Sustained activation of NF-κB through constitutively active IKKβ leads to senescence bypass in murine dermal

Masayuki Harada1, Kanae Su-Harada1, Takeshi Kimura1

  • 1Department of Cardiovascular Medicine, Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan.

PubMed

Insights

Nuclear factor κB (NF-κB) activation suppresses cellular senescence by maintaining Ezh2 expression. Inhibiting IκB kinase β (IKKβ) accelerates senescence, while activating IKKβ bypasses it, highlighting NF-κB

Area of Science:

  • Cellular senescence and aging research
  • Molecular biology and epigenetics
  • NF-κB signaling pathway

Background:

  • Nuclear factor κB (NF-κB) is crucial for senescence-associated secretory phenotype (SASP) but its role in senescence induction is unclear.
  • Cellular senescence is a complex process with implications for aging and cancer.
  • The canonical NF-κB pathway involves IκB kinase β (IKKβ) and inhibitor of κB (IκB).

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the role of the canonical NF-κB pathway in the induction of cellular senescence.
  • To determine how IKKβ and NF-κB signaling influence senescence in fibroblasts.
  • To elucidate the molecular mechanisms by which NF-κB affects senescence, including its interaction with Ezh2 and INK4/Arf genes.

Main Methods:

  • Depletion of IKKβ in murine dermal fibroblasts to assess senescence induction under 20% oxygen.
  • Expression of constitutively active IKKβ (IKKβ-CA) to evaluate senescence bypass.
  • Inhibition of NF-κB nuclear translocation using a degradation-resistant IκB.
  • Analysis of senescence markers (SA-β-gal, p16 mRNA) and gene expression (INK4/Arf, Ezh2).
  • Pharmacological inhibition of Ezh2 to confirm its role in IKKβ-mediated senescence bypass.

Main Results:

  • IKKβ-depleted fibroblasts exhibited accelerated senescence, indicating impaired NF-κB activation.
  • Constitutively active IKKβ (IKKβ-CA) expression led to senescence bypass.
  • NF-κB activation was essential for IKKβ-CA-induced senescence bypass.
  • IKKβ-CA suppressed INK4/Arf gene derepression and maintained Ezh2 expression.
  • Ezh2 inhibition abolished IKKβ-CA-induced senescence bypass.

Conclusions:

  • The canonical NF-κB pathway, activated by IKKβ, plays a suppressive role in stress-induced cellular senescence.
  • NF-κB signaling inhibits senescence, at least partly, by sustaining Ezh2 expression.
  • These findings reveal a novel mechanism linking NF-κB, Ezh2, and senescence regulation.

Related Concept Videos

NF-κB-dependent Signaling Pathway02:26

NF-κB-dependent Signaling Pathway

The transcription factor NF-κB was discovered in 1986 in the lab of Nobel laureate Professor David Baltimore, for its interaction with the immunoglobulin light chain enhancer in B-cells. After more than three decades of study, it is now evident that NF-κB regulates the expression of over 100 genes. Most of these genes play an essential role in the innate and adaptive immune responses as well as the inflammatory responses of animals.
NF-κB-dependent Signaling Mechanism
The...
7.4K
MAPK Signaling Cascades01:07

MAPK Signaling Cascades

Mitogen-activated protein kinase, or MAPK pathway, activates three sequential kinases to regulate cellular responses such as proliferation, differentiation, survival, and apoptosis. The canonical MAPK pathway starts with a mitogen or growth factor binding to an RTK. The activated RTKs stimulate Ras, which recruits Raf or MAP3 Kinase (MAPKKK), the first kinase of the MAPK signaling cascade. Raf further phosphorylates and activates MEK or MAP2 Kinases (MAPKK), which in turn phosphorylates MAP...
5.5K
TGF - β Signaling Pathway01:16

TGF - β Signaling Pathway

The TGF-β signaling pathway regulates cell growth, differentiation, adhesion, motility, and development. TGF-β ligands that induce TGF-β signaling are synthesized in their latent form. Several proteases or cell surface receptors such as integrins act upon the latent form, releasing the active ligand. There are three types of mammalian TGF-βs: (TGF-β1, TGF-β2, and TGF-β3) that bind as homodimers or heterodimers to TGF-β receptors. The TGF-β receptors...
7.4K
Replicative Cell Senescence02:15

Replicative Cell Senescence

Replicative cell senescence is a property of cells that allows them to divide a finite number of times throughout the organism's lifespan while preventing excessive proliferation. Replicative senescence is associated with the gradual loss of the telomere — short, repetitive DNA sequences found at the end of the chromosomes. Telomeres are bound by a group of proteins to form a protective cap on the ends of chromosomes. Embryonic stem cells express telomerase — an enzyme that adds...
3.6K
Mitogens and the Cell Cycle02:38

Mitogens and the Cell Cycle

Mitogens and their receptors play a crucial role in controlling the progression of the cell cycle. However, the loss of mitogenic control over cell division leads to tumor formation. Therefore, mitogens and mitogen receptors play an important role in cancer research. For instance, the epidermal growth factor (EGF) - a type of mitogen and its transmembrane receptor (EGFR), decides the fate of the cell's proliferation. When EGF binds to EGFR, a member of the ErbB family of tyrosine kinase...
6.5K
The Intrinsic Apoptotic Pathway01:31

The Intrinsic Apoptotic Pathway

Internal cellular stress, such as cellular injury or hypoxia, triggers intrinsic apoptosis. The B-cell lymphoma 2 (Bcl-2) family of proteins are the primary regulators of the intrinsic apoptotic pathway. For example, during DNA damage, checkpoint proteins, such as Ataxia Telangiectasia Mutated (ATM protein) and Checkpoints Factor-2 (Chk2) proteins, are activated. These proteins phosphorylate p53 which further activates pro-apoptotic proteins, such as Bax, Bak, PUMA, and Noxa, and inhibits...
6.5K