Inactivation of Pleiotropic Regulator 1 reveals p53-dependent Control of Cell Proliferation and Apoptosis by the Pso4-complex

Mammalian Pleiotropic Regulator PLRG-1 was initially identified as a component of the spliceosome and belongs to a highly conserved family of seven WD40 domain containing proteins in eukaryotes (Ajuh et al., 2000; Ajuh et al., 2001). Founding members of this WD40-repeat protein family, PRL1 and PRL2, were first identified by T-DNA tagging in Arabidopsis thaliana (Nemeth et al., 1998). Whereas in plants the PRL genes are uniquely duplicated, in yeast, C. elegans and mammals there are only single orthologues of the Pleiotropic Regulator family which play important roles in the control of cellular homeostasis by forming at least in mammals, a complex with Pso4 and the cell division and cycle 5 homolog (CDC5L), that regulates both pre-mRNA splicing. To characterize the role of PLRG-1 in vivo, in the present study, I shown that inactivation of PLRG-1 results in embryonic lethality 1.5 days postfertilization in mice, indicating a fundamental role for PLRG-1 in early cell cycle events. Studies on heart- and neuron-specific PLRG-1 knockout mice revealed that massive apoptosis was responsible for their premature death. Moreover, PLRG-1-deficient mouse embryonic fibroblasts (MEFs) fail to enter S-phase upon serum stimulation and show increased apoptosis resulting from enhanced p53 phosphorylation and stabilization. Interestingly, p53-phosphatase WIP1 was seen to interact with CDC5L in wild-type, but not in PLRG-1-deficient MEFs due to cytosolic translocation of CDC5L. p53 downregulation rescues lethality in PLRG-1-deficient MEFs, showing that apoptosis resulting from PLRG-1-deficiency is p53 dependent Taken together, it is shown that the Pso4-CDC5LPLRG-1 complex controls cell proliferation and apoptosis by novel integration of pre-mRNA splicing and DNA repair via a p53-phosphorylation-dependent pathway, thus providing the first evidence for Pso4-complex regulation of p53

Insulin Action in Brain Regulates Systemic Metabolism and Brain Function

Insulin receptors, as well as IGF-1 receptors and their postreceptor signaling partners, are distributed throughout the brain. Insulin acts on these receptors to modulate peripheral metabolism, including regulation of appetite, reproductive function, body temperature, white fat mass, hepatic glucose output, and response to hypoglycemia. Insulin signaling also modulates neurotransmitter channel activity, brain cholesterol synthesis, and mitochondrial function. Disruption of insulin action in the brain leads to impairment of neuronal function and synaptogenesis. In addition, insulin signaling modulates phosphorylation of tau protein, an early component in the development of Alzheimer disease. Thus, alterations in insulin action in the brain can contribute to metabolic syndrome, and the development of mood disorders and neurodegenerative diseases

Central Acting Hsp10 Regulates Mitochondrial Function, Fatty Acid Metabolism, and Insulin Sensitivity in the Hypothalamus

Mitochondria are critical for hypothalamic function and regulators of metabolism. Hypothalamic mitochondrial dysfunction with decreased mitochondrial chaperone expression is present in type 2 diabetes (T2D). Recently, we demonstrated that a dysregulated mitochondrial stress response (MSR) with reduced chaperone expression in the hypothalamus is an early event in obesity development due to insufficient insulin signaling. Although insulin activates this response and improves metabolism, the metabolic impact of one of its members, the mitochondrial chaperone heat shock protein 10 (Hsp10), is unknown. Thus, we hypothesized that a reduction of Hsp10 in hypothalamic neurons will impair mitochondrial function and impact brain insulin action. Therefore, we investigated the role of chaperone Hsp10 by introducing a lentiviral-mediated Hsp10 knockdown (KD) in the hypothalamic cell line CLU-183 and in the arcuate nucleus (ARC) of C57BL/6N male mice. We analyzed mitochondrial function and insulin signaling utilizing qPCR, Western blot, XF96 Analyzer, immunohistochemistry, and microscopy techniques. We show that Hsp10 expression is reduced in T2D mice brains and regulated by leptin in vitro. Hsp10 KD in hypothalamic cells induced mitochondrial dysfunction with altered fatty acid metabolism and increased mitochondria-specific oxidative stress resulting in neuronal insulin resistance. Consequently, the reduction of Hsp10 in the ARC of C57BL/6N mice caused hypothalamic insulin resistance with acute liver insulin resistance

Mitochondrial Chaperones in the Brain: Safeguarding Brain Health and Metabolism?

The brain orchestrates organ function and regulates whole body metabolism by the concerted action of neurons and glia cells in the central nervous system. To do so, the brain has tremendously high energy consumption and relies mainly on glucose utilization and mitochondrial function in order to exert its function. As a consequence of high rate metabolism, mitochondria in the brain accumulate errors over time, such as mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) mutations, reactive oxygen species, and misfolded and aggregated proteins. Thus, mitochondria need to employ specific mechanisms to avoid or ameliorate the rise of damaged proteins that contribute to aberrant mitochondrial function and oxidative stress. To maintain mitochondria homeostasis (mitostasis), cells evolved molecular chaperones that shuttle, refold, or in coordination with proteolytic systems, help to maintain a low steady-state level of misfolded/aggregated proteins. Their importance is exemplified by the occurrence of various brain diseases which exhibit reduced action of chaperones. Chaperone loss (expression and/or function) has been observed during aging, metabolic diseases such as type 2 diabetes and in neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s (AD), Parkinson’s (PD) or even Huntington’s (HD) diseases, where the accumulation of damage proteins is evidenced. Within this perspective, we propose that proper brain function is maintained by the joint action of mitochondrial chaperones to ensure and maintain mitostasis contributing to brain health, and that upon failure, alter brain function which can cause metabolic diseases

Differential effects of angiopoietin-like 4 in brain and muscle on regulation of lipoprotein lipase activity

Objective: Lipoprotein lipase (LPL) is a key regulator of circulating triglyceride rich lipoprotein hydrolysis. In brain LPL regulates appetite and energy expenditure. Angiopoietin-like 4 (Angptl4) is a secreted protein that inhibits LPL activity and, thereby, triglyceride metabolism, but the impact of Angptl4 on central lipid metabolism is unknown. Methods: We induced type 1 diabetes by streptozotocin (STZ) in whole-body Angptl4 knockout mice (Angptl4-/-) and their wildtype littermates to study the role of Angptl4 in central lipid metabolism. Results: In type 1 (streptozotocin, STZ) and type 2 (ob/ob) diabetic mice, there is a ~2-fold increase of Angptl4 in the hypothalamus and skeletal muscle. Intracerebroventricular insulin injection into STZ mice at levels which have no effect on plasma glucose restores Angptl4 expression in hypothalamus. Isolation of cells from the brain reveals that Angptl4 is produced in glia, whereas LPL is present in both glia and neurons. Consistent with the in vivo experiment, in vitro insulin treatment of glial cells causes a 50% reduction of Angptl4 and significantly increases LPL activity with no change in LPL expression. In Angptl4-/- mice, LPL activity in skeletal muscle is increased 3-fold, and this is further increased by STZ-induced diabetes. By contrast, Angptl4-/- mice show no significant difference in LPL activity in hypothalamus or brain independent of diabetic and nutritional status. Conclusion: Thus, Angptl4 in brain is produced in glia and regulated by insulin. However, in contrast to the periphery, central Angptl4 does not regulate LPL activity, but appears to participate in the metabolic crosstalk between glia and neurons

PLRG1 Is an Essential Regulator of Cell Proliferation and Apoptosis during Vertebrate Development and Tissue Homeostasis▿ †

PLRG1, an evolutionarily conserved component of the spliceosome, forms a complex with Pso4/SNEV/Prp19 and the cell division and cycle 5 homolog (CDC5L) that is involved in both pre-mRNA splicing and DNA repair. Here, we show that the inactivation of PLRG1 in mice results in embryonic lethality at 1.5 days postfertilization. Studies of heart- and neuron-specific PLRG1 knockout mice further reveal an essential role of PLRG1 in adult tissue homeostasis and the suppression of apoptosis. PLRG1-deficient mouse embryonic fibroblasts (MEFs) fail to progress through S phase upon serum stimulation and exhibit increased rates of apoptosis. PLRG1 deficiency causes enhanced p53 phosphorylation and stabilization in the presence of increased γ-H2AX immunoreactivity as an indicator of an activated DNA damage response. p53 downregulation rescues lethality in both PLRG1-deficient MEFs and zebrafish in vivo, showing that apoptosis resulting from PLRG1 deficiency is p53 dependent. Moreover, the deletion of PLRG1 results in the relocation of its interaction partner CDC5L from the nucleus to the cytoplasm without general alterations in pre-mRNA splicing. Taken together, the results of this study identify PLRG1 as a critical nuclear regulator of p53-dependent cell cycle progression and apoptosis during both embryonic development and adult tissue homeostasis