Molecular mechanisms of cardioprotective effects mediated by transplanted cardiac ckit+ cells through the activation of an inflammatory hypoxia-dependent reparative response

The regenerative effects of cardiac ckit+ stem cells (ckit+CSCs) in acute myocardial infarction (MI) have been studied extensively, but how these cells exert a protective effect on cardiomyocytes is not well known. Growing evidences suggest that in adult stem cells injury triggers inflammatory signaling pathways which control tissue repair and regeneration. Aim of the present study was to determine the mechanisms underlying the cardioprotective effects of ckit+CSCs following transplantation in a murine model of MI. Following isolation and in vitro expansion, cardiac ckit+CSCs were subjected to normoxic and hypoxic conditions and assessed at different time points. These cells adapted to hypoxia as showed by the activation of HIF-1α and the expression of a number of genes, such as VEGF, GLUT1, EPO, HKII and, importantly, of alarmin receptors, such as RAGE, P2X7R, TLR2 and TLR4. Activation of these receptors determined an NFkB-dependent inflammatory and reparative gene response (IRR). Importantly, hypoxic ckit+CSCs increased the secretion of the survival growth factors IGF-1 and HGF. To verify whether activation of the IRR in a hypoxic microenvironment could exert a beneficial effect in vivo, autologous ckit+CSCs were transplanted into mouse heart following MI. Interestingly, transplantation of ckit+CSCs lowered apoptotic rates and induced autophagy in the peri-infarct area; further, it reduced hypertrophy and fibrosis and, most importantly, improved cardiac function. ckit+CSCs are able to adapt to a hypoxic environment and activate an inflammatory and reparative response that could account, at least in part, for a protective effect on stressed cardiomyocytes following transplantation in the infarcted heart

The interplay of reactive oxygen species, hypoxia, inflammation, and sirtuins in cancer initiation and progression

The presence of ROS is a constant feature in living cells metabolizing O2. ROS concentration and compartmentation determine their physiological or pathological effects. ROS overproduction is a feature of cancer cells and plays several roles during the natural history of malignant tumor. ROS continuously contribute to each step of cancerogenesis, from the initiation to the malignant progression, acting directly or indirectly. In this review, we will (a) underline the role of ROS in the pathway leading a normal cell to tumor transformation and progression, (b) define the multiple roles of ROS during the natural history of a tumor, (c) conciliate many conflicting data about harmful or beneficial effects of ROS, (d) rethink the importance of oncogene and tumor suppressor gene mutations in relation to the malignant progression, and (e) collocate all the cancer hallmarks in a mechanistic sequence which could represent a "physiological" response to the initial growth of a transformed stem/pluripotent cell, defining also the role of ROS in each hallmark. We will provide a simplified sketch about the relationships between ROS and cancer. The attention will be focused on the contribution of ROS to the signaling of HIF, NFκB, and Sirtuins as a leitmotif of cancer initiation and progressi

Hyperglycemia Activates p53 and p53-Regulated Genes Leading to Myocyte Cell Death

To determine whether enzymatic p53 glycosylation leads to angiotensin II formation followed by p53 phosphorylation, prolonged activation of the renin-angiotensin system, and apoptosis, ventricular myocytes were exposed to levels of glucose mimicking diabetic hyperglycemia. At a high glucose concentration, O-glycosylation of p53 occurred between 10 and 20 min, reached its peak at 1 h, and then decreased with time. Angiotensin II synthesis increased at 45 min and 1 h, resulting in p38 mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinase–driven p53 phosphorylation at Ser 390. p53 phosphorylation was absent at the early time points, becoming evident at 1 h, and increasing progressively from 3 h to 4 days. Phosphorylated p53 at Ser 18 and activated c-Jun NH2-terminal kinases were identified with hyperglycemia, whereas extracellular signal-regulated kinase was not phosphorylated. Upregulation of p53 was associated with an accumulation of angiotensinogen and AT1 and enhanced production of angiotensin II. Bax quantity also increased. These multiple adaptations paralleled the concentrations of glucose in the medium and the duration of the culture. Myocyte death by apoptosis directly correlated with glucose and angiotensin II levels. Inhibition of O-glycosylation prevented the initial synthesis of angiotensin II, p53, and p38-MAP kinase (MAPK) phosphorylation and apoptosis. AT1 blockade had no influence on O-glycosylation of p53, but it interfered with p53 phosphorylation; losartan also prevented phosphorylation of p38-MAPK by angiotensin II. Inhibition of p38-MAPK mimicked at a more distal level the consequences of losartan. In conclusion, these in vitro results support the notion that hyperglycemia with diabetes promotes myocyte apoptosis mediated by activation of p53 and effector responses involving the local renin-angiotensin system

Revealing New Mouse Epicardial Cell Markers through Transcriptomics

The epicardium has key functions during myocardial development, by contributing to the formation of coronary endothelial and smooth muscle cells, cardiac fibroblasts, and potentially cardiomyocytes. The epicardium plays a morphogenetic role by emitting signals to promote and maintain cardiomyocyte proliferation. In a regenerative context, the adult epicardium might comprise a progenitor cell population that can be induced to contribute to cardiac repair. Although some genes involved in epicardial function have been identified, a detailed molecular profile of epicardial gene expression has not been available.Using laser capture microscopy, we isolated the epicardial layer from the adult murine heart before or after cardiac infarction in wildtype mice and mice expressing a transgenic IGF-1 propeptide (mIGF-1) that enhances cardiac repair, and analyzed the transcription profile using DNA microarrays.Expression of epithelial genes such as basonuclin, dermokine, and glycoprotein M6A are highly enriched in the epicardial layer, which maintains expression of selected embryonic genes involved in epicardial development in mIGF-1 transgenic hearts. After myocardial infarct, a subset of differentially expressed genes are down-regulated in the epicardium representing an epicardium-specific signature that responds to injury.This study presents the description of the murine epicardial transcriptome obtained from snap frozen tissues, providing essential information for further analysis of this important cardiac cell layer

HMGB1 Attenuates Cardiac Remodelling in the Failing Heart via Enhanced Cardiac Regeneration and miR-206-Mediated Inhibition of TIMP-3

Aims: HMGB1 injection into the mouse heart, acutely after myocardial infarction (MI), improves left ventricular (LV) function and prevents remodeling. Here, we examined the effect of HMGB1 in chronically failing hearts. Methods and Results: Adult C57 BL16 female mice underwent coronary artery ligation; three weeks later 200 ng HMGB1 or denatured HMGB1 (control) were injected in the peri-infarcted region of mouse failing hearts. Four weeks after treatment, both echocardiography and hemodynamics demonstrated a significant improvement in LV function in HMGB1-treated mice. Further, HMGB1-treated mice exhibited a,23 % reduction in LV volume, a,48 % increase in infarcted wall thickness and a,14 % reduction in collagen deposition. HMGB1 induced cardiac regeneration and, within the infarcted region, it was found a,2-fold increase in c-kit + cell number, a,13-fold increase in newly formed myocytes and a,2-fold increase in arteriole length density. HMGB1 also enhanced MMP2 and MMP9 activity and decreased TIMP-3 levels. Importantly, miR-206 expression 3 days after HMGB1 treatment was 4-5-fold higher than in control hearts and 20–25 fold higher that in sham operated hearts. HMGB1 ability to increase miR-206 was confirmed in vitro, in cardiac fibroblasts. TIMP3 was identified as a potential miR-206 target by TargetScan prediction analysis; further, in cultured cardiac fibroblasts, miR-206 gain- and loss-offunction studies and luciferase reporter assays showed that TIMP3 is a direct target of miR-206. Conclusions: HMGB1 injected into chronically failing hearts enhanced LV function and attenuated LV remodelling; thes

HMGB1-Mediated Activation of the Inflammatory-Reparative Response Following Myocardial Infarction

Different cell types belonging to the innate and adaptive immune system play mutually non-exclusive roles during the different phases of the inflammatory-reparative response that occurs following myocardial infarction. A timely and finely regulation of their action is fundamental for the process to properly proceed. The high-mobility group box 1 (HMGB1), a highly conserved nuclear protein that in the extracellular space can act as a damage-associated molecular pattern (DAMP) involved in a large variety of different processes, such as inflammation, migration, invasion, proliferation, differentiation, and tissue regeneration, has recently emerged as a possible regulator of the activity of different immune cell types in the distinct phases of the inflammatory reparative process. Moreover, by activating endogenous stem cells, inducing endothelial cells, and by modulating cardiac fibroblast activity, HMGB1 could represent a master regulator of the inflammatory and reparative responses following MI. In this review, we will provide an overview of cellular effectors involved in these processes and how HMGB1 intervenes in regulating each of them. Moreover, we will summarize HMGB1 roles in regulating other cell types that are involved in the different phases of the inflammatory-reparative response, discussing how its redox status could affect its activity

Inhibition of p53 Function Prevents Renin-Angiotensin System Activation and Stretch-Mediated Myocyte Apoptosis

To determine whether stretch-induced activation of p53 is necessary for the up-regulation of the local renin-angiotensin system and angiotensin II (Ang II)-induced apoptosis, ventricular myocytes were infected with an adenoviral vector carrying mutated p53, Adp53m, before 12 hours of stretch. Noninfected myocytes and myocytes infected with AdLacZ served as controls. Stretching of Adp53m-infected myocytes prevented stimulation of p53 function that conditioned the expression of p53-dependent genes; quantity of angiotensinogen (Aogen), AT1, and Bax decreased, whereas Bcl-2 increased. Ang II generation was not enhanced by stretch. Conversely, stretch produced opposite changes in noninfected and AdLacZ-infected myocytes: Aogen increased twofold, AT1 increased 2.1-fold, Bax increased 2.5-fold, and Ang II increased 2.4-fold. These responses were coupled with 4.5-fold up-regulation of wild-type p53. Stretch elicited comparable adaptations in p53-independent genes, in the presence or absence of mutated p53; renin increased threefold, angiotensin-converting enzyme increased ninefold, and AT2 increased 1.7-fold. Infection with Adp53m inhibited myocyte apoptosis after stretch. Conversely, stretch increased apoptosis by 6.2-fold in myocytes with elevated endogenous wild-type p53. Thus, a competitor of p53 function interfered with both stretch-induced Ang II formation and apoptosis, indicating that p53 is a major modulator of myocyte renin-angiotensin system and cell survival after mechanical deformation

PlGF Immunological Impact during Pregnancy

During pregnancy, the mother's immune system has to tolerate the persistence of paternal alloantigens without affecting the anti-infectious immune response. Consequently, several mechanisms aimed at preventing allograft rejection, occur during a pregnancy. In fact, the early stages of pregnancy are characterized by the correct balance between inflammation and immune tolerance, in which proinflammatory cytokines contribute to both the remodeling of tissues and to neo-angiogenesis, thus, favoring the correct embryo implantation. In addition to the creation of a microenvironment able to support both immunological privilege and angiogenesis, the trophoblast invades normal tissues by sharing the same behavior of invasive tumors. Next, the activation of an immunosuppressive phase, characterized by an increase in the number of regulatory T (Treg) cells prevents excessive inflammation and avoids fetal immuno-mediated rejection. When these changes do not occur or occur incompletely, early pregnancy failure follows. All these events are characterized by an increase in different growth factors and cytokines, among which one of the most important is the angiogenic growth factor, namely placental growth factor (PlGF). PlGF is initially isolated from the human placenta. It is upregulated during both pregnancy and inflammation. In this review, we summarize current knowledge on the immunomodulatory effects of PlGF during pregnancy, warranting that both innate and adaptive immune cells properly support the early events of implantation and placental development. Furthermore, we highlight how an alteration of the immune response, associated with PlGF imbalance, can induce a hypertensive state and lead to the pre-eclampsia (PE)