Autophagy-inducing Peptide Research Articles

TAT-beclin1 treatment accelerates the development of atherosclerotic lesions in ApoE-deficient mice.

The importance of autophagy in atherosclerosis has garnered significant attention regarding the potential applications of autophagy inducers. However, the impact of TAT-Beclin1, a peptide inducer of autophagy, on the development of atherosclerotic plaques remains unclear. Single-cell omics analysis indicates a notable reduction in GAPR1 levels within fibroblasts, stromal cells, and macrophages during atherosclerosis. Tat-beclin1 (T-B), an autophagy-inducing peptide derived from Beclin1, could selectively bind to GAPR1, relieving its inhibition on Beclin1 and thereby augmenting autophagosome formation. To investigate its impact on atherosclerosic plaque progression, we established the ApoE-/- mouse model of carotid atherosclerotic plaques. Surprisingly, intravenous administration of Tat-beclin1 dramatically accelerated the development of carotid artery plaques. Immunofluorescence analysis suggested that macrophage aggregation and autophagosome formation within atherosclerotic plaques were significantly increased upon T-B treatment. However, immunofluorescence and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) analysis revealed a reduction in autophagy flux through lysosomes. Invitro, the interaction between T-B and GAPR1 was confirmed in RAW264.7 cells, resulting in the increased accumulation of p62/SQSTM1 and LC3-II in the presence of ox-LDL. Additionally, T-B treatment elevated the protein levels of p62/SQSTM1, LC3-II, and cleaved caspase 1, along with the secretion of IL-1β in response to ox-LDL exposure. In summary, our study underscores that T-B treatment amplifies abnormal autophagy and inflammation, consequently exacerbating atherosclerotic plaque development in ApoE-/- mice.

Neuronal autosis is Na+/K+-ATPase alpha 3-dependent and involved in hypoxic-ischemic neuronal death

Macroautophagy (hereafter called autophagy) is an essential physiological process of degradation of organelles and long-lived proteins. The discovery of autosis, a Na+/K+-ATPase (ATP1)-dependent type of autophagic cell death with specific morphological and biochemical features, has strongly contributed to the acceptance of a pro-death role of autophagy. However, the occurrence and relevance of autosis in neurons has never been clearly investigated, whereas we previously provided evidence that autophagy mechanisms could be involved in neuronal death in different in vitro and in vivo rodent models of hypoxia-ischemia (HI) and that morphological features of autosis were observed in dying neurons following rat perinatal cerebral HI. In the present study, we demonstrated that neuronal autosis could occur in primary cortical neurons using two different stimulations enhancing autophagy flux and neuronal death: a neurotoxic concentration of Tat-BECN1 (an autophagy-inducing peptide) and a hypoxic/excitotoxic stimulus (mimicking neuronal death induced by cerebral HI). Both stimulations induce autophagic neuronal death (dependent on canonical autophagic genes and independent on apoptotic, necroptotic or ferroptotic pathways) with all morphological and biochemical (ATP1a-dependent) features of autosis. However, we demonstrated that autosis is not dependent on the ubiquitous subunit ATP1a1 in neurons, as in dividing cell types, but on the neuronal specific ATP1a3 subunit. We also provided evidence that, in different in vitro and in vivo models where autosis is induced, ATP1a3-BECN1 interaction is increased and prevented by cardiac glycosides treatment. Interestingly, an increase in ATP1a3-BECN1 interaction is also detected in dying neurons in the autoptic brains of human newborns with severe hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy (HIE). Altogether, these results suggest that ATP1a3-BECN1-dependent autosis could play an important role in neuronal death in HI conditions, paving the way for the development of new neuroprotective strategies in hypoxic-ischemic conditions including in severe case of human HIE.

Systemic administration of a novel Beclin 1-derived peptide significantly upregulates autophagy in the spinal motor neurons of autophagy reporter mice

Autophagy, an intracellular degradation system, plays a vital role in protecting cells by clearing damaged organelles, pathogens, and protein aggregates. Autophagy upregulation through pharmacological interventions has gained significant attention as a potential therapeutic avenue for proteinopathies. Here, we report the development of an autophagy-inducing peptide (BCN4) derived from the Beclin 1 protein, the master regulator of autophagy. To deliver the BCN4 into cells and the central nervous system (CNS), it was conjugated to our previously developed cell and blood–brain barrier-penetrating peptide (CPP). CPP-BCN4 significantly upregulated autophagy and reduced protein aggregates in motor neuron (MN)-like cells. Moreover, its systemic administration in a reporter mouse model of autophagy resulted in a significant increase in autophagy activity in the spinal MNs. Therefore, this novel autophagy-inducing peptide with a demonstrated ability to upregulate autophagy in the CNS has significant potential for the treatment of various neurodegenerative diseases with protein aggregates as a characteristic feature.

Development of NP-Based Universal Vaccine for Influenza A Viruses.

The nucleoprotein (NP) is a vital target for the heterosubtypic immunity of CD8+ cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTLs) due to its conservation among influenza virus subtypes. To further enhance the T cell immunity of NP, autophagy-inducing peptide C5 (AIP-C5) from the CFP10 protein of Mycobacterium tuberculosis was used. Mice were immunized intranasally (i.n.) with human adenoviral vectors, HAd-C5-NP(H7N9) or HAd-NP(H7N9), expressing NP of an H7N9 influenza virus with or without the AIP-C5, respectively. Both vaccines developed similar levels of NP-specific systemic and mucosal antibody titers; however, there was a significantly higher number of NP-specific CD8 T cells secreting interferon-gamma (IFN-γ) in the HAd-C5-NP(H7N9) group than in the HAd-NP(H7N9) group. The HAd-C5-NP(H7N9) vaccine provided better protection following the challenge with A/Puerto Rico/8/1934(H1N1), A/Hong Kong/1/68(H3N2), A/chukkar/MN/14951-7/1998(H5N2), A/goose/Nebraska/17097/2011(H7N9), or A/Hong Kong/1073/1999(H9N2) influenza viruses compared to the HAd-NP(H7N9) group. The autophagy transcriptomic gene analysis of the HAd-C5-NP(H7N9) group revealed the upregulation of some genes involved in the positive regulation of the autophagy process. The results support further exploring the use of NP and AIP-C5 for developing a universal influenza vaccine for pandemic preparedness.

Impact of an autophagy-inducing peptide on immunogenicity and protection efficacy of an adenovirus-vectored SARS-CoV-2 vaccine

Because of continual generation of new variants of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), it is critical to design the next generation of vaccines to combat the threat posed by SARS-CoV-2 variants. We developed human adenovirus (HAd) vector-based vaccines (HAd-Spike/C5 and HAd-Spike) that express the whole Spike (S)protein of SARS-CoV-2 with or without autophagy-inducing peptide C5 (AIP-C5), respectively. Mice or golden Syrian hamsters immunized intranasally (i.n.) with HAd-Spike/C5 induced similar levels of S-specific humoral immune responses and significantly higher levels of S-specific cell-mediated immune (CMI) responses compared with HAd-Spike vaccinated groups. These results indicated that inclusion of AIP-C5 induced enhanced S-specific CMI responses and similar levels of virus-neutralizing titers against SARS-CoV-2 variants. To investigate the protection efficacy, golden Syrian hamsters immunized i.n. either with HAd-Spike/C5 or HAd-Spike were challenged with SARS-CoV-2. The lungs and nasal turbinates were collected 3, 5, 7, and 14days post challenge. Significant reductions in morbidity, virus titers, and lung histopathological scores were observed in immunized groups compared with the mock- or empty vector-inoculated groups. Overall, slightly better protection was seen in the HAd-Spike/C5 group compared with the HAd-Spike group.

Abstract 1375: Paranuclear retention of c-KIT by Merkel cell polyomavirus large T-antigen suppresses autophagy through interaction with Beclin 1 essential for Merkel cell carcinoma cell survival

Abstract Merkel cell carcinoma (MCC) is a very aggressive skin cancer most commonly caused by Merkel cell polyomavirus (MCPyV). While the strong expression of the human proto-oncogene c-KIT in MCC is well established, the functional relevance of this expression is unknown. Here, we demonstrate that paranuclear presence of c-KIT suppresses autophagy which is essential for maintenance of MCC cells. Specifically, after its phosphorylation, c-KIT traffics by clathrin-dependent endocytosis to late endosomes where it is sequestered in the paranuclear compartment by the MCPyV-encoded large transforming antigen (LT) via its Vam6p binding site, which also blocks c-KIT's lysosomal degradation. In this paranuclear compartment, c-KIT interacts directly with both the BH3 and the evolutionarily conserved domain (ECD) of Beclin 1, decreasing its binding to VPS34 and increasing its binding to BCL2, resulting in suppression of autophagy. Indeed, silencing of c-KIT induces autophagy and apoptosis in MCPyV-positive MCC cell lines. It is noteworthy that the positive feedback loop of LT and c-KIT also applies in the reverse direction, as LT is degraded via autophagy. This notion explains why an autophagy-inducing peptide efficiently induces apoptosis-independent cell death and inhibits tumor growth of MCC xenografts in mice. In conclusion, we identified a novel mechanism of MCPyV LT to suppress autophagy through sequestering and stabilizing c-KIT in the paranuclear compartment, which is mandatory to maintain the oncogenic phenotype of MCC cells. Autophagy-inducing agents therefore represent a therapeutic strategy for patients with advanced MCPyV-associated MCC. Citation Format: Hao Shi, Yajie Yang, Catharina Larsson, Weng-Onn Lui. Paranuclear retention of c-KIT by Merkel cell polyomavirus large T-antigen suppresses autophagy through interaction with Beclin 1 essential for Merkel cell carcinoma cell survival [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2023; Part 1 (Regular and Invited Abstracts); 2023 Apr 14-19; Orlando, FL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2023;83(7_Suppl):Abstract nr 1375.

Adjusting Heterodimeric Coiled-Coils (K/E Zipper) to Connect Autophagy-Inducing Peptide with Cell-Penetrating Peptide.

A connection of a functional peptide with a cell-penetrating peptide (CPP) used a heterodimeric coiled-coil as a molecular zipper can improve the intracellular delivery and activity of the functional peptide. However, the chain length of the coiled coil required for functioning as the molecular zipper is unknown at present. To solve the problem, we prepared an autophagy-inducing peptide (AIP) that conjugates with the CPP via heterodimeric coiled-coils consisting of 1 to 4 repeating units (K/E zipper; AIP-Kn and En-CPP), and we investigated the optimum length of the K/E zipper for effective intracellular delivery and autophagy induction. Fluorescence spectroscopy showed that K/E zippers with n = 3 and 4 formed a stable 1:1 hybrid (AIP-K3/E3-CPP and AIP-K4/E4-CPP, respectively). Both AIP-K3 and AIP-K4 were successfully delivered into cells by the corresponding hybrid formation with K3-CPP and K4-CPP, respectively. Interestingly, autophagy was also induced by the K/E zippers with n = 3 and 4, more intensively by the former than by the latter. The peptides and K/E zippers used in this study did not show significant cytotoxicity. These results indicate that the effective induction of autophagy occurs via an exquisite balance of the association and dissociation of the K/E zipper in this system.

Activation of Autophagic Flux Maintains Mitochondrial Homeostasis during Cardiac Ischemia/Reperfusion Injury.

Reperfusion injury after extended ischemia accounts for approximately 50% of myocardial infarct size, and there is no standard therapy. HDAC inhibition reduces infarct size and enhances cardiomyocyte autophagy and PGC1α-mediated mitochondrial biogenesis when administered at the time of reperfusion. Furthermore, a specific autophagy-inducing peptide, Tat-Beclin 1 (TB), reduces infarct size when administered at the time of reperfusion. However, since SAHA affects multiple pathways in addition to inducing autophagy, whether autophagic flux induced by TB maintains mitochondrial homeostasis during ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury is unknown. We tested whether the augmentation of autophagic flux by TB has cardioprotection by preserving mitochondrial homeostasis both in vitro and in vivo. Wild-type mice were randomized into two groups: Tat-Scrambled (TS) peptide as the control and TB as the experimental group. Mice were subjected to I/R surgery (45 min coronary ligation, 24 h reperfusion). Autophagic flux, mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA), mitochondrial morphology, and mitochondrial dynamic genes were assayed. Cultured neonatal rat ventricular myocytes (NRVMs) were treated with a simulated I/R injury to verify cardiomyocyte specificity. The essential autophagy gene, ATG7, conditional cardiomyocyte-specific knockout (ATG7 cKO) mice, and isolated adult mouse ventricular myocytes (AMVMs) were used to evaluate the dependency of autophagy in adult cardiomyocytes. In NRVMs subjected to I/R, TB increased autophagic flux, mtDNA content, mitochondrial function, reduced reactive oxygen species (ROS), and mtDNA damage. Similarly, in the infarct border zone of the mouse heart, TB induced autophagy, increased mitochondrial size and mtDNA content, and promoted the expression of PGC1α and mitochondrial dynamic genes. Conversely, loss of ATG7 in AMVMs and in the myocardium of ATG7 cKO mice abolished the beneficial effects of TB on mitochondrial homeostasis. Thus, autophagic flux is a sufficient and essential process to mitigate myocardial reperfusion injury by maintaining mitochondrial homeostasis and partly by inducing PGC1α-mediated mitochondrial biogenesis.

Design and Evaluation of Autophagy-Inducing Particles for the Treatment of Abnormal Lipid Accumulation.

Autophagy is a fundamental housekeeping process by which cells degrade their components to maintain homeostasis. Defects in autophagy have been associated with aging, neurodegeneration and metabolic diseases. Non-alcoholic fatty liver diseases (NAFLDs) are characterized by hepatic fat accumulation with or without inflammation. No treatment for NAFLDs is currently available, but autophagy induction has been proposed as a promising therapeutic strategy. Here, we aimed to design autophagy-inducing particles, using the autophagy-inducing peptide (Tat-Beclin), and achieve liver targeting in vivo, taking NAFLD as a model disease. Polylactic acid (PLA) particles were prepared by nanoprecipitation without any surfactant, followed by surface peptide adsorption. The ability of Tat-Beclin nanoparticles (NP T-B) to modulate autophagy and to decrease intracellular lipid was evaluated in vitro by LC3 immunoblot and using a cellular model of steatosis, respectively. The intracellular localization of particles was evaluated by transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Finally, biodistribution of fluorescent NP T-B was evaluated in vivo using tomography in normal and obese mice. The results showed that NP T-B induce autophagy with a long-lasting and enhanced effect compared to the soluble peptide, and at a ten times lower dose. Intracellular lipid also decreased in a cellular model of NAFLD after treatment with T-B and NP T-B under the same dose conditions. Ultrastructural studies revealed that NP T-B are internalized and located in endosomal, endolysosomal and autolysosomal compartments, while in healthy and obese mice, NP T-B could accumulate for several days in the liver. Given the beneficial effects of autophagy-inducing particles in vitro, and their capacity to target the liver of normal and obese mice, NP T-B could be a promising therapeutic tool for NAFLDs, warranting further in vivo investigation.

Abstract 13433: Enhancing Autophagic Flux Maintains Mitochondrial Homeostasis in Cardiac Ischemia/Reperfusion Injury

Introduction and Hypothesis: Histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibition enhances cardiomyocyte autophagic activity, mitochondria biogenesis, and blunts ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury when given at the time of reperfusion. Similarly, augmentation of autophagic flux using a specific autophagy-inducing peptide, Tat-Beclin (TB), is cardioprotective by reducing infarct ~50% and improved systolic function. TB increases autophagic flux and reduced reactive oxygen species (ROS) in the infarct border zone, which is abolished in ATG7 KO mice. We will test whether TB cleans damaged mitochondria and induces mitochondrial biogenesis during cardiac I/R injury. Methods: 8-12-week-old, wild-type, C57BL6 mice were randomized into two groups: TB and Tat-Scrambled (TS) control peptide. Each group was subjected to I/R surgery (45min ischemia, 24h reperfusion). Mitochondrial abundance, quality, and dynamics were assayed. In addition, cultured adult mouse ventricular myocytes (AMVMs) from conditional cardiomyocyte ATG7 knockout (ATG7 KO) and control mice, and neonatal rat ventricular myocytes (NRVMs) treated with ATG7 and control siRNA were used to evaluate the role of autophagy. Results: TB increased mitochondria DNA (mtDNA) content in the border zone significantly. In NRVMs subjected to I/R, TB reduced cell death by ~40%, decreased ROS, and increased mtDNA content significantly by ~50%. TB also increased the intact mtDNA significantly. Moreover, TB promoted the expression of PGC1α (a major driver of mitochondrial biogenesis) both in the infarct border zone and NRVMs subjected to I/R by ~40%, and increased levels of mitochondrial dynamics gene transcripts Drp1, Fis1, and MFN1 / 2. Conversely, ATG7 knockdown in NRVMs and cardiomyocyte-specific ATG7 KO in myocardium abolished the beneficial effects of TB on mtDNA content. To test the changes in the myocardium are cardiomyocyte-specific, we verified the effects of TB and the loss of ATG7 in isolated AMVMs. Conclusions: Autophagic flux is an essential process to mitigate myocardial reperfusion injury acting, at least in part, by inducing PGC1α-mediated mitochondrial biogenesis. Augmentation of autophagic flux may emerge as a viable clinical therapy to reduce I/R injury in myocardial infarction.

A manganese (II)-based coordinative dendrimer with robust efficiency in intracellular peptide delivery

Peptides have gained increasing interests as drug candidates in modern pharmaceutical industry, however, the development of peptide drugs acting on intracellular targets is limited due to their membrane impermeability. Here, we reported the use of metal-terpyridine based coordinative dendrimer for cytosolic peptide delivery. Among the investigated transition metal ions, Mn2+-coordinated polymer showed the highest delivery efficiency due to balanced peptide binding and release. It showed robust efficiency in the delivery of peptides with different charge property and hydrophobicity into various primary cells. The efficiency of Mn2+-terpyridine based polymer is superior to cell penetrating peptides such as oligoarginines. The material also delivered an autophagy-inducing peptide derived from Beclin-1 into cells and efficiently induced autophagy in the cells. This study provides a promising alternative to cell penetrating peptides for cytosolic peptide delivery.

A recombinant bovine adenoviral mucosal vaccine expressing mycobacterial antigen-85B generates robust protection against tuberculosis in mice

SummaryAlthough the BCG vaccine offers partial protection, tuberculosis remains a leading cause of infectious disease death, killing ∼1.5 million people annually. We developed mucosal vaccines expressing the autophagy-inducing peptide C5 and mycobacterial Ag85B-p25 epitope using replication-defective human adenovirus (HAdv85C5) and bovine adenovirus (BAdv85C5) vectors. BAdv85C5-infected dendritic cells (DCs) expressed a robust transcriptome of genes regulating antigen processing compared to HAdv85C5-infected DCs. BAdv85C5-infected DCs showed enhanced galectin-3/8 and autophagy-dependent in vitro Ag85B-p25 epitope presentation to CD4 T cells. BCG-vaccinated mice were intranasally boosted using HAdv85C5 or BAdv85C5 followed by infection using aerosolized Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb). BAdv85C5 protected mice against tuberculosis both as a booster after BCG vaccine (>1.4-log10 reduction in Mtb lung burden) and as a single intranasal dose (>0.5-log10 reduction). Protection was associated with robust CD4 and CD8 effector (TEM), central memory (TCM), and CD103+/CD69+ lung-resident memory (TRM) T cell expansion, revealing BAdv85C5 as a promising mucosal vaccine for tuberculosis.

Activation of Autophagic Flux Blunts Cardiac Ischemia/Reperfusion Injury.

[Figure: see text].

Pepscan mapping of autophagy-inducing peptides of the glycoprotein of infectious hematopoietic necrosis virus and the effect on viral replication in vitro

Infectious hematopoietic necrosis virus (IHNV) is the main pathogen threatening the aquaculture used by the salmonid industry worldwide. Our previous study showed that IHNV infection induced autophagy activation in epithelioma papulosum cyprinid (EPC) cells, but the relationship between IHNV infectivity and autophagy induction had not yet been addressed. To investigate this question, IHNV was inactivated by ultraviolet (UV) irradiation and the complete protein sequence of IHNV glycoprotein was segmented by pepscan into 43 peptides. The induction of autophagy was analyzed by transmission electron microscopy, confocal fluorescence microscopy, flow cytometry, and western blotting. The results show that UV-inactivated IHNV and viral glycoprotein can induce autophagosome formation, obvious punctate clusters of LC3-II and an elevated LC3-II to LC3-I ratio. All these results suggested that UV-inactivated IHNV and viral glycoprotein can induce autophagy independently of viral infectivity. The flow cytometry and western blotting results show that EPC cells treated with peptide p108 displayed an obvious induction of autophagy (LC3-II increased by approximately 2.5-fold). The cells pretreated with peptide p108 showed a significant inhibition of intracellular viral mRNA replication levels and extracellular viral yields of IHNV. These results suggest that peptide p108 could be a promising drug for use in IHNV prevention, and they lay a new foundation for anti-IHNV drug development.

Autophagy-inducing peptide increases CHO cell monoclonal antibody production in batch and fed-batch cultures.

The development of generic biopharmaceuticals is increasing the pressures for enhanced bioprocess productivity and yields. Autophagy ("self-eating") is a cellular process that allows cells to mitigate stresses such as nutrient deprivation. Reputed autophagy inhibitors have also been shown to increase autophagic flux under certain conditions, and enhance recombinant protein productivity in Chinese Hamster Ovary (CHO) cultures. Since peptides are commonly added to bioprocess culture media in hydrolysates, we evaluated the impact on productivity of an autophagy-inducing peptide (AIP), derived from the cellular autophagy protein Beclin 1. This was analyzed in CHO cell batch and fed-batch serum-free cultures producing a human Immunoglobulin G1 (IgG1). Interestingly, the addition of 1-4 µM AIP enhanced productivity in a concentration-dependent manner. Cell-specific productivity increased up to 1.8-fold in batch cultures, while in fed-batch cultures a maximum twofold increase in IgG concentration was observed. An initial drop in cell viability also occurred before cultures recovered normal growth. Overall, these findings strongly support the value of investigating the effects of autophagy pathway modulation, and in particular, the use of this AIP medium additive to increase CHO cell biotherapeutic protein production and yields.

Abstract 14412: Activation of Autophagic Flux Maintains Mitochondrial Homeostasis During Cardiac Ischemia/reperfusion Injury

Background and Hypothesis: Reperfusion injury accounts for ~50% of myocardial infarct size, and clinically efficacious therapies are lacking. Histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibition enhances cardiomyocyte autophagic activity, mitochondria biogenesis, and blunts ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury when given at the time of reperfusion. However, as HDAC inhibition has pleiotropic effects, we will test whether augmentation of autophagic flux using a specific autophagy-inducing peptide, Tat-Beclin (TB), is cardioprotective. Methods: 8-12-week-old, wild-type, C57BL6 mice were randomized into three groups: vehicle control, Tat-Scrambled (TS) peptide, or Tat-Beclin (TB) peptide. Each group was subjected to I/R surgery (45min ischemia, 24h reperfusion). Infarct size, systolic function, and mitochondrial dynamics were assayed. Cultured neonatal rat ventricular myocytes (NRVMs) were used to test for cardiomyocyte specificity. Conditional cardiomyocyte ATG7 knockout (ATG7 KO) mice and ATG7 knockdown by siRNA in NRVMs were used to evaluate the role of autophagy. Results: TB treatment at reperfusion reduced infarct size by 20.1±6.3% (n=23, p<0.02) and improved systolic function. Increased autophagic flux and reduced reactive oxygen species (ROS) were observed in the infarct border zone. The cardioprotective effects of TB were abolished in ATG7 KO mice. TB increased mtDNA content in the border zone significantly. In NRVMs subjected to I/R, TB reduced cell death by 41±6% (n=12, p<0.001), decreased ROS, and increased mtDNA content significantly by ~50%. Moreover, TB promoted expression of PGC1α (a major driver of mitochondrial biogenesis) both in the infarct border zone and NRVMs subjected to I/R by ~40%, and increased levels of mitochondrial dynamics gene transcripts Drp1, Fis1, and MFN1 / 2. Conversely, ATG7 knockdown in NRVMs and cardiac ATG7 KO abolished the beneficial effects of TB on mitochondria DNA content. Conclusions: Autophagic flux is an essential process to mitigate myocardial reperfusion injury acting, at least in part, by inducing PGC1α-mediated mitochondrial biogenesis. Augmentation of autophagic flux may emerge as a viable clinical therapy to reduce reperfusion injury in myocardial infarction.

Impaired Vps34 complex activity-mediated autophagy inhibition contributes to endothelial progenitor cells damage in the ischemic conditions

AimsEndothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) are widely accepted to be applied in ischemic diseases. However, the therapeutic potency is largely impeded because of its inviability in these ischemic conditions. Autophagy is recognized to be vital in cell activity. Therefore, we explore the role and the mechanism of autophagy in ischemic EPCs. Methods and resultsWe applied 7d-cultured bone marrow EPCs to investigate the autophagy status under the oxygen and glucose deprivation (OGD) conditions in vitro, mimicking the in-vivo harsh ischemia and anoxia microenvironment. We found increased EPC apoptosis, accompanied by an impaired autophagy activation. Intriguingly, mTOR inhibitor Rapamycin was incapable to reverse this damped autophagy and EPC damage. We further found that autophagy pathway downstream Vps34-Beclin1-Atg14 complex assembly and activity were impaired in OGD conditions, and an autophagy-inducing peptide Tat-Beclin1 largely recovered the impaired complex activity and attenuated OGD-stimulated EPC injury through restoring autophagy activation. ConclusionsThe present study discovered that autophagy activation is inhibited when EPCs located in the ischemia and anoxia conditions. Restoration of Vps34 complex activity obtains sufficient autophagy, thus promoting EPC survival, which will provide a potential target and advance our understanding of autophagy manipulation in stem cell transplantation.

Selective cell death of latently HIV-infected CD4+ T cells mediated by autosis inducing nanopeptides

Despite significant advances in the treatment of human immunodeficiency virus type-1 (HIV) infection, antiretroviral therapy only suppresses viral replication but is unable to eliminate infection. Thus, discontinuation of antiretrovirals results in viral reactivation and disease progression. A major reservoir of HIV latent infection resides in resting central memory CD4+ T cells (TCM) that escape clearance by current therapeutic regimens and will require novel strategies for elimination. Here, we evaluated the therapeutic potential of autophagy-inducing peptides, Tat-Beclin 1 and Tat-vFLIP-α2, which can induce a novel Na+/K+-ATPase dependent form of cell death (autosis), to kill latently HIV-infected TCM while preventing virologic rebound. In this study, we encapsulated autophagy inducing peptides into biodegradable lipid-coated hybrid PLGA (poly lactic-co-glycolic acid) nanoparticles for controlled intracellular delivery. A single dose of nanopeptides was found to eliminate latent HIV infection in an in vitro primary model of HIV latency and ex vivo using resting CD4+ T cells obtained from peripheral blood mononuclear cells of HIV-infected patients on antiretroviral with fully suppressed virus for greater than 12 months. Notably, increased LC3B lipidation, SQSTM1/p62 degradation and Na+/K+-ATPase activity characteristic of autosis, were detected in nanopeptide treated latently HIV-infected cells compared to untreated uninfected or infected cells. Nanopeptide-induced cell death could be reversed by knockdown of autophagy proteins, ATG5 and ATG7, and inhibition or knockdown of Na+/K+-ATPase. Importantly, viral rebound was not detected following the induction of the Na+/K+-ATPase dependent form of cell death induced by the Tat-Beclin 1 and Tat-vFLIP-α2 nanopeptides. These findings provide a novel strategy to eradicate HIV latently infected resting memory CD4+ T cells, the major reservoir of HIV latency, through the induction of Na+/K+-ATPase dependent autophagy, while preventing reactivation of virus and new infection of uninfected bystander cells.

Melanin-like nanoparticles decorated with an autophagy-inducing peptide for efficient targeted photothermal therapy

Photothermal therapy efficiently ablates tumors via hyperthermia but inevitably induces serious side effects including thermal damage to normal tissues, inflammations and enhanced risk of tumor metastasis. In this study, we fabricated a dual peptide decorated melanin-like nanoparticle for tumor-targeted and autophagy-promoted photothermal therapy in pursuit of improved cancer treatment. The multifunctional nanoparticle was composed of dual peptide RGD- and beclin 1-modified and PEGylated melanin-like polydopamine nanoparticles. Beclin 1-derived peptide modified on the nanoparticle up-regulated autophagy in cancer cells and further sensitized the tumors to photothermal ablation. RGD decorated on the particle surface enhanced the selectivity and cellular uptake of polydopamine nanoparticles by breast cancer cells. In vivo therapeutic experiments revealed that the tumor-targeted and autophagy promotion-associated photothermal therapy efficiently regressed tumors at a low temperature around 43 °C. The study provides a novel and efficient strategy to improve the efficiency of photothermal therapy via the up-regulation of autophagy in tumor cells.

Bidirectional Control of Autophagy by BECN1 BARA Domain Dynamics

Membrane targeting of the BECN1-containing class III PI 3-kinase (PI3KC3) complexes is pivotal to the regulation of autophagy. The interaction of PI3KC3 complex II and its ubiquitously expressed inhibitor, Rubicon, was mapped to the first β sheet of the BECN1 BARA domain and the UVRAG BARA2 domain by hydrogen-deuterium exchange and cryo-EM. These data suggest that the BARA β sheet 1 unfolds to directly engage the membrane. This mechanism was confirmed using protein engineering, giant unilamellar vesicle assays, and molecular simulations. Using this mechanism, a BECN1 β sheet-1 derived peptide activates both PI3KC3 complexes I and II, while HIV-1 Nef inhibits complex II. These data reveal how BECN1 switches on and off PI3KC3 binding to membranes. The observations explain how PI3KC3 inhibition by Rubicon, activation by autophagy-inducing BECN1 peptides, and inhibition by HIV-1 Nef are mediated by the switchable ability of the BECN1 BARA domain to partially unfold and insert into membranes.