Biophysical Studies of LC3 Family Proteins

Asiatic Acid Alleviates Lipopolysaccharide-Induced Acute Myocardial Injury by Promoting Mitophagy and Regulating Mitochondrial Dynamics in Broilers

Acute myocardial injury (AMI) induced by lipopolysaccharide (LPS) can cause cardiovascular dysfunction and lead to death in poultry. Traditional antibiotic therapy has been found to have many limitations and negative effects. Asiatic acid (AA) is a naturally occurring pentacyclic triterpenoid that is extracted from Centella asiatica and has anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and anticancer pharmacological properties. Previously, we studied the effect of AA on LPS-induced liver and kidney injury; however, the impact of AA on LPS-induced AMI remained unclear. Sixty 1-day-old broilers were randomly divided into control group, LPS group, LPS + AA 15 mg/kg group, LPS + AA 30 mg/kg group, LPS + AA 60 mg/kg group, and control + AA 60 mg/kg group. The histopathology of cardiac tissues was detected by hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) staining. The mRNA and protein expressions related to mitochondrial dynamics and mitophagy were detected by quantitative real-time PCR, western blot, immunofluorescence, and immunohistochemistry. Disorganized myocardial cells and fractured myocardial fibers were found in the LPS group, and obvious red-blood-cell filling can be seen in the gaps between the myocardial fibers in the low-dose AA group. Nevertheless, the medium and high dose of AA obviously attenuated these changes. Our results showed that AA significantly restored the mRNA and protein expressions related to mitochondrial dynamic through further promoting mitophagy. This study revealed the effect of AA on LPS-induced AMI in broilers. Mechanically, AA regulated mitochondrial dynamic homeostasis and further promoted mitophagy. These novel findings indicate that AA may be a potential drug for LPS-induced AMI in broilers.

Imbalance of Autophagy and Apoptosis Induced by Oxidative Stress May Be Involved in Thyroid Damage Caused by Sleep Deprivation in Rats

Many studies have shown that sleep deprivation can affect a wide range of tissues and organs, and most of these effects are related to oxidative stress. Oxidative stress can cause functional and morphological changes in cells, which are closely related to autophagy and apoptosis. In this study, we examined changes in thyroid morphology and function, oxidative stress, autophagy, and apoptosis in rats after sleep deprivation. Thyroid hormones, thyroid-stimulating hormone, functional substances required for the synthesis of thyroid hormones, and thyroid morphological observations were used to evaluate the changes and impairment of thyroid function. Methane dicarboxylic aldehyde and total antioxidant capacity were measured to assess oxidative stress in the thyroid. To evaluate the balance of autophagy and apoptosis, the expression of autophagy- and apoptosis-related proteins was examined by western blotting, and apoptotic cells were labeled with TUNEL staining. The body weight of rats in the sleep deprivation group decreased, but the relative weight of the thyroid gland increased. Sleep deprivation led to morphological changes in the thyroid. The levels of thyroid hormones and thyroid-stimulating hormone increased after sleep deprivation. Total antioxidant capacity decreased, and methane dicarboxylic aldehyde levels increased in the thyroid in the sleep deprivation group. Analysis of autophagy- and apoptosis-related proteins indicated that the microtubule-associated protein 1 light chain 3 beta- (LC3B-) and LC3A-II/I ratio and Beclin 1 levels significantly decreased in the sleep deprivation group and P62 levels significantly increased. The number of apoptotic cells in the thyroid gland of sleep-deprived rats increased significantly. Taken together, these results indicate that sleep deprivation can lead to oxidative stress in the thyroid and ultimately cause thyroid damage, which may be related to the imbalance of autophagy and apoptosis.

Reversal of the Inflammatory Responses in Fabry Patient iPSC-Derived Cardiovascular Endothelial Cells by CRISPR/Cas9-Corrected Mutation

The late-onset type of Fabry disease (FD) with GLA IVS4 + 919G > A mutation has been shown to lead to cardiovascular dysfunctions. In order to eliminate variations in other aspects of the genetic background, we established the isogenic control of induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) for the identification of the pathogenetic factors for FD phenotypes through CRISPR/Cas9 genomic editing. We adopted droplet digital PCR (ddPCR) to efficiently capture mutational events, thus enabling isolation of the corrected FD from FD-iPSCs. Both of these exhibited the characteristics of pluripotency and phenotypic plasticity, and they can be differentiated into endothelial cells (ECs). We demonstrated the phenotypic abnormalities in FD iPSC-derived ECs (FD-ECs), including intracellular Gb3 accumulation, autophagic flux impairment, and reactive oxygen species (ROS) production, and these abnormalities were rescued in isogenic control iPSC-derived ECs (corrected FD-ECs). Microarray profiling revealed that corrected FD-derived endothelial cells reversed the enrichment of genes in the pro-inflammatory pathway and validated the downregulation of NF-κB and the MAPK signaling pathway. Our findings highlighted the critical role of ECs in FD-associated vascular dysfunctions by establishing a reliable isogenic control and providing information on potential cellular targets to reduce the morbidity and mortality of FD patients with vascular complications.