Cellular and Molecular Biology

**Hybrid seminar: both in presence (max 25 people in Seminar room) and on webex

Friday 23/2/2024 h. 2.00 pm -  Hybrid Seminar
Helena L. A. Vieira, UCIBIO, Applied Molecular Biosciences Unit, Department of Chemistry, NOVA School of Science and Technology, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Portugal
Carbon monoxide promotes mitochondrial homeostasis in brain cells: Cell energy and fate control in stroke context 

Carbon monoxide (CO) is a gasotransmitter endogenously produced by the activity of heme oxygenase, which is a stress-response enzyme. Endogenous CO or low concentrations of exogenous CO have been described to present several cytoprotective functions: anti-apoptosis, anti-inflammatory, vasomodulation, maintenance of homeostasis, stimulation of preconditioning and modulation of cell differentiation.
The seminar will present and discuss how CO is cytoprotective in glial cells and how CO improves neuronal differentiation. In fact, COprevents oxidative stress-induced astrocytic cell death by improving oxidative metabolism [1] and mitochondrial quality control [2]. The anti-neuroinflammatory effect of CO is also dependent on microglial metabolism control regulated by neuroglobin [3]. Finally, neuronal differentiation is facilitated by CO modulation of metabolism: oxidative phosphorylation [4] and pentose phosphate pathway [5].

^[1] A.S. Almeida, C.S.F. Queiroga, M.F.Q. Sousa, P.M. Alves, H.L.A. Vieira, Carbon monoxide modulates apoptosis by reinforcing oxidative metabolism in astrocytes: Role of Bcl-2, J. Biol. Chem. 287 (2012) 10761–10770. doi:10.1074/jbc.M111.306738.

^2] C. Figueiredo-Pereira, B. Villarejo-Zori, P.C. Cipriano, D. Tavares, I. Ramírez-Pardo, P. Boya, H.L.A. Vieira, Carbon Monoxide Stimulates Both Mitophagy And Mitochondrial Biogenesis to Mediate Protection Against Oxidative Stress in Astrocytes, Mol. Neurobiol. 60 (2023) 851–863. doi:10.1007/s12035-022-03108-7.

^[3] D. Dias-Pedroso, J.S. Ramalho, V.A. Sardão, J.G. Jones, C.C. Romão, P.J. Oliveira, H.L.A. Vieira, Carbon Monoxide-Neuroglobin Axis Targeting Metabolism Against Inflammation in BV-2 Microglial Cells, Mol. Neurobiol. 59 (2022) 916–931. doi:10.1007/s12035-021-02630-4.

^4] A.S. Almeida, U. Sonnewald, P.M. Alves, H.L.A. Vieira, Carbon monoxide improves neuronal differentiation and yield by increasing the functioning and number of mitochondria, J. Neurochem. 138 (2016) 423–435. doi:10.1111/jnc.13653.

^5] A.S. Almeida, N.L. Soares, C.O. Sequeira, S.A. Pereira, U. Sonnewald, H.L.A. Vieira, Improvement of neuronal differentiation by carbon monoxide: Role of pentose phosphate pathway, Redox Biol. 17 (2018) 338–347. doi:10.1016/j.redox.2018.05.004.

Host: Alessandro Vercelli | webex link