Glutathione in Cellular Redox Homeostasis: Association with the Excitatory Amino Acid Carrier 1 (EAAC1).

Glutathione (GSH) plays essential roles in different processes such as antioxidant defenses, cell signaling, cell proliferation, and apoptosis in the central nervous system. GSH is a tripeptide composed of glutamate, cysteine, and glycine. The concentration of cysteine in neurons is much lower than that of glutamate or glycine, so that cysteine is the rate-limiting substrate for neuronal GSH synthesis. Most neuronal cysteine uptake is mediated through the neuronal sodium-dependent glutamate transporter, known as excitatory amino acid carrier 1 (EAAC1). Glutamate transporters are vulnerable to oxidative stress and EAAC1 dysfunction impairs neuronal GSH synthesis by reducing cysteine uptake. This may start a vicious circle leading to neurodegeneration. Intracellular signaling molecules functionally regulate EAAC1. Glutamate transporter-associated protein 3-18 (GTRAP3-18) activation down-regulates EAAC1 function. Here, we focused on the interaction between EAAC1 and GTRAP3-18 at the plasma membrane to investigate their effects on neuronal GSH synthesis. Increased level of GTRAP3-18 protein induced a decrease in GSH level and, thereby, increased the vulnerability to oxidative stress, while decreased level of GTRAP3-18 protein induced an increase in GSH level in vitro. We also confirmed these results in vivo. Our studies demonstrate that GTRAP3-18 regulates neuronal GSH level by controlling the EAAC1-mediated uptake of cysteine.

The sodium-dependent glutamate transporter, excitatory amino acid carrier 1 (EAAC1), has been implicated in the regulation of excitatory signaling and prevention of cell death in the nervous system. There is evidence that EAAC1 constitutively cycles on and off the plasma membrane and that under steady state conditions up to 80% of the transporter is intracellular. As is observed with other neurotransmitter transporters, the activity of EAAC1 is regulated by a variety of molecules, and some of these effects are associated with redistribution of EAAC1 on and off the plasma membrane. In the present study we tested the hypothesis that a structural component of lipid rafts, caveolin-1 (Cav-1), may participate in EAAC1 trafficking. Using C6 glioma cells as a model system, co-expression of Cav-1 S80E (a dominant-negative variant) or small interfering RNA-mediated knock-down of caveolin-1 reduced cell surface expression of myc epitope-tagged EAAC1 or endogenous EAAC1, respectively. Cav-1 S80E slowed the constitutive delivery and endocytosis of myc-EAAC1. In primary cultures derived from caveolin-1 knock-out mice, a similar reduction in delivery and internalization of endogenous EAAC1 was observed. We also found that caveolin-1, caveolin-2, or Cav-1 S80E formed immunoprecipitable complexes with EAAC1 in C6 glioma and/or transfected HEK cells. Together, these data provide strong evidence that caveolin-1 contributes to the trafficking of EAAC1 on and off the plasma membrane and that these effects are associated with formation of EAAC1-caveolin complexes.

microRNA (miRNA) is a small non-coding RNA molecule that plays a role in the post-transcriptional regulation of gene expression. Recent evidence shows that miRNAs are involved in various diseases,including neurodegenerative diseases (NDs) such as: Parkinson's disease,Alzheimer's disease,Huntington's disease,Amyotrophic lateral sclerosisand multiple system atrophy (MSA). The initiation and progression of NDs is generally considered to be induced by oxidative stress arising from an imbalance of oxidants and antioxidants. One of the most important antioxidants against oxidative stress is glutathione (GSH),which is a tripeptide composed of cysteine,glutamate and glycine. Among these precursor amino acids,cysteine is the determinant of neuronal GSH synthesis. Cysteine uptake in the neurons is mostly mediated by excitatory amino acid carrier 1 (EAAC1),a member of the sodium-dependent excitatory amino acid transporters. Interestingly,it has been reported that one miRNA,miR-96-5p,regulates the neuroprotective effect of GSH by directly regulating EAAC1 expression. Furthermore,the expressions of miR-96-5p and its target EAAC1 are specifically deregulated in the brains of patients with MSA,suggesting that deregulated miR-96-5p induces MSA via EAAC1 down-regulation. Since miR-96-5p regulation of EAAC1 expression and GSH level is indicated to be under circadian control,a greater understanding of rhythmic miRNA regulation could lead to the use of miRNA in chronotherapy for ND. In this review,we focus on the role of miRNA in the mechanism of GSH synthesis and metabolism; particularly with respect to a critical transport system of its rate-limiting substrate via EAAC1,as well as on the implications and chronotherapeutic potential of miRNA for NDs.

The brain is among the major organs generating large amounts of reactive oxygen species and is especially susceptible to oxidative stress. Glutathione (GSH) plays critical roles as an antioxidant, enzyme cofactor, cysteine storage form, the major redox buffer, and a neuromodulator in the central nervous system. GSH deficiency has been implicated in neurodegenerative diseases. GSH is a tripeptide comprised of glutamate, cysteine, and glycine. Cysteine is the rate-limiting substrate for GSH synthesis within neurons. Most neuronal cysteine uptake is mediated by sodium-dependent excitatory amino acid transporter (EAAT) systems, known as excitatory amino acid carrier 1 (EAAC1). Previous studies demonstrated EAAT is vulnerable to oxidative stress, leading to impaired function. A recent study found EAAC1-deficient mice to have decreased brain GSH levels and increased susceptibility to oxidative stress. The function of EAAC1 is also regulated by glutamate transporter associated protein 3-18. This review focuses on the mechanisms underlying GSH synthesis, especially those related to neuronal cysteine transport via EAAC1, as well as on the importance of GSH functions against oxidative stress.

It is well appreciated that reactive oxygen species (ROS) are deleterious to mammals, including humans, especially when generated in abnormally large quantities from cellular metabolism. Whereas the mechanisms leading to the production of ROS are rather well delineated, the mechanisms underlying tissue susceptibility or tolerance to oxidant stress remain elusive. Through an experimental selection over many generations, we have previously generated Drosophila melanogaster flies that tolerate tremendous oxidant stress and have shown that the family of antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) is over-represented in these tolerant flies. Furthermore, we have also demonstrated that overexpression of even one AMP at a time (e.g. Diptericin) allows wild-type flies to survive much better in hyperoxia. In this study, we used a number of experimental approaches to investigate the potential mechanisms underlying hyperoxia tolerance in flies with AMP overexpression. We demonstrate that flies with Diptericin overexpression resist oxidative stress by increasing antioxidant enzyme activities and preventing an increase in ROS levels after hyperoxia. Depleting the GSH pool using buthionine sulfoximine limits fly survival, thus confirming that enhanced survival observed in these flies is related to improved redox homeostasis. We conclude that 1) AMPs play an important role in tolerance to oxidant stress, 2) overexpression of Diptericin changes the cellular redox balance between oxidant and antioxidant, and 3) this change in redox balance plays an important role in survival in hyperoxia.

Systemic L-buthionine-S-R-sulfoximine administration modulates glutathione homeostasis via NGF/TrkA and mTOR signaling in the cerebellum

Neuregulin 1 (NRG1) exhibits potent neuroprotective properties. The aim of the present study was to investigate the antioxidative effects and underlying mechanisms of NRG1 against H2O2-induced oxidative stress in primary rat cortical neurons. The expression level of the excitatory amino acid carrier 1 (EAAC1) protein was measured by Western blotting and immunocytochemistry. The levels of lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) release, reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation, superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity, GPx activity, and mitochondrial membrane potential (∆ψm) were determined to examine cell death and the antioxidant properties of NRG1 in primary rat cortical neurons. H2O2 reduced the expression of EAAC1 in a dose-dependent manner. We found that pretreatment with NRG1 attenuated the H2O2-induced reduction in EAAC1 expression. Moreover, NRG1 reduced the cell death and oxidative stress induced by H2O2. In addition, NRG1 attenuated H2O2-induced reductions in antioxidant enzyme activity and ∆ψm. Our data indicate a role for NRG1 in protecting against oxidative stress via the regulation of EAAC1. These observations may provide novel insights into the mechanisms of NRG1 activity during oxidative stress and may reveal new therapeutic targets for regulating the oxidative stress associated with various neurological diseases.

Glutathione (GSH) is a key antioxidant that plays an important neuroprotective role in the brain. Decreased GSH levels are associated with neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson’s disease and Alzheimer’s disease. Here we show that a diurnal fluctuation of GSH levels is correlated with neuroprotective activity against oxidative stress in dopaminergic cells. In addition, we found that the cysteine transporter excitatory amino acid carrier 1 (EAAC1), which is involved in neuronal GSH synthesis, is negatively regulated by the microRNA miR-96-5p, which exhibits a diurnal rhythm. Blocking miR-96-5p by intracerebroventricular administration of an inhibitor increased the level of EAAC1 as well as that of GSH and had a neuroprotective effect against oxidative stress in the mouse substantia nigra. Our results suggest that the diurnal rhythm of miR-96-5p may play a role in neuroprotection by regulating neuronal GSH levels via EAAC1.

Several studies have demonstrated that excitatory amino acid carrier-1 (EAAC1) gene deletion exacerbates hippocampal and cortical neuronal death after ischemia. However, presently there are no studies investigating the role of EAAC1 in hippocampal neurogenesis. In this study, we tested the hypothesis that reduced cysteine transport into neurons by EAAC1 knockout negatively affects adult hippocampal neurogenesis under physiological or pathological states. This study used young mice (aged 3–5 months) and aged mice (aged 11–15 months) of either the wild-type (WT) or EAAC1−/− genotype. Ischemia was induced through the occlusion of bilateral common carotid arteries for 30 minutes. Histological analysis was performed at 7 or 30 days after ischemia. We found that both young and aged mice with loss of the EAAC1 displayed unaltered cell proliferation and neuronal differentiation, as compared to age-matched WT mice under ischemia-free conditions. However, neurons generated from EAAC1−/− mice showed poor survival outcomes in both young and aged mice. In addition, deletion of EAAC1 reduced the overall level of neurogenesis, including cell proliferation, differentiation, and survival after ischemia. The present study demonstrates that EAAC1 is important for the survival of newly generated neurons in the adult brain under physiological and pathological conditions. Therefore, this study suggests that EAAC1 plays an essential role in modulating hippocampal neurogenesis.

Glutamate is the major excitatory neurotransmitter in the mammalian central nervous system (CNS). In addition to functioning as a neurotransmitter at the majority of brain synapses, it is the substrate for synthesis of the major inhibitory transmitter ┛-aminobutyric acid (GABA). However, glutamate is also a neurotoxin, and a number of molecular control mechanisms are responsible for maintaining extracellular glutamate below excitotoxic levels. Na+-dependent excitatory amino acid transporters (EAATs) are crucial regulators of extracellular glutamate and also act to control the dynamics of excitatory transmission in the CNS (Danbolt, 2001). The Na+-dependent excitatory amino acid carrier 1 (EAAC1) is expressed in the somata and dendrites of many neuronal types, including pyramidal cells of the hippocampal formation and cortex, and many subtypes of GABAergic inhibitory neurons (Rothstein et al., 1994). The physiological significance of EAAC1 is unclear because the subcellular distribution and kinetic properties of this transporter would not allow for a substantial contribution to glutamate clearance from the synaptic cleft; rather, these functions are mediated by glial EAATs (EAAT1 and EAAT2) located in the perisynaptic region. Recent studies have demonstrated multiple functions for EAAC1 distinct from clearance of glutamate from CNS synapses (Kiryu-Seo et al., 2006; Levenson et al., 2002; Peghini et al., 1997; Sepkuty et al., 2002). For example, decreased EAAC1 expression in the CNS impairs neuronal glutathione (GSH) synthesis, leading to oxidative stress and agedependent neurodegeneration (Aoyama et al., 2006), suggesting that aberrant EAAC1 expression contributes to the pathogenesis of neurodegenerative diseases.

Although there have been substantial advances in knowledge regarding the mechanisms of neuron death after stroke, effective therapeutic measures for stroke are still insufficient. Excitatory amino acid carrier 1 (EAAC1) is a type of neuronal glutamate transporter and considered to have an additional action involving the neuronal uptake of cysteine, which acts as a crucial substrate for glutathione synthesis. Previously, our lab demonstrated that genetic deletion of EAAC1 leads to decreased neuronal glutathione synthesis, increased oxidative stress, and subsequent cognitive impairment. Therefore, we hypothesized that reduced neuronal transport of cysteine due to deletion of the EAAC1 gene might exacerbate neuronal injury and impair adult neurogenesis in the hippocampus after transient cerebral ischemia. EAAC1 gene deletion profoundly increased ischemia-induced neuronal death by decreasing the antioxidant capacity. In addition, genetic deletion of EAAC1 also decreased the overall neurogenesis processes, such as cell proliferation, differentiation, and survival, after cerebral ischemia. These studies strongly support our hypothesis that EAAC1 is crucial for the survival of newly generated neurons, as well as mature neurons, in both physiological and pathological conditions. Here, we present a comprehensive review of the role of EAAC1 in neuronal death and neurogenesis induced by ischemic stroke, focusing on its potential cellular and molecular mechanisms.

Excitatory amino acid carrier 1 (EAAC1) is an important subtype of excitatory amino acid transporters (EAATs) and is the route for neuronal cysteine uptake. CoCl2 is not only a hypoxia-mimetic reagent but also an oxidative stress inducer. Here, we found that CoCl2 induced significant EAAC1 overexpression in SH-SY5Y cells and the hippocampus of mice. Transient transfection of EAAC1 reduced CoCl2-induced cytotoxicity in SH-SY5Y cells. Based on this result, upregulation of EAAC1 expression by CoCl2 is thought to represent a compensatory response against oxidative stress in an acute hypoxic state. We further demonstrated that pretreatment with Neuregulin-1 (NRG1) rescued CoCl2-induced upregulation of EAAC1 and tau expression. NRG1 plays a protective role in the CoCl2-induced accumulation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and reduction in antioxidative enzyme (SOD and GPx) activity. Moreover, NRG1 attenuated CoCl2-induced apoptosis and cell death. NRG1 inhibited the CoCl2-induced release of cleaved caspase-3 and reduction in Bcl-XL levels. Our novel finding suggests that NRG1 may play a protective role in hypoxia through the inhibition of oxidative stress and thereby maintain normal EAAC1 expression levels.

The life cycle of plants is regulated by ethylene in numerous ways, including adaptations to biotic and abiotic stimuli, flower growth, fruit ripening, senescence, and seed germination. As a result, it is crucial for interactions to the environment that directly affect a plant’s capacity for adaptability and reproduction. Major progress has been made in recent years in our knowledge of the molecular mechanisms controlling the synthesis and activity of ethylene. The gaseous plant hormone ethylene is produced via a straightforward two-step biosynthesis process. Despite the simplicity of this route, current molecular and genetic investigations have shown that ethylene production regulation is far more complex and takes place at various layers. The homeostasis of ethylene’s general precursor S-adenosyl-L-methionine (SAM), which is subject to transcriptional and post translational control of its synthesizing enzymes (SAM synthetase), as well as the metabolic flux through the nearby Yang cycle, are closely related to each other. Two specific enzymes, 1 aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylic (ACS) synthase and ACC oxidase, continue ethylene production from SAM (ACO). In order for plant electron transport cascades to function effectively, both the oxidized and reduced forms of electron carriers must be present simultaneously. This requirement is known as redox positioning, which entails the transfer of electrons to molecular oxygen from various places in the respiratory and photosynthetic electron transport chains. During the course of a plant’s lifetime, adverse environmental conditions like drought, high or low temperature, heavy metal stress, etc., cause the development of superoxide, which in turn gives rise to additional reactive oxygen species (ROS). Ascorbate, a further hydrophilic redox buffer produced by plant cells, shields the plants from oxidative stress. The redox homeostasis is also governed by sizable pools of antioxidants. Additionally, tocopherol is an effective scavenger of ROS like singlet oxygen because it is a liposoluble redox buffer. Additionally, proteinaceous thiol members, including the electron transporters and energy metabolism mediators phosphorylated (NADP) and non-phosphorylated (NAD+) coenzyme forms, interact with ROS, metabolize, and maintain redox homeostasis. Examples include thioredoxin, peroxiredoxin, and glutaredoxin. ACC synthase (ACS), ACC oxidase, and aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylic (ACC) synthase (ACO).This review focuses on important new findings and incorporates knowledge of ethylene production and redox homeostasis in several plant species.

Excitatory amino acid carrier 1 (EAAC1) is a glutamate transporter expressed on mature neurons in the CNS, and is the primary route for uptake of the neuronal cysteine needed to produce glutathione (GSH). Parkinson's disease (PD) is a neurodegenerative disorder pathogenically related to oxidative stress and shows GSH depletion in the substantia nigra (SN). Herein, we report that 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine (MPTP)-treated mice, an experimental model of PD, showed reduced motor activity, reduced GSH contents, EAAC1 translocation to the membrane and increased levels of nitrated EAAC1. These changes were reversed by pre-administration of n-acetylcysteine (NAC), a membrane-permeable cysteine precursor. Pretreatment with 7-nitroindazole, a specific neuronal nitric oxide synthase inhibitor, also prevented both GSH depletion and nitrotyrosine formation induced by MPTP. Pretreatment with hydrogen peroxide, L-aspartic acid beta-hydroxamate or 1-methyl-4-phenylpyridinium reduced the subsequent cysteine increase in midbrain slice cultures. Studies with chloromethylfluorescein diacetate, a GSH marker, demonstrated dopaminergic neurons in the SN to have increased GSH levels after NAC treatment. These findings suggest that oxidative stress induced by MPTP may reduce neuronal cysteine uptake, via EAAC1 dysfunction, leading to impaired GSH synthesis, and that NAC would exert a protective effect against MPTP neurotoxicity by maintaining GSH levels in dopaminergic neurons.

Aerobic organisms generate reactive oxygen species as metabolic side products and must achieve a delicate balance between using them for signaling cellular functions and protecting against collateral damage. Small molecule (e.g. glutathione and cysteine)- and protein (e.g. thioredoxin)-based buffers regulate the ambient redox potentials in the various intracellular compartments, influence the status of redox-sensitive macromolecules, and protect against oxidative stress. Less well appreciated is the fact that the redox potential of the extracellular compartment is also carefully regulated and is dynamic. Changes in intracellular metabolism alter the redox poise in the extracellular compartment, and these are correlated with cellular processes such as proliferation, differentiation, and death. In this minireview, the mechanism of extracellular redox remodeling due to intracellular sulfur metabolism is discussed in the context of various cell-cell communication paradigms.