Louisa Balazs

Lysophosphatidic Acid Induces Neointima Formation Through PPARγ Activation

Neointimal lesions are characterized by accumulation of cells within the arterial wall and are a prelude to atherosclerotic disease. Here we report that a brief exposure to either alkyl ether analogs of the growth factor–like phospholipid lysophosphatidic acid (LPA), products generated during the oxidative modification of low density lipoprotein, or to unsaturated acyl forms of LPA induce progressive formation of neointima in vivo in a rat carotid artery model. This effect is completely inhibited by the peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR)γ antagonist GW9662 and mimicked by PPARγ agonists Rosiglitazone and 1-O-hexadecyl-2-azeleoyl-phosphatidylcholine. In contrast, stearoyl-oxovaleryl phosphatidylcholine, a PPARα agonist and polypeptide epidermal growth factor, platelet-derived growth factor, and vascular endothelial growth factor failed to elicit neointima. The structure-activity relationship for neointima induction by LPA analogs in vivo is identical to that of PPARγ activation in vitro and disparate from that of LPA G protein–coupled receptor activation. Neointima-inducing LPA analogs up-regulated the CD36 scavenger receptor in vitro and in vivo and elicited dedifferentiation of cultured vascular smooth muscle cells that was prevented by GW9662. These results suggest that selected LPA analogs are important novel endogenous PPARγ ligands capable of mediating vascular remodeling and that activation of the nuclear transcription factor PPARγ is both necessary and sufficient for neointima formation by components of oxidized low density lipoprotein.

Evidence of an oxidative challenge in the Alzheimer's brain

Alzheimers disease may arise from or produce oxidative damage in the brain. To assess the responses of the Alzheimers brain to possible oxidative challenges, we assayed for glutathione, glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase, catalase and superoxide dismutase in twelve regions of Alzheimers disease and aged control brains. In addition, we determined levels of malondialdehyde to evaluate lipid peroxidation in these brain regions. Most brain regions showed evidence of a response to an oxidative challenge, but the cellular response to this challenge differed among brain regions. These data suggest that the entire Alzheimers brain may be subject to an oxidative challenge, but that some brain areas may be more vulnerable than others to the consequent neural damage that characterizes the disease.

Phospholipase D2-dependent Inhibition of the Nuclear Hormone Receptor PPARγ by Cyclic Phosphatidic Acid

Cyclic phosphatidic acid (1-acyl-2,3-cyclic-glycerophosphate, CPA), one of natures simplest phospholipids, is found in cells from slime mold to humans and has a largely unknown function. We find here that CPA is generated in mammalian cells in a stimulus-coupled manner by phospholipase D2 (PLD2) and binds to and inhibits the nuclear hormone receptor PPARgamma with nanomolar affinity and high specificity through stabilizing its interaction with the corepressor SMRT. CPA production inhibits the PPARgamma target-gene transcription that normally drives adipocytic differentiation of 3T3-L1 cells, lipid accumulation in RAW264.7 cells and primary mouse macrophages, and arterial wall remodeling in a rat model in vivo. Inhibition of PLD2 by shRNA, a dominant-negative mutant, or a small molecule inhibitor blocks CPA production and relieves PPARgamma inhibition. We conclude that CPA is a second messenger and a physiological inhibitor of PPARgamma, revealing that PPARgamma is regulated by endogenous agonists as well as by antagonists.

Controlling cancer through the autotaxin-lysophosphatidic acid receptor axis

LPA (lysophosphatidic acid, 1-acyl-2-hydroxy-sn-glycero-3-phosphate), is a growth factor-like lipid mediator that regulates many cellular functions, many of which are unique to malignantly transformed cells. The simple chemical structure of LPA and its profound effects in cancer cells has attracted the attention of the cancer therapeutics field and drives the development of therapeutics based on the LPA scaffold. In biological fluids, LPA is generated by ATX (autotaxin), a lysophospholipase D that cleaves the choline/serine headgroup from lysophosphatidylcholine and lysophosphatidylserine to generate LPA. In the present article, we review some of the key findings that make the ATX-LPA signalling axis an emerging target for cancer therapy.

Conditional deletion of Dicer in vascular smooth muscle cells leads to the developmental delay and embryonic mortality

Dicer is a RNAase III enzyme that cleaves double stranded RNA and generates small interfering RNA (siRNA) and microRNA (miRNA). The goal of this study is to examine the role of Dicer and miRNAs in vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs). We deleted Dicer in VSMCs of mice, which caused a developmental delay that manifested as early as embryonic day E12.5, leading to embryonic death between E14.5 and E15.5 due to extensive hemorrhage in the liver, brain, and skin. Dicer KO embryos showed dilated blood vessels and a disarray of vascular architecture between E14.5 and E15.5. VSMC proliferation was significantly inhibited in Dicer KOs. The expression of VSMC marker genes were significantly downregulated in Dicer cKO embryos. The vascular structure of the yolk sac and embryo in Dicer KOs was lost to an extent that no blood vessels could be identified after E15.5. Expression of most miRNAs examined was compromised in VSMCs of Dicer KO. Our results indicate that Dicer is required for vascular development and regulates vascular remodeling by modulating VSMC proliferation and differentiation.

DiGeorge Syndrome Critical Region 8 (DGCR8) Protein-mediated microRNA Biogenesis Is Essential for Vascular Smooth Muscle Cell Development in Mice

Background: The role of DGCR8 in VSMCs is not known. Results: Loss of DGCR8 in VSMCs results in embryonic mortality by inhibiting cell proliferation and differentiation and promoting apoptosis. Conclusion: DGCR8 is required for vascular development. Significance: Elucidation of the role of DGCR8 in VSMCs will reveal the significance of DGCR8-mediated miRNA maturation in vascular diseases. DiGeorge Critical Region 8 (DGCR8) is a double-stranded RNA-binding protein that interacts with Drosha and facilitates microRNA (miRNA) maturation. However, the role of DGCR8 in vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) is not well understood. To investigate whether DGCR8 contributes to miRNA maturation in VSMCs, we generated DGCR8 conditional knockout (cKO) mice by crossing VSMC-specific Cre mice (SM22-Cre) with DGCR8loxp/loxp mice. We found that loss of DGCR8 in VSMCs resulted in extensive liver hemorrhage and embryonic mortality between embryonic days (E) 12.5 and E13.5. DGCR8 cKO embryos displayed dilated blood vessels and disarrayed vascular architecture. Blood vessels were absent in the yolk sac of DGCR8 KOs after E12.5. Disruption of DGCR8 in VSMCs reduced VSMC proliferation and promoted apoptosis in vitro and in vivo. In DGCR8 cKO embryos and knockout VSMCs, differentiation marker genes, including αSMA, SM22, and CNN1, were significantly down-regulated, and the survival pathways of ERK1/2 mitogen-activated protein kinase and the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase/AKT were attenuated. Knockout of DGCR8 in VSMCs has led to down-regulation of the miR-17/92 and miR-143/145 clusters. We further demonstrated that the miR-17/92 cluster promotes VSMC proliferation and enhances VSMC marker gene expression, which may contribute to the defects of DGCR8 cKO mutants. Our results indicate that the DGCR8 gene is required for vascular development through the regulation of VSMC proliferation, apoptosis, and differentiation.

Lysophosphatidic acid-induced arterial wall remodeling: Requirement of PPARγ but not LPA1 or LPA2 GPCR

Lysophosphatidic acid (LPA) and its ether analog alkyl-glycerophosphate (AGP) elicit arterial wall remodeling when applied intralumenally into the uninjured carotid artery. LPA is the ligand of eight GPCRs and the peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPARgamma). We pursued a gene knockout strategy to identify the LPA receptor subtypes necessary for the neointimal response in a non-injury model of carotid remodeling and also compared the effects of AGP and the PPARgamma agonist rosiglitazone (ROSI) on balloon injury-elicited neointima development. In the balloon injury model AGP significantly increased neointima; however, rosiglitazone application attenuated it. AGP and ROSI were also applied intralumenally for 1h without injury into the carotid arteries of LPA(1), LPA(2), LPA(1&2) double knockout, and Mx1Cre-inducible conditional PPARgamma knockout mice targeted to vascular smooth muscle cells, macrophages, and endothelial cells. The neointima was quantified and also stained for CD31, CD68, CD11b, and alpha-smooth muscle actin markers. In LPA(1), LPA(2), LPA(1&2) GPCR knockout, Mx1Cre transgenic, PPARgamma(fl/-), and uninduced Mx1CrexPPARgamma(fl/-) mice AGP- and ROSI-elicited neointima was indistinguishable in its progression and cytological features from that of WT C57BL/6 mice. In PPARgamma(-/-) knockout mice, generated by activation of Mx1Cre-mediated recombination, AGP and ROSI failed to elicit neointima and vascular wall remodeling. Our findings point to a difference in the effects of AGP and ROSI between the balloon injury- and the non-injury chemically-induced neointima. The present data provide genetic evidence for the requirement of PPARgamma in AGP- and ROSI-elicited neointimal thickening in the non-injury model and reveal that the overwhelming majority of the cells in the neointimal layer express alpha-smooth muscle actin.

Autotaxin and LPA1 and LPA5 receptors exert disparate functions in tumor cells versus the host tissue microenvironment in melanoma invasion and metastasis.

Autotaxin (ENPP2/ATX) and lysophosphatidic acid (LPA) receptors represent two key players in regulating cancer progression. The present study sought to understand the mechanistic role of LPA G protein–coupled receptors (GPCR), not only in the tumor cells but also in stromal cells of the tumor microenvironment. B16F10 melanoma cells predominantly express LPA5 and LPA2 receptors but lack LPA1. LPA dose dependently inhibited invasion of cells across a Matrigel layer. RNAi-mediated knockdown of LPA5 relieved the inhibitory effect of LPA on invasion without affecting basal invasion. This suggests that LPA5 exerts an anti-invasive action in melanoma cells in response to LPA. In addition, both siRNA-mediated knockdown and pharmacologic inhibition of LPA2 reduced the basal rate invasion. Unexpectedly, when probing the role of this GPCR in host tissues, it was found that the incidence of melanoma-derived lung metastasis was greatly reduced in LPA5 knockout (KO) mice compared with wild-type (WT) mice. LPA1-KO but not LPA2-KO mice also showed diminished melanoma-derived lung metastasis, suggesting that host LPA1 and LPA5 receptors play critical roles in the seeding of metastasis. The decrease in tumor cell residence in the lungs of LPA1-KO and LPA5-KO animals was apparent 24 hours after injection. However, KO of LPA1, LPA2, or LPA5 did not affect the subcutaneous growth of melanoma tumors. Implications: These findings suggest that tumor and stromal LPA receptors, in particular LPA1 and LPA5, play different roles in invasion and the seeding of metastasis. Mol Cancer Res; 13(1); 174–85. ©2014 AACR.

Preexposure to hyperoxia causes increased lung injury and epithelial apoptosis in mice ventilated with high tidal volumes

Both high tidal volume mechanical ventilation (HV) and hyperoxia (HO) have been implicated in ventilator-induced lung injury. However, patients with acute lung injury are often exposed to HO before the application of mechanical ventilation. The potential priming of the lungs for subsequent injury by exposure to HO has not been extensively studied. We provide evidence that HO (90%) for 12 h followed by HV (25 μl/g) combined with HO for 2 or 4 h (HO-12h+HVHO-2h or -4h) induced severe lung injury in mice. Analysis of lung homogenates showed that lung injury was associated with cleavage of executioner caspases, caspases-3 and -7, and their downstream substrate poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase-1 (PARP-1). No significant lung injury or caspase cleavage was seen with either HO for 16 h or HV for up to 4 h. Ventilation for 4 h with HO (HVHO) did not cause significant lung injury without preexposure to HO. Twelve-hour HO followed by lower tidal volume (6 μl/g) mechanical ventilation failed to produce significant injury or caspase cleavage. We also evaluated the initiator caspases, caspases-8 and -9, to determine whether the death receptor or mitochondrial-mediated pathways were involved. Caspase-9 cleavage was observed in HO-12h+HVHO-2h and -4h as well as HO for 16 h. Caspase-8 activation was observed only in HO-12h+HVHO-4h, indicating the involvement of both pathways. Immunohistochemistry and in vitro stretch studies showed caspase cleavage in alveolar epithelial cells. In conclusion, preexposure to HO followed by HV produced severe lung injury associated with alveolar epithelial cell apoptosis.

Mitigation of the hematopoietic and gastrointestinal acute radiation syndrome by octadecenyl thiophosphate, a small molecule mimic of lysophosphatidic acid.

We have previously demonstrated that the small molecule octadecenyl thiophosphate (OTP), a synthetic mimic of the growth factor-like mediator lysophosphatidic acid (LPA), showed radioprotective activity in a mouse model of total-body irradiation (TBI) when given orally or intraperitoneally 30 min before exposure to 9 Gy γ radiation. In the current study, we evaluated the effects of OTP, delivered subcutaneously, for radioprotection or radiomitigation from −24 h before to up to +72 h postirradiation using a mouse TBI model with therapeutic doses at around 1 mg/kg. OTP was injected at 10 mg/kg without observable toxic side effects in mice, providing a comfortable safety margin. Treatment of C57BL/6 mice with a single dose of OTP over the time period from −12 h before to +26 h after a lethal dose of TBI reduced mortality by 50%. When administered at +48 h to +72 h postirradiation (LD50/30 to LD100/30), OTP reduced mortality by ≥34%. OTP administered at +24 h postirradiation significantly elevated peripheral white blood cell and platelet counts, increased crypt survival in the jejunum, enhanced intestinal glucose absorption and reduced endotoxin seepage into the blood. In the 6.4–8.6 Gy TBI range using LD50/10 as the end point, OTP yielded a dose modification factor of 1.2. The current data indicate that OTP is a potent radioprotector and radiomitigator ameliorating the mortality and tissue injury of acute hematopoietic as well as acute gastrointestinal radiation syndrome.