Astrocytic exportin-7 responds to ischemia through mediating LKB1 translocation from the nucleus to the cytoplasm

J Neurosci Res. 2015 Feb;93(2):253-67. doi: 10.1002/jnr.23486. Epub 2014 Sep 24.

Abstract

The superfamily of importin-β-related proteins is the largest class of nuclear transport receptors and can be generally divided into importins and exportins according to their transport directions. Eleven importins and seven exportins have been identified, and the expression patterns of both classes are important for their functions in nucleocytoplasmic transport activities. This study demonstrates that all of the importins (importin-β; transportin-1, -2, and -3; and importin-4, -5, -7, -8, -9, -11, and -13) and all the exportins (exportin-1, -2, -4, -5, -6, -7, and -t) are differentially expressed in the cerebral cortex, cerebellum, hippocampus, and brainstem and in primary cultures of cerebral cortical astrocytes and neurons. For astrocytes, we observed that different importins and exportins displayed different expression changes during 0-6 hr of ischemia treatment, especially an increase of both the mRNA and the protein of exportin-7. Immunostaining showed that exportin-7 accumulated inside the nucleus and around the nuclear envelope. In addition, we noticed an increased cytoplasmic distribution of one of the cargo proteins of exportin-7, LKB1, an important element in maintaining energy homeostasis. This increased cytoplasmic distribution was accompanied by an increased expression of exportin-7 under ischemia in astrocytes. We demonstrate that exportin-7 responds to ischemia in astrocytes and that this response involves translocation of LKB1, a protein that plays important roles during metabolic stress, from the nucleus to the cytoplasm.

Keywords: LKB1; brain metabolic injury; exportins; importins; nucleocytoplasmic transport.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • AMP-Activated Protein Kinases
  • Animals
  • Astrocytes / metabolism*
  • Astrocytes / ultrastructure*
  • Brain Ischemia / pathology*
  • Cell Hypoxia / physiology
  • Cell Nucleus / metabolism
  • Cells, Cultured
  • Embryo, Mammalian
  • Gene Expression Regulation / genetics
  • Gene Expression Regulation / physiology*
  • Karyopherins / genetics
  • Karyopherins / metabolism
  • Luminescent Proteins / genetics
  • Luminescent Proteins / metabolism
  • Male
  • Mice
  • Mice, Inbred ICR
  • Neurons / cytology
  • Neurons / metabolism
  • Photobleaching
  • Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases / genetics
  • Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases / metabolism*
  • Protein Transport / genetics
  • Protein Transport / physiology
  • RNA, Messenger / metabolism
  • beta Karyopherins / genetics
  • beta Karyopherins / metabolism
  • ran GTP-Binding Protein / genetics
  • ran GTP-Binding Protein / metabolism*

Substances

  • Karyopherins
  • Luminescent Proteins
  • RNA, Messenger
  • RanGTP-binding protein 16
  • beta Karyopherins
  • fluorescent protein 583
  • Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases
  • Stk11 protein, mouse
  • AMP-Activated Protein Kinases
  • ran GTP-Binding Protein