Qing Xu

Cells defend against oxidative stress by enhancing antioxidant capacity, including stress-activated metabolic alterations, but the underlying intracellular signaling mechanisms remain unclear. This paper reports that immunoglobulin superfamily containing leucine-rich repeat (ISLR) functions as a redox sensor that responds to reactive oxygen species (ROS) stimulation and modulates the antioxidant capacity by suppressing pyruvate kinase isozyme M2 (PKM2) activity. Following oxidative stress, ISLR perceives ROS stimulation through its cysteine residue 19, and rapidly degrades in the autophagy–lysosome pathway. The downregulated ISLR enhances the antioxidant capacity by promoting the tetramerization of PKM2, and then enhancing the pyruvate kinase activity, PKM2-mediated glycolysis is crucial to the ISLR-mediated antioxidant capacity. In addition, our results demonstrated that, in triple-negative breast cancer, cisplatin treatment reduced the level of ISLR, and PKM2 inhibition sensitizes tumors to cisplatin by enhancing ROS production; and argued that PKM2 inhibition can synergize with cisplatin to limit tumor growth. Our results demonstrate a molecular mechanism by which cells respond to oxidative stress and modulate the redox balance.

Brown adipose tissue (BAT) is functionally linked to skeletal muscle because both tissues originate from a common progenitor cell, but the precise mechanism controlling muscle-to-brown-fat communication is insufficiently understood. This report demonstrates that the immunoglobulin superfamily containing leucine-rich repeat (Islr), a marker of mesenchymal stromal/stem cells, is critical for the control of BAT mitochondrial function and whole-body energy homeostasis. The mice loss of Islr in BAT after cardiotoxin injury resulted in improved mitochondrial function, increased energy expenditure, and enhanced thermogenesis. Importantly, it was found that interleukin-6 (IL-6), as a myokine, participates in this process. Mechanistically, Islr interacts with NADH: Ubiquinone Oxidoreductase Core Subunit S2 (Ndufs2) to regulate IL-6 signaling; consequently, Islr functions as a brake that prevents IL-6 from promoting BAT activity. Together, these findings reveal a previously unrecognized mechanism for muscle-BAT cross talk driven by Islr, Ndufs2, and IL-6 to regulate energy homeostasis, which may be used as a potential therapeutic target in obesity.

Goat intramuscular fat (IMF) content is mainly determined by the processes of intramuscular preadipocytes adipogenic differentiation and mature adipocyte lipid accumulation. However, the underlying regulators of these biological processes remain largely unknown. Here, we report that the expression of Liver X receptor alpha (LXRα) reaches a peak at early stage and then gradually decreases during goat intramuscular adipogenesis. Knockdown of LXRα mediated by two independent siRNAs significantly inhibits intramuscular adipocytes lipid accumulation and upregulates preadipocytes marker- preadipocyte factor 1 (pref1) expression. Consistently, siRNA treatments robustly decrease mRNA level of adipogenic related genes, including CCAAT enhancer binding protein alpha (Cebpα), Peroxisome proliferator activated receptor gamma (Pparg), Sterol regulatory element binding protein isoform 1c (Srebp1c), Fatty acids binding protein (aP2) and Lipoprotein lipase (Lpl). Next, adenovirus overexpression of LXRα does not affect intramuscular adipocytes adipogenesis manifested by Oil Red O signal measurement and adipogenic specific genes detection. Mechanically, we found that both CCAAT enhancer binding protein beta (Cebpβ) and Kruppel like factor 8 (Klf8) are potential targets of LXRα, indicated by having putative binding sites of LXRα at the promoter of these genes and similar expression pattern during adipogenesis comparing to LXRα. Importantly, mRNA levels of Cebpβ and Klf8 are downregulated significantly in goat LXRα knockdown intramuscular adipocyte. These results demonstrate that loss function of LXRα inhibits intramuscular adipogenesis possibly through down-regulation of Cebpβ and Klf8. Our research will provide new insights into mechanical regulation of goat IMF deposition.