in vitro or in vivo led to parallel changes in Rplp1 gene expression, lysosome/autophagy protein translation, and autophagy. Remarkably, we have found that Esrra had dual functions by not only regulating transcription but also controling adaptive translation via the Esrra/Rplp1/lysosome/autophagy pathway during prolonged starvation.

Endoplasmic reticulum stress and pro-inflammatory responses induced by phthalate metabolites monoethylhexyl phthalate and monobutyl phthalate in 1.1B4 pancreatic beta cells

In recent years, phthalates and their metabolites have been associated with metabolic diseases such as diabetes mellitus. To investigate the effects of phthalate metabolites exposure on insulin production and release, 1.1B4 pancreatic beta cells were treated with different concentrations (0.001-1000 µM) of monoethylhexyl phthalate (MEHP) and monobutyl phthalate (MBP). For such purpose, the 1.1B4 cells were evaluated for their viability, apoptosis rate, lysosomal membrane permeabilization (LMP), mitochondrial membrane potential (ΔΨm), oxidative stress, ER stress status, in addition to their secretory functions. MEHP, not MBP, exhibited a notable reduction in metabolic viability, particularly at higher concentrations (500 and 1000 µM) following 24-hour exposure. Similarly, both MEHP and MBP induced decreased metabolic viability at high concentrations after 48- and 72-hour exposure. Notably, neither MEHP nor MBP demonstrated a significant impact on apoptosis rates after 24-hour exposure, and MBP induced mild necrosis at 1000 µM concentration. Cell proliferation rates, indicated by PCNA expression, decreased with 10 and 1000 µM MEHP and 0.1 and 10 µM MBP exposures. LMP analysis revealed an increase in 1000 µM MBP group. Exposure to 0.001 µM of both MEHP and MBP significantly reduced cellular glutathione (GSH) levels. No significant change in intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels and ΔΨm was observed, but MBP-exposed cells exhibited elevated levels of lipid peroxidation. Functional assessments of pancreatic beta cells unveiled reduced insulin secretion at low glucose concentrations following exposure to both MEHP and MBP, with concurrent alterations in the expression levels of key proteins associated with beta cell function, including GLUT1, GCK, PDX1, and MafA. Moreover, MEHP and MBP exposures were associated with alterations in ER stress-related pathways, including JNK, GADD153, and NF-κB expression, as well as PPARα and PPARγ levels. In conclusion, this study provides comprehensive insights into the diverse impacts of MEHP and MBP on 1.1B4 pancreatic beta cells, emphasizing their potential role in modulating cell survival, metabolic function, and stress response pathways.