scholarly journals Sirtuins and Autophagy in Age-Associated Neurodegenerative Diseases: Lessons from the C. elegans Model

2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (22) ◽  
pp. 12263
Author(s):  
Anam Naseer ◽  
Snober Shabnam Mir ◽  
Krisztina Takacs-Vellai ◽  
Aamir Nazir

Age-associated neurodegenerative diseases are known to have “impaired protein clearance” as one of the key features causing their onset and progression. Hence, homeostasis is the key to maintaining balance throughout the cellular system as an organism ages. Any imbalance in the protein clearance machinery is responsible for accumulation of unwanted proteins, leading to pathological consequences—manifesting in neurodegeneration and associated debilitating outcomes. Multiple processes are involved in regulating this phenomenon; however, failure to regulate the autophagic machinery is a critical process that hampers the protein clearing pathway, leading to neurodegeneration. Another important and widely known component that plays a role in modulating neurodegeneration is a class of proteins called sirtuins. These are class III histone deacetylases (HDACs) that are known to regulate various vital processes such as longevity, genomic stability, transcription and DNA repair. These enzymes are also known to modulate neurodegeneration in an autophagy-dependent manner. Considering its genetic relevance and ease of studying disease-related endpoints in neurodegeneration, the model system Caenorhabditis elegans has been successfully employed in deciphering various functional outcomes related to critical protein molecules, cell death pathways and their association with ageing. This review summarizes the vital role of sirtuins and autophagy in ageing and neurodegeneration, in particular highlighting the knowledge obtained using the C. elegans model system.

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Elissa Tjahjono ◽  
Jingqi Pei ◽  
Alexey V. Revtovich ◽  
Terri-Jeanne E. Liu ◽  
Alisha Swadi ◽  
...  

AbstractMacroautophagic recycling of dysfunctional mitochondria, known as mitophagy, is essential for mitochondrial homeostasis and cell viability. Accumulation of defective mitochondria and impaired mitophagy have been widely implicated in many neurodegenerative diseases, and loss-of-function mutations of PINK1 and Parkin, two key regulators of mitophagy, are amongst the most common causes of heritable parkinsonism. This has led to the hypothesis that pharmacological stimulation of mitophagy may be a feasible approach to combat neurodegeneration. Toward this end, we screened ~ 45,000 small molecules using a high-throughput, whole-organism, phenotypic screen that monitored accumulation of PINK-1 protein, a key event in mitophagic activation, in a Caenorhabditis elegans strain carrying a Ppink-1::PINK-1::GFP reporter. We obtained eight hits that increased mitochondrial fragmentation and autophagosome formation. Several of the compounds also reduced ATP production, oxygen consumption, mitochondrial mass, and/or mitochondrial membrane potential. Importantly, we found that treatment with two compounds, which we named PS83 and PS106 (more commonly known as sertraline) reduced neurodegenerative disease phenotypes, including delaying paralysis in a C. elegans β-amyloid aggregation model in a PINK-1-dependent manner. This report presents a promising step toward the identification of compounds that will stimulate mitochondrial turnover.


2016 ◽  
Vol 94 (9) ◽  
pp. 919-928 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jingzhi Wan ◽  
Lili Deng ◽  
Changcheng Zhang ◽  
Qin Yuan ◽  
Jing Liu ◽  
...  

Oxidative stress plays a vital role in the pathogenesis of neurodegenerative diseases. Chikusetsu saponin V (CsV), the most abundant member of saponins from Panax japonicus (SPJ), has attracted increasing attention for its potential to treat neurodegenerative diseases. However, the mechanisms are unclear. Our study intended to investigate the antioxidative effects of CsV in human neuroblastoma SH-SY5Y cells. Our data showed that CsV attenuated H2O2-induced cytotoxicity, inhibited ROS accumulation, increased the activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and GSH, and increased mitochondrial membrane potential dose-dependently. Further exploration of the mechanisms showed that CsV exhibited these effects through increasing the activation of oxidative-stress-associated factors including Sirt1, PGC-1α, and Mn-SOD. Moreover, CsV inhibited H2O2-induced down-regulation of Bcl-2 and up-regulation of Bax in a dose-dependent manner and, thus, increased the ratio of Bcl-2/Bax. In conclusion, our study demonstrated that CsV exhibited neuroprotective effects possibly through Sirt1/PGC-1α/Mn-SOD signaling pathways.


Author(s):  
Merve Erkisa ◽  
Nazlihan Aztopal ◽  
Elif Erturk ◽  
Engin Ulukaya ◽  
Veysel T. Yilmaz ◽  
...  

Background: Cancer stem cells (CSC) are subpopulation within the tumor that acts a part in the initiation, progression, recurrence, resistance to drugs and metastasis of cancer. It is well known that epigenetic changes lead to tumor formation in cancer stem cells and show drug resistance. Epigenetic modulators and /or their combination with different agents have been used in cancer therapy. Objective: In our study we scope out the effects of combination of a histone deacetylases inhibitor, valproic acid (VPA), and Cu(II) complex [Cu(barb-κN)(barb-κ2N,O)(phen-κN,N’)]·H2O] on cytotoxicity/apoptosis in a stem-cell enriched population (MCF-7s) obtained from parental breast cancer cell line (MCF-7). Methods: Viability of the cells was measured by the ATP assay. Apoptosis was elucidated via the assessment of caspase-cleaved cytokeratin 18 (M30 ELISA) and a group of flow cytometry analysis (caspase 3/7 activity, phosphatidylserine translocation by annexin V-FITC assay, DNA damage and oxidative stress) and 2ˈ,7ˈ–dichlorofluorescein diacetate staining. Results: The VPA combined with Cu(II) complex showed anti proliferative activity on MCF-7s cells in a dose- and time-dependently. Treatment with combination of 2.5 mM VPA and 3.12 μM Cu(II) complex induces oxidative stress in a time-dependent manner, as well as apoptosis that is evidenced by the increase in caspase 3/7 activity, positive annexin-V-FITC, and increase in M30 levels. Conclusion: The results suggest that the combination therapy induces apoptosis following increased oxidative stress, thereby making it a possible promising therapeutic strategy that further analysis is required.


Cells ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 178
Author(s):  
Jiann Ruey Ong ◽  
Oluwaseun Adebayo Bamodu ◽  
Nguyen Viet Khang ◽  
Yen-Kuang Lin ◽  
Chi-Tai Yeh ◽  
...  

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the most diagnosed malignancies and a leading cause of cancer-related mortality globally. This is exacerbated by its highly aggressive phenotype, and limitation in early diagnosis and effective therapies. The SUMO-activating enzyme subunit 1 (SAE1) is a component of a heterodimeric small ubiquitin-related modifier that plays a vital role in SUMOylation, a post-translational modification involving in cellular events such as regulation of transcription, cell cycle and apoptosis. Reported overexpression of SAE1 in glioma in a stage-dependent manner suggests it has a probable role in cancer initiation and progression. In this study, hypothesizing that SAE1 is implicated in HCC metastatic phenotype and poor prognosis, we analyzed the expression of SAE1 in several cancer databases and to unravel the underlying molecular mechanism of SAE1-associated hepatocarcinogenesis. Here, we demonstrated that SAE1 is over-expressed in HCC samples compared to normal liver tissue, and this observed SAE1 overexpression is stage and grade-dependent and associated with poor survival. The receiver operating characteristic analysis of SAE1 in TCGA−LIHC patients (n = 421) showed an AUC of 0.925, indicating an excellent diagnostic value of SAE1 in HCC. Our protein-protein interaction analysis for SAE1 showed that SAE1 interacted with and activated oncogenes such as PLK1, CCNB1, CDK4 and CDK1, while simultaneously inhibiting tumor suppressors including PDK4, KLF9, FOXO1 and ALDH2. Immunohistochemical staining and clinicopathological correlate analysis of SAE1 in our TMU-SHH HCC cohort (n = 54) further validated the overexpression of SAE1 in cancerous liver tissues compared with ‘normal’ paracancerous tissue, and high SAE1 expression was strongly correlated with metastasis and disease progression. The oncogenic effect of upregulated SAE1 is associated with dysregulated cancer metabolic signaling. In conclusion, the present study demonstrates that SAE1 is a targetable cancer metabolic biomarker with high potential diagnostic and prognostic implications for patients with HCC.


Biology ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 163
Author(s):  
Swapnil Gupta ◽  
Panpan You ◽  
Tanima SenGupta ◽  
Hilde Nilsen ◽  
Kulbhushan Sharma

Genomic integrity is maintained by DNA repair and the DNA damage response (DDR). Defects in certain DNA repair genes give rise to many rare progressive neurodegenerative diseases (NDDs), such as ocular motor ataxia, Huntington disease (HD), and spinocerebellar ataxias (SCA). Dysregulation or dysfunction of DDR is also proposed to contribute to more common NDDs, such as Parkinson’s disease (PD), Alzheimer’s disease (AD), and Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS). Here, we present mechanisms that link DDR with neurodegeneration in rare NDDs caused by defects in the DDR and discuss the relevance for more common age-related neurodegenerative diseases. Moreover, we highlight recent insight into the crosstalk between the DDR and other cellular processes known to be disturbed during NDDs. We compare the strengths and limitations of established model systems to model human NDDs, ranging from C. elegans and mouse models towards advanced stem cell-based 3D models.


2021 ◽  
pp. 1-17
Author(s):  
Mani Iyer Prasanth ◽  
James Michael Brimson ◽  
Dicson Sheeja Malar ◽  
Anchalee Prasansuklab ◽  
Tewin Tencomnao

BACKGROUND: Streblus asper Lour., has been reported to have anti-aging and neuroprotective efficacies in vitro. OBJECTIVE: To analyze the anti-aging, anti-photoaging and neuroprotective efficacies of S. asper in Caenorhabditis elegans. METHODS: C. elegans (wild type and gene specific mutants) were treated with S. asper extract and analyzed for lifespan and other health benefits through physiological assays, fluorescence microscopy, qPCR and Western blot. RESULTS: The plant extract was found to increase the lifespan, reduce the accumulation of lipofuscin and modulate the expression of candidate genes. It could extend the lifespan of both daf-16 and daf-2 mutants whereas the pmk-1 mutant showed no effect. The activation of skn-1 was observed in skn-1::GFP transgenic strain and in qPCR expression. Further, the extract can extend the lifespan of UV-A exposed nematodes along with reducing ROS levels. Additionally, the extract also extends lifespan and reduces paralysis in Aβ transgenic strain, apart from reducing Aβ expression. CONCLUSIONS: S. asper was able to extend the lifespan and healthspan of C. elegans which was independent of DAF-16 pathway but dependent on SKN-1 and MAPK which could play a vital role in eliciting the anti-aging, anti-photoaging and neuroprotective effects, as the extract could impart oxidative stress resistance and neuroprotection.


2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (3) ◽  
pp. 1175
Author(s):  
Ryuta Inukai ◽  
Kanako Mori ◽  
Keiko Kuwata ◽  
Chihiro Suzuki ◽  
Masatoshi Maki ◽  
...  

Apoptosis-linked gene 2 (ALG-2, also known as PDCD6) is a member of the penta-EF-hand (PEF) family of Ca2+-binding proteins. The murine gene encoding ALG-2 was originally reported to be an essential gene for apoptosis. However, the role of ALG-2 in cell death pathways has remained elusive. In the present study, we found that cell death-inducing p53 target protein 1 (CDIP1), a pro-apoptotic protein, interacts with ALG-2 in a Ca2+-dependent manner. Co-immunoprecipitation analysis of GFP-fused CDIP1 (GFP-CDIP1) revealed that GFP-CDIP1 associates with tumor susceptibility gene 101 (TSG101), a known target of ALG-2 and a subunit of endosomal sorting complex required for transport-I (ESCRT-I). ESCRT-I is a heterotetrameric complex composed of TSG101, VPS28, VPS37 and MVB12/UBAP1. Of diverse ESCRT-I species originating from four VPS37 isoforms (A, B, C, and D), CDIP1 preferentially associates with ESCRT-I containing VPS37B or VPS37C in part through the adaptor function of ALG-2. Overexpression of GFP-CDIP1 in HEK293 cells caused caspase-3/7-mediated cell death. In addition, the cell death was enhanced by co-expression of ALG-2 and ESCRT-I, indicating that ALG-2 likely promotes CDIP1-induced cell death by promoting the association between CDIP1 and ESCRT-I. We also found that CDIP1 binds to vesicle-associated membrane protein-associated protein (VAP)A and VAPB through the two phenylalanines in an acidic tract (FFAT)-like motif in the C-terminal region of CDIP1, mutations of which resulted in reduction of CDIP1-induced cell death. Therefore, our findings suggest that different expression levels of ALG-2, ESCRT-I subunits, VAPA and VAPB may have an impact on sensitivity of anticancer drugs associated with CDIP1 expression.


Genetics ◽  
2002 ◽  
Vol 162 (4) ◽  
pp. 1631-1639
Author(s):  
Yo Suzuki ◽  
Gail A Morris ◽  
Min Han ◽  
William B Wood

Abstract The signaling pathway initiated by the TGF-β family member DBL-1 in Caenorhabditis elegans controls body shape in a dose-dependent manner. Loss-of-function (lf) mutations in the dbl-1 gene cause a short, small body (Sma phenotype), whereas overexpression of dbl-1 causes a long body (Lon phenotype). To understand the cellular mechanisms underlying these phenotypes, we have isolated suppressors of the Sma phenotype resulting from a dbl-1(lf) mutation. Two of these suppressors are mutations in the lon-3 gene, of which four additional alleles are known. We show that lon-3 encodes a collagen that is a component of the C. elegans cuticle. Genetic and reporter-gene expression analyses suggest that lon-3 is involved in determination of body shape and is post-transcriptionally regulated by the dbl-1 pathway. These results support the possibility that TGF-β signaling controls C. elegans body shape by regulating cuticle composition.


2021 ◽  
pp. 1-9
Author(s):  
Fan Ye ◽  
Anshi Wu

Silent information-regulated transcription factor 1 (SIRT1) is the most prominent and widely studied member of the sirtuins (a family of mammalian class III histone deacetylases). It is a nuclear protein, and the deacetylation of the peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor coactivator-1 has been extensively implicated in metabolic control and mitochondrial biogenesis and is the basis for studies into its involvement in caloric restriction and its effects on lifespan. The present study discusses the potentially protective mechanism of SIRT1 in the regulation of the mitochondrial biogenesis and autophagy involved in the modulation of Alzheimer’s disease, which may be correlated with the role of SIRT1 in affecting neuronal morphology, learning, and memory during development; regulating metabolism; counteracting stress responses; and maintaining genomic stability. Drugs that activate SIRT1 may offer a promising approach to treating Alzheimer’s disease


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