Regulation of Placental Autophagy by the Bcl-2 Family Proteins Myeloid Cell Leukemia Factor 1 (Mcl-1) and Matador/Bcl-2 Related Ovarian Killer (Mtd/Bok)
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Regulation of Placental Autophagy by the Bcl-2 Family Proteins Myeloid Cell Leukemia Factor 1 (Mcl-1) and Matador/Bcl-2 Related Ovarian Killer (Mtd/Bok) by Manpreet Kalkat A thesis submitted in conformity with the requirements for the degree of Master of Science Department of Physiology University of Toronto © Copyright by Manpreet Kalkat, 2010 Regulation of Placental Autophagy by the Bcl-2 Family Proteins Myeloid Cell Leukemia Factor 1 (Mcl-1) and Matador/Bcl-2 Related Ovarian Killer (Mtd/Bok) Manpreet Kalkat Master of Science Department of Physiology University of Toronto 2010 Abstract The process of autophagy is defined as the degradation of cellular cytoplasmic constituents via a lysosomal pathway. Herein I sought to examine the regulation of autophagy in the placental pathologies preeclampsia (PE) and intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR). I hypothesized that the Bcl-2 family proteins Mcl-1L and MtdL regulate placental autophagy and contribute towards dysregulated autophagy in PE. My results demonstrate that Mcl-1L acts to repress autophagy via a Beclin 1 interaction, while MtdL induces autophagy when it interacts with Mcl-1L. My data indicate that while autophagy is elevated in PE, a pathology characterized by oxidative stress, it is decreased in IUGR, a hypoxic pathology. Treatment with sodium nitroprusside to mimic PE caused a decrease in Mcl-1L and an increase in MtdL levels in response to oxidative stress, thereby inducing autophagy. Overall, my data provide insight into the molecular mechanisms contributing to the pathogenesis of preeclampsia. ii Acknowledgments I would like to acknowledge the support my supervisor, Dr. Isabella Caniggia, who has provided me with many valuable lessons that have been instrumental in both my professional and personal growth in this early stage of my scientific career. I would also like to express my gratitude for the guidance, feedback and support provided to me by the members of my student supervisory committee: Dr. Mingyao Liu, Dr. Jim Woodgett and Dr. Stephen Lye. I'd like to extend my heartfelt thanks to all the members of the Caniggia Lab and the other labs of the sixth floor of TCP for their encouragement and moral support throughout the ups and downs of research. In particular, I would like to thank Julia Garcia for her scientific feedback, suggestions and excellent advice. I'd also like to thank Livia Deda, Tharini Sivasubramaniyam, Antonella Racano and Jocelyn Ray for their consistent scientific and emotional support, and importantly, for all the of the laughter and humour they have all brought to the lab every day. Finally, I'd like to thank my family, who have not seen much of me in the last two years (for which I apologize) but without whom I would not have had the luxury to explore my intellectual pursuits. iii Contributions I would like to acknowledge the contributions of the following people in the generation of the data described in this thesis: Julia Garcia, for the generation of the HEK293-GFP and HEK293-GFPMtdL stably transfected cell lines and for the construction of the FlagMtdL, Mcl-1L and RFP-Mcl-1L vectors. Doug Holmyard, for processing of placental tissue and HEK293 stably transfected cell lines for electron microscopy. Mount Sinai Hospital Biobank (Toronto, Canada) and Dr. Tulia Todros (University of Turin, Italy) for supplying human placental tissue for immunoblot analysis and immunofluorescence staining. iv Table of Contents Acknowledgments .......................................................................................................................... iii Table of Contents ............................................................................................................................ v List of Figures ................................................................................................................................. x Chapter 1 ......................................................................................................................................... 1 1 Introduction ................................................................................................................................ 1 1.1 The Placenta ........................................................................................................................ 1 1.1.1 Early Placental Development .................................................................................. 1 1.1.2 Development of the Villous Structure .................................................................... 4 1.1.3 Onset of placental perfusion and oxidative stress ................................................... 8 1.1.4 Preeclampsia ........................................................................................................... 8 1.1.5 Cell Death and Placentation .................................................................................... 9 1.1.6 Intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR) ................................................................. 10 1.2 Autophagy ......................................................................................................................... 11 1.2.1 Autophagic Induction ............................................................................................ 12 1.2.2 Autophagic Nucleation and Expansion ................................................................. 17 1.2.3 Autophagosome Fusion ........................................................................................ 19 1.2.4 Mitophagy ............................................................................................................. 21 1.3 Bcl-2 family members ....................................................................................................... 21 1.3.1 Bcl-2 family regulation of apoptosis ..................................................................... 21 1.3.2 Bcl-2 Proteins and Mitochondrial Morphogenesis ............................................... 25 1.3.3 Bcl-2 proteins and non-apoptotic cell death ......................................................... 25 1.3.4 Bcl-2 family members and autophagy .................................................................. 26 1.3.5 Bcl-2 family proteins and the placenta ................................................................. 27 1.4 Myeloid Cell Leukemia Factor 1 ...................................................................................... 28 v 1.5 Matador/Bcl-2 related ovarian killer (Mtd/Bok) ............................................................... 30 1.6 Human Placenta and Mtd/Mcl-1 ....................................................................................... 32 1.7 Rationale and Hypothesis ................................................................................................. 33 Chapter 2 ....................................................................................................................................... 34 2 Materials and Methods ............................................................................................................. 34 2.1 In Vitro Studies ................................................................................................................. 34 2.1.1 Cell Culture ........................................................................................................... 34 2.1.2 Protein Extraction ................................................................................................. 35 2.1.3 Bradford Protein Assay ......................................................................................... 35 2.1.4 Western Blot Analysis .......................................................................................... 35 2.1.5 Immunoprecipitation studies ................................................................................. 36 2.1.6 Immunofluorescence staining ............................................................................... 37 2.1.7 Electron Microscopy ............................................................................................. 39 2.1.8 Transient Transfection Experiments ..................................................................... 39 2.1.9 SNP Treatment ...................................................................................................... 40 2.1.10 Etoposide Treatment ............................................................................................. 41 2.1.11 Rapamycin Treatment ........................................................................................... 41 2.1.12 Glucose Starvation ................................................................................................ 41 2.1.13 Oxygen Experiments ............................................................................................. 41 2.2 Human Placental Tissue Experiments .............................................................................. 42 2.2.1 Collection and Sampling ....................................................................................... 42 2.2.2 Protein Extraction ................................................................................................. 44 2.2.3 Western Blotting ................................................................................................... 44 2.2.4 Immunofluorescence Staining .............................................................................. 45 2.2.5 Electron Micrographs ............................................................................................ 46 2.3