Thorsten Berger

Caspase Functions in Cell Death and Disease

Caspases are a family of endoproteases that provide critical links in cell regulatory networks controlling inflammation and cell death. The activation of these enzymes is tightly controlled by their production as inactive zymogens that gain catalytic activity following signaling events promoting their aggregation into dimers or macromolecular complexes. Activation of apoptotic caspases results in inactivation or activation of substrates, and the generation of a cascade of signaling events permitting the controlled demolition of cellular components. Activation of inflammatory caspases results in the production of active proinflammatory cytokines and the promotion of innate immune responses to various internal and external insults. Dysregulation of caspases underlies human diseases including cancer and inflammatory disorders, and major efforts to design better therapies for these diseases seek to understand how these enzymes work and how they can be controlled.

Lipocalin-2 Resistance Confers an Advantage to Salmonella enterica Serotype Typhimurium for Growth and Survival in the Inflamed Intestine

In response to enteric pathogens, the inflamed intestine produces antimicrobial proteins, a process mediated by the cytokines IL-17 and IL-22. Salmonella enterica serotype Typhimurium thrives in the inflamed intestinal environment, suggesting that the pathogen is resistant to antimicrobials it encounters in the intestinal lumen. However, the identity of these antimicrobials and corresponding bacterial resistance mechanisms remain unknown. Here, we report that enteric infection of rhesus macaques and mice with S. Typhimurium resulted in marked Il-17- and IL-22-dependent intestinal epithelial induction and luminal accumulation of lipocalin-2, an antimicrobial protein that prevents bacterial iron acquisition. Resistance to lipocalin-2, mediated by the iroBCDE iroN locus, conferred a competitive advantage to the bacterium in colonizing the inflamed intestine of wild-type but not of lipocalin-2-deficient mice. Thus, resistance to lipocalin-2 defines a specific adaptation of S. Typhimurium for growth in the inflamed intestine.

Glutathione and Thioredoxin Antioxidant Pathways Synergize to Drive Cancer Initiation and Progression

Controversy over the role of antioxidants in cancer has persisted for decades. Here, we demonstrate that synthesis of the antioxidant glutathione (GSH), driven by GCLM, is required for cancer initiation. Genetic loss of Gclm prevents a tumors ability to drive malignant transformation. Intriguingly, these findings canxa0be replicated using an inhibitor of GSH synthesis, but only if delivered prior to cancer onset, suggesting that at later stages of tumor progression GSH becomes dispensable potentially due to compensation from alternative antioxidant pathways. Remarkably, combined inhibition of GSH and thioredoxin antioxidant pathways leads to a synergistic cancer cell death inxa0vitro and inxa0vivo, demonstrating thexa0importance of these two antioxidants to tumor progression and as potential targets for therapeutic intervention.

iRhom2 regulation of TACE controls TNF-mediated protection against Listeria and responses to LPS.

TACE Trafficking The cytokine tumor necrosis factor (TNF) is a major driver of inflammation and contributes to the immune pathology seen in a variety of diseases, including inflammatory bowel disease, rheumatoid arthritis, and sepsis. Soluble TNF is produced by cleavage of its ectodomain by the ADAM family metalloprotease, TNFα-converting enzyme (TACE). However, the molecular regulation of TACE is not understood (see the Perspective by Lichtenthaler). Adrain et al. (p. 225) and McIlwain et al. (p. 229) now show that the rhomboid family member iRhom2 interacts with TACE in macrophages and is required for its proper intracellular trafficking and activation. In the absence of iRhom2, TACE was not released from the endoplasmic reticulum, and active protease did not reach the cell surface. Because of an inability to produce TNF, iRhom2-deficient mice were more resistant to lipopolysaccharide-induced septic shock but could not adequately control a Listeria monocytogenes infection. A pseudoprotease is required for the proteolytic cleavage of the proinflammatory cytokine tumor necrosis factor. Innate immune responses are vital for pathogen defense but can result in septic shock when excessive. A key mediator of septic shock is tumor necrosis factor–α (TNFα), which is shed from the plasma membrane after cleavage by the TNFα convertase (TACE). We report that the rhomboid family member iRhom2 interacted with TACE and regulated TNFα shedding. iRhom2 was critical for TACE maturation and trafficking to the cell surface in hematopoietic cells. Gene-targeted iRhom2-deficient mice showed reduced serum TNFα in response to lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and could survive a lethal LPS dose. Furthermore, iRhom2-deficient mice failed to control the replication of Listeria monocytogenes. Our study has identified iRhom2 as a regulator of innate immunity that may be an important target for modulating sepsis and pathogen defense.

Protective effects of lipocalin-2 (LCN2) in acute liver injury suggest a novel function in liver homeostasis ☆ ☆☆

Lipocalin-2 is expressed under pernicious conditions such as intoxication, infection, inflammation and other forms of cellular stress. Experimental liver injury induces rapid and sustained LCN2 production by injured hepatocytes. However, the precise biological function of LCN2 in liver is still unknown. In this study, LCN2(-/-) mice were exposed to short term application of CCl4, lipopolysaccharide and Concanavalin A, or subjected to bile duct ligation. Subsequent injuries were assessed by liver function analysis, qRT-PCR for chemokine and cytokine expression, liver tissue Western blot, histology and TUNEL assay. Serum LCN2 levels from patients suffering from liver disease were assessed and evaluated. Acute CCl4 intoxication showed increased liver damage in LCN2(-/-) mice indicated by higher levels of aminotransferases, and increased expression of inflammatory cytokines and chemokines such as IL-1β, IL-6, TNF-α and MCP-1/CCL2, resulting in sustained activation of STAT1, STAT3 and JNK pathways. Hepatocytes of LCN2(-/-) mice showed lipid droplet accumulation and increased apoptosis. Hepatocyte apoptosis was confirmed in the Concanavalin A and lipopolysaccharide models. In chronic models (4weeks bile duct ligation or 8weeks CCl4 application), LCN2(-/-) mice showed slightly increased fibrosis compared to controls. Interestingly, serum LCN2 levels in diseased human livers were significantly higher compared to controls, but no differences were observed between cirrhotic and non-cirrhotic patients. Upregulation of LCN2 is a reliable indicator of liver damage and has significant hepato-protective effect in acute liver injury. LCN2 levels provide no correlation to the degree of liver fibrosis but show significant positive correlation to inflammation instead.

Lipocalin-2 deficiency prevents endothelial dysfunction associated with dietary obesity: role of cytochrome P450 2C inhibition.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Lipocalin‐2 is a pro‐inflammatory adipokine up‐regulated in obese human subjects and animal models. Its circulating levels are positively correlated with the unfavourable lipid profiles, elevated blood pressure and insulin resistance index. Augmented lipocalin‐2 has been found in patients with cardiovascular abnormalities.The present study was designed to investigate the role of lipocalin‐2 in regulating endothelial function and vascular reactivity.

Lipocalin 2 Regulates Inflammation during Pulmonary Mycobacterial Infections

Pulmonary tuberculosis (TB), caused by the intracellular bacteria Mycobacterium tuberculosis, is a worldwide disease that continues to kill more than 1.5 million people every year worldwide. The accumulation of lymphocytes mediates the formation of the tubercle granuloma in the lung and is crucial for host protection against M.tuberculosis infection. However, paradoxically the tubercle granuloma is also the basis for the immunopathology associated with the disease and very little is known about the regulatory mechanisms that constrain the inflammation associated with the granulomas. Lipocalin 2 (Lcn2) is a member of the lipocalin family of proteins and binds to bacterial siderophores thereby sequestering iron required for bacterial growth. Thus far, it is not known whether Lcn2 plays a role in the inflammatory response to mycobacterial pulmonary infections. In the present study, using models of acute and chronic mycobacterial pulmonary infections, we reveal a novel role for Lcn2 in constraining T cell lymphocytic accumulation and inflammation by inhibiting inflammatory chemokines, such as CXCL9. In contrast, Lcn2 promotes neutrophil recruitment during mycobacterial pulmonary infection, by inducing G-CSF and KC in alveolar macrophages. Importantly, despite a common role for Lcn2 in regulating chemokines during mycobacterial pulmonary infections, Lcn2 deficient mice are more susceptible to acute M.bovis BCG, but not low dose M.tuberculosis pulmonary infection.

Lipocalin-2 (LCN2) regulates PLIN5 expression and intracellular lipid droplet formation in the liver

Lipocalin-2 (LCN2) belongs to the superfamily of lipocalins and plays critical roles in the control of cellular homeostasis during inflammation and in responses to cellular stress or injury. In the liver, LCN2 triggers protective effects following acute or chronic injury, and its expression is a reliable indicator of liver damage. However, little is known about LCN2s functions in the homeostasis and metabolism of hepatic lipids or in the development of steatosis. In this study, we fed wild type (WT) and LCN2-deficient (Lcn2(-/-)) mice a methionine- and choline-deficient (MCD) diet as a nutritional model of non-alcoholic steatohepatitis, and compared intrahepatic lipid accumulation, lipid droplet formation, mitochondrial content, and expression of the Perilipin proteins that regulate cellular lipid metabolism. We found that Lcn2(-/-) mice fed an MCD diet accumulated more lipids in the liver than WT controls, and that the basal expression of the lipid droplet coat protein Perilipin 5 (PLIN5, also known as OXPAT) was significantly reduced in these animals. Similarly, the overexpression of LCN2 and PLIN5 were also found in animals that were fed with a high fat diet. Furthermore, the loss of LCN2 and/or PLIN5 in hepatocytes prevented normal intracellular lipid droplet formation both in vitro and in vivo. Restoration of LCN2 in Lcn2(-/-) primary hepatocytes by either transfection or adenoviral vector infection induced PLIN5 expression and restored proper lipid droplet formation. Our data indicate that LCN2 is a key modulator of hepatic lipid homeostasis that controls the formation of intracellular lipid droplets by regulating PLIN5 expression. LCN2 may therefore represent a novel therapeutic drug target for the treatment of liver diseases associated with elevated fat accumulation and steatosis.

Proteomic profiling in Lipocalin 2 deficient mice under normal and inflammatory conditions.

Lipocalin 2 (LCN2) belongs to the superfamily of lipocalins which represent a group of small secreted proteins classified as extracellular transport proteins expressed in many tissues. LCN2 is strongly increased in experimental models of acute and chronic liver injuries. To investigate the function of LCN2 in normal liver homeostasis and under conditions of inflammatory liver injury, we comparatively analyzed hepatic extracts taken from Lcn2-deficient and wild type mice under basal conditions and after stimulation with lipopolysaccharides. Liver was chemically and mechanically lysed and extracts were subjected to 2-D-DIGE after minimal labeling (G200 and G300 dyes) using an appropriate internal standard (G100). Afterwards MALDI TOF MS and MS/MS were used to identify differentially expressed proteins. Proteins that were identified to be differentially expressed include for example the chloride intracellular channel protein 4 (CLIC4), aminoacylase 1 and transketolase. The altered expression of respective genes was confirmed by Western blot analysis and further validated by quantitative real time PCR. Altogether, the complex expression alterations in mice lacking LCN2 under normal conditions and after exposure to inflammatory stimuli reveal that LCN2 has essential function in liver homeostasis and in the onset of inflammatory responses in which LCN2 expression dramatically increases.

Lipocalin 2 binds to membrane phosphatidylethanolamine to induce lipid raft movement in a PKA-dependent manner and modulates sperm maturation

Mammalian sperm undergo multiple maturation steps after leaving the testis in order to become competent for fertilization, but the molecular mechanisms underlying this process remain unclear. In terms of identifying factors crucial for these processes in vivo, we found that lipocalin 2 (Lcn2), which is known as an innate immune factor inhibiting bacterial and malarial growth, can modulate sperm maturation. Most sperm that migrated to the oviduct of wild-type females underwent lipid raft reorganization and glycosylphosphatidylinositol-anchored protein shedding, which are signatures of sperm maturation, but few did so in Lcn2 null mice. Furthermore, we found that LCN2 binds to membrane phosphatidylethanolamine to reinforce lipid raft reorganization via a PKA-dependent mechanism and promotes sperm to acquire fertility by facilitating cholesterol efflux. These observations imply that mammals possess a mode for sperm maturation in addition to the albumin-mediated pathway.