Browsing by Author "Wong, Hector"

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    Nuclear PTEN enhances the maturation of a microRNA regulon to limit MyD88-dependent susceptibility to sepsis
    (American Association for the Advancement of Science, 2018-05-01) Sisti, Flavia; Wang, Soujuan; Brandt, Stephanie L.; Glosson-Byers, Nicole; Mayo, Lindsey; Son, Young min; Sturgeon, Sarah; Filgueiras, Luciano; Jancar, Sonia; Wong, Hector; Dela Cruz, Charles S.; Andrews, Nathaniel; Alves-Filho, Jose Carlos; Cunha, Fernando Q.; Serezani, C. Henrique; Microbiology and Immunology, School of Medicine
    Sepsis-induced organ damage is caused by systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS), which results in substantial comorbidities. Therefore, it is of medical importance to identify molecular brakes that can be exploited to dampen inflammation and prevent the development of SIRS. We investigated the role of phosphatase and tensin homolog (PTEN) in suppressing SIRS, increasing microbial clearance, and preventing lung damage. Septic patients and mice with sepsis exhibited increased PTEN expression in leukocytes. Myeloid-specific Pten deletion in an animal model of sepsis increased bacterial loads and cytokine production, which depended on enhanced myeloid differentiation primary response gene 88 (MyD88) abundance and resulted in mortality. PTEN-mediated induction of the microRNAs (miRNAs) miR125b and miR203b reduced the abundance of MyD88. Loss- and gain-of-function assays demonstrated that PTEN induced miRNA production by associating with and facilitating the nuclear localization of Drosha-Dgcr8, part of the miRNA-processing complex. Reconstitution of PTEN-deficient mouse embryonic fibroblasts with a mutant form of PTEN that does not localize to the nucleus resulted in retention of Drosha-Dgcr8 in the cytoplasm and impaired production of mature miRNAs. Thus, we identified a regulatory pathway involving nuclear PTEN-mediated miRNA generation that limits the production of MyD88 and thereby limits sepsis-associated mortality.
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    SOCS1 is a negative regulator of metabolic reprogramming during sepsis
    (American Society for Clinical Investigation, 2017-07-06) Piñeros Alvarez, Annie Rocio; Glosson-Byers, Nicole; Brandt, Stephanie; Wang, Soujuan; Wong, Hector; Sturgeon, Sarah; McCarthy, Brian Paul; Territo, Paul R.; Alves-Filho, Jose Carlos; Serezani, C. Henrique; Microbiology and Immunology, School of Medicine
    Sepsis can induce an overwhelming systemic inflammatory response, resulting in organ damage and death. Suppressor of cytokine signaling 1 (SOCS1) negatively regulates signaling by cytokine receptors and Toll-like receptors (TLRs). However, the cellular targets and molecular mechanisms for SOCS1 activity during polymicrobial sepsis are unknown. To address this, we utilized a cecal ligation and puncture (CLP) model for sepsis; C57BL/6 mice subjected to CLP were then treated with a peptide (iKIR) that binds the SOCS1 kinase inhibitory region (KIR) and blocks its activity. Treatment with iKIR increased CLP-induced mortality, bacterial burden, and inflammatory cytokine production. Myeloid cell-specific SOCS1 deletion (Socs1Δmyel) mice were also more susceptible to sepsis, demonstrating increased mortality, higher bacterial loads, and elevated inflammatory cytokines, compared with Socs1fl littermate controls. These effects were accompanied by macrophage metabolic reprograming, as evidenced by increased lactic acid production and elevated expression of the glycolytic enzymes hexokinase, lactate dehydrogenase A, and glucose transporter 1 in septic Socs1Δmyel mice. Upregulation was dependent on the STAT3/HIF-1α/glycolysis axis, and blocking glycolysis ameliorated increased susceptibility to sepsis in iKIR-treated CLP mice. These results reveal a role of SOCS1 as a regulator of metabolic reprograming that prevents overwhelming inflammatory response and organ damage during sepsis.