Jason M Hansen

Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA

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Publications (38)179.78 Total impact

  • Article: Nrf2 is not required for epithelial prohibitin-dependent attenuation of experimental colitis.
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    ABSTRACT: Inflammatory bowel disease is associated with increased reactive oxygen species (ROS) and decreased antioxidant response in the intestinal mucosa. Expression of the mitochondrial protein prohibitin (PHB) is also decreased during intestinal inflammation. Our previous study showed that genetic restoration of colonic epithelial PHB expression (villin-PHB transgenic mice; PHB Tg) attenuated dextran sodium sulfate (DSS)-induced colitis/oxidative stress and sustained expression of colonic Nrf2, a cytoprotective transcription factor. This study investigated the role of Nrf2 in mediating PHB-induced protection against colitis and expression of the antioxidant response element (ARE)-regulated antioxidant genes, heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) and NAD(P)H quinone oxidoreductase-1 (NQO-1). PHB-transfected Caco2-BBE human intestinal epithelial cells maintained increased ARE activation and decreased intracellular ROS levels compared to control vector-transfected cells during Nrf2 knockdown by siRNA. Treatment with the ERK inhibitor, PD98059, decreased PHB-induced ARE activation suggesting that ERK constitutes a significant portion of PHB-mediated ARE activation in Caco2-BBE cells. PHB Tg, Nrf2(-/-), and PHB Tg/Nrf2(-/-) mice were treated with DSS or 2,4,6-trinitrobenzene sulfonic acid (TNBS), and inflammation and expression of HO-1 and NQO-1 were assessed. PHB Tg/Nrf2(-/-) mice mimicked PHB Tg mice with attenuated DSS- or TNBS-induced colitis and induction of colonic HO-1 and NQO-1 expression despite deletion of Nrf2. PHB Tg/Nrf2(-/-) mice exhibited increased activation of ERK during colitis. Our results suggest that maintaining expression of intestinal epithelial cell PHB, which is decreased during colitis, reduces the severity of inflammation and increases colonic levels of the antioxidants HO-1 and NQO-1 via a mechanism independent of Nrf2.
    AJP Gastrointestinal and Liver Physiology 03/2013; · 3.43 Impact Factor
  • Article: REDOX CONTROL OF TERATOGENESIS.
    Jason M Hansen, Craig Harris
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    ABSTRACT: A number of human teratogens elicit their deleterious effects through mechanisms involving the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and oxidative stress. However, classic definitions of oxidative stress do not fully coincide with basic fundamental principles of teratology. Newer definitions of oxidative stress focus on the targeted redox modification of cysteine/thiol functional groups found in the regulatory domains of critical signaling pathway proteins, suggesting that the targeted disruption of signaling through specific redox couples may account for the specificity of teratogen-induced malformations which previously could not be rationalized. Here, we review examples of teratogens that induce ROS and oxidative injury, describe oxidative stress-related teratogenic mechanisms, and provide rationale for developmental periods of sensitivity and species susceptibility. Understanding how chemicals disrupt redox status, induce oxidative stress leading to dysmorphogenesis becomes important to identify potential teratogens and develop therapeutic interventions for attenuation of harmful chemical effects in utero following exposure.
    Reproductive Toxicology 10/2012; · 3.23 Impact Factor
  • Article: Nrf2-mediated resistance to oxidant-induced redox disruption in embryos.
    Craig Harris, Jason M Hansen
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    ABSTRACT: Events that control developmental changes occur during specific windows of gestation and if disrupted, can lead to dysmorphogenesis or embryolethality. One largely understudied aspect of developmental control is redox regulation, where the untimely disruption of intracellular redox potentials (E(h) ) may alter development, suggesting that tight control of developmental-stage-specific redox states is necessary to support normal development. In this study, mouse gestational day 8.5 embryos in whole embryo culture were treated with 10 μM dithiole-3-thione (D3T), an inducer of nuclear factor (erythroid-derived 2)-like 2 (Nrf2). After 14 hr, D3T-treated and -untreated conceptuses were challenged with 200 μM hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) to induce oxidant-induced change to intracellular E(h) s. Redox potentials of glutathione (GSH), thioredoxin-1 (Trx1), and mitochondrial thioredoxin-2 (Trx2) were then measured over a 2-hr rebounding period following H₂O₂ treatment. D3T treatment increased embryonic expression of known Nrf2-regulated genes, including those responsible for redox regulation of major intracellular redox couples. Exposure to H₂O₂ without prior D3T treatment produced significant oxidation of GSH, Trx1, and Trx2, based on E(h) values, where GSH and Trx2 E(h) recovered, reaching to pre-H₂O₂ E(h) ranges, but Trx1 E(h) remained oxidized. Following H₂O₂ addition in culture to embryos that received D3T pretreatments, GSH, Trx1, and Trx2 were insulated from significant oxidation. These data show that Nrf2 activation may serve as a means to protect the embryo from chemically induced oxidative stress through the preservation of intracellular redox states during development, allowing normal morphogenesis to ensue.
    Birth Defects Research Part B Developmental and Reproductive Toxicology 04/2012; 95(3):213-8. · 1.93 Impact Factor
  • Article: Oxidative stress, thiols, and redox profiles.
    Craig Harris, Jason M Hansen
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    ABSTRACT: Oxidative stress has been recognized as a contributing factor in the toxicity of a large number of developmental toxicants. Traditional definitions of oxidative stress state that a shift in the balance between reduced and oxidized biomolecules within cells, in favor of the latter, result in changes that are deleterious to vital cell functions and can culminate in malformations and death. The glutathione (GSH)/glutathione disulfide (GSSG) redox couple has been the traditional marker of choice for characterization of oxidative stress because of its high concentrations and direct roles as antioxidant and cellular protectant. Steady state depletion of GSH through conjugation, oxidation, or export has often been reported as the sole criteria for invoking oxidative stress and a myriad of associated deleterious consequences. Numerous other, mostly qualitative, observations have also been reported to suggest oxidative stress has occurred but it is not always clear how well they reflect the state of a cell or its functions. Our emerging understanding of redox signaling and the roles of reactive oxygen species (ROS), thiols, oxidant molecules, and cellular antioxidants, all acting as second messengers, has prompted a redefinition of oxidative stress based on changes in the real posttranslational protein thiol modifications that are central to redox regulation and control. Thiol-based redox couples such as GSH/GSSG, cysteine/cystine (cys/cySS), thioredoxin-reduced/thioredoxin-oxidized (TRX(red)/TRX(ox)) form independent signaling nodes that selectively regulate developmental events and are closely linked to changes in intracellular redox potentials. Accurate assessment of the consequences of increased free radicals in developing conceptuses should best be made using a battery of measurements including the quantitative assessment of intracellular redox potential, ROS, redox status of biomolecules, and induced changes in specific redox signaling nodes. Methods are presented for a determination of ROS production, soluble thiol oxidation, redox potential, and a proteomic approach to evaluate the thiol oxidation state of specific proteins.
    Methods in molecular biology (Clifton, N.J.) 01/2012; 889:325-46.
  • Article: Differential redox potential profiles during adipogenesis and osteogenesis.
    Barry R Imhoff, Jason M Hansen
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    ABSTRACT: Development is an orderly process that requires the timely activation and/or deactivation of specific regulatory elements that control cellular proliferation, differentiation and apoptosis. While many studies have defined factors that control developmental signaling, the role of intracellular reduction/oxidation (redox) status as a means to control differentiation has not been fully studied. Redox states of intracellular couples may play a very important role in regulating redox-sensitive elements that are involved in differentiation signaling into specific phenotypes. In human mesenchymal stem cells (hMSCs), which are capable of differentiating into many different types of phenotypes, including osteoblasts and adipocytes, glutathione (GSH), cysteine (Cys) and thioredoxin-1 (Trx1) redox potentials were measured during adipogenesis and osteogenesis. GSH redox potentials (E(h)) during both osteogenesis and adipogenesis became increasingly oxidized as differentiation ensued, but the rate at which this oxidation occurred was unique for each process. During adipogenesis, Cys E(h) became oxidized as adipogenesis progressed but during osteogenesis, it became reduced. Interestingly, intracellular Trx1 concentrations appeared to increase in both adipogenesis and osteogenesis, but the E(h) was unchanged when compared to undifferentiated hMSCs. These data show that hMSC differentiation into either adipocytes of osteoblasts corresponds to a unique redox state profile, suggesting that differentiation into specific phenotypes are likely regulated by redox states that are permissive to a specific developmental process.
    Cellular & Molecular Biology Letters 03/2011; 16(1):149-61. · 1.50 Impact Factor
  • Article: Maneb and paraquat-mediated neurotoxicity: involvement of peroxiredoxin/thioredoxin system.
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    ABSTRACT: Epidemiological and in vivo studies have demonstrated that exposure to the pesticides paraquat (PQ) and maneb (MB) increase the risk of developing Parkinson's disease (PD) and cause dopaminergic cell loss, respectively. PQ is a well-recognized cause of oxidative toxicity; therefore, the purpose of this study was to determine if MB potentiates oxidative stress caused by PQ, thus providing a mechanism for enhanced neurotoxicity by the combination. The results show that PQ alone at a moderately toxic dose (20-30% cell death in 24 h) caused increased reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation, oxidation of mitochondrial thioredoxin-2 and peroxiredoxin-3, lesser oxidation of cytoplasmic thioredoxin-1 and peroxiredoxin-1, and no oxidation of cellular GSH/GSSG. In contrast, MB alone at a similar toxic dose resulted in no ROS generation, no oxidation of thioredoxin and peroxiredoxin, and an increase in cellular GSH after 24 h. Together, MB increased GSH and inhibited ROS production and thioredoxin/peroxiredoxin oxidation observed with PQ alone, yet resulted in more extensive (> 50%) cell death. MB treatment resulted in increased abundance of nuclear Nrf2 and mRNA for phase II enzymes under the control of Nrf2, indicating activation of cell protective responses. The results show that MB potentiation of PQ neurotoxicity does not occur by enhancing oxidative stress and suggests that increased toxicity occurs by a combination of divergent mechanisms, perhaps involving alkylation by MB and oxidation by PQ.
    Toxicological Sciences 03/2011; 121(2):368-75. · 4.65 Impact Factor
  • Article: Tert-butylhydroquinone induces mitochondrial oxidative stress causing Nrf2 activation.
    Barry R Imhoff, Jason M Hansen
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    ABSTRACT: Tert-butylhydroquinone (tBHQ), the major metabolite of butylated hydroxyanisole, induces an antioxidant response through the redox-sensitive transcription factor, nuclear factor-E2-related factor-2 (Nrf2). However, the mechanism by which tBHQ induces Nrf2 activity is not entirely understood. Here, we show that tBHQ preferentially alters the redox status in the mitochondrial compartment in HeLa cells. HeLa cells treated with tBHQ showed a preferential oxidation of mitochondrial thioredoxin-2 (Trx2), while cellular glutathione and cytosolic thioredoxin-1 were not affected. Preferential mitochondrial oxidation by tBHQ was supported by detection of reactive oxygen species (ROS) specific to this compartment. To determine the role of Trx2 in regulating downstream effects of tBHQ, HeLa cells were transiently transfected with an empty, Trx2, or C93S (Cys93Ser) Trx2 dominant-negative mutant expression vector. Overexpression of Trx2 decreased basal mitochondrial ROS production, whereas expression of C93S Trx2 enhanced it. In addition, under untreated conditions, expression of C93S Trx2 led to an increase in the basal activities of Nrf2. With tBHQ treatments, Trx2 overexpression suppressed Nrf2 accumulation and activity, whereas expression of C93S Trx2 had no effect on the degree of inducibility or Nrf2 accumulation but did increase the overall activity of Nrf2. Quantitative polymerase chain reaction analysis of Nrf2-regulated gene expression corroborate Trx2 control of tBHQ-mediated Nrf2 activation. These data show a compartment-specific effect where tBHQ-induced Nrf2 signaling is mediated by Trx2 and suggest that antioxidant status in various compartments would provide different levels of control of redox signaling.
    Cell Biology and Toxicology 12/2010; 26(6):541-51. · 2.51 Impact Factor
  • Article: Retinoic acid stimulation of VEGF secretion from human endometrial stromal cells is mediated by production of reactive oxygen species.
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    ABSTRACT: It is widely accepted that vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) is involved in angiogenic functions that are necessary for successful embryonic implantation. We have shown that retinoic acid (RA), which is known to play a necessary role in early events in pregnancy, can combine with transcriptional activators of VEGF (e.g. TPA, TGF-β, IL-1β) to rapidly induce VEGF secretion from human endometrial stromal cells through a translational mechanism of action. We have now determined that this stimulation of VEGF by RA is mediated through an increased production of cellular reactive oxygen species (ROS). Results indicated that RA, but not TPA or TGF-β, directly increases ROS production in endometrial stromal cells and that the co-stimulating activity of RA on VEGF secretion can be mimicked by direct addition of H2O2. Importantly, co-treatment of RA with TPA or TGF-β further stimulated ROS production in a fashion that positively correlated with levels of VEGF secretion. The antioxidants N-acetylcysteine and glutathione monoethyl ester inhibited both RA + TPA and RA + TGF-β-stimulated secretion of VEGF, as well as RA-induced ROS production. Treatment of cells with RA resulted in a shift in the glutathione (GSH) redox potential to a more oxidative state, suggesting that the transduction pathway leading to increased VEGF secretion is at least partially mediated through the antioxidant capacity of GSH couples. The specificity of this action on GSH-sensitive signalling pathways is suggested by the determination that RA had no effect on the redox potential of thioredoxin. Together, these findings predict a redox-mediated mechanism for retinoid regulation of localized VEGF secretion in the human endometrium that may be necessary for the successful establishment of pregnancy.
    The Journal of Physiology 12/2010; 589(Pt 4):863-75. · 4.72 Impact Factor
  • Article: SOD1 targeted to the mitochondrial intermembrane space prevents motor neuropathy in the Sod1 knockout mouse.
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    ABSTRACT: Motor axon degeneration is a critical but poorly understood event leading to weakness and muscle atrophy in motor neuron diseases. Here, we investigated oxidative stress-mediated axonal degeneration in mice lacking the antioxidant enzyme, Cu,Zn superoxide dismutase (SOD1). We demonstrate a progressive motor axonopathy in these mice and show that Sod1(-/-) primary motor neurons extend short axons in vitro with reduced mitochondrial density. Sod1(-/-) neurons also show oxidation of mitochondrial--but not cytosolic--thioredoxin, suggesting that loss of SOD1 causes preferential oxidative stress in mitochondria, a primary source of superoxide in cells. SOD1 is widely regarded as the cytosolic isoform of superoxide dismutase, but is also found in the mitochondrial intermembrane space. The functional significance of SOD1 in the intermembrane space is unknown. We used a transgenic approach to express SOD1 exclusively in the intermembrane space and found that mitochondrial SOD1 is sufficient to prevent biochemical and morphological defects in the Sod1(-/-) model, and to rescue the motor phenotype of these mice when followed to 12 months of age. These results suggest that SOD1 in the mitochondrial intermembrane space is fundamental for motor axon maintenance, and implicate oxidative damage initiated at mitochondrial sites in the pathogenesis of motor axon degeneration.
    Brain 11/2010; 134(Pt 1):196-209. · 9.46 Impact Factor
  • Article: Extracellular redox environments regulate adipocyte differentiation.
    Barry R Imhoff, Jason M Hansen
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    ABSTRACT: Oxidized extracellular redox states have been associated with many diseases related to obesity, including heart disease and diabetes, but relatively little is known about the relationship between extracellular redox states and obesity. In 3T3-L1 preadipocytes, oxidizing extracellular redox potentials (E(h)) increased intracellular and mitochondrial reactive oxygen species (ROS) production. 3T3-L1 adipocytes showed a greater response to extracellular E(h), producing more intracellular ROS, than preadipocytes. 3T3-L1 adipocytes also produced more extracellular ROS and re-regulated the extracellular E(h) to a more oxidizing state than preadipocytes. During 3T3-L1 differentiation, cellular glutathione and mitochondrial thioredoxin-2 become oxidized, suggesting that adipogenesis may be enhanced under conditions promoting intracellular and mitochondrial compartment oxidation. Under various extracellular E(h), 3T3-L1 adipogenesis, as determined by lipid accumulation and the expression of early genetic markers of adipogenesis, was sensitive to the extracellular redox environment, where it was enhanced under oxidizing conditions and lower under reducing conditions. Using a diet-induced obesity mouse model, plasma was collected before and after the 8 week diet regimens. Plasma GSH E(h) was unchanged as a consequence of weight gain but plasma cystiene (Cys) E(h) was significantly oxidized in overweight animals. Data presented here show that adipocytes/excessive adipose preferentially alter extracellular E(h) to a more oxidized state in vivo and in vitro and may promote further adipogenesis.
    Differentiation 07/2010; 80(1):31-9. · 2.81 Impact Factor
  • Article: Lactobacillus rhamnosus blocks inflammatory signaling in vivo via reactive oxygen species generation.
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    ABSTRACT: Uncontrolled inflammatory responses in the immature gut may play a role in the pathogenesis of many intestinal inflammatory syndromes that present in newborns or children, such as necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC), idiopathic inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD), or infectious enteritis. Consistent with previous reports that murine intestinal function matures over the first 3 weeks of life, we show that inflammatory signaling in the neonatal mouse gut increases during postnatal maturation, with peak responses occurring at 2-3 weeks. Probiotic bacteria can block inflammatory responses in cultured epithelia by inducing the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS), which inhibit NF-kappaB activation through oxidative inactivation of the key regulatory enzyme Ubc12. We now report for the first time that the probiotic Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG (LGG) can induce ROS generation in intestinal epithelia in vitro and in vivo. Intestines from immature mice gavage fed LGG exhibited increased GSH oxidation and cullin-1 deneddylation, reflecting local ROS generation and its resultant Ubc12 inactivation, respectively. Furthermore, prefeeding LGG prevented TNF-alpha-induced intestinal NF-kappaB activation. These studies indicate that LGG can reduce inflammatory signaling in immature intestines by inducing local ROS generation and may be a mechanism by which probiotic bacteria can prevent NEC in premature infants or reduce the severity of IBD in children.
    Free radical biology & medicine 09/2009; 47(8):1205-11. · 5.42 Impact Factor
  • Article: Attenuation of angiotensin II-induced vascular dysfunction and hypertension by overexpression of Thioredoxin 2.
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    ABSTRACT: Reactive oxygen species increase in the cardiovascular system during hypertension and in response to angiotensin II. Because mitochondria contribute to reactive oxygen species generation, we sought to investigate the role of thioredoxin 2, a mitochondria-specific antioxidant enzyme. Mice were created with overexpression of human thioredoxin 2 (Tg(hTrx2) mice) and backcrossed to C57BL/6J mice for > or =6 generations. Twelve-week-old male Tg(hTrx2) or littermate wild-type mice were made hypertensive by infusion of angiotensin II (400 ng/kg per minute) for 14 days using osmotic minipumps. Systolic arterial blood pressure was not different between Tg(hTrx2) and wild-type animals under baseline conditions (101+/-1 respective 102+/-1 mm Hg). The angiotensin II-induced hypertension in wild-type mice (145+/-2 mm Hg) was significantly attenuated in Tg(hTrx2) mice (124+/-1 mm Hg; P<0.001). Aortic endothelium-dependent relaxation was significantly reduced in wild-type mice after angiotensin II infusion but nearly unchanged in transgenic mice. Elevated vascular superoxide and hydrogen peroxide levels, as well as expression of NADPH oxidase subunits in response to angiotensin II infusion, were significantly attenuated in Tg(hTrx2) mice. Mitochondrial superoxide anion levels were augmented after angiotensin II infusion in wild-type mice, and this was blunted in Tg(hTrx2) mice. Angiotensin II infusion significantly increased myocardial superoxide formation, heart weight, and cardiomyocyte size in wild-type but not in Tg(hTrx2) mice. These data indicate a major role for mitochondrial thioredoxin 2 in the development of cardiovascular alterations and hypertension during chronic angiotensin II infusion. Thioredoxin 2 may represent an important therapeutic target for the prevention and treatment of hypertension and oxidative stress.
    Hypertension 06/2009; 54(2):338-44. · 6.21 Impact Factor
  • Article: Loss of total and visceral adipose tissue mass predicts decreases in oxidative stress after weight-loss surgery.
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    ABSTRACT: It is not known whether there are mechanisms linking adipose tissue mass and increased oxidative stress in obesity. This study investigated associations between decreasing general and abdominal fat depots and oxidative stress during weight loss. Subjects were severely obese women who were measured serially at baseline and at 1, 6 (n = 30), and 24 months (n = 18) after bariatric surgery. Total fat mass (FAT) and volumes of visceral (VAT) and subcutaneous abdominal adipose tissue (SAT) were related to plasma concentrations of derivatives of reactive oxidative metabolites (dROMS), a measure of lipid peroxides and oxidative stress. After intervention, BMI significantly decreased, from 47.7 +/- 0.8 kg/m(2) to 43.3 +/- 0.8 kg/m(2) (1 month), 35.2 +/- 0.8 kg/m(2) (6 months), and 30.2 +/- 1.2 kg/m(2) (24 months). Plasma dROMS also significantly deceased over time. At baseline, VAT (r = 0.46), FAT (r = 0.42), and BMI (r = 0.37) correlated with 6-month decreases in dROMS. Similarly, at 1 month, VAT (r = 0.43) and FAT (r = 0.41) correlated with 6-month decreases in dROMS. Multiple regression analysis showed that relationships between VAT and dROMS were significant after adjusting for FAT mass. Increased plasma dROMS at baseline were correlated with decreased concentrations of high-density lipoprotein (HDL) at 1 and 6 months after surgery (r = -0.38 and -0.42). This study found longitudinal associations between general, and more specifically intra-abdominal adiposity, and systemic lipid peroxides, suggesting that adipose tissue mass contributes to oxidative stress.
    Obesity 04/2009; 17(3):439-46. · 4.28 Impact Factor
  • Article: Prohibitin is a novel regulator of antioxidant response that attenuates colonic inflammation in mice.
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    ABSTRACT: Increased free radicals and/or impaired antioxidant defenses have been shown to play a pathogenetic role in human and animal models of inflammatory bowel disease. Our previous studies showed that prohibitin (PHB) levels are decreased during colitis and that cultured intestinal epithelial cells overexpressing PHB are protected from oxidative stress. This study investigated the effect of intestinal epithelial cell-specific PHB overexpression on oxidative stress associated with experimental colitis and the potential mechanism by which PHB functions as an antioxidant using PHB transgenic mice. Colitis was induced using 2 established mouse models (Salmonella typhimurium and dextran sodium sulfate) in PHB transgenic mice and wild-type littermates. Oxidative stress was determined by measuring glutathione and protein carbonyl levels in the cecum or colon. Nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2), a transcriptional regulator of oxidant responses, expression, and activation, was assessed in colon mucosa and cultured intestinal epithelial cells overexpressing PHB. Cells overexpressing PHB showed sustained Nrf2 nuclear accumulation and DNA binding during oxidant stress. PHB transgenic mice exhibited decreased oxidative stress and colitis and increased Nrf2 messenger RNA expression, nuclear protein translocation, and DNA binding compared with wild-type littermates during colitis. These results show that PHB is a regulator of Nrf2 expression in intestinal epithelial cells during oxidative conditions and prevents inflammation-associated oxidative stress and injury through sustained activation of Nrf2. Our data show that PHB is a novel regulator of antioxidants and suggest that restoration of PHB levels represents a potential therapeutic approach in inflammatory bowel disease.
    Gastroenterology 04/2009; 137(1):199-208, 208.e1-6. · 11.68 Impact Factor
  • Article: Identification of thioredoxin-2 as a regulator of the mitochondrial permeability transition.
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    ABSTRACT: Thioredoxin-2 (Trx2) is a multifunctional, mitochondria-specific protein, which inhibits cell death. The mitochondrial permeability transition (MPT) is a distinct mechanism for cell death activated by oxidants and linked to both necrotic and apoptotic morphologies. We studied mitochondria from Trx2 transgenic mice to determine whether Trx2 protects against oxidant-induced MPT. All experiments were performed in isolated mitochondria. Results showed that Trx2 protected against MPT induced by exogenously added peroxide. Unexpectedly, Trx2 also protected against the MPT induced by Ca(2+) in the absence of added peroxide. The results indicate that in addition to protecting against oxidative stress, Trx2 is an endogenous regulator of the MPT.
    Toxicological Sciences 07/2008; 105(1):44-50. · 4.65 Impact Factor
  • Chapter: Compartmentation of Redox Signaling and Control: Discrimination of Oxidative Stress in Mitochondria, Cytoplasm, Nuclei, and Endoplasmic Reticulum
    01/2008: pages 433 - 461; , ISBN: 9780470372531
  • Article: Reactive aldehyde modification of thioredoxin-1 activates early steps of inflammation and cell adhesion.
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    ABSTRACT: Several lines of evidence suggest that an increase in aldehyde-modified proteins is associated with development of atherosclerosis. Acrolein and 4-hydroxynonenal (HNE) are reactive aldehydes generated during active inflammation as a consequence of lipid peroxidation; both react with protein thiols, including thioredoxin-1 (Trx1), a protein recently found to regulate antioxidant function in endothelial cells. The present study examined whether acrolein or HNE modification of Trx1 could potentiate monocyte adhesion to endothelial cells, an early event of atherosclerosis. We examined the function of acrolein and HNE-modified Trx1 in the regulation of the early events of atherosclerosis using cultured aortic endothelial cells as a vascular model system, for in vitro enzymatic assay, and in mass spectrometry analysis. Our data show that acrolein and HNE at 1:1 ratios with Trx1 modified Cys-73 and inhibited activity. In endothelial cells, adducts were detected at concentrations as low as 1 mumol/L including conditions in which there was no detectable change in glutathione. Acrolein and HNE modification of Trx1 was associated with increased production of reactive oxygen species. Microinjection of acrolein- and HNE-modified Trx1 into endothelial cells stimulated monocyte adhesion. Chemical modification of Trx1 by common environmental and endogenously generated reactive aldehydes can contribute to atherosclerosis development by interfering with antioxidant and redox signaling functions of Trx1.
    American Journal Of Pathology 12/2007; 171(5):1670-81. · 4.89 Impact Factor
  • Article: Commensal bacteria modulate cullin-dependent signaling via generation of reactive oxygen species.
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    ABSTRACT: The resident prokaryotic microflora of the mammalian intestine influences diverse homeostatic functions of the gut, including regulation of cellular growth and immune responses; however, it is unknown how commensal prokaryotic organisms mechanistically influence eukaryotic signaling networks. We have shown that bacterial coculture with intestinal epithelial cells modulates ubiquitin-mediated degradation of important signaling intermediates, including beta-catenin and the NF-kappaB inhibitor IkappaB-alpha. Ubiquitination of these proteins as well as others is catalyzed by the SCF(betaTrCP) ubiquitin ligase, which itself requires regulated modification of the cullin-1 subunit by the ubiquitin-like protein NEDD8. Here we show that epithelia contacted by enteric commensal bacteria in vitro and in vivo rapidly generate reactive oxygen species (ROS). Bacterially induced ROS causes oxidative inactivation of the catalytic cysteine residue of Ubc12, the NEDD8-conjugating enzyme, resulting in complete but transient loss of cullin-1 neddylation and consequent effects on NF-kappaB and beta-catenin signaling. Our results demonstrate that commensal bacteria directly modulate a critical control point of the ubiquitin-proteasome system, and suggest how enteric commensal bacterial flora influences the regulatory pathways of the mammalian intestinal epithelia.
    The EMBO Journal 11/2007; 26(21):4457-66. · 9.20 Impact Factor
  • Article: Nuclear and cytoplasmic peroxiredoxin-1 differentially regulate NF-kappaB activities.
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    ABSTRACT: Peroxiredoxins (Prx) are widely distributed and abundant proteins, which control peroxide concentrations and related signaling mechanisms. Prx1 is found in the cytoplasm and nucleus, but little is known about compartmentalized Prx1 function during redox signaling and oxidative stress. We targeted expression vectors to increase Prx1 in nuclei (NLS-Prx1) and cytoplasm (NES-Prx1) in HeLa cells. Results showed that NES-Prx1 inhibited NF-kappaB activation and nuclear translocation. In contrast, increased NLS-Prx1 did not affect NF-kappaB nuclear translocation but increased activity of a NF-kappaB reporter. Both NLS-Prx1 and NES-Prx1 inhibited NF-kappaB p50 oxidation, suggesting that oxidation of the redox-sensitive cysteine in p50's DNA-binding domain is regulated via peroxide metabolism in both compartments. Interestingly, following treatment with H(2)O(2), nuclear thioredoxin-1 (Trx1) redox status was protected by NLS-Prx1, and cytoplasmic Trx1 was protected by NES-Prx1. Compartmental differences from increasing Prx1 show that the redox poise of cytoplasmic and nuclear thiol systems can be dynamically controlled through peroxide elimination. Such spatial resolution and protein-specific redox differences imply that the balance of peroxide generation/metabolism in microcompartments provides an important specific component of redox signaling.
    Free Radical Biology and Medicine 08/2007; 43(2):282-8. · 5.42 Impact Factor
  • Source
    Article: Selective oxidative stress in cell nuclei by nuclear-targeted D-amino acid oxidase.
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    ABSTRACT: The effects of nuclear-localized oxidative stress on both nuclear antioxidant systems, and the processes that they regulate, are not clearly understood. Here, we targeted a hydrogen peroxide (H(2)O(2))-producing enzyme, D-amino acid oxidase (DAAO), to the nucleus (NLS-DAAO) and used this to generate H(2)O(2) in the nuclei of cells. On addition of N-acetyl-D-alanine (NADA), a substrate of DAAO, to NLS-DAAO-transfected HeLa cells, a twofold increase in ROS production relative to untreated, transfected control was observed. Staining of cellular thiols confirmed that NLS-DAAO-induced ROS selectively modified the nuclear thiol pool, whereas the cytoplasmic pool remained unchanged. Furthermore, NLS-DAAO/NADA-induced ROS caused significant oxidation of the nuclear GSH pool, as measured by nuclear protein S-glutathionylation (Pr-SSG), but under the same conditions, nuclear Trx1 redox state was not altered significantly. NF-kappaB reporter activity was diminished by NLS-DAAO/NADA-stimulated nuclear oxidation. We conclude that nuclear GSH is more susceptible to localized oxidation than is nuclear Trx1. Furthermore, the attenuation of NF-kappaB reporter activity in the absence of nuclear Trx1 oxidation suggests that critical nuclear redox proteins are subject to control by S-glutathionylation during oxidative stress in the nucleus.
    Antioxidants and Redox Signaling 08/2007; 9(7):807-16. · 8.46 Impact Factor

Institutions

  • 2004–2012
    • Emory University
      • • Department of Pediatrics
      • • Department of Internal Medicine
      • • Division of Pulmonary, Allergy and Critical Care Medicine
      • • Biochemistry
      Atlanta, GA, USA
  • 2002–2012
    • University of Michigan
      • • Department of Environmental Health Sciences
      • • School of Public Health
      Ann Arbor, MI, USA
  • 2008
    • National University of Ireland, Galway
      Galway, C, Ireland (Republic of Ireland)