Various physiological stimuli, such as cold environment, diet, and hormones, trigger brown adipose tissue (BAT) to produce heat through sympathetic nervous system (SNS)- and β-adrenergic receptors (βARs). The βAR stimulation increases intracellular cAMP levels through heterotrimeric G proteins and adenylate cyclases, but the processes by which cAMP modulates brown adipocyte function are not fully understood. Here we described that specific ablation of cAMP production in brown adipocytes led to reduced lipolysis, mitochondrial biogenesis, uncoupling protein 1 (Ucp1) expression, and consequently defective adaptive thermogenesis. Elevated cAMP signaling by sympathetic activation inhibited Salt-inducible kinase 2 (Sik2) through protein kinase A (PKA)-mediated phosphorylation in brown adipose tissue. Inhibition of SIKs enhanced Ucp1 expression in differentiated brown adipocytes and Sik2 knockout mice exhibited enhanced adaptive thermogenesis at thermoneutrality in an Ucp1-dependent manner. Taken together, our data indicate that suppressing Sik2 by PKA-mediated phosphorylation is a requisite for SNS-induced Ucp1 expression and adaptive thermogenesis in BAT, and targeting Sik2 may present a novel therapeutic strategy to ramp up BAT thermogenic activity in humans.
Titanium dioxide nanoparticles (TiO2NPs) induce lung inflammation in experimental animals. In this study, we conducted a comprehensive toxicogenomic analysis of lung responses in mice exposed to six individual TiO2NPs exhibiting different sizes (8, 20 and 300nm), crystalline structure (anatase, rutile or anatase/rutile) and surface modifications (hydrophobic or hydrophilic) to investigate whether the mechanisms leading to TiO2NP-induced lung inflammation are property specific. A detailed histopathological analysis was conducted to investigate the long-term disease implications of acute exposure to TiO2NPs. C57BL/6 mice were exposed to 18, 54, 162 or 486 µg of TiO2NPs/mouse via single intratracheal instillation. Controls were exposed to dispersion medium only. Bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) and lung tissue were sampled on 1, 28 and 90 days post-exposure. Although all TiO2NPs induced lung inflammation as measured by the neutrophil influx in BALF, rutile-type TiO2NPs induced higher inflammation with the hydrophilic rutile TiO2NP showing the maximum increase. Accordingly, the rutile TiO2NPs induced higher number of differentially expressed genes. Histopathological analysis of lung sections on Day 90 post-exposure showed increased collagen staining and fibrosis-like changes following exposure to the rutile TiO2NPs at the highest dose tested. Among the anatase, the smallest TiO2NP of 8nm showed the maximum response. The anatase TiO2NP of 300nm was the least responsive of all. The results suggest that the severity of lung inflammation is property specific; however, the underlying mechanisms (genes and pathways perturbed) leading to inflammation were the same for all particle types. While the particle size clearly influenced the overall acute lung responses, a combination of small size, crystalline structure and hydrophilic surface contributed to the long-term pathological effects observed at the highest dose (486 µg/mouse). Although the dose at which the pathological changes were observed is considered physiologically high, the study highlights the disease potential of certain TiO2NPs of specific properties.
Adverse lung effects following pulmonary exposure to multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) are well documented in rodents. However, systemic effects are less understood. Epidemiological studies have shown increased cardiovascular disease risk after pulmonary exposure to airborne particles, which has led to concerns that inhalation exposure to MWCNTs might pose similar risks. We analyzed parameters related to cardiovascular disease, including plasma acute phase response (APR) proteins and plasma lipids, in female C57BL/6 mice exposed to a single intratracheal instillation of 0, 18, 54 or 162μg/mouse of small, entangled (CNTSmall, 0.8±0.1μm long) or large, thick MWCNTs (CNTLarge, 4±0.4μm long). Liver tissues and plasma were harvested 1, 3 and 28days post-exposure. In addition, global hepatic gene expression, hepatic cholesterol content and liver histology were used to assess hepatic effects. The two MWCNTs induced similar systemic responses despite their different physicochemical properties. APR proteins SAA3 and haptoglobin, plasma total cholesterol and low-density/very low-density lipoprotein were significantly increased following exposure to either MWCNTs. Plasma SAA3 levels correlated strongly with pulmonary Saa3 levels. Analysis of global gene expression revealed perturbation of the same biological processes and pathways in liver, including the HMG-CoA reductase pathway. Both MWCNTs induced similar histological hepatic changes, with a tendency towards greater response following CNTLarge exposure. Overall, we show that pulmonary exposure to two different MWCNTs induces similar systemic and hepatic responses, including changes in plasma APR, lipid composition, hepatic gene expression and liver morphology. The results link pulmonary exposure to MWCNTs with risk of cardiovascular disease.
Aim: Wee1 kinase plays a key role in the arrest of G2/M checkpoint that prevents mitotic entry in response to DNA damage. This work is to discover potent Wee1 inhibitors which can be considered valuable. Materials & Methods: Herein, Ensemble docking using multiple crystal structures was considered an effective strategy in the virtual screening. The performance of 17 scoring functions obtained from different docking software was evaluated for molecular docking. Results: Two novel compounds B1 and A2 were identified as Wee1 inhibitors with IC50 values of 10.23 ± 0.505 and 8.72 ± 0.323 μM, respectively. Further cell viability assay demonstrated that the two active compounds exhibited good anticancer activities. Conclusion: This provides a meaningful starting point for further structure optimization to discover more potent Wee1 inhibitors.
'/%3e%3cuse xlink:href='%23a' transform='rotate(23.036 .093 25.536)'/%3e%3cuse xlink:href='%23a' transform='rotate(45.87 1.273 16.18)'/%3e%3cuse xlink:href='%23a' transform='rotate(69.945 .996 12.078)'/%3e%3cuse xlink:href='%23a' transform='rotate(20.66 -19.689 31.932)'/%3e%3c/svg%3e)
