Six-Transmembrane Epithelial Antigen of the Prostate 3 Deficiency in Hepatocytes Protects the Liver Against Ischemia-Reperfusion Injury by Suppressing Transforming Growth Factor-beta-Activated Kinase 1
HEPATOLOGY
Authors: Guo, Wen-Zhi; Fang, Hong-Bo; Cao, Sheng-Li; Chen, San-Yang; Li, Jie; Shi, Ji-Hua; Tang, Hong-Wei; Zhang, Yi; Wen, Pei-Hao; Zhang, Jia-Kai; Wang, Zhi-Hui; Shi, Xiao-Yi; Pang, Chun; Yang, Han; Hu, Bo-Wen; Zhang, Shui-Jun
Abstract
Background and Aims Hepatic ischemia-reperfusion (I/R) injury remains a major challenge affecting the morbidity and mortality of liver transplantation. Effective strategies to improve liver function after hepatic I/R injury are limited. Six-transmembrane epithelial antigen of the prostate 3 (Steap3), a key regulator of iron uptake, was reported to be involved in immunity and apoptotic processes in various cell types. However, the role of Steap3 in hepatic I/R-induced liver damage remains largely unclear. Approach and Results In the present study, we found that Steap3 expression was significantly up-regulated in liver tissue from mice subjected to hepatic I/R surgery and primary hepatocytes challenged with hypoxia/reoxygenation insult. Subsequently, global Steap3 knockout (Steap3-KO) mice, hepatocyte-specific Steap3 transgenic (Steap3-HTG) mice, and their corresponding controls were subjected to partial hepatic warm I/R injury. Hepatic histology, the inflammatory response, and apoptosis were monitored to assess liver damage. The molecular mechanisms of Steap3 function were explored in vivo and in vitro. The results demonstrated that, compared with control mice, Steap3-KO mice exhibited alleviated liver damage after hepatic I/R injury, as shown by smaller necrotic areas, lower serum transaminase levels, decreased apoptosis rates, and reduced inflammatory cell infiltration, whereas Steap3-HTG mice had the opposite phenotype. Further molecular experiments showed that Steap3 deficiency could inhibit transforming growth factor-beta-activated kinase 1 (TAK1) activation and downstream c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) and p38 signaling during hepatic I/R injury. Conclusions Steap3 is a mediator of hepatic I/R injury that functions by regulating inflammatory responses as well as apoptosis through TAK1-dependent activation of the JNK/p38 pathways. Targeting hepatocytes, Steap3 may be a promising approach to protect the liver against I/R injury.
FANCD2 protects against bone marrow injury from ferroptosis
BIOCHEMICAL AND BIOPHYSICAL RESEARCH COMMUNICATIONS
Authors: Song, Xinxin; Xie, Yangchun; Kang, Rui; Hou, Wen; Sun, Xiaofang; Epperly, Michael W.; Greenberger, Joel S.; Tang, Daolin
Abstract
Bone marrow injury remains a serious concern in traditional cancer treatment. Ferroptosis is an iron- and oxidative-dependent form of regulated cell death that has become part of an emerging strategy for chemotherapy. However, the key regulator of ferroptosis in bone marrow injury remains unknown. Here, we show that Fanconi anemia complementation group D2 (FANCD2), a nuclear protein involved in DNA damage repair, protects against ferroptosis-mediated injury in bone marrow stromal cells (BMSCs). The classical ferroptosis inducer erastin remarkably increased the levels of monoubiquitinated FANCD2, which in turn limited DNA damage in BMSCs. FANCD2-deficient BMSCs were more sensitive to erastin-induced ferroptosis (but not autophagy) than FANCD2 wild-type cells. Knockout of FANCD2 increased ferroptosis-associated biochemical events (e.g., ferrous iron accumulation, glutathione depletion, and malondialdehyde production). Mechanically, FANCD2 regulated genes and/or expression of proteins involved in iron metabolism (e.g., FfH1, TF, TFRC, HAMP, HSPB1, SLC40A1, and STEAP3) and lipid per oxidation (e.g., GPX4). Collectively, these findings indicate that FANCD2 plays a novel role in the negative regulation of ferroptosis. FANCD2 could represent an amenable target for the development of novel anticancer therapies aiming to reduce the side effects of ferroptosis inducers. (C) 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.