Browsing by Subject "Reactive Oxygen Species"
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Item Characterizing the Role of the E. Coli Cytochrome Oxidase AppBCX During Intestinal Inflammation(August 2021) Chanin, Rachael Beth; Sperandio, Vanessa; Winter, Sebastian E.; Pfeiffer, Julie K.; Moreland, JessicaDuring non-infectious colitis, oral antibiotic treatment, and enteric infection, changes in colonocyte metabolism allow for increased oxygen availability in the gut lumen, supporting the growth of facultative anaerobic bacteria primarily from the family Enterobacteriaceae. Additionally, recruitment of inflammatory cells, especially neutrophils, has also been shown to influence local oxygen levels. The oxidative burst mounted by neutrophils consumes oxygen, which in turn creates a hyper-hypoxic microenvironment. These two seemingly contradictory findings remain to be reconciled. The findings described here delineate an additional mechanism that helps explain these seemingly contradictory observations on oxygen availability and bacterial respiratory processes during non-infectious colitis. The picture emerging from our work is that reactive oxygen species (ROS) generated by the NADPH oxidase 1 (NOX1) at the epithelial interface serve as a local source of oxygen. Specifically, H2O2 deriving from epithelial NOX1, is detoxified via bacterial catalases to molecular oxygen. Facultative anaerobic bacteria can then respire this pool of oxygen. In this work, we have used commensal strains of E. coli as representative members of Enterobacteriaceae, a family of facultative anaerobic bacteria that is observed to outgrow during episodes of inflammation. In particular, we have studied the physiological function of the cytochrome bd oxidase, AppBCX. Using both chemical and genetic models of non-infectious colitis we have shown that it allows E. coli to utilize low levels of oxygen early in inflammation. Additionally, we have characterized the regulation of this enzyme in vivo highlighting the delicate balance between growth and survival during oxidative and nitrosative stress.Item Fibulin-5 Promotes Pancreatic Tumor Growth through Inhibition of Integrin-induced ROS: Insights into Tumor-Matrix Signaling(2016-07-18) Topalovski, Mary; Terada, Lance; Cobb, Melanie H.; Abrams, John M.; Brekken, Rolf A.Elevated oxidative stress is an aberration seen in many solid tumors, and exploiting this biochemical difference has the potential to enhance the efficacy of anti-cancer agents. Homeostasis of reactive oxygen species (ROS) is important for normal cell function, but excessive production of ROS can result in cellular toxicity and therefore ROS levels must be balanced finely. Here, we highlight the relationship between the extracellular matrix and ROS production by reporting a novel function of the matricellular protein Fibulin-5 (Fbln5). We found that Fbln5 is abundantly expressed in mouse and human pancreatic cancer compared to normal pancreas. By employing genetically engineered mouse models of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDA), we showed that mutation of the integrin-binding domain of Fbln5 led to decreased tumor growth, increased survival, and enhanced chemoresponse to standard PDA therapies. Through mechanistic investigations, we found that improved survival was due to increased levels of oxidative stress in Fbln5 mutant tumors. Furthermore, loss of the Fbln5-integrin interaction augmented fibronectin (FN) signaling, driving integrin-induced ROS production in a 5-lipooxygenase-dependent manner. These data indicate that Fbln5 promotes PDA progression by functioning as a molecular rheostat that modulates cell-ECM interactions to reduce ROS production and thus tip the balance in favor of tumor cell survival and treatment-refractory disease. The latter part of this thesis is focused on the underlying mechanism that leads to upregulation of Fbln5 in PDA. The deposition of ECM is a defining feature of PDA where ECM signaling can promote cancer cell survival and epithelial plasticity programs. ECM-mediated signaling is governed by expression of the ECM proteins, the presence of cell surface receptors and the expression and activity of matricellular proteins that function as extracellular adaptors to reduce ECM-cell interaction. As stated above, Fbln5 is a matricellular protein that blocks FN-integrin interaction and thus directly limits ECM-driven ROS production and supports PDA progression. Compared to normal pancreatic tissue, Fbln5 is expressed abundantly in the stroma of PDA; however, the mechanisms underlying the stimulation of Fbln5 expression in PDA are undefined. Using in vitro and in vivo approaches, we report that hypoxia triggers Fbln5 expression in a transforming growth factor β (TGF-β)- and PI3K-dependent manner. Pharmacologic inhibition of TGF-β receptor (TGF-βR), PI3K, or protein kinase B (AKT) was found to block hypoxia-induced Fbln5 expression in mouse embryonic fibroblasts and 3T3 fibroblasts. Moreover, tumor-associated fibroblasts from mouse PDA were also responsive to TGF-βR and PI3K/Akt inhibition with regard to suppression of Fbln5. In genetically engineered mouse models of PDA, therapy-induced hypoxia elevated Fbln5 expression while pharmacologic inhibition of TGF-β signaling reduced Fbln5 expression. These findings offer insight into the signaling axis that induces Fbln5 expression in PDA and a potential strategy to block its production.Item Novel Function for Fibulin-5 in Controlling Integrin-Induced ROS Production: Implications on Angiogenesis and Cancer(2010-01-12) Schluterman, Marie Kay; Brekken, Rolf A.Tumor survival depends in part on the ability of tumor cells to transform the surrounding extracellular matrix (ECM) into an environment conducive to tumor progression. Matricellular proteins are secreted into the ECM and impact signaling pathways required for pro-tumorgenic activities such as angiogenesis. Fibulin-5 (Fbln5) is a matricellular protein recently shown to regulate angiogenesis, however its effect on tumor angiogenesis and thus tumor growth is currently unknown. We report that the growth of pancreatic tumors and tumor angiogenesis was suppressed in Fbln5 null (Fbln5-/-) mice compared to wild-type (WT) littermates. Furthermore, we observed an increase in the level of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in tumors grown in Fbln5-/- animals. Increased ROS resulted in elevated DNA damage, increased apoptosis of endothelial cells within the tumor and represented the underlying cause for the reduction in angiogenesis and tumor growth. In vitro, we identified a novel pathway by which Fbln5 controls ROS production through a mechanism dependent on _1 integrins. These results were validated in Fbln5RGE/RGE mice, which harbor a point mutation in the integrin-binding RGD motif of Fbln5 preventing its interaction with integrins. Tumor growth and angiogenesis was reduced in Fbln5RGE/RGE mice, however treatment with an antioxidant rescued angiogenesis and elevated tumor growth to WT levels. These findings introduce a novel function for Fbln5 in the regulation of integrin-induced ROS production and establish a rationale for future studies to examine whether blocking Fbln5 function could be an effective anti-tumor strategy, alone or in combination with other therapies.