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Guerrina N, Aloufi N, Shi F, Prasade K, Mehrotra C, Traboulsi H, Matthews J, Eidelman DH, Hamid Q, Baglole CJ. The aryl hydrocarbon receptor reduces LC3II expression and controls endoplasmic reticulum stress. Am J Physiol Lung Cell Mol Physiol 2020; 320:L339-L355. [PMID: 33236922 DOI: 10.1152/ajplung.00122.2020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/04/2023] Open
Abstract
The aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) is a ligand-activated transcription factor whose physiological function is poorly understood. The AhR is highly expressed in barrier organs such as the skin, intestine, and lung. The lungs are continuously exposed to environmental pollutants such as cigarette smoke (CS) that can induce cell death mechanisms such as apoptosis, autophagy, and endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress. CS also contains toxicants that are AhR ligands. We have previously shown that the AhR protects against apoptosis, but whether the AhR also protects against autophagy or ER stress is not known. Using cigarette smoke extract (CSE) as our in vitro surrogate of environmental tobacco exposure, we first assessed the conversion of LC3I to LC3II, a classic feature of both autophagic and ER stress-mediated cell death pathways. LC3II was elevated in CSE-exposed lung structural cells [mouse lung fibroblasts (MLFs), MLE12 and A549 cells] when AhR was absent. However, this heightened LC3II expression could not be explained by increased expression of key autophagy genes (Gabarapl1, Becn1, Map1lc3b), upregulation of upstream autophagic machinery (Atg5-12, Atg3), or impaired autophagic flux, suggesting that LC3II may be autophagy independent. This was further supported by the absence of autophagosomes in Ahr-/- lung cells. However, Ahr-/- lung cells had widespread ER dilation, elevated expression of the ER stress markers CHOP and GADD34, and an accumulation of ubiquitinated proteins. These findings collectively illustrate a novel role for the AhR in attenuating ER stress by a mechanism that may be autophagy independent.
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Affiliation(s)
- Necola Guerrina
- Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.,Department of Pathology, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Noof Aloufi
- Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.,Department of Pathology, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Fangyi Shi
- Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.,Department of Pathology, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Kashmira Prasade
- Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Caitlin Mehrotra
- Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Hussein Traboulsi
- Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.,Department of Medicine, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Jason Matthews
- Department of Nutrition, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway.,Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - David H Eidelman
- Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.,Department of Medicine, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Qutayba Hamid
- Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.,Department of Medicine, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.,College of Medicine, University of Sharjah, Sharjah, United Arab Emirates
| | - Carolyn J Baglole
- Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.,Department of Pathology, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.,Department of Medicine, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.,Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
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Liu Y, Jiang Y, Li W, Han C, Qi Z. MicroRNA and mRNA analysis of angiotensin II-induced renal artery endothelial cell dysfunction. Exp Ther Med 2020; 19:3723-3737. [PMID: 32346437 PMCID: PMC7185074 DOI: 10.3892/etm.2020.8613] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/08/2019] [Accepted: 01/17/2020] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Continuous activation of angiotensin II (Ang II) induces renal vascular endothelial dysfunction, inflammation and oxidative stress, all of which may contribute to renal damage. MicroRNAs (miRs/miRNAs) play a crucial regulatory role in the pathogenesis of hypertensive nephropathy (HN). The present study aimed to assess the differential expression profiles of potential candidate genes involved in Ang II-induced rat renal artery endothelial cell (RRAEC) dysfunction and explore their possible functions. In the present study, the changes in energy metabolism and autophagy function in RRAECs were evaluated using the Seahorse XF Glycolysis Stress Test and dansylcadaverine/transmission electron microscopy following exposure to Ang II. Subsequently, mRNA-miRNA sequencing experiments were performed to determine the differential expression profiles of mRNAs and miRNAs. Integrated bioinformatics analysis was applied to further explore the molecular mechanisms of Ang II on endothelial injury induced by Ang II. The present data supported the notion that Ang II upregulated glycolysis levels and promoted autophagy activation in RRAECs. The sequencing data demonstrated that 443 mRNAs and 58 miRNAs were differentially expressed (DE) in response to Ang II exposure, where 66 mRNAs and 55 miRNAs were upregulated, while 377 mRNAs and 3 miRNAs were downregulated (fold change >1.5 or <0.67; P<0.05). Functional analysis indicated that DE mRNA and DE miRNA target genes were mainly associated with cell metabolism (metabolic pathways), differentiation (Th1 and Th2 cell differentiation), autophagy (autophagy-animal and autophagy-other) and repair (RNA-repair). To the best of the authors' knowledge, this is the first report on mRNA-miRNA integrated profiles of Ang II-induced RRAECs. The present results provided evidence suggesting that the miRNA-mediated effect on the ‘mTOR signaling pathway’ might play a role in Ang II-induced RRAEC injury by driving glycolysis and autophagy activation. Targeting miRNAs and their associated pathways may provide valuable insight into the clinical management of HN and may improve patient outcome.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yao Liu
- Department of Clinical Chinese Medicine integrated with Western Medicine, First Clinical Medical College, Shandong University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Jinan, Shandong 250014, P.R. China
| | - Yuehua Jiang
- Central Laboratory, Affiliated Hospital of Shandong University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Jinan, Shandong 250014, P.R. China
| | - Wei Li
- Nephropathy Department, Affiliated Hospital of Shandong University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Jinan, Shandong 250014, P.R. China
| | - Cong Han
- Department of Clinical Chinese Medicine integrated with Western Medicine, First Clinical Medical College, Shandong University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Jinan, Shandong 250014, P.R. China
| | - Zhenqiang Qi
- Department of Clinical Chinese Medicine integrated with Western Medicine, First Clinical Medical College, Shandong University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Jinan, Shandong 250014, P.R. China
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