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Activation of the mTORC1/PGC-1 axis promotes mitochondrial biogenesis and induces cellular senescence in the lung epithelium.
Am J Physiol Lung Cell Mol Physiol. 2019 Jun 1;316(6):L1049-L1060. doi: 10.1152/ajplung.00244.2018
Summer R, Shaghaghi H, Schriner D, Roque W, Sales D, Cuevas-Mora K, Desai V, Bhushan A, Ramirez MI, Romero F
Abstract:
.....In this study, we uncovered that the mitochondrial biogenesis pathway driven by the mammalian target of rapamycin/peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-γ complex 1α/β (mTOR/PGC-1α/β) axis is markedly upregulated in senescent lung epithelial cells. Using two different models, we show that activation of this pathway is associated with other features characteristic of enhanced mitochondrial biogenesis, including elevated number of mitochondrion per cell, increased oxidative phosphorylation, and augmented mitochondrial reactive oxygen species (ROS) production. Furthermore, we found that pharmacological inhibition of the mTORC1 complex with rapamycin not only restored mitochondrial homeostasis but also reduced cellular senescence to bleomycin in lung epithelial cells. Likewise, mitochondrial-specific antioxidant therapy also effectively inhibited mTORC1 activation in these cells while concomitantly reducing mitochondrial biogenesis and cellular senescence. In summary, this study provides a mechanistic link between mitochondrial biogenesis and cellular senescence in lung epithelium and suggests that strategies aimed at blocking the mTORC1/PGC-1α/β axis or reducing ROS-induced molecular damage could be effective in the treatment of senescence-associated lung diseases.
PMID: 30892080
Tags: lungs, mitochondrial biogenesis, mTOR, ROS