PERK信号通路介导结肠癌细胞对5-氟尿嘧啶耐药机制的研究

目的:观察PERK蛋白对结肠癌细胞药物敏感性的影响，并进一步探讨其相关作用机制。方法:结肠癌细胞系HCT116分为三组:空白对照（Control）组、下调PERK表达（si-PERK）组、阴性对照（si-NC）组；采用免疫荧光及RT-PCR验证转染效率；利用CCK-8实验检测下调PERK表达后结肠癌细胞对化疗药物5-FU的敏感性变化；Annexin V-FITC凋亡实验检测下调PERK表达对结肠癌细胞凋亡的影响；利用RT-PCR及Western Blot实验检测PERK信号通路中关键分子eIF2α、ATF4、CHOP、XIAP的mRNA及蛋白表达变化。结果:RT-PCR实验表明:与正常对照组相比，si-PERK 组mRNA的表达显著下降（P＜0.05）,免疫荧光提示转染效率达80%以上；CCK-8实验发现与si-NC组相比，5-FU对 si-PERK组细胞的半数抑制浓度（IC50）明显降低（P＜0.01）；Annexin V-FITC凋亡实验发现与si-NC组相比，si-PERK组细胞的凋亡发生率显著升高（P＜0.05）；RT-PCR及Western Blot实验发现与si-NC组相比，si-PERK组细胞中PERK信号通路下游关键分子eIF2α、ATF4、CHOP的mRNA及蛋白表达均明显降低（P＜0.05）。结论:在结肠癌细胞中，抑制PERK表达后，其可能通过下调eIF2α、ATF4、CHOP的表达促进细胞发生凋亡，从而促进细胞对化疗药物5-FU的敏感性。     

吸烟COPD模型大鼠肺组织内质网相关凋亡蛋白CHOP的表达

目的:研究吸烟所致慢性阻塞性肺疾病(COPD)模型大鼠肺组织CCAAT/增强子结合蛋白同源蛋白(CHOP)表达的情况。方法:40只成年雄性Wistar大鼠随机分为对照组、吸烟2个月组、吸烟4个月组及戒烟组。采用单纯被动吸烟法复制大鼠COPD模型,测各组大鼠0.3秒用力呼气容积与用力肺活量比(FEV0.3/FVC)和最高峰值流速(PEF);采用TUNEL法检测肺结构细胞凋亡情况;采用原位杂交和RT-PCR检测肺组织CHOP的mRNA表达水平;免疫组化和Western blot检测其蛋白质水平;同时采用Western blot检测蛋白激酶R样内质网激酶(PERK)、p-PERK、真核生物起始因子(e IF)2α和p-e IF2α的蛋白水平。结果:大鼠吸烟2个月后,肺功能较对照组明显下降(P0.05),肺结构细胞凋亡明显增加,凋亡细胞主要是肺泡上皮细胞、血管内皮细胞和支气管上皮细胞,肺结构出现破坏;吸烟4个月后,FEV0.3/FVC显著下降(P0.05),肺结构凋亡细胞进一步增加,肺结构破坏明显;戒烟组肺功能较4个月组稍好转,肺结构破坏仍明显。与对照组相比,p-PERK、p-e IF2α和CHOP表达在吸烟2个月大鼠中升高(P0.05),在吸烟4个月大鼠中进一步升高(P0.05);戒烟组大鼠CHOP较吸烟4个月大鼠稍下降但差异无统计学意义;PERK和e IF2α在各组大鼠中表达的差异无统计学显著性。肺结构细胞凋亡与CHOP表达呈正相关;结论:吸烟可通过PERK/e IF2α/CHOP信号通路促进CHOP表达,从而促进COPD的发生与发展。     

Sorafenib,a multikinase inhibitor,induces formation of stress granules in hepatocarcinoma cells

Stress granules (SGs) are cytoplasmic RNA multimeric bodies that form under stress conditions known to inhibit translation initiation. In most reported stress cases, the formation of SGs was associated with the cell recovery from stress and survival. In cells derived from cancer, SGs formation was shown to promote resistance to either proteasome inhibitors or 5-Fluorouracil used as chemotherapeutic agents. Despite these studies, the induction of SGs by chemotherapeutic drugs contributing to cancer cells resistance is still understudied. Here we identified sorafenib, a tyrosine kinase inhibitor used to treat hepatocarcinoma, as a potent chemotherapeutic inducer of SGs. The formation of SGs in sorafenib-treated hepatocarcionoma cells correlates with inhibition of translation initiation; both events requiring the phosphorylation of the translation initiation factor eIF2α. Further characterisation of the mechanism of sorafenib-induced SGs revealed PERK as the main eIF2α kinase responsible for SGs formation. Depletion experiments support the implication of PERK-eIF2α-SGs pathway in hepatocarcinoma cells resistance to sorafenib. This study also suggests the existence of an unexpected complex regulatory balance between SGs and phospho-eIF2α where SGs dampen the activation of the phospho-eIF2α-downstream ATF4 cell death pathway.     

PERK/CHOP contributes to the CGK733-induced vesicular calcium sequestration which is accompanied by non-apoptotic cell death

Calcium ions (Ca²⁺) are indispensable for the physiology of organisms and the molecular regulation of cells. We observed that CGK733, a synthetic chemical substance, induced non-apoptotic cell death and stimulated reversible calcium sequestration by vesicles in pancreatic cancer cells. The endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress eukaryotic translation initiation factor 2-alpha kinase 3/C/EBP homologous protein (PERK/CHOP) signaling pathway was shown to be activated by treatment with CGK733. Ionomycin, an ER stress drug and calcium ionophore, can activate PERK/CHOP signaling and accelerate CGK733-induced calcium sequestration. Knockdown of CHOP diminished CGK733-induced vesicular calcium sequestration, but had no effects on the cell death. Proteomic analysis demonstrated that the ER-located calcium-binding proteins, calumenin and protein S100-A11, were altered in CGK733-treated cells compared to non-treated controls. Our study reveals that CGK733-induced intracellular calcium sequestration is correlated with the PERK/CHOP signaling pathway and may also be involved in the dysregulations of calcium-binding proteins.