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Converting cell death into senescence by PARP1 inhibition improves recovery from acute oxidative injury

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Abstract

Excessive amounts of reactive oxygen species (ROS) lead to macromolecular damage and high levels of cell death with consequent pathological sequelae. We hypothesized that switching cell death to a tissue regenerative state could potentially improve the short-term and long-term detrimental effects of ROS-associated acute tissue injury, although the mechanisms regulating oxidative stress-induced cell fate decisions and their manipulation for improving repair are poorly understood. Here, we show that cells exposed to high oxidative stress enter a poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase 1 (PARP1)-mediated regulated cell death, and that blocking PARP1 activation promotes conversion of cell death into senescence (CODIS). We demonstrate that this conversion depends on reducing mitochondrial Ca2+ overload as a consequence of retaining the hexokinase II on mitochondria. In a mouse model of kidney ischemia–reperfusion damage, PARP inhibition reduces necrosis and increases transient senescence at the injury site, alongside improved recovery from damage. Together, these data provide evidence that converting cell death into transient senescence can therapeutically benefit tissue regeneration.

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Fig. 1: PARP1 signaling has a major role in the decision between senescence and death in response to oxidative stress.
Fig. 2: PARP activation regulates Ca2+ signaling induced by oxidative stress.
Fig. 3: Hexokinase is a downstream effector of PARP that modulates Ca2+ signaling.
Fig. 4: PARP inhibition reduces necrotic kidney injury, promotes senescence and limits long-term kidney pathology.

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Data availability

The RNA-seq dataset generated in this study is publicly accessible at the NCBI as BioProject no. PRJNA945397. The public dataset41 analyzed in this study has been deposited under accession no. GSE130727. All other data supporting the findings of this study are available as source data files or from the corresponding author upon reasonable request (m.demaria@umcg.nl).

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Acknowledgements

We thank M. Koster (UMCG) for helping with the immunostaining, A. Van Oosten (UMCG) for helping with the mouse experiments and the sequencing facility (UMCG) for performing the RNA-seq. This work was supported by grants from the Dutch Cancer Foundation KWF (research grant no. 10989 to M.D.), a Dutch Research Council Vidi Grant no. 09150172010029 (to M.D.) and the Lebanese National Council for Scientific Research-Lebanese University scholarship (to J.N.).

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Contributions

J.N. and M.D. conceptualized the study. J.N., L.M., V.F., J.-L.H., H.G., N.P. and M.D. devised the methodology. J.N., L.M., M.V.-E., A.A., S.B., Y.L., M.G.C. and V.F. carried out the investigation. J.N., L.M., M.V.-E., Y.L., M.G.C. and V.F. visualized the data. M.D. acquired the funding and managed the project. M.S., R.S., N.P., H.A. and M.D. supervised the project. J.N. and M.D. wrote the original paper draft. J.N., J.-L.H., H.G., R.S., N.P., H.A., V.F. and M.D. reviewed and edited the paper.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Marco Demaria.

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Competing interests

M.D. is founder and shareholder of Cleara Biotech and an adviser for Oisin Biotechnologies. Neither Cleara Biotech nor Oisin Biotechnologies were involved in the study. The other authors declare no competing interests.

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Nature Aging thanks David Ferenbach, Valery Krizhanovsky and Satomi Miwa for their contributions to the peer review of this work.

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Extended data

Extended Data Fig. 1 PARP1 is downregulated in senescence.

a, The heatmap represents expression levels of genes implicated in oxidative stress induced cell death in multiple types of senescence. b-c, IMR90 human fibroblasts were irradiated for senescence induction or sham treated. 7 days later, cells were analyzed using b, qRT-PCR or c, western blot for the expression of PAPR1 relative to housekeeping; n = 3. d-e, Senescent (irradiated), and proliferating IMR-90 cells were treated with H2O2 (1 mM). d, Cells were stained for PAR polymers after 15 min H2O2 exposure. Quantification was performed on images taken from multiple microscopic fields of view. Scale bar; 150 µm. e, cell survival was measured by using an MTS assay 24 hours after 1 h H2O2 treatment; n = 3. Unpaired two-tailed t-test, data are means ± SD (b, c, d, and e). Dox, doxorubicin. IR, irradiated, Onco, Oncogene-induced. Rep, replicative.

Source data

Extended Data Fig. 2 PARP1 is implicated in cell fate decision upon oxidative stress.

a, IMR90 cells were incubated with the indicated PARP inhibitor or vehicle for 2 hours, followed by H2O2 treatment. Cell survival was measured using MTS assay 24 hours after 1 hour H2O2 treatment; n = 3. b-c, IMR-90 cells were transfected with siRNA against PARP1, PARP2, or control. b, the expression levels of PARP1 and PARP2 were evaluated in the siRNA-transfected cells; n = 3. c, cell survival was measured using MTS assay 24 hours after 1 hour H2O2 treatment; n = 3. d, IMR90 cells were pre-incubated with either PJ34 or a vehicle control for a duration of 2 hours, followed by exposure to 500 µM of peroxynitrite (ONOO-). Subsequently, cell viability was assessed 24 hours after the treatment using MTS assay. e, IMR90 cells were treated with H2O2 then incubated with 5 mM NAD + . 24 h later, cell survival was measured using MTS assay; n = 3. f-g, Cells treated with PJ34 followed by H2O2 or sham, 10 days after the treatment, were either; f, harvested for Western blot analysis to assess p16 protein expression, or g, replated and subjected to γH2AX staining; n = 253 from 3 independent experiments (Scale bar; 50 µm). h-i, cells transfected with siRNA PARP1 were treated with H2O2 or sham. 10 days after the treatment, cells were re-plated and h, incubated with EdU for 24 h hours and stained (n = 3, Scale bar; 150 µm) or i, stained for SA-β-gal (n = 3, Scale bar; 150 µm). j-k, remaining cells from a lethal dose of H2O2, 10 days after the treatment, were re-plated and j, incubated with EdU for 24 hours and stained (n = 3, Scale bar: 150 µm), or k, stained for SA-β-gal (n = 3, Scale bar: 150 µm). One-way ANOVA, data are means ± SD (a,b). Unpaired two-tailed t-test, data are means ± SD (c, d, e, f, h, i, j, and k). Two-tailed Mann-whiteney test, data are means ± SD (g).

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Extended Data Fig. 3 Ca2+ signaling is implicated in the decision between senescence and death.

a, Mean traces of the Fura-2am fluorescence ratio (F340/F380) measured in IMR-90 fibroblast exposed to 125 μM, 500 μM, or 1 mM H2O2. n = 163, 107, and 156 respectively, from 4 biological replicates. b, the bar diagram plot compares the mean rates of Ca2+ uptake in the cytosol, calculated as signal mass per second in cells treated as in a. c-d, IMR-90 human fibroblast cells treated with BAPTA-am followed by H2O2 or sham were re-plated 10 days after the treatment for further analysis. c, cells were analyzed using qRT-PCR for the expression of senescence-associated mRNAs relative to housekeeping (tubulin); n = 6. d, γH2AX staining for detecting persistent DNA damage foci; n = 185. IMR-90 cells were treated with different H2O2 concentrations and for e, incubated with EdU for 24 h hours, and stained (n = 3, Scale bar; 150 µm) or f, stained for SA-β-gal (n = 3, Scale bar; 150 µm), 10 days after treatment; n = 3. g, MTS viability measurement after the treatment with the indicated concentrations of H2O2 in cells pretreated with the Ca2+ ionophore calcimycine (10uM) or sham; n = 3. h, MTS viability measurement following treatment with the specified concentration of peroxynitrite (ONOO-) in cells that were either pretreated with the Ca2+ ionophore calcimycine (10uM) or sham; n = 3. One-way ANOVA, data are means ± SEM (a) and ±SD (e, f, and g). Multiple Two-tailed Mann-Whiteney test, data are mean ± SD (c). Two-tailed Mann-Whiteney test, data are mean ± SD (d). Unpaired two-tailed t-test, data means ± SD (h). BA, BAPTA-AM.

Source data

Extended Data Fig. 4 Hexokinase is involved in PARP-modulated Ca2+ signaling.

a, immunoblot analysis of HK2, along with control proteins VDAC for the mitochondrial fraction and tubulin for the cytosol fraction, using IMR-90 cells treated with the indicated treatments. b, bar diagram comparing the mean of mitochondrial Ca2+ basal levels, calculated as signal mass per second; n = 153 for Control and 203 for HKII overexpressing cells (IMR-90). IMR-90 cells treated with PJ34 or sham for 2 hours were analyzed either c, using qRT-PCR to measure the expression of SERCA2 mRNAs relative to the housekeeping gene (tubulin); n = 6, or d, Immunoblotting to detect the protein levels of SERCA; n = 3. Unpaired two-tailed t-test, data are means ± SD (a, b, and c).

Source data

Extended Data Fig. 5 PARP inhibition promotes early senescence and limits long-term kidney pathology.

a-d, mice were subjected to unilateral kidney IR, either receiving the PARP inhibitor PJ34 (10 mg/kg) or a vehicle control. a, 3 days following the induction of IR, kidney tissues were harvested for subsequent histological staining for the proliferation marker ki-67, n = 6. Scale bar; 100 µm. b, Dual staining with p21 and Periodic Acid-Schiff (PAS). Left panel, representative images. Right panel, quantification of the percentage of p21+ cells with epithelial morphology, n = 4 for vehicle and 5 for PJ34 treated. Scale bar; 10 µm. c-d, kidney tissues were collected 35 days after the initiation of IR to investigate the long-term effects of PARP inhibition following IR. qRT-PCR was used to assess the expression of c, kidney fibrosis markers (n = 10) and d, senescence markers (n = 5). Data were normalized to the corresponding control, with actin serving as the housekeeping gene. Unpaired two-tailed t-test, data are means ± SD (a, b, c and d). IR, ischemia-reperfusion.

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Nehme, J., Mesilmany, L., Varela-Eirin, M. et al. Converting cell death into senescence by PARP1 inhibition improves recovery from acute oxidative injury. Nat Aging (2024). https://doi.org/10.1038/s43587-024-00627-x

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