Articles: signal-transducing-adaptor-proteins.
-
Traumatic brain injury (TBI) and spinal cord injury (SCI) are pathological events that lead to neuropathological conditions which have in consequence the initiation of pro-inflammatory cytokine production. Neuroinflammation plays a key role in the secondary phase of both TBI and SCI after initial cell death. ⋯ The focus of this article is to discuss the time-course and regulation of inflammasome assembly and activation during TBI and SCI and their targeting in designing therapeutic approaches. We particularly focus on the inflammasomes NLRP1 and NLRP3 which play a pivotal function during TBI and SCI in the central nervous system (CNS).
-
The VCP-UBXN1 Complex Mediates Triage of Ubiquitylated Cytosolic Proteins Bound to the BAG6 Complex.
A balance between protein synthesis and degradation is necessary to maintain cellular homeostasis. Failure to triage aberrant proteins may result in their accumulation and aggregation in the cytosol. The valosin-containing protein (VCP)-BCL2-associated athanogene 6 (BAG6) complex facilitates a wide variety of ubiquitin-mediated quality control events at the endoplasmic reticulum (ER), both prior to ER translocation and during ER-associated degradation (ERAD). ⋯ We have identified UBXN1 as the VCP adaptor in BAG6-dependent processes occurring prior to ER insertion but not during ERAD. The loss of VCP-UBXN1 results in the inappropriate stabilization of ubiquitylated BAG6 clients and their accumulation in insoluble aggregates and sensitizes cells to proteotoxic stress. Our results identify how VCP is specifically targeted to ubiquitylated substrates in the BAG6 triage pathway and suggest that the degradation of ubiquitylated clients by the proteasome is reliant on the association of UBXN1 with ubiquitylated substrates and the catalytic activity of VCP.
-
Am. J. Respir. Crit. Care Med. · Jun 2018
Targeting of TAM Receptors Ameliorates Fibrotic Mechanisms in Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis.
Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is characterized by aberrant lung remodeling, which progressively abolishes lung function in an RTK (receptor tyrosine kinase)-dependent manner. Gas6 (growth arrest-specific 6) ligand, Tyro3 (TYRO3 protein tyrosine kinase 3), and Axl (anexelekto) RTK expression and activity are increased in IPF. ⋯ Gas6/TAM receptor activity contributes to the activation of pulmonary fibroblasts in IPF, suggesting that targeting this RTK pathway might be an effective antifibrotic strategy in this disease.
-
Elevated N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor (NMDAR) activity is linked to central sensitization and chronic pain. However, NMDAR antagonists display limited therapeutic potential because of their adverse side effects. Novel approaches targeting the NR2B-PSD95-nNOS complex to disrupt signaling pathways downstream of NMDARs show efficacy in preclinical pain models. ⋯ Finally, TAT-GESV (i.t.) did not induce NMDAR-mediated motor ataxia in the rotarod test and did not alter basal nociceptive thresholds in the radiant heat tail-flick test. These observations support the hypothesis that antiallodynic efficacy of an nNOS-NOS1AP disruptor may result, at least in part, from blockade of p38 MAPK-mediated downstream effects. Our studies demonstrate, for the first time, that disrupting nNOS-NOS1AP protein-protein interactions attenuates mechanistically distinct forms of neuropathic pain without unwanted motor ataxic effects of NMDAR antagonists.
-
Although obesity with associated inflammation is now recognized as a risk factor for breast cancer and distant metastases, the functional basis for these connections remain poorly understood. Here, we show that in breast cancer patients and in animal breast cancer models, obesity is a sufficient cause for increased expression of the bioactive sphingolipid mediator sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P), which mediates cancer pathogenesis. A high-fat diet was sufficient to upregulate expression of sphingosine kinase 1 (SphK1), the enzyme that produces S1P, along with its receptor S1PR1 in syngeneic and spontaneous breast tumors. ⋯ Taken together, our results establish a critical role for circulating S1P produced by tumors and the SphK1/S1P/S1PR1 axis in obesity-related inflammation, formation of lung metastatic niches, and breast cancer metastasis, with potential implications for prevention and treatment. Significance: These findings offer a preclinical proof of concept that signaling by a sphingolipid may be an effective target to prevent obesity-related breast cancer metastasis. Cancer Res; 78(7); 1713-25. ©2018 AACR.