Lamin-B1 precursor [LMN2] [LMNB]

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SIRT1 - a new mammalian substrate of nuclear autophagy.

Macroautophagic/autophagic degradation of nuclear components (or nuclear autophagy) is a poorly understood area in autophagy research. We previously reported the nuclear lamina protein LMNB1 (lamin B1) as a nuclear autophagy substrate in primary human cells, stimulating the investigation of nuclear autophagy in the mammalian system. We recently reported the sirtuin protein SIRT1 as a new selective substrate of nuclear autophagy in senescence and aging. Upon senescence of primary human cells, SIRT1 degradation is mediated by a direct nuclear SIRT1-LC3 interaction, followed by nucleus-to-cytoplasm shuttling of SIRT1 and autophagosome-lysosome degradation. In vivo, SIRT1 is downregulated by lysosomes in hematopoietic and immune organs upon natural aging in mice and in aged human T cells. Our study identified another substrate of nuclear autophagy and suggests a new strategy to promote SIRT1-mediated health benefits by suppressing its autophagic degradation.


Keywords

  • Aging
  • SIRT1
  • nuclear autophagy
  • senescence
  • sirtuin


Cellular senescence as a response to multiwalled carbon nanotube (MWCNT) exposure in human mesothelial cells.

Cellular senescence is a stable cell cycle arrest induced by diverse triggers, including replicative exhaustion, DNA damaging agents, oncogene activation, oxidative stress, and chromatin disruption. With important roles in aging and tumor suppression, cellular senescence has been implicated also in tumor promotion. Here we show that certain multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs), as fiber-like nanomaterials, can trigger cellular senescence in primary human mesothelial cells. Using in vitro approaches, we found manifestation of several markers of cellular senescence, especially after exposure to a long and straight MWCNT. These included inhibition of cell division, senescence-associated heterochromatin foci, senescence-associated distension of satellites, LMNB1 depletion, γH2A.X nuclear panstaining, and enlarged cells exhibiting senescence-associated β-galactosidase activity. Furthermore, genome-wide transcriptome analysis revealed many differentially expressed genes, among which were genes encoding for a senescence-associated secretory phenotype. Our results clearly demonstrate the potential of long and straight MWCNTs to induce premature cellular senescence. This finding may find relevance in risk assessment of workplace safety, and in evaluating MWCNT's use in medicine such as drug carrier, due to exposure effects that might prompt onset of age-related diseases, or even carcinogenesis.


Keywords

  • alpha tubulin
  • cellular senescence
  • mesothelial cells
  • microarray analysis
  • multiwalled carbon nanotubes
  • γH2A.X


Inflammatory Drivers of Cardiovascular Disease: Molecular Characterization of Senescent Coronary Vascular Smooth Muscle Cells.

The senescence of vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) has been implicated as a causal pro-inflammatory mechanism for cardiovascular disease development and progression of atherosclerosis, the instigator of ischemic heart disease. Contemporary limitations related to studying this cellular population and senescence-related therapeutics are caused by a lack of specific markers enabling their detection. Therefore, we aimed to profile a phenotypical and molecular signature of senescent VSMCs to allow reliable identification. To achieve this goal, we have compared non-senescent and senescent VSMCs from two [i]in vitro[/i] models of senescence, replicative senescence (RS) and DNA-damage induced senescence (DS), by analyzing the expressions of established senescence markers: cell cycle inhibitors- p16 INK4a, p14 ARF, p21 and p53; pro-inflammatory factors-Interleukin 1β (IL-1β), IL-6 and high mobility group box-1 (HMGB-1); contractile proteins-smooth muscle heavy chain- (MYH11), smoothelin and transgelin (TAGLN), as well as structural features (nuclear morphology and LMNB1 (Lamin B1) expression). The different senescence-inducing modalities resulted in a lack of the proliferative activity. Nucleomegaly was seen in senescent VSMC as compared to freshly isolated VSMC Phenotypically, senescent VSMC appeared with a significantly larger cell size and polygonal, non-spindle-shaped cell morphology. In line with the supposed switch to a pro-inflammatory phenotype known as the senescence associated secretory phenotype (SASP), we found that both RS and DS upregulated IL-1β and released HMGB-1 from the nucleus, while RS also showed IL-6 upregulation. In regard to cell cycle-regulating molecules, we detected modestly increased p16 levels in both RS and DS, but largely inconsistent p21, p14ARF, and p53 expressions in senescent VSMCs. Since these classical markers of senescence showed insufficient deregulation to warrant senescent VSMC detection, we have conducted a non-biased proteomics and [i]in silico[/i] analysis of RS VSMC demonstrating altered RNA biology as the central molecular feature of senescence in this cell type. Therefore, key proteins involved with RNA functionality, HMGB-1 release, LMNB-1 downregulation, in junction with nuclear enlargement, can be used as markers of VSMC senescence, enabling the detection of these pathogenic pro-inflammatory cells in future therapeutic studies in ischemic heart disease and atherosclerosis.


Keywords

  • aging
  • cardiovascular
  • inflammation
  • senescence
  • smooth muscle cell


Neuronal [i]Lamin[/i] regulates motor circuit integrity and controls motor function and lifespan.

Neuronal aging involves a progressive decline in cognitive abilities and loss of motor function. Mutations in human [i]Lamin[/i] genes ([i]LMNA, LMNB1, LMNB2[/i]) lead to a wide-range of diseases including muscular dystrophy, peripheral neuropathy and progeria. Here we investigate the role of neuronal [i]Lamin[/i] in regulating age-related phenotypes. Neuronal targeting of [i]Lamin[/i] led to shortened lifespan, progressive impairment of motor function and loss of dopaminergic (DA) neurons within the protocerebral anterior medial (PAM) cluster in the [i]Drosophila[/i] [i]melanogaster[/i] brain. Loss of neuronal [i]Lamin[/i] caused an age-related decline in neural physiology, with slower neurotransmission and increased chance of motor circuit failure with age. Unexpectedly, [i]Lamin[/i]-dependent decline in motor function was specific for the chemical synapses of the dorsal longitudinal muscle (DLM). Together these findings highlight a central role for [i]Lamin[/i] dysfunction in regulating neuronal survival and motor circuit physiology during aging.


Keywords

  • Drosophila
  • Lamin
  • aging
  • dopaminergic neurons
  • neurodegeneration
  • synapse


KMT1 family methyltransferases regulate heterochromatin-nuclear periphery tethering via histone and non-histone protein methylation.

Euchromatic histone methyltransferases (EHMTs), members of the KMT1 family, methylate histone and non-histone proteins. Here, we uncover a novel role for EHMTs in regulating heterochromatin anchorage to the nuclear periphery (NP) via non-histone methylation. We show that EHMTs methylate and stabilize LaminB1 (LMNB1), which associates with the H3K9me2-marked peripheral heterochromatin. Loss of LMNB1 methylation or EHMTs abrogates heterochromatin anchorage at the NP We further demonstrate that the loss of EHMTs induces many hallmarks of aging including global reduction of H3K27methyl marks and altered nuclear morphology. Consistent with this, we observe a gradual depletion of EHMTs, which correlates with loss of methylated LMNB1 and peripheral heterochromatin in aging human fibroblasts. Restoration of EHMT expression reverts peripheral heterochromatin defects in aged cells. Collectively, our work elucidates a new mechanism by which EHMTs regulate heterochromatin domain organization and reveals their impact on fundamental changes associated with the intrinsic aging process.

MeSH Terms

  • Aging
  • Cell Line
  • Cell Nucleus
  • HEK293 Cells
  • Heterochromatin
  • Histone-Lysine N-Methyltransferase
  • Histones
  • Humans
  • Lamin Type B
  • Methylation

Keywords

  • LaminB1
  • aging
  • euchromatic histone methyltransferases
  • heterochromatin
  • nuclear periphery


Physiological and Pathological Aging Affects Chromatin Dynamics, Structure and Function at the Nuclear Edge.

Lamins are intermediate filaments that form a complex meshwork at the inner nuclear membrane. Mammalian cells express two types of Lamins, Lamins A/C and Lamins B, encoded by three different genes, LMNA, LMNB1, and LMNB2. Mutations in the LMNA gene are associated with a group of phenotypically diverse diseases referred to as laminopathies. Lamins interact with a large number of binding partners including proteins of the nuclear envelope but also chromatin-associated factors. Lamins not only constitute a scaffold for nuclear shape, rigidity and resistance to stress but also contribute to the organization of chromatin and chromosomal domains. We will discuss here the impact of A-type Lamins loss on alterations of chromatin organization and formation of chromatin domains and how disorganization of the lamina contributes to the patho-physiology of premature aging syndromes.


Keywords

  • Lamins
  • epigenetics
  • nuclear topology
  • premature aging
  • telomeres


Mammalian autophagy degrades nuclear constituents in response to tumorigenic stress.

During autophagy, double-membrane autophagosomes are observed in the cytoplasm. Thus, extensive studies have focused on autophagic turnover of cytoplasmic material. Whether autophagy has a role in degrading nuclear constituents is poorly understood. We reveal that the autophagy protein LC3/Atg8 directly interacts with the nuclear lamina protein LMNB1 (lamin B1), and binds to LMN/lamin-associated chromatin domains (LADs). Through these interactions, autophagy specifically mediates destruction of nuclear lamina during tumorigenic stress, such as by activated oncogenes and DNA damage. This nuclear lamina degradation upon aberrant cellular stress impairs cell proliferation by inducing cellular senescence, a stable form of cell-cycle arrest and a tumor-suppressive mechanism. Our findings thus suggest that, in response to cancer-promoting stress, autophagy degrades nuclear material to drive cellular senescence, as a means to restrain tumorigenesis. Our work provokes a new direction in studying the role of autophagy in the nucleus and in tumor suppression.

MeSH Terms

  • Autophagy
  • Autophagy-Related Protein 8 Family
  • Cell Membrane
  • Cell Nucleus
  • Cell Proliferation
  • Cellular Senescence
  • Chromatin
  • Cytoplasm
  • Cytoskeleton
  • DNA Damage
  • Down-Regulation
  • Epigenesis, Genetic
  • Humans
  • Lamin Type B
  • Lamins
  • Neoplasms
  • Nuclear Envelope
  • Phagosomes
  • Signal Transduction

Keywords

  • Atg8
  • LADs
  • LC3
  • autophagy
  • lamin
  • nuclear lamina
  • nucleophagy
  • senescence
  • tumor suppression


Defects of Lipid Synthesis Are Linked to the Age-Dependent Demyelination Caused by Lamin B1 Overexpression.

Lamin B1 is a component of the nuclear lamina and plays a critical role in maintaining nuclear architecture, regulating gene expression and modulating chromatin positioning. We have previously shown that LMNB1 gene duplications cause autosomal dominant leukodystrophy (ADLD), a fatal adult onset demyelinating disease. The mechanisms by which increased LMNB1 levels cause ADLD are unclear. To address this, we used a transgenic mouse model where Lamin B1 overexpression is targeted to oligodendrocytes. These mice showed severe vacuolar degeneration of the spinal cord white matter together with marked astrogliosis, microglial infiltration, and secondary axonal damage. Oligodendrocytes in the transgenic mice revealed alterations in histone modifications favoring a transcriptionally repressed state. Chromatin changes were accompanied by reduced expression of genes involved in lipid synthesis pathways, many of which are known to play important roles in myelin regulation and are preferentially expressed in oligodendrocytes. Decreased lipogenic gene expression resulted in a significant reduction in multiple classes of lipids involved in myelin formation. Many of these gene expression changes and lipid alterations were observed even before the onset of the phenotype, suggesting a causal role. Our findings establish, for the first time, a link between LMNB1 and lipid synthesis in oligodendrocytes, and provide a mechanistic framework to explain the age dependence and white matter involvement of the disease phenotype. These results have implications for disease pathogenesis and may also shed light on the regulation of lipid synthesis pathways in myelin maintenance and turnover. Autosomal dominant leukodystrophy (ADLD) is fatal neurological disorder caused by increased levels of the nuclear protein, Lamin B1. The disease is characterized by an age-dependent loss of myelin, the fatty sheath that covers nerve fibers. We have studied a mouse model where Lamin B1 level are increased in oligodendrocytes, the cell type that produces myelin in the CNS. We demonstrate that destruction of myelin in the spinal cord is responsible for the degenerative phenotype in our mouse model. We show that this degeneration is mediated by reduced expression of lipid synthesis genes and the subsequent reduction in myelin enriched lipids. These findings provide a mechanistic framework to explain the age dependence and tissue specificity of the ADLD disease phenotype.

MeSH Terms

  • Aging
  • Animals
  • Demyelinating Diseases
  • Gene Expression Regulation
  • Humans
  • Lamin Type B
  • Lipid Metabolism
  • Mice
  • Mice, Transgenic
  • Nuclear Lamina
  • Oligodendroglia

Keywords

  • Lamin B1
  • chromatin
  • demyelination
  • gene expression
  • inflammation
  • lipid


Slug transcription factor and nuclear Lamin B1 are upregulated in osteoarthritic chondrocytes.

To contribute to clarify molecular mechanisms supporting senescence and de-differentiation of chondrocytes in chondrocyte pathologies such as osteoarthritis (OA). Specifically, we investigated the relationship between the nuclear lamina protein Lamin B1 and the negative regulator of chondrogenesis Slug transcription factor in osteoarthritic chondrocytes. Lamin B1 and Slug proteins were analyzed in cartilage explants from normal subjects and OA patients by immunohistochemical technique. Their expression was confirmed on isolated chondrocytes both at passage 0 and passage 2 (de-differentiated chondrocytes) by immunofluorescence and western blot. Subsequently, we explored the "in vivo" binding of Slug on LMNB1 promoter by chromatin immunoprecipitation assay (ChIP). In this study we demonstrated that nuclear lamina protein Lamin B1 and anti-chondrogenic Slug transcription factor are upregulated in cartilage and OA chondrocytes. Furthermore, we found that Slug is "in vivo" recruited by LMNB1 gene promoter mostly when chondrocytes undergo de-differentiation or OA degeneration. We described for the first time a potential regulatory role of Slug on the LMNB1 gene expression in OA chondrocytes. These findings may have important implications for the study of premature senescence, and degeneration of cartilage, and may contribute to develop effective therapeutic strategies against signals supporting cartilage damage in different subsets of patients.

MeSH Terms

  • Aged
  • Cartilage, Articular
  • Cell Nucleus
  • Cells, Cultured
  • Chondrocytes
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Knee Joint
  • Laminin
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Osteoarthritis, Knee
  • Snail Family Transcription Factors
  • Transcription Factors
  • Up-Regulation

Keywords

  • Lamin B1
  • Osteoarthritis
  • Senescence
  • Slug


B-type lamins in health and disease.

For over two decades, B-type lamins were thought to have roles in fundamental processes including correct assembly of nuclear envelopes, DNA replication, transcription and cell survival. Recent studies have questioned these roles and have instead emphasised the role of these proteins in tissue building and tissue integrity, particularly in tissues devoid of A-type lamins. Other studies have suggested that the expression of B-type lamins in somatic cells influences the rate of entry into states of cellular senescence. In humans duplication of the LMNB1 gene (encoding lamin B1) causes an adult onset neurodegenerative disorder, termed autosomal dominant leukodystrophy, whilst very recently, LMNB1 has been implicated as a susceptibility gene in neural tube defects. This is consistent with studies in mice that reveal a critical role for B-type lamins in neuronal migration and brain development. In this review, I will consider how different model systems have contributed to our understanding of the functions of B-type lamins and which of those functions are critical for human health and disease.

MeSH Terms

  • Animals
  • Cell Movement
  • Cellular Senescence
  • DNA Replication
  • Gene Duplication
  • Humans
  • Lamin Type B
  • Mice
  • Neural Tube Defects
  • Neurodegenerative Diseases
  • Neurons
  • Nuclear Lamina
  • Spindle Apparatus
  • Transcription, Genetic

Keywords

  • Autosomal dominant leukodystrophy
  • Brain development
  • Cellular senescence
  • Lamin B1


Redistribution of the Lamin B1 genomic binding profile affects rearrangement of heterochromatic domains and SAHF formation during senescence.

Senescence is a stress-responsive form of stable cell cycle exit. Senescent cells have a distinct gene expression profile, which is often accompanied by the spatial redistribution of heterochromatin into senescence-associated heterochromatic foci (SAHFs). Studying a key component of the nuclear lamina lamin B1 (LMNB1), we report dynamic alterations in its genomic profile and their implications for SAHF formation and gene regulation during senescence. Genome-wide mapping reveals that LMNB1 is depleted during senescence, preferentially from the central regions of lamina-associated domains (LADs), which are enriched for Lys9 trimethylation on histone H3 (H3K9me3). LMNB1 knockdown facilitates the spatial relocalization of perinuclear H3K9me3-positive heterochromatin, thus promoting SAHF formation, which could be inhibited by ectopic LMNB1 expression. Furthermore, despite the global reduction in LMNB1 protein levels, LMNB1 binding increases during senescence in a small subset of gene-rich regions where H3K27me3 also increases and gene expression becomes repressed. These results suggest that LMNB1 may contribute to senescence in at least two ways due to its uneven genome-wide redistribution: first, through the spatial reorganization of chromatin and, second, through gene repression.

MeSH Terms

  • Cell Line
  • Cell Nucleus
  • Cells, Cultured
  • Cellular Senescence
  • Chromatin Assembly and Disassembly
  • Gene Expression Regulation
  • Heterochromatin
  • Histones
  • Lamin Type B
  • Protein Binding
  • Protein Structure, Tertiary

Keywords

  • Lamin B1
  • epigenetics
  • senescence


The contrasting roles of lamin B1 in cellular aging and human disease.

The nuclear lamina underlies the inner nuclear membrane and consists of a proteinaceous meshwork of intermediate filaments: the A- and B-type lamins. Mutations in LMNA (encoding lamin A and C) give rise to a variety of human diseases including muscular dystrophies, cardiomyopathies and the premature aging syndrome progeria (HGPS). Duplication of the LMNB1 locus, leading to elevated levels of lamin B1, causes adult-onset autosomal dominant leukodystrophy (ADLD), a rare genetic disease that leads to demyelination in the central nervous system (CNS). Conversely, reduced levels of lamin B1 have been observed in HGPS patient derived fibroblasts, as well as fibroblasts and keratinocytes undergoing replicative senescence, suggesting that the regulation of lamin B1 is important for cellular physiology and disease. However, the causal relationship between low levels of lamin B1 and cellular senescence and its relevance in vivo remain unclear. How do elevated levels of lamin B1 cause disease and why is the CNS particularly susceptible to lamin B1 fluctuations? Here we summarize recent findings as to how perturbations of lamin B1 affect cellular physiology and discuss the implications this has on senescence, HGPS and ADLD.

MeSH Terms

  • Cellular Senescence
  • Disease
  • Humans
  • Lamin Type B

Keywords

  • ADLD
  • lamin B1
  • p53
  • senescence
  • telomerase
  • telomeres