MG-132 enhances MSCs survival and IL-10 secretion under hypoxia and serum deprivation condition / 生理学报

Bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have emerged as attractive candidates for cellular therapies for heart and other organ-system disorders. However, a major dilemma in stem cell therapy for ischemic heart diseases is the low survival of transplanted cells in the ischemic and peri-infarcted region. In this study, MSCs were treated by hypoxia and serum deprivation (H/SD) to mimic the ischemic microenvironment of infarcted hearts where MSCs were transplanted. The effects of proteasome inhibitor MG-132 on H/SD-induced apoptosis and paracrine effects were investigated. Apoptosis of MSCs was detected by Annexin V-FITC flow cytometric analysis. Transcriptional levels of IL-1β, TNF-α and IL-10 were examined by real-time PCR. The nuclear translocation of NF-κBp65 was assessed by immunocytochemical staining. Translational changes of IL-1β and TNF-α were detected by Western blot. The secretion of IL-10 from MSCs was examined by ELISA assay. The results showed that MG-132 could effectively suppress H/SD-induced MSCs apoptosis. Furthermore, the induced IL-1β and TNF-α transcription was also inhibited by MG-132 treatment, which may be due to the inhibition of NF-κBp65 nuclear translocation by MG-132. Importantly, MG-132 effectively enhanced H/SD-induced transcription and secretion of IL-10, which is an important paracrine factor from MSCs. Our findings suggest that pretreatment of MSCs by MG-132 before cell transplantation may be an effective strategy to improve cell survival and enhance paracrine effects of MSCs.

Function and biological activities of the autotaxin-LPA axis / 生理学报

Autotaxin (ATX), a member of nucleotide pyrophosphatase/phosphodiesterase (NPP) family, is also named as phosphodiesterase Iα (PD-Iα) or NPP2. ATX is the unique member among the NPPs that can function as a lysophospholipase D (lysoPLD), converting lysophosphatidylcholine into lysophosphatidic acid (LPA). LPA acts on specific G-protein-coupled receptors to elicit a wide range of cellular response, including cell proliferation, cell migration and cell contraction, etc. As the major LPA-producing phospholipase, many ATX's features and functions are dependent on the production of LPA. ATX and LPA together form the ATX-LPA functional axis. The present review summarizes the current progress in function and biological activities of ATX-LPA axis.