Pharmacological enhancement of TFEB-mediated autophagy alleviated neuronal death in oxidative stress-induced Parkinson's disease models

Cell Death Dis. 2020 Feb 18;11(2):128. doi: 10.1038/s41419-020-2322-6.

Abstract

Autophagy, a conserved cellular degradation and recycling process, can be enhanced by nutrient depletion, oxidative stress or other harmful conditions to maintain cell survival. 6-Hydroxydopamine/ascorbic acid (6-OHDA/AA) is commonly used to induce experimental Parkinson's disease (PD) lesions by causing oxidative damage to dopaminergic neurons. Activation of autophagy has been observed in the 6-OHDA-induced PD models. However, the mechanism and exact role of autophagy activation in 6-OHDA PD model remain inconclusive. In this study, we report that autophagy was triggered via mucolipin 1/calcium/calcineurin/TFEB (transcription factor EB) pathway upon oxidative stress induced by 6-OHDA/AA. Interestingly, overexpression of TFEB alleviated 6-OHDA/AA toxicity. Moreover, autophagy enhancers, Torin1 (an mTOR-dependent TFEB/autophagy enhancer) and curcumin analog C1 (a TFEB-dependent and mTOR-independent autophagy enhancer), significantly rescued 6-OHDA/AA-induced cell death in SH-SY5Y cells, iPSC-derived DA neurons and mice nigral DA neurons. The behavioral abnormality of 6-OHDA/AA-treated mice can also be rescued by Torin 1 or C1 administration. The protective effects of Torin 1 and C1 can be blocked by autophagy inhibitors like chloroquine (CQ) or by knocking down autophagy-related genes TFEB and ATG5. Taken together, this study supports that TFEB-mediated autophagy is a survival mechanism during oxidative stress and pharmacological enhancement of this process is a neuroprotective strategy against oxidative stress-associated PD lesions.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Antiparkinson Agents / pharmacology*
  • Ascorbic Acid
  • Autophagy / drug effects*
  • Basic Helix-Loop-Helix Leucine Zipper Transcription Factors / genetics
  • Basic Helix-Loop-Helix Leucine Zipper Transcription Factors / metabolism*
  • Behavior, Animal / drug effects
  • Brain / drug effects*
  • Brain / metabolism
  • Brain / pathology
  • Cell Line, Tumor
  • Curcumin / analogs & derivatives
  • Curcumin / pharmacology*
  • Disease Models, Animal
  • Dopaminergic Neurons / drug effects*
  • Dopaminergic Neurons / metabolism
  • Dopaminergic Neurons / pathology
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Mice, Inbred C57BL
  • Mitophagy / drug effects
  • Naphthyridines / pharmacology*
  • Oxidative Stress / drug effects*
  • Oxidopamine
  • Parkinsonian Disorders / chemically induced
  • Parkinsonian Disorders / drug therapy*
  • Parkinsonian Disorders / metabolism
  • Parkinsonian Disorders / pathology
  • Signal Transduction
  • TOR Serine-Threonine Kinases / antagonists & inhibitors
  • TOR Serine-Threonine Kinases / metabolism

Substances

  • 1-(4-(4-propionylpiperazin-1-yl)-3-(trifluoromethyl)phenyl)-9-(quinolin-3-yl)benzo(h)(1,6)naphthyridin-2(1H)-one
  • Antiparkinson Agents
  • Basic Helix-Loop-Helix Leucine Zipper Transcription Factors
  • Naphthyridines
  • Tcfeb protein, mouse
  • Oxidopamine
  • MTOR protein, human
  • mTOR protein, mouse
  • TOR Serine-Threonine Kinases
  • Curcumin
  • Ascorbic Acid