g(m1)-ganglioside and sphingosine-kinase

Sphingosine kinase (SphK) is involved in numerous biological processes, including cell growth, proliferation, and differentiation. However, whether SphK participates in the differentiation of bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) to myofibroblasts has been unknown. In a carbon tetrachloride-treated mouse model, SphK1 was expressed in BMSCs in damaged liver. Furthermore, mRNA expression of both SphK1 and transforming growth factor β1 (TGF-β1) was significantly increased after liver injury, with a positive correlation between them. The SphK inhibitor SKI significantly blocked BMSC differentiation to myofibroblasts during liver injury (the proportion of BMSC-derived myofibroblasts decreased markedly, compared with no SKI treatment) and attenuated the extent of liver fibrosis. Using primary mouse BMSCs, we demonstrated that TGF-β1 induced BMSC differentiation to myofibroblasts, accompanied by the up-regulation of SphK1 and modulation of sphingosine 1-phosphate (S1P) receptor (S1PR) expression. Notably, pharmacological or siRNA-mediated inhibition of SphK1 abrogated the prodifferentiating effect of TGF-β1. Moreover, using either S1PR subtype-specific antagonists or specific siRNAs, we found that the prodifferentiating effect of TGF-β1 was mediated by S1PR(1) and S1PR(3). These data suggest that SphK1 activation by TGF-β1 leads to differentiation of BMSCs to myofibroblasts mediated by S1PR(1) and S1PR(3) up-regulation, thus providing new information on the mechanisms by which TGF-β1 gives rise to fibrosis and opening new perspectives for pharmacological treatment of liver fibrosis.

Topics: Animals; Bone Marrow; Carbon Tetrachloride; Cell Differentiation; Cell Proliferation; Cells, Cultured; Enzyme Inhibitors; G(M1) Ganglioside; Gene Knockdown Techniques; Liver Cirrhosis; Mesenchymal Stem Cells; Mice; Mice, Inbred ICR; Myofibroblasts; Phosphotransferases (Alcohol Group Acceptor); Receptors, Lysosphingolipid; RNA, Small Interfering; Transforming Growth Factor beta1; Up-Regulation

Phosphorylation of sphingosine by sphingosine kinase (SK) is the rate-limiting step in the cellular synthesis of sphingosine 1-phosphate (S1P). The monoganglioside GM1, which stimulates SK, is cardioprotective in part through increased generation of S1P that protects myocytes by diverse mechanisms. Because protein kinase C (PKC)epsilon activation is necessary for myocardial ischemic preconditioning (IPC) and PKC activators increase SK activity, we tested the hypothesis that SK may be a central mediator of IPC.. In adult murine hearts, IPC sufficient to reduce infarct size significantly increased cardiac SK activity, induced translocation of SK protein from the cytosol to membranes, and enhanced cardiac myocyte survival. IPC did not increase SK activity in PKCepsilon-null mice. The SK antagonist N,N-dimethylsphingosine inhibited PKCepsilon activation and directly abolished the protective effects of IPC and the enhanced SK activity induced by IPC.. These findings demonstrate that PKCepsilon is thus recruited by IPC and induces activation of SK that then mediates IPC-induced cardioprotection in murine heart.

Topics: Animals; Cardiotonic Agents; Enzyme Activation; G(M1) Ganglioside; Ischemic Preconditioning, Myocardial; Lysophospholipids; Male; Mice; Mice, Inbred C57BL; Mice, Knockout; Models, Cardiovascular; Myocardial Infarction; Myocardial Reperfusion Injury; Myocardium; Phosphorylation; Phosphotransferases (Alcohol Group Acceptor); Protein Kinase C; Protein Kinase C-epsilon; Protein Transport; Signal Transduction; Sphingosine

Ceramide is involved as a mediator of apoptosis induced by a variety of signaling molecules or stressful events. Ceramide-derived sphingosine 1-phosphate behaves as an antiapoptotic agent. The ganglioside GM1 is known to protect neuronal cell lines from apoptosis induced by serum/growth factor withdrawal and its effect is mediated in part by the direct activation of the trkA NGF receptor [G. Ferrari et al. (1995) J. Biol. Chem. 270, 3074-3080]. We show that GM1, similarly to sphingosine 1-phosphate, protects rat heart fibroblasts from apoptosis induced by the protein kinase C inhibitor staurosporine and by C2-ceramide. Furthermore, we show that GM1 induces the synthesis of sphingosine 1-phosphate and that this effect is partially prevented by the sphingosine kinase inhibitor N,N-dimethylsphingosine. We conclude that the antiapoptotic action of GM1 is largely to be ascribed to an increased sphingosine kinase activity.

Topics: Animals; Apoptosis; Cells, Cultured; Enzyme Activation; Enzyme Inhibitors; Fibroblasts; G(M1) Ganglioside; Heart; Lysophospholipids; Myocardium; Phosphotransferases (Alcohol Group Acceptor); Rats; Second Messenger Systems; Sphingosine

The B subunit of cholera toxin, which binds specifically to ganglioside GM1, is mitogenic for quiescent Swiss 3T3 fibroblasts. Recently, sphingolipids metabolites, ceramide, sphingosine and sphingosine-1-phosphate, have been implicated as second messengers in cell growth regulation and differentiation. In this paper, we examined the possibility that interaction of the B subunit with membrane GM1 leads to alterations in metabolism of glycosphingolipids and that increased levels of sphingolipids metabolites may mediate the biological effects of the B subunit. While the B subunit did not induce a change in the level of ceramide or sphingosine, the level of sphingosine-1-phosphate was rapidly and transiently increased. The B subunit also transiently activated cytosolic sphingosine kinase activity, which catalyzes the phosphorylation of the primary hydroxyl group of sphingosine to produce sphingosine-1-phosphate. To determine whether the increase in sphingosine-1-phosphate level plays a role in B subunit-induced mitogenicity, we used a competitive inhibitor of sphingosine kinase, D,L-threo-dihydrosphingosine. D,L-thereo-Dihydrosphingosine not only inhibited B subunit-induced DNA synthesis by 26%, it also reduced its ability to stimulate DNA-binding activity of the transcription factor AP-1. This sphingosine kinase inhibitor also inhibited B subunit-induced increases in the activity of cell cycle-regulated, cyclin-dependent serine/threonine kinases, cdk2 and p34cdc2. These findings suggest that sphingosine-1-phosphate may play a role in the signal transduction pathways activated by binding of the B subunit to endogenous ganglioside GM1.

Topics: 3T3 Cells; Animals; Antibodies; Binding, Competitive; CDC2 Protein Kinase; CDC2-CDC28 Kinases; Cell Division; Ceramides; Cholera Toxin; Cyclin-Dependent Kinase 2; Cyclin-Dependent Kinases; DNA; Enzyme Activation; Enzyme Inhibitors; Epidermal Growth Factor; G(M1) Ganglioside; Lysophospholipids; Mice; Mitogens; Peptide Fragments; Phosphotransferases (Alcohol Group Acceptor); Platelet-Derived Growth Factor; Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases; Sphingolipids; Sphingosine; Tetradecanoylphorbol Acetate; Transcription Factor AP-1