title: Rotenone down-regulates HSPA8/hsc70 chaperone protein in vitro: A new possible toxic mechanism contributing to Parkinson's disease.
abstract: HSPA8/hsc70 (70-kDa heat shock cognate) chaperone protein exerts multiple protective roles. Beside its ability to confer to the cells a generic resistance against several metabolic stresses, it is also involved in at least two critical processes whose activity is essential in preventing Parkinson's disease (PD) pathology. Actually, hsc70 protein acts as the main carrier of chaperone-mediated autophagy (CMA), a selective catabolic pathway for alpha-synuclein, the main pathogenic protein that accumulates in degenerating dopaminergic neurons in PD. Furthermore, hsc70 efficiently fragments alpha-synuclein fibrils in vitro and promotes depolymerization into non-toxic alpha-synuclein monomers. Considering that the mitochondrial complex I inhibitor rotenone, used to generate PD animal models, induces alpha-synuclein aggregation, this study was designed in order to verify whether rotenone exposure leads to hsc70 alteration possibly contributing to alpha-synuclein aggregation. To this aim, human SH-SY5Y neuroblastoma cells were treated with rotenone and hsc70 mRNA and protein expression were assessed; the effect of rotenone on hsc70 was compared with that exerted by hydrogen peroxide, a generic oxidative stress donor with no inhibitory activity on mitochondrial complex I. Furthermore, the effect of rotenone on hsc70 was verified in primary mouse cortical neurons. The possible contribution of macroautophagy to rotenone-induced hsc70 modulation was explored and the influence of hsc70 gene silencing on neurotoxicity was assessed. We demonstrated that rotenone, but not hydrogen peroxide, induced a significant reduction of hsc70 mRNA and protein expression. We also observed that the toxic effect of rotenone on alpha-synuclein levels was amplified when macroautophagy was inhibited, although rotenone-induced hsc70 reduction was independent from macroautophagy. Finally, we demonstrated that hsc70 gene silencing up-regulated alpha-synuclein mRNA and protein levels without affecting cell viability and without altering rotenone- and hydrogen peroxide-induced cytotoxicity. These findings demonstrate the existence of a novel mechanism of rotenone toxicity mediated by hsc70 and indicate that dysfunction of both CMA and macroautophagy can synergistically exacerbate alpha-synuclein toxicity, suggesting that hsc70 up-regulation may represent a valuable therapeutic strategy for PD.
authors.affiliation: Lab. of Neurobiology, School of Medicine and Surgery, University of Milano-Bicocca, Milano, Italy; NeuroMI Milan Center for Neuroscience, University of Milano-Bicocca, Milano, Italy. Electronic address: gessica.sala@unimib.it.
authors.forename: Gessica
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Sala
authors.affiliation: Lab. of Neurobiology, School of Medicine and Surgery, University of Milano-Bicocca, Milano, Italy; PhD Program in Neuroscience, University of Milano-Bicocca, Milano, Italy; NeuroMI Milan Center for Neuroscience, University of Milano-Bicocca, Milano, Italy.
authors.forename: Daniele
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Marinig
authors.affiliation: Lab. of Neurobiology, School of Medicine and Surgery, University of Milano-Bicocca, Milano, Italy; NeuroMI Milan Center for Neuroscience, University of Milano-Bicocca, Milano, Italy.
authors.forename: Chiara
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Riva
authors.affiliation: Lab. of Neurobiology, School of Medicine and Surgery, University of Milano-Bicocca, Milano, Italy; NeuroMI Milan Center for Neuroscience, University of Milano-Bicocca, Milano, Italy.
authors.forename: Alessandro
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Arosio
authors.affiliation: Lab. of Neurobiology, School of Medicine and Surgery, University of Milano-Bicocca, Milano, Italy; Dept. of Neurology, San Gerardo Hospital, Monza, Milano, Italy.
authors.forename: Giovanni
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Stefanoni
authors.affiliation: Dept. of Neurology, San Gerardo Hospital, Monza, Milano, Italy; NeuroMI Milan Center for Neuroscience, University of Milano-Bicocca, Milano, Italy.
authors.forename: Laura
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Brighina
authors.affiliation: Lab. of Neuroscience R. Levi-Montalcini, Dept. of Biotechnology and Biosciences, University of Milano-Bicocca, Milano, Italy; SYSBIO Centre of Systems Biology, University of Milano-Bicocca, Milano, Italy.
authors.forename: Matteo
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Formenti
authors.affiliation: Lab. of Neuroscience R. Levi-Montalcini, Dept. of Biotechnology and Biosciences, University of Milano-Bicocca, Milano, Italy; SYSBIO Centre of Systems Biology, University of Milano-Bicocca, Milano, Italy; NeuroMI Milan Center for Neuroscience, University of Milano-Bicocca, Milano, Italy.
authors.forename: Lilia
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Alberghina
authors.affiliation: Lab. of Neuroscience R. Levi-Montalcini, Dept. of Biotechnology and Biosciences, University of Milano-Bicocca, Milano, Italy; SYSBIO Centre of Systems Biology, University of Milano-Bicocca, Milano, Italy; NeuroMI Milan Center for Neuroscience, University of Milano-Bicocca, Milano, Italy.
authors.forename: Anna Maria
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Colangelo
authors.affiliation: Lab. of Neurobiology, School of Medicine and Surgery, University of Milano-Bicocca, Milano, Italy; Dept. of Neurology, San Gerardo Hospital, Monza, Milano, Italy; NeuroMI Milan Center for Neuroscience, University of Milano-Bicocca, Milano, Italy.
authors.forename: Carlo
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Ferrarese
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000831:Animals, Newborn; D045744:Cell Line, Tumor; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D002540:Cerebral Cortex / Q000166:cytology; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation / Q000187:drug effects*; D050883:HSC70 Heat-Shock Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D006861:Hydrogen Peroxide / Q000494:pharmacology; D007306:Insecticides / Q000494:pharmacology*; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D009447:Neuroblastoma / Q000473:pathology; D009474:Neurons / Q000187:drug effects*; D034741:RNA, Small Interfering / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D017382:Reactive Oxygen Species / Q000378:metabolism; D012402:Rotenone / Q000494:pharmacology*; D013997:Time Factors; D014162:Transfection; D051844:alpha-Synuclein / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D050883:HSC70 Heat-Shock Proteins; C494372:Hspa8 protein, mouse; D007306:Insecticides; D034741:RNA, Small Interfering; D017382:Reactive Oxygen Species; D051844:alpha-Synuclein; D012402:Rotenone; D006861:Hydrogen Peroxide
keywords: Autophagy; Heat shock cognate protein 70; Parkinson’s disease; Rotenone