Gladys M. Cahuana

Nitric oxide repression of Nanog promotes mouse embryonic stem cell differentiation

Exposure of mouse embryonic stem (mES) cells to high concentrations of chemical nitric oxide (NO) donors promotes differentiation, but the mechanisms involved in this process at the gene expression level are poorly defined. In this study we report that culture of mES cells in the presence of 0.25–1.0 mM diethylenetriamine nitric oxide adduct (DETA-NO) leads to downregulation of Nanog and Oct4, the two master genes involved in the control of the pluripotent state. This action of NO was also apparent in the human ES cell line, HS 181. The suppressive action of NO on Nanog gene depends on the activation of p53 repressor protein by covalent modifications, such as pSer15, pSer315, pSer392 and acetyl Lys 379. NO-induced repression of Nanog is also associated with binding of trimethylated histone H3 and pSer315 p53 to its promoter region. In addition, exposure to 0.5 mM DETA-NO induces early differentiation events of cells with acquisition of epithelial morphology and expression of markers of definitive endoderm, such as FoxA2, Gata4, Hfn1-β and Sox 17. This phenotype was increased when cells were treated with valproic acid (VPA) for 10 days.

Low concentrations of nitric oxide delay the differentiation of embryonic stem cells and promote their survival

Nitric oxide (NO) is an intracellular messenger in several cell systems, but its contribution to embryonic stem cell (ESC) biology has not been characterized. Exposure of ESCs to low concentrations (2–20 μM) of the NO donor diethylenetriamine NO adduct confers protection from apoptosis elicited by leukaemia inhibitory factor (LIF) withdrawal. NO blocked caspase 3 activation, PARP degradation, downregulation of the pro-apoptotic genes Casp7, Casp9, Bax and Bak1 and upregulation of the anti-apoptotic genes Bcl-2 111, Bcl-2 and Birc6. These effects were also observed in cells overexpressing eNOS. Exposure of LIF-deprived mESCs to low NO prevented the loss of expression of self-renewal genes (Oct4, Nanog and Sox2) and the SSEA marker. Moreover, NO blocked the differentiation process promoted by the absence of LIF and bFGF in mouse and human ESCs. NO treatment decreased the expression of differentiation markers, such as Brachyury, Gata6 and Gata4. Constitutive overexpression of eNOS in cells exposed to LIF deprivation maintained the expression of self-renewal markers, whereas the differentiation genes were repressed. These effects were reversed by addition of the NOS inhibitor L-NMMA. Altogether, the data suggest that low NO has a role in the regulation of ESC differentiation by delaying the entry into differentiation, arresting the loss of self-renewal markers and promoting cell survival by inhibiting apoptosis.

Evidence for involvement of c-Src in the anti-apoptotic action of nitric oxide in serum-deprived RINm5F cells.

The mechanism by which nitric oxide (NO) protects from apoptosis is a matter of debate. We have shown previously that phosphorylation of tyrosine residues participates in the protection from apoptosis in insulin-producing RINm5F cells (Inorg. Chem. Commun. 3 (2000) 32). Since NO has been reported to activate the tyrosine kinase c-Src and this kinase is involved in the activation of protein kinase G (PKG) in some cell systems, we aimed at studying the contribution of c-Src and PKG systems in anti-apoptotic actions of NO in serum-deprived RINm5F cells. Here we report that exposure of serum-deprived cells to 10 microM DETA/NO results in protection from degradation of the anti-apoptotic protein Bcl-2, together with a reduction of cytochrome c release from mitochondria and caspase-3 inhibition. Studies with the inhibitors ODQ and KT-5823 revealed that these actions are dependent on both activation of guanylate cyclase and PKG. DETA/NO was also able to induce autophosphorylation and activation c-Src protein both in vivo and in vitro and active c-Src was able to induce tyrosine phosphorylation of Bcl-2 in vitro. The c-Src kinase inhibitor PP1 abrogated the actions of DETA/NO on cGMP formation, PKG activation, caspase activation, cytochrome c release from mitochondria, and Bcl-2 phosphorylation and degradation in serum-deprived cells. We thus propose that activation of c-Src is an early step in the chain of events that signal cGMP-dependent anti-apoptotic actions of NO in mitocohondria.

Regulation of pancreatic β-cell survival by nitric oxide: clinical relevance.

The reduction of pancreatic β-cell mass is an important factor in the development of type 1 and type 2 diabetes. Understanding the mechanisms that regulate the maintenance of pancreatic β-cell mass as well as β-cell death is necessary for the establishment of therapeutic strategies. In this context, nitric oxide (NO) is a diatomic, gaseous, highly reactive molecule with biological activity that participates in the regulation of pancreatic β-cell mass. Two types of cellular responses can be distinguished depending on the level of NO production. First, pancreatic β-cells exposed to inflammatory cytokines, lipid stress or hyperglycaemia produce high concentrations of NO, mainly due to the activation of inducible NO synthase (iNOS), thus promoting cell death. Meanwhile, under homeostatic conditions, low concentrations of NO, constitutively produced by endothelial NO synthase (eNOS), promote cell survival. Here, we will discuss the current knowledge of the NO-dependent mechanisms activated during cellular responses, emphasizing those related to the regulation of cell survival.

Role of nitric oxide in the maintenance of pluripotency and regulation of the hypoxia response in stem cells.

Stem cell pluripotency and differentiation are global processes regulated by several pathways that have been studied intensively over recent years. Nitric oxide (NO) is an important molecule that affects gene expression at the level of transcription and translation and regulates cell survival and proliferation in diverse cell types. In embryonic stem cells NO has a dual role, controlling differentiation and survival, but the molecular mechanisms by which it modulates these functions are not completely defined. NO is a physiological regulator of cell respiration through the inhibition of cytochrome c oxidase. Many researchers have been examining the role that NO plays in other aspects of metabolism such as the cellular bioenergetics state, the hypoxia response and the relationship of these areas to stem cell stemness.

Transient Downregulation of Nanog and Oct4 Induced by DETA/NO Exposure in Mouse Embryonic Stem Cells Leads to Mesodermal/Endodermal Lineage Differentiation

The function of pluripotency genes in differentiation is a matter of investigation. We report here that Nanog and Oct4 are reexpressed in two mouse embryonic stem cell (mESC) lines following exposure to the differentiating agent DETA/NO. Both cell lines express a battery of both endoderm and mesoderm markers following induction of differentiation with DETA/NO-based protocols. Confocal analysis of cells undergoing directed differentiation shows that the majority of cells expressing Nanog express also endoderm genes such as Gata4 and FoxA2 (75.4% and 96.2%, resp.). Simultaneously, mRNA of mesodermal markers Flk1 and Mef2c are also regulated by the treatment. Acetylated histone H3 occupancy at the promoter of Nanog is involved in the process of reexpression. Furthermore, Nanog binding to the promoter of Brachyury leads to repression of this gene, thus disrupting mesendoderm transition.

Nitric Oxide Prevents Mouse Embryonic Stem Cell Differentiation Through Regulation of Gene Expression, Cell Signaling, and Control of Cell Proliferation.

Nitric oxide (NO) delays mouse embryonic stem cell (mESC) differentiation by regulating genes linked to pluripotency and differentiation. Nevertheless, no profound study has been conducted on cell differentiation regulation by this molecule through signaling on essential biological functions. We sought to demonstrate that NO positively regulates the pluripotency transcriptional core, enforcing changes in the chromatin structure, in addition to regulating cell proliferation, and signaling pathways with key roles in stemness. Culturing mESCs with 2 μM of the NO donor diethylenetriamine/NO (DETA/NO) in the absence of leukemia inhibitory factor (LIF) induced significant changes in the expression of 16 genes of the pluripotency transcriptional core. Furthermore, treatment with DETA/NO resulted in a high occupancy of activating H3K4me3 at the Oct4 and Nanog promoters and repressive H3K9me3 and H3k27me3 at the Brachyury promoter. Additionally, the activation of signaling pathways involved in pluripotency, such as Gsk3‐β/β‐catenin, was observed, in addition to activation of PI3 K/Akt, which is consistent with the protection of mESCs from cell death. Finally, a decrease in cell proliferation coincides with cell cycle arrest in G2/M. Our results provide novel insights into NO‐mediated gene regulation and cell proliferation and suggest that NO is necessary but not sufficient for the maintenance of pluripotency and the prevention of cell differentiation. J. Cell. Biochem. 117: 2078–2088, 2016.

Differentiation of mouse embryonic stem cells toward functional pancreatic β-cell surrogates through epigenetic regulation of Pdx1 by nitric oxide

Pancreatic and duodenal homeobox 1 (Pdx1) is a transcription factor that regulates the embryonic development of the pancreas and the differentiation toward β cells. Previously, we have shown that exposure of mouse embryonic stem cells (mESCs) to high concentrations of diethylenetriamine nitric oxide adduct (DETA-NO) triggers differentiation events and promotes the expression of Pdx1. Here we report evidence that Pdx1 expression is associated with release of polycomb repressive complex 2 (PRC2) and P300 from its promoter region. These events are accompanied by epigenetic changes in bivalent markers of histones trimethylated histone H3 lysine 27 (H3K27me3) and H3K4me3, site-specific changes in DNA methylation, and no change in H3 acetylation. On the basis of these findings, we developed a protocol to differentiate mESCs toward insulin-producing cells consisting of sequential exposure to DETA-NO, valproic acid, and P300 inhibitor (C646) to enhance Pdx1 expression and a final maturation step of culture in suspension to form cell aggregates. This small molecule-based protocol succeeds in obtaining cells that express pancreatic β-cell markers such as PDX1, INS1, GCK, and GLUT2 and respond in vitro to high glucose and KCl.

Impact of exposure to low concentrations of nitric oxide on protein profile in murine and human pancreatic islet cells.

Homeostatic levels of nitric oxide (NO) protect efficiently against apoptotic death in both human and rodent pancreatic β cells, but the protein profile of this action remains to be determined. We have applied a 2 dimensional LC-MS-MALDI-TOF/TOF-based analysis to study the impact of protective NO in rat insulin-producing RINm5F cell line and in mouse and human pancreatic islets (HPI) exposed to serum deprivation condition. 24 proteins in RINm5F and 22 in HPI were identified to undergo changes in at least one experimental condition. These include stress response mitochondrial proteins (UQCRC2, VDAC1, ATP5C1, ATP5A1) in RINm5F cells and stress response endoplasmic reticulum proteins (HSPA5, PDIA6, VCP, GANAB) in HPI. In addition, metabolic and structural proteins, oxidoreductases and chaperones related with protein metabolism are also regulated by NO treatment. Network analysis of differentially expressed proteins shows their interaction in glucocorticoid receptor and NRF2-mediated oxidative stress response pathways and eNOS signaling. The results indicate that exposure to exogenous NO counteracts the impact of serum deprivation on pancreatic β cell proteome. Species differences in the proteins involved are apparent.

Regulation of mitochondrial function and endoplasmic reticulum stress by nitric oxide in pluripotent stem cells

Mitochondrial dysfunction and endoplasmic reticulum stress (ERS) are global processes that are interrelated and regulated by several stress factors. Nitric oxide (NO) is a multifunctional biomolecule with many varieties of physiological and pathological functions, such as the regulation of cytochrome c inhibition and activation of the immune response, ERS and DNA damage; these actions are dose-dependent. It has been reported that in embryonic stem cells, NO has a dual role, controlling differentiation, survival and pluripotency, but the molecular mechanisms by which it modulates these functions are not yet known. Low levels of NO maintain pluripotency and induce mitochondrial biogenesis. It is well established that NO disrupts the mitochondrial respiratory chain and causes changes in mitochondrial Ca2+ flux that induce ERS. Thus, at high concentrations, NO becomes a potential differentiation agent due to the relationship between ERS and the unfolded protein response in many differentiated cell lines. Nevertheless, many studies have demonstrated the need for physiological levels of NO for a proper ERS response. In this review, we stress the importance of the relationships between NO levels, ERS and mitochondrial dysfunction that control stem cell fate as a new approach to possible cell therapy strategies.