Non-Hodgkin lymphoma is commonly associated with chronic infection and inflammation. Such conditions are characterized by chronic oxidative stress. Because apoptosis signaling is often mediated by reactive oxygen species, lymphoma arising in the context of oxidative stress may become resistant to these apoptosis signals. Resistance to oxidative stress could contribute to tumorigenesis and limit response to chemotherapy, as apoptosis induced by many drugs involves reactive oxygen species. We used a cell culture model to understand how changes in the ability to handle oxidative stress contribute to apoptosis resistance. WEHI7.2 murine thymic lymphoma cells transfected with catalase or selected for resistance to hydrogen peroxide acquire a concomitant resistance to apoptosis induced by glucocorticoids. Cytochrome c release is delayed in these variants, demonstrating that apoptosis resistance lies upstream, in the signaling phase, or in the mitochondria themselves. By comparing the apoptosis-sensitive WEHI7.2 parental cells with the oxidative stress- and apoptosis-resistant variant cells, we investigated the contribution of cytosolic and mitochondrial changes to glucocorticoid-induced apoptosis. We showed that neither JNK kinase signaling, nor GSTπ, a redox sensor protein which regulates JNK, is activated during glucocorticoid-induced apoptosis. Our work using isolated mitochondria and recombinant tBid protein in cell-free apoptosis assays showed that the apoptosisresistant variants are intrinsically resistant to the release of cytochrome c and other intermembrane space proteins. The resistance was mediated upstream and within the mitochondria, and occurred at both steps controlling cytochrome c release. Given that the resistant variants demonstrated alterations in mitochondrial apoptotic function, we investigated mitochondrial protein changes that could explain these differences. An increased expression of cytochrome c was observed in the resistant variants, but selective reduction of cytochrome c expression showed that this change alone was not sufficient to affect sensitivity. The balance of pro- and anti-apoptotic Bcl-2 family members in untreated cells also did not explain intrinsic resistance. Alterations in Bcl-2 protein levels following treatment could contribute to glucocorticoid resistance, but additional work to test Bcl-2 family interactions will be required. We have identified points of resistance that are important in glucocorticoid-induced apoptosis and may also contribute to resistance to novel mitochondrial-targeting drugs.

Murine cytochrome P450 2A5 (CYP2A5) is an interesting enzyme for its unique regulation and its involvement in liver injury caused by various well-known pathological conditions or hepatotoxins. It has been reported that CYP2A5 is upregulated following exposure to chemical hepatotoxins and during pathophysiological conditions in which the levels of most Cytochrome P450s are either unchanged or down-regulated. Recently bilirubin has been identified as the first endogenous substrate for CYP2A5 and it has been suggested that CYP2A5 plays a major role in bilirubin clearance as an alternative mechanism to BR conjugation by UGT1A1. This study investigated the mechanisms of gene regulation and cytoprotective role of CYP2A5 in response to bilirubin treatment in liver. Our results demonstrate that bilirubin induces CYP2A5 expression at the mRNA and protein levels by increasing CYP2A5 transcription via a mechanism that involves Nrf2 activation. Furthermore, our results suggest that induced CYP2A5 plays a cytoprotective role against bilirubin toxicity by directly lowering the cellular levels of bilirubin and by inhibiting caspase-3 activation.

Many fish species respond to cold temperatures by inducing mitochondrial biogenesis, reflected in an increase in the activity of the mitochondrial enzyme cytochrome c oxidase (COX). COX is composed of 13 subunits, 3 encoded by mtDNA and 10 encoded by nuclear genes. I used thermal acclimation/winter acclimatization to explore how fish muscle controls the synthesis of COX. In this study, I used real-time PCR to measure mRNA levels for the 10 nuclear-encoded COX genes and several transcriptional regulators. I compared the thermal response of two cyprinid species, the tropical zebrafish (Danio rerio, acclimated to 11 and 30°C) and the temperate redbelly dace (Phoxinus eos, winter and summer acclimatized). I hypothesized that (i) there would be an increase in COX activity in the cold- versus warm-acclimated fish and (ii) changes in COX activity would be paralleled in the transcript levels of the nuclear-encoded COX subunits as well as the master-regulators and transcription factors of mitochondrial biogenesis. Zebrafish COX activity did not change in the cold but the transcript levels of some subunits decreased up to 70%. Redbelly dace COX activity was 2.9-fold higher in winter fish and though nuclear-encoded subunits had higher transcript levels the increases did not parallel enzyme activity, ranging from 1.7- to 21-fold higher in winter. There also did not appear to be parallel patterns in mRNA for the transcriptional regulators. In zebrafish, when COX activity did not change, there was no significant change in PGC-1α mRNA. In redbelly dace, when COX activity was 2.9-fold higher, PGC-1α mRNA was 6.3-fold higher. These observations suggest that coordination of COX subunit expression is imperfect, implying that subsets of these genes are more important in determining the COX activity. I assert that those genes that are most likely the candidates for regulating COX activity are COX4 and COX5A as they are the first regulatory subunits incorporated into the holoenzyme. Though arguments can also be made for COX5B, 6A and 7B based on the parallels between changes in enzyme activity and transcript abundance as well as the position in which they are assembled into the enzyme complex. / Thesis (Master, Biology) -- Queen's University, 2010-08-10 11:35:35.352

No description available.

Graduation date: 1992

Thesis (PhD)--University of South Australia, 2003.

Thesis (PhD)--University of South Australia, 2000.

Thesis (PhD)--University of South Australia, 2001.

Thesis (PhD)--University of South Australia, 1995

The cytochrome P450 (CYP) superfamily of enzymes catalyses the oxidative metabolism of lipophilic xenobiotics such as drugs and environmental chemicals, and also plays an essential role in the biosynthesis and metabolism of endogenous compounds such as cholesterol and bile acids, vitamins, steroids, arachidonic acid and eicosanoids. Cytochrome P450 2J2 (CYP2J2) is a recently identified member of the human CYP protein family that is highly expressed in the heart, vasculature, liver and other tissues. CYP2J2 metabolises arachidonic acid (AA) into epoxyeicosatrienoic acids (EETs), which have a number of potent biological activities including cytoprotective, vasodilatory and anti-inflammatory effects. Given its widespread tissue distribution and the biological actions of EETs, CYP2J2 is likely to play an important role in cellular physiology, and altered expression of CYP2J2 may have pathophysiological consequences. Indeed, recent literature studies have indicated that CYP2J2 protein levels are decreased in vascular endothelial cells exposed to hypoxia and reoxygenation, and that maintenance of CYP2J2 expression enhances cell survival. Thus, CYP2J2 expression may be impaired in diseases or conditions associated with decreased oxygen availability, such as ischaemic heart disease, stroke and atherosclerosis, and this may contribute to their pathogenic consequences. Despite its likely importance in human physiology and pathophysiology, very little is known about the regulation of CYP2J2 gene expression. The aim of this study was to investigate the molecular mechanisms that control expression of the CYP2J2 gene. In particular, this study was designed to identify factors that regulate the expression of the CYP2J2 gene in the liver-derived HepG2 cell line during normoxia and hypoxia. A 2.4 kb fragment of the 5???-flanking region of the CYP2J2 gene (corresponding to nucleotides -2341 to +98, relative to the translation start site) was isolated from a human genomic library. Automated searching of the upstream regulatory region of CYP2J2 identified several putative binding sites for the transcription factor activator protein-1 (AP-1). Because AP-1 activity is altered in hypoxia, the possibility that AP-1 may participate in the regulation of CYP2J2 expression in hypoxia was explored. Cell culture studies examined the relationship between the expression of CYP2J2, and the AP-1 genes c-fos and c-jun, in HepG2 cells cultured in normoxia and hypoxia. Down-regulation of CYP2J2 mRNA and protein in hypoxic HepG2 cells was associated with the pronounced up-regulation of c-Fos protein from an undetectable level in normoxic cells; c-Jun protein levels were readily detectable in normoxia, and were also increased in hypoxia. Transient transfection studies revealed distinct effects of Fos and Jun proteins on CYP2J2 promoter activity. While the CYP2J2 promoter was strongly activated by c-Jun, c-Fos was inactive, and also abolished gene transactivation elicited by c-Jun. These results suggest that the constitutively expressed c-Jun is important in the maintenance of CYP2J2 expression in normoxic cells. The up-regulation of c-Fos in hypoxia stimulates the formation of c-Fos/c-Jun heterodimers, which do not support CYP2J2 transcription, leading to gene down-regulation. Experiments with CYP2J2 promoter deletion constructs revealed that the region between -152 to -50 bp relative to the translation start site was crucial for activation of CYP2J2 by c-Jun. Electrophoretic mobility shift assays (EMSAs) and transfection studies identified two distinct elements within this region that were involved in c-Jun-dependent transactivation: an AP-1-like element at -56 to -63 bp, and an atypical AP-1 element at -105 to -95 bp. c-Jun homodimers interacted specifically with both elements. Separate mutagenesis of either element significantly impaired c-Jun-dependent transactivation of CYP2J2, while mutagenesis of both elements eliminated c-Jun-responsiveness. EMSAs established that c-Jun, but not c-Fos, interacted with both elements in normoxic HepG2 cells. Furthermore, mutagenesis of either c-Jun-response element significantly decreased the basal transcriptional activity of the CYP2J2 promoter in HepG2 cells, while mutagenesis of both elements almost completely suppressed basal promoter activity. These findings indicate a pivotal role for c-Jun in the maintenance of CYP2J2 expression in normoxic cells. Transfection studies indicated that c-Fos suppresses c-Jun-dependent activation of CYP2J2 at both the -56/-63 bp and -105/-95 bp c-Jun-response elements. However, c-Fos-dependent inhibition appears to be mediated by distinct mechanisms at these two regulatory elements. While both elements interacted with c-Jun homodimers, only the -105/-95 bp element was able to interact with c-Fos/c-Jun heterodimers. Thus, the up-regulation of c-Fos in hypoxia, and the shift from c-Jun homodimers to c-Fos/c-Jun heterodimers, directly decreased c-Jun binding and transactivation at the -56/-63 bp element. In contrast, up-regulation of c-Fos in hypoxia altered the composition of proteins bound at the -105/-95 bp element from c-Jun to c-Fos/c-Jun. Inhibition of promoter activity occurs because c-Fos/c-Jun heterodimers can occupy, but not transactivate, the CYP2J2 promoter via the -105/-95 bp element. In summary, this thesis provides novel information on the molecular mechanisms that control the differential expression of the human CYP2J2 gene in normoxia and hypoxia. In particular, this study has established that the AP-1 proteins c-Jun and c-Fos play a crucial role in modulating the transcriptional activation of the CYP2J2 promoter in response to cellular stress. Binding of c-Jun to two distinct c-Jun-response elements within the CYP2J2 proximal promoter induces transcriptional activation of the CYP2J2 gene and is essential for maintenance of CYP2J2 expression in normoxic cells. The up-regulation of c-Fos in hypoxia promotes the formation of c-Fos/c-Jun heterodimers, which inhibit transcriptional activation of the CYP2J2 promoter by c-Jun, thus contributing to decreased CYP2J2 expression in hypoxia. Impaired expression of CYP2J2 may contribute to cellular injury in diseases such as atherosclerosis and stroke, and a greater understanding of the mechanisms responsible for mediating altered CYP2J2 expression may eventually lead to therapeutic strategies that manipulate the expression of this important human gene.