Autophagy and RNA virus interactomes reveal IRGM as a common target.

Several intracellular pathogens have the ability to avoid or exploit the otherwise destructive process of autophagy. RNA viruses are constantly confronted with cellular autophagy, and several of them hijack autophagy during the infectious cycle to improve their own replication. Nevertheless, our knowledge of viral molecular strategies used to manipulate autophagy remains limited.

Pathogen recognition by the cell surface receptor CD46 induces autophagy.

Autophagy is a degradative mechanism involved in cell protection against invading pathogens. Although the autophagic process is well characterized, the molecular pathways leading to its activation upon pathogen binding remain poorly understood. Our recent work demonstrates that the cell surface pathogen receptor CD46 induces autophagy upon pathogen recognition.

Autophagy induction by the pathogen receptor CD46.

Autophagy is a highly regulated self-degradative mechanism required at a basal level for intracellular clearance and recycling of cytoplasmic contents. Upon intracellular pathogen invasion, autophagy can be induced as an innate immune mechanism to control infection. Nevertheless, pathogens have developed strategies to avoid or hijack autophagy for their own benefit.

Heme oxygenase-1 inhibits the expression of adhesion molecules associated with endothelial cell activation via inhibition of NF-kappaB RelA phosphorylation at serine 276.

Heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1; encoded by the Hmox1 gene) catalyzes the degradation of free heme into biliverdin, via a reaction that releases iron (Fe) and carbon monoxide. We report that HO-1 down-regulates the proinflammatory phenotype associated with endothelial cell (EC) activation by reducing intracellular nonprotein-bound Fe (labile Fe). EC isolated from Hmox1(-/-) mice have higher levels of intracellular labile Fe and reactive oxygen species (ROS) as compared with EC isolated from Hmox1(+/+) mice.

Heme oxygenase-1 and carbon monoxide suppress the pathogenesis of experimental cerebral malaria.

Cerebral malaria claims more than 1 million lives per year. We report that heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1, encoded by Hmox1) prevents the development of experimental cerebral malaria (ECM). BALB/c mice infected with Plasmodium berghei ANKA upregulated HO-1 expression and activity and did not develop ECM.

The antiapoptotic effect of heme oxygenase-1 in endothelial cells involves the degradation of p38 alpha MAPK isoform.

Heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) protects endothelial cells (EC) from undergoing apoptosis. This effect is mimicked by CO, generated via the catabolism of heme by HO-1. The antiapoptotic effect of CO in EC was abrogated when activation of the p38alpha and p38beta MAPKs was inhibited by the pyridinyl imidazole SB202190.

Heme oxygenase-1 modulates the expression of adhesion molecules associated with endothelial cell activation.

Heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) cleaves the porphyrin ring of heme into carbon monoxide, Fe2+, and biliverdin, which is then converted into bilirubin. Heme-derived Fe2+ induces the expression of the iron-sequestering protein ferritin and activates the ATPase Fe2+-secreting pump, which decrease intracellular free Fe2+ content. Based on the antioxidant effect of bilirubin and that of decreased free cellular Fe2+, we questioned whether HO-1 would modulate the expression of proinflammatory genes associated with endothelial cell (EC) activation.