Type I interferon restrains interleukin-1β (IL-1β)-driven inflammation in macrophages by upregulating cholesterol-25-hydroxylase (Ch25h) and repressing SREBP transcription factors. However, the ...molecular links between lipid metabolism and IL-1β production remain obscure. Here, we demonstrate that production of 25-hydroxycholesterol (25-HC) by macrophages is required to prevent inflammasome activation by the DNA sensor protein absent in melanoma 2 (AIM2). We find that in response to bacterial infection or lipopolysaccharide (LPS) stimulation, macrophages upregulate Ch25h to maintain repression of SREBP2 activation and cholesterol synthesis. Increasing macrophage cholesterol content is sufficient to trigger IL-1β release in a crystal-independent but AIM2-dependent manner. Ch25h deficiency results in cholesterol-dependent reduced mitochondrial respiratory capacity and release of mitochondrial DNA into the cytosol. AIM2 deficiency rescues the increased inflammasome activity observed in Ch25h−/−. Therefore, activated macrophages utilize 25-HC in an anti-inflammatory circuit that maintains mitochondrial integrity and prevents spurious AIM2 inflammasome activation.
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•Ch25h upregulation in activated macrophages restricts cholesterol biosynthesis•High cholesterol synthesis leads to AIM2-dependent inflammasome activation•Elevated cholesterol causes impaired mitochondrial metabolism and mtDNA release•25-HC maintains mitochondrial integrity and prevents AIM2 inflammasome activation
Cholesterol overload directly triggers mitochondrial DNA release and activation of the AIM2 inflammasome in activated macrophages.
Sphingolipids have garnered attention for their role in insulin resistance and lipotoxic cell death. We have developed transgenic mice inducibly expressing acid ceramidase that display a reduction in ...ceramides in adult mouse tissues. Hepatic overexpression of acid ceramidase prevents hepatic steatosis and prompts improvements in insulin action in liver and adipose tissue upon exposure to high-fat diet. Conversely, overexpression of acid ceramidase within adipose tissue also prevents hepatic steatosis and systemic insulin resistance. Induction of ceramidase activity in either tissue promotes a lowering of hepatic ceramides and reduced activation of the ceramide-activated protein kinase C isoform PKCζ, though the induction of ceramidase activity in the adipocyte prompts more rapid resolution of hepatic steatosis than overexpression of the enzyme directly in the liver. Collectively, our observations suggest the existence of a rapidly acting “cross-talk” between liver and adipose tissue sphingolipids, critically regulating glucose metabolism and hepatic lipid uptake.
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•Ceramides play a causal role in diet-induced NAFLD•Degradation of ceramides in liver results in improved glucose and lipid metabolism•Degradation of ceramide in fat results in improved glucose and lipid metabolism•Ceramide promotes PKCζ activation and CD36-mediated lipid uptake in the liver
Xia et al. reveal a “cross-talk” between the liver and adipose tissue using mice that inducibly express acid ceramidase, which triggers the deacylation of ceramides in these tissues. Decreased ceramide levels result in reduced activation of the ceramide-activated protein kinase C zeta, leading to reduced hepatic steatosis and improved insulin action.
Type I interferon (IFN) protects against viruses, yet it also has a poorly understood suppressive influence on inflammation. Here, we report that activated mouse macrophages lacking the ...IFN-stimulated gene cholesterol 25-hydroxylase (Ch25h) and that are unable to produce the oxysterol 25-hydroxycholesterol (25-HC) overproduce inflammatory interleukin-1 (IL-1) family cytokines. 25-HC acts by antagonizing sterol response element–binding protein (SREBP) processing to reduce Il1b transcription and to broadly repress IL-1–activating inflammasomes. In accord with these dual actions of 25-HC, Ch25h-deficient mice exhibit increased sensitivity to septic shock, exacerbated experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis, and a stronger ability to repress bacterial growth. These findings identify an oxysterol, 25-HC, as a critical mediator in the negative-feedback pathway of IFN signaling on IL-1 family cytokine production and inflammasome activity.
To date, estrogen is the only known endogenous estrogen receptor (ER) ligand that promotes ER+ breast tumor growth. We report that the cholesterol metabolite 27-hydroxycholesterol (27HC) stimulates ...MCF-7 cell xenograft growth in mice. More importantly, in ER+ breast cancer patients, 27HC content in normal breast tissue is increased compared to that in cancer-free controls, and tumor 27HC content is further elevated. Increased tumor 27HC is correlated with diminished expression of CYP7B1, the 27HC metabolizing enzyme, and reduced expression of CYP7B1 in tumors is associated with poorer patient survival. Moreover, 27HC is produced by MCF-7 cells, and it stimulates cell-autonomous, ER-dependent, and GDNF-RET-dependent cell proliferation. Thus, 27HC is a locally modulated, nonaromatized ER ligand that promotes ER+ breast tumor growth.
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•27HC stimulates ER+ breast tumor growth in mice•27HC is increased in human ER+ breast tumors•Tumor CYP7B1 expression is negatively associated with prognosis•27HC causes cell-autonomous, ER-dependent, and RET-dependent proliferation
Resistance to endocrine-based therapies against estrogen-receptor (ER)-positive breast cancer is common. In this study, Shaul and colleagues show that the cholesterol metabolite 27-hydroxycholesterol (27HC) is a locally modulated, nonaromatized ER ligand that promotes ER+ breast tumor growth. 27HC content is abundant in ER+ tumors in women; this is related to diminished expression of the 27HC metabolizing enzyme CYP7B1, and reduced tumor CYP7B1 predicts poor survival. Strategies to lower 27HC may aid in the treatment of ER+ breast cancer.
Animal cells acquire cholesterol from receptor-mediated uptake of low-density lipoprotein (LDL), which releases cholesterol in lysosomes. The cholesterol moves to the endoplasmic reticulum (ER), ...where it inhibits production of LDL receptors, completing a feedback loop. Here we performed a CRISPR-Cas9 screen in human SV589 cells for genes required for LDL-derived cholesterol to reach the ER. We identified the gene encoding PTDSS1, an enzyme that synthesizes phosphatidylserine (PS), a phospholipid constituent of the inner layer of the plasma membrane (PM). In PTDSS1-deficient cells where PS is low, LDL cholesterol leaves lysosomes but fails to reach the ER, instead accumulating in the PM. The addition of PS restores cholesterol transport to the ER. We conclude that LDL cholesterol normally moves from lysosomes to the PM. When the PM cholesterol exceeds a threshold, excess cholesterol moves to the ER in a process requiring PS. In the ER, excess cholesterol acts to reduce cholesterol uptake, preventing toxic cholesterol accumulation. These studies reveal that one lipid—PS—controls the movement of another lipid—cholesterol—between cell membranes. We relate these findings to recent evidence indicating that PM-to-ER cholesterol transport is mediated by GRAMD1/Aster proteins that bind PS and cholesterol.
Tissue-resident and recruited macrophages contribute to both host defense and pathology. Multiple macrophage phenotypes are represented in diseased tissues, but we lack deep understanding of ...mechanisms controlling diversification. Here, we investigate origins and epigenetic trajectories of hepatic macrophages during diet-induced non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH). The NASH diet induced significant changes in Kupffer cell enhancers and gene expression, resulting in partial loss of Kupffer cell identity, induction of Trem2 and Cd9 expression, and cell death. Kupffer cell loss was compensated by gain of adjacent monocyte-derived macrophages that exhibited convergent epigenomes, transcriptomes, and functions. NASH-induced changes in Kupffer cell enhancers were driven by AP-1 and EGR that reprogrammed LXR functions required for Kupffer cell identity and survival to instead drive a scar-associated macrophage phenotype. These findings reveal mechanisms by which disease-associated environmental signals instruct resident and recruited macrophages to acquire distinct gene expression programs and corresponding functions.
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•Myeloid cell diversity in NASH is associated with distinct microanatomical niches•Reprogramming of LXR activity leads to impaired Kupffer cell identify and survival•ATF3 collaborates with LXRs to promote a scar-associated macrophage phenotype•Altered enhancer landscapes enable inference of disease mechanisms
Kupffer cells and recruited myeloid cells contribute to the pathology of nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), but molecular mechanisms specifying their distinct identities and functions are not known. Seidman and colleagues address this problem by defining cell- and disease-specific enhancer landscapes that enable inference of key transcription factors that drive myeloid cell diversity in NASH.
Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a chronic inflammatory skin disease characterized by skin dryness, inflammation, and itch. A major hallmark of AD is an elevation of the immune cytokines IL-4 and IL-13. ...These cytokines lead to skin barrier disruption and lipid abnormalities in AD, yet the underlying mechanisms are unclear. Sebaceous glands are specialized sebum-producing epithelial cells that promote skin barrier function by releasing lipids and antimicrobial proteins to the skin surface. Here, we show that in AD, IL-4 and IL-13 stimulate the expression of 3β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase 1 (HSD3B1), a key rate-limiting enzyme in sex steroid hormone synthesis, predominantly expressed by sebaceous glands in human skin. HSD3B1 enhances androgen production in sebocytes, and IL-4 and IL-13 drive lipid abnormalities in human sebocytes and keratinocytes through HSD3B1. Consistent with our findings in cells, HSD3B1 expression is elevated in the skin of AD patients and can be restored by treatment with the IL-4Rα monoclonal antibody, Dupilumab. Androgens are also elevated in a mouse model of AD, though the mechanism in mice remains unclear. Our findings illuminate a connection between type 2 immunity and sex steroid hormone synthesis in the skin and suggest that abnormalities in sex steroid hormone synthesis may underlie the disrupted skin barrier in AD. Furthermore, targeting sex steroid hormone synthesis pathways may be a therapeutic avenue to restoring normal skin barrier function in AD patients.
Low-density lipoprotein nanoparticles reconstituted with the natural omega-3 fatty acid, docosahexaenoic acid (LDL-DHA), have been reported to selectively kill hepatoma cells and reduce the growth of ...orthotopic liver tumors in the rat. To date, little is known about the cell death pathways by which LDL-DHA nanoparticles kill tumor cells. Here we show that the LDL-DHA nanoparticles are cytotoxic to both rat hepatoma and human hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) cell lines. Following LDL-DHA treatment both rat and human HCC cells experience pronounced lipid peroxidation, depletion of glutathione and inactivation of the lipid antioxidant glutathione peroxidase-4 (GPX4) prior to cell death. Inhibitor studies revealed that the treated HCC cells die independent of apoptotic, necroptotic or autophagic pathways, but require the presence of cellular iron. These hallmark features are consistent and were later confirmed to reflect ferroptosis, a novel form of nonapoptotic iron-dependent cell death. In keeping with the mechanisms of ferroptosis cell death, GPX4 was also found to be a central regulator of LDL-DHA induced tumor cell killing. We also investigated the effects of LDL-DHA treatments in mice bearing human HCC tumor xenografts. Intratumoral injections of LDL-DHA severely inhibited the growth of HCC xenografts long term. Consistent with our in vitro findings, the LDL-DHA treated HCC tumors experienced ferroptotic cell death characterized by increased levels of tissue lipid hydroperoxides and suppression of GPX4 expression. Conclusion: LDL-DHA induces cell death in HCC cells through the ferroptosis pathway, this represents a novel molecular mechanism of anticancer activity for LDL-DHA nanoparticles.
•LDL-DHA nanoparticles are cytotoxic to hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) cells.•LDL-DHA treatments induce lipid peroxidation and depletion of GSH and GPX4 in HCC cells.•LDL-DHA treated HCC cells undergo ferroptosis cell death, unlike free DHA which kill HCC cells by apoptosis.•HCC tumors treated with LDL-DHA nanoparticles also experience ferroptotic cell death.
Animal cells control their membrane lipid composition within narrow limits, but the sensing mechanisms underlying this control are largely unknown. Recent studies disclosed a protein network that ...controls the level of one lipid—cholesterol. This network resides in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER). A key component is Scap, a tetrameric ER membrane protein that binds cholesterol. Cholesterol binding prevents Scap from transporting SREBPs to the Golgi for activation. Using a new method to purify ER membranes from cultured cells, we show that Scap responds cooperatively to ER cholesterol levels. When ER cholesterol exceeds 5% of total ER lipids (molar basis), SREBP-2 transport is abruptly blocked. Transport resumes when ER cholesterol falls below the 5% threshold. The 5% threshold is lowered to 3% when cells overexpress Insig-1, a Scap-binding protein. Cooperative interactions between cholesterol, Scap, and Insig create a sensitive switch that controls the cholesterol composition of cell membranes with remarkable precision.
Oncogenes influence nutrient metabolism and nutrient dependence. The oncogene c-Myc stimulates glutamine metabolism and renders cells dependent on glutamine to sustain viability ("glutamine ...addiction"), suggesting that treatments targeting glutamine metabolism might selectively kill c-Myc-transformed tumor cells. However, many current or proposed cancer therapies interfere with the metabolism of glucose, not glutamine. Here, we studied how c-Myc-transformed cells maintained viability when glucose metabolism was impaired. In SF188 glioblastoma cells, glucose deprivation did not affect net glutamine utilization but elicited a switch in the pathways used to deliver glutamine carbon to the tricarboxylic acid cycle, with a large increase in the activity of glutamate dehydrogenase (GDH). The effect on GDH resulted from the loss of glycolysis because it could be mimicked with the glycolytic inhibitor 2-deoxyglucose and reversed with a pyruvate analogue. Furthermore, inhibition of Akt signaling, which facilitates glycolysis, increased GDH activity whereas overexpression of Akt suppressed it, suggesting that Akt indirectly regulates GDH through its effects on glucose metabolism. Suppression of GDH activity with RNA interference or an inhibitor showed that the enzyme is dispensable in cells able to metabolize glucose but is required for cells to survive impairments of glycolysis brought about by glucose deprivation, 2-deoxyglucose, or Akt inhibition. Thus, inhibition of GDH converted these glutamine-addicted cells to glucose-addicted cells. The findings emphasize the integration of glucose metabolism, glutamine metabolism, and oncogenic signaling in glioblastoma cells and suggest that exploiting compensatory pathways of glutamine metabolism can improve the efficacy of cancer treatments that impair glucose utilization.
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