
Cell:细胞坏死能够被控制
美国科学家近日研究发现,破坏一种蠕虫的SRP-6蛋白能加速其细胞的坏死过程。这一发现有助于科学家更好地理解坏死(necrosis)——细胞死亡的方式之一,并找到对抗相关疾病的方法。相关论文发表在9月21日的《细胞》上。
细胞死亡的方式有多种,细胞凋亡(apoptosis)和坏死是比较典型的两种。细胞凋亡是在某些生理或病理条件下,细胞受到某种刺激后,为了生物体的利益考虑,细胞主动参与并按一定程序发生的自杀性死亡。坏死则与此不同,这种情况下,细胞并不会主动死亡,但是一些因素,比如失血、缺氧等,都会使其膨胀并发生爆裂。一些科学家已经发现有些方法能加速坏死过程,但是关于它能否被停止却一直没有弄清。
在最新的研究中,美国匹兹堡大学的分子生物学家Gary Silverman和同事将研究重点放在了serpins蛋白,这种蛋白的一部分能够帮助控制血液凝结和炎症。研究小组破坏了蠕虫体内编码SRP-6(serpins的一种)的基因,结果发现,这些蠕虫放进常温水中后会快速死亡。进一步的研究发现,蠕虫死亡的原因在于压力响应机制出错了,它们已不能向正常蠕虫那样调节细胞内的液体量,它们细胞内的溶酶体(lysosomes)已经爆裂。将破坏了SRP-6的蠕虫暴露于其它压力条件下,比如高温、缺氧等,也会得到类似的结果。研究人员表示,破坏了SRP-6的蠕虫无法像正常蠕虫那样修复受损的溶酶体。此次实验表明了,SRP-6的作用在于防止蠕虫细胞坏死和溶酶体破裂。
美国纽约州立大学石溪分校的分子生物学家Wei-Xing Zong认为,这项研究真是让人吃惊,人们可能从没有想过坏死也能被控制。
美国Burnham医学研究所的Guy Salvesen表示,此项研究非常重要,查明坏死的分子路径将有助于研究人员找到对抗相关疾病的方法。不过他又提醒说,由于尚不清楚坏死能在多大程度上被控制,所以此次实验结果能否应用于人类还有待更进一步的研究。(科学网)
原始出处:
Cell, Vol 130, 1108-1119, 21 September 2007
Article
An Intracellular Serpin Regulates Necrosis by Inhibiting the Induction and Sequelae of Lysosomal Injury
1 UPMC Newborn Medicine Program, Departments of Pediatrics Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh and Magee-Womens Research Institute, 204 Craft Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA
2 Department of Cell Biology and Physiology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, 3500 Terrace Street, S233 BST, Pittsburgh, PA 15261, USA
3 Center for Biologic Imaging, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, 3500 Terrace Street, S233 BST, Pittsburgh, PA 15261, USA
4 Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation 825 NE 13th Street, Oklahoma City, OK 73104, USA
5 University of British Columbia, Faculty of Dentistry, 2350 Health Sciences Mall, Life Sciences Institute, Room 4558, Vancouver, British Columbia V6T 1Z3, Canada
Corresponding author
Gary A. Silverman
gsilverman@mail.magee.edu
Extracellular serpins such as antithrombin and α1-antitrypsin are the quintessential regulators of proteolytic pathways. In contrast, the biological functions of the intracellular serpins remain obscure. We now report that the C. elegans intracellular serpin, SRP-6, exhibits a prosurvival function by blocking necrosis. Minutes after hypotonic shock, srp-6 null animals underwent a catastrophic series of events culminating in lysosomal disruption, cytoplasmic proteolysis, and death. This newly defined hypo-osmotic stress lethal (Osl) phenotype was dependent upon calpains and lysosomal cysteine peptidases, two in vitro targets of SRP-6. By protecting against both the induction of and the lethal effects from lysosomal injury, SRP-6 also blocked death induced by heat shock, oxidative stress, hypoxia, and cation channel hyperactivity. These findings suggest that multiple noxious stimuli converge upon a peptidase-driven, core stress response pathway that, in the absence of serpin regulation, triggers a lysosomal-dependent necrotic cell death routine.
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