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1. Loss of the seipin gene perturbs eggshell formation in C. elegans

   https://doi.org/10.1242/dev.192997  

   Bai, Xiaofei; Huang, Leng-Jie; Chen, Sheng-Wen; Nebenfuhr, Benjamin; Wysolmerski, Brian; Wu, Jui-Ching; Olson, Sara K.; Golden, Andy; Wang, Chao-Wen (October 2020, Development)

   null (Ed.)

   SEIPIN, an evolutionary conserved protein, plays pivotal roles during lipid droplet (LD) biogenesis and is associated with various human diseases with unclear mechanisms. Here, we analyzed C. elegans mutants deleted of the sole SEIPIN gene, seip-1. Homozygous seip-1 mutants displayed penetrant embryonic lethality, which is caused by the disruption of the lipid-rich permeability barrier, the innermost layer of the C. elegans embryonic eggshell. In C. elegans oocytes and embryos, SEIP-1 is associated with LDs and crucial for controlling LD size and lipid homeostasis. The seip-1 deletion mutants reduced the ratio of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) in their embryonic fatty acid pool. Interestingly, dietary supplementation of selected n-6 PUFAs rescued the embryonic lethality and defective permeability barrier. Accordingly, we propose that SEIP-1 may maternally regulate LD biogenesis and lipid homeostasis to orchestrate the formation of the permeability barrier for eggshell synthesis during embryogenesis. A lipodystrophy allele of seip-1 resulted in embryonic lethality as well and could be rescued by PUFA supplementation; these experiments support a great potential of using C. elegans to model SEIPIN-associated human diseases. 

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2. Exogenous Fatty Acids Remodel Staphylococcus aureus Lipid Composition through Fatty Acid Kinase

   https://doi.org/10.1128/JB.00128-20  

   DeMars, Zachary; Singh, Vineet K.; Bose, Jeffrey L. (June 2020, Journal of Bacteriology)

   Stock, Ann M. (Ed.)

   ABSTRACT Staphylococcus aureus can utilize exogenous fatty acids for phospholipid synthesis. The fatty acid kinase FakA is essential for this utilization by phosphorylating exogenous fatty acids for incorporation into lipids. How FakA impacts the lipid membrane composition is unknown. In this study, we used mass spectrometry to determine the membrane lipid composition and properties of S. aureus in the absence of fakA . We found the fakA mutant to have increased abundance of lipids containing longer acyl chains. Since S. aureus does not synthesize unsaturated fatty acids, we utilized oleic acid (18:1) to track exogenous fatty acid incorporation into lipids. We observed a concentration-dependent incorporation of exogenous fatty acids into the membrane that required FakA. We also tested how FakA and exogenous fatty acids impact membrane-related physiology and identified changes in membrane potential, cellular respiration, and membrane fluidity. To mimic the host environment, we characterized the lipid composition of wild-type and fakA mutant bacteria grown in mouse skin homogenate. We show that wild-type S. aureus can incorporate exogenous unsaturated fatty acids from host tissue, highlighting the importance of FakA in the presence of host skin tissue. In conclusion, FakA is important for maintaining the composition and properties of the phospholipid membrane in the presence of exogenous fatty acids, impacting overall cell physiology. IMPORTANCE Environmental fatty acids can be harvested to supplement endogenous fatty acid synthesis to produce membranes and circumvent fatty acid biosynthesis inhibitors. However, how the inability to use these fatty acids impacts lipids is unclear. Our results reveal lipid composition changes in response to fatty acid addition and when S. aureus is unable to activate fatty acids through FakA. We identify concentration-dependent utilization of oleic acid that, when combined with previous work, provides evidence that fatty acids can serve as a signal to S. aureus . Furthermore, using mouse skin homogenates as a surrogate for in vivo conditions, we showed that S. aureus can incorporate host fatty acids. This study highlights how exogenous fatty acids impact bacterial membrane composition and function. 

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3. Differentiation of mouse embryonic fibroblasts (MEFs) into cardiomyocytes using human-derived cardiac inducing RNA (CIR).

   Lemanski, L.F. (April 2021, Stem cell and regenerative medicine)

   null (Ed.)

   The present study explores an RNA we have discovered in human heart that induces differentiation of mouse embryonic stem cells and human induced pluripotent stem cells into cardiomyocytes in vitro. We have designated this RNA as Cardiac Inducing RNA or CIR. We now find that CIR also induces mouse embryonic fibroblasts (MEF) to form cardiomyocytes in vitro. For these studies, human-derived CIR is transfected into MEF using lipofectamine. The CIR-transfected mouse fibroblasts exhibit spindle-shaped cells, characteristic of myocardial cells in culture, and express cardiac-specific troponin-T and cardiac tropomyosin. As such, the CIR-induced conversion of the fibroblasts into cardiomyocytes in vitro appears to take place without initial dedifferentiation into pluripotent stem cells. Instead, after CIR transfection using a lipofectamine transfection system, over the next 8 days there appears to be a direct transdifferentiation of ˃80% of the cultured fibroblasts into definitive cardiomyocytes. Fewer than ˂7% of the untreated controls using non-active RNA or lipofectamine by itself show cardiomyocyte characteristics. Thus, discovery of CIR may hold significant potential for future use in repair/regeneration of damaged myocardial tissue in humans after myocardial infarction or other disease processes such that affected patients may be able to return to pre-heart-disease activity levels. 

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4. Cardioprotective Effects Of Glycyrrhizin On Hyperglycemic Cardiac Tissues

   Munmun Chattopadhyay, Vikram Thakur (July 2022, Circulation)

   Introduction: Myocardial fibrosis and dysfunction is one of the major cardiac complications of long-term diabetes. Prolonged hyperglycemia is known to induce myocardial dysfunction often leading up to heart failure. Hypothesis: The objective of this study was to investigate the cardioprotective effect of glycyrrhizin (GLC) on myocardial damage in engineered in-vitro human cardiac tissues. Engineered 3D tissue chips present an ideal microenvironment via therapeutically relevant interfaces to study molecular- and cellular-level events and mimic human-specific disease states, and identify new therapeutic targets in vitro. Methods: AC16 human cardiomyocyte cells were used to 3D bioprint cardiac tissue chips based on prior published work. In our study, the 3D bioprinted cardiac tissue chips (CTC) were cultured using normo- (5mM) and hyper-glycemic (25mM) conditions for up to 48 hrs. For the GLC treatment group, a subset of CTC cultured using hyperglycemic conditions were treated with 50 mM of GLC for 24 hours. Results: CTC cultured under hyperglycemic conditions demonstrated altered levels of connexin-43 (CX43) and Troponin-I implying cardiomyocyte injury. Exposure to hyperglycemia revealed changes in epigenetic markers: histone methylation marker (H3K9me)-1, Sirtuin-1, and Histone Deacetylase (HDAC)-2 as well as in inflammatory and stress related mediators such as heat shock protein (HSP)-60, receptor for advanced glycation end products (RAGE), toll like receptor (TLR)-4, high mobility group box (HMGB)-1 and CXC chemokine receptor (CXCR)-4. CTC exposed to 25mM glucose for 24 hours resulted in the downregulation of HSP60 and Sirtuin-1. Prolonged exposure to hyperglycemia led to decrease in the expression of CX43 and CXCR4; thereby adversely affecting cardiomyocyte function. Upregulated expression of DNA-binding nuclear protein HMGB1 along with changes in H3K9me1 indicated long-term hyperglycemia-induced damage to cardiomyocytes. GLC treated CTC exhibited a decrease in the expression of RAGE, TLR4 and also demonstrated altered expression of CX43, CXCR4, and troponin I. Conclusions: This study suggests that GLC possesses cardioprotective effects in human cardiomyocytes exposed to prolonged hyperglycemia. 

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5. TFPa/HADHA is required for fatty acid beta-oxidation and cardiolipin re-modeling in human cardiomyocytes

   https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-019-12482-1  

   Miklas, Jason W.; Clark, Elisa; Levy, Shiri; Detraux, Damien; Leonard, Andrea; Beussman, Kevin; Showalter, Megan R.; Smith, Alec T.; Hofsteen, Peter; Yang, Xiulan; et al (December 2019, Nature Communications)

   null (Ed.)

   Abstract Mitochondrial trifunctional protein deficiency, due to mutations in hydratase subunit A (HADHA), results in sudden infant death syndrome with no cure. To reveal the disease etiology, we generated stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes from HADHA-deficient hiPSCs and accelerated their maturation via an engineered microRNA maturation cocktail that upregulated the epigenetic regulator, HOPX .  Here we report, matured HADHA mutant cardiomyocytes treated with an endogenous mixture of fatty acids manifest the disease phenotype: defective calcium dynamics and repolarization kinetics which results in a pro-arrhythmic state. Single cell RNA-seq reveals a cardiomyocyte developmental intermediate, based on metabolic gene expression. This intermediate gives rise to mature-like cardiomyocytes in control cells but, mutant cells transition to a pathological state with reduced fatty acid beta-oxidation, reduced mitochondrial proton gradient, disrupted cristae structure and defective cardiolipin remodeling. This study reveals that HADHA (tri-functional protein alpha), a monolysocardiolipin acyltransferase-like enzyme, is required for fatty acid beta-oxidation and cardiolipin remodeling, essential for functional mitochondria in human cardiomyocytes. 

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