Journal
ANTIOXIDANTS
Volume 9, Issue 8, Pages -Publisher
MDPI
DOI: 10.3390/antiox9080671
Keywords
AMPK; autophagy; biliverdin reductase; mTOR; neurodegeneration; oxidative stress
Funding
- Fondi Ateneo grant - Sapienza University [RM11715C77336E99]
- United States Public Health Services (USPHS) [DA000266, MH18501]
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Biliverdin reductase-A (BVR-A) impairment is associated with increased accumulation of oxidatively-damaged proteins along with the impairment of autophagy in the brain during neurodegenerative disorders. Reduced autophagy inhibits the clearance of misfolded proteins, which then form neurotoxic aggregates promoting neuronal death. The aim of our study was to clarify the role for BVR-A in the regulation of the mTOR/autophagy axis by evaluating age-associated changes (2, 6 and 11 months) in cerebral cortex samples collected from BVR-A knock-out (BVR-A(-/-)) and wild-type (WT) mice. Our results show that BVR-A deficiency leads to the accumulation of oxidatively-damaged proteins along with mTOR hyper-activation in the cortex. This process starts in juvenile mice and persists with aging. mTOR hyper-activation is associated with the impairment of autophagy as highlighted by reduced levels of Beclin-1, LC3 beta, LC3II/I ratio, Atg5-Atg12 complex and Atg7 in the cortex of BVR-A(-/-)mice. Furthermore, we have identified the dysregulation of AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) as a critical event driving mTOR hyper-activation in the absence of BVR-A. Overall, our results suggest that BVR-A is a new player in the regulation of autophagy, which may be targeted to arrive at novel therapeutics for diseases involving impaired autophagy.
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