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Iron homeostasis and ferroptosis in muscle diseases and disorders: mechanisms and therapeutic prospects
The muscular system plays a critical role in the human body by governing skeletal movement, cardiovascular function, and the activities of digestive organs. Additionally, muscle tissues serve an endocrine function by secreting myogenic cytokines, thereby regulating metabolism throughout the entire body. Maintaining muscle function requires iron homeostasis. Recent studies suggest that disruptions in iron metabolism and ferroptosis, a form of iron-dependent cell death, are essential contributors to the progression of a wide range of muscle diseases and disorders, including sarcopenia, cardiomyopathy, and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Thus, a comprehensive overview of the mechanisms regulating iron metabolism and ferroptosis in these conditions is crucial for identifying potential therapeutic targets and developing new strategies for disease treatment and/or prevention. This review aims to summarize recent advances in understanding the molecular mechanisms underlying ferroptosis in the context of muscle injury, as well as associated muscle diseases and disorders. Moreover, we discuss potential targets within the ferroptosis pathway and possible strategies for managing muscle disorders. Finally, we shed new light on current limitations and future prospects for therapeutic interventions targeting ferroptosis.
Melanoma bone metastasis-induced osteocyte ferroptosis via the HIF1α-HMOX1 axis
Osteocytes are the main cells in mineralized bone tissue. Elevated osteocyte apoptosis has been observed in lytic bone lesions of patients with multiple myeloma. However, their precise contribution to bone metastasis remains unclear. Here, we investigated the pathogenic mechanisms driving melanoma-induced osteocyte death. Both in vivo models and in vitro assays were combined with untargeted RNA sequencing approaches to explore the pathways governing melanoma-induced osteocyte death. We could show that ferroptosis is the primary mechanism behind osteocyte death in the context of melanoma bone metastasis. HMOX1 was identified as a crucial regulatory factor in this process, directly involved in inducing ferroptosis and affecting osteocyte viability. We uncover a non-canonical pathway that involves excessive autophagy-mediated ferritin degradation, highlighting the complex relationship between autophagy and ferroptosis in melanoma-induced osteocyte death. In addition, HIF1α pathway was shown as an upstream regulator, providing a potential target for modulating HMOX1 expression and influencing autophagy-dependent ferroptosis. In conclusion, our study provides insight into the pathogenic mechanisms of osteocyte death induced by melanoma bone metastasis, with a specific focus on ferroptosis and its regulation. This would enhance our comprehension of melanoma-induced osteocyte death.
Insights on the crosstalk among different cell death mechanisms
The phenomenon of cell death has garnered significant scientific attention in recent years, emerging as a pivotal area of research. Recently, novel modalities of cellular death and the intricate interplay between them have been unveiled, offering insights into the pathogenesis of various diseases. This comprehensive review delves into the intricate molecular mechanisms, inducers, and inhibitors of the underlying prevalent forms of cell death, including apoptosis, autophagy, ferroptosis, necroptosis, mitophagy, and pyroptosis. Moreover, it elucidates the crosstalk and interconnection among the key pathways or molecular entities associated with these pathways, thereby paving the way for the identification of novel therapeutic targets, disease management strategies, and drug repurposing.
Maternal effects in the model system Daphnia: the ecological past meets the epigenetic future
Maternal effects have been shown to play influential roles in many evolutionary and ecological processes. However, understanding how environmental stimuli induce within-generation responses that transverse across generations remains elusive, particularly when attempting to segregate confounding effects from offspring genotypes. This review synthesizes literature regarding resource- and predation-driven maternal effects in the model system Daphnia, detailing how the maternal generation responds to the environmental stimuli and the maternal effects seen in the offspring generation(s). Our goal is to demonstrate the value of Daphnia as a model system by showing how general principles of maternal effects emerge from studies on this system. By integrating the results across different types of biotic drivers of maternal effects, we identified broadly applicable shared characteristics: 1. Many, but not all, maternal effects involve offspring size, influencing resistance to starvation, infection, predation, and toxins. 2. Maternal effects manifest more strongly when the offspring’s environment is poor. 3. Strong within-generation responses are typically associated with strong across-generation responses. 4. The timing of the maternal stress matters and can raise or lower the magnitude of the effect on the offspring’s phenotype. 5. Embryonic exposure effects could be mistaken for maternal effects. We outline questions to prioritize for future research and discuss the possibilities for integration of ecologically relevant studies of maternal effects in natural populations with the molecular mechanisms that make them possible, specifically by addressing genetic variation and incorporating information on epigenetics. These small crustaceans can unravel how and why non-genetic information gets passed to future generations.
Different types of cell death and their interactions in myocardial ischemia–reperfusion injury
Myocardial ischemia–reperfusion (I/R) injury is a multifaceted process observed in patients with coronary artery disease when blood flow is restored to the heart tissue following ischemia-induced damage. Cardiomyocyte cell death, particularly through apoptosis, necroptosis, autophagy, pyroptosis, and ferroptosis, is pivotal in myocardial I/R injury. Preventing cell death during the process of I/R is vital for improving ischemic cardiomyopathy. These multiple forms of cell death can occur simultaneously, interact with each other, and contribute to the complexity of myocardial I/R injury. In this review, we aim to provide a comprehensive summary of the key molecular mechanisms and regulatory patterns involved in these five types of cell death in myocardial I/R injury. We will also discuss the crosstalk and intricate interactions among these mechanisms, highlighting the interplay between different types of cell death. Furthermore, we will explore specific molecules or targets that participate in different cell death pathways and elucidate their mechanisms of action. It is important to note that manipulating the molecules or targets involved in distinct cell death processes may have a significant impact on reducing myocardial I/R injury. By enhancing researchers’ understanding of the mechanisms and interactions among different types of cell death in myocardial I/R injury, this review aims to pave the way for the development of novel interventions for cardio-protection in patients affected by myocardial I/R injury.
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