Wnt/β-catenin signaling mediates the senescence of bone marrow-mesenchymal stem cells from systemic lupus erythematosus patients through the p53/p21 pathway

Mol Cell Biochem. 2014 Feb;387(1-2):27-37. doi: 10.1007/s11010-013-1866-5. Epub 2013 Oct 16.

Abstract

Recent studies have shown that allogeneic bone marrow (BM)-mesenchymal stem cell transplantation (MSCT) appears to be effective in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) patients and lupus-prone mice, contrary to studies in syngeneic BM-MSCT. These studies indicated that the abnormalities of BM-MSCs may be involved in the pathogenesis of SLE. Our studies and other previous studies have revealed that BM-MSCs from SLE patients exhibited early signs of senescence, such as flattened morphology, slow proliferation, increased senescence-associated β-galactosidase (SA-β-gal) activity, and so on. However, the mechanisms by which these cells senescences were still unclear. Previous studies have demonstrated that Wnt/β-catenin signaling plays an important role in stem cell senescence. In the current study, we investigated whether Wnt/β-catenin signaling mediates the senescence of BM-MSCs from SLE patients. We have found that Wnt/β-catenin signaling and the p53/p21 pathway were significantly hyperactivated in senescent SLE BM-MSCs. Treatment with 100 ng/mL Dickkopf-1 (DKK1), a Wnt/β-catenin signaling inhibitor or β-catenin siRNA for 48 h could reverse the senescent features of SLE BM-MSCs. Additionally, the expression levels of p53 and p21 were reduced in treated-SLE BM-MSCs compared with the untreated group. In summary, our study indicated that Wnt/β-catenin signaling may play a critical role in the senescence of SLE BM-MSCs through the p53/p21 pathway.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Adolescent
  • Adult
  • Bone Marrow Cells / physiology
  • Case-Control Studies
  • Cell Proliferation
  • Cells, Cultured
  • Cellular Senescence*
  • Cyclin-Dependent Kinase Inhibitor p21 / metabolism*
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Intercellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins / metabolism
  • Lupus Erythematosus, Systemic
  • Mesenchymal Stem Cells / physiology*
  • Tumor Suppressor Protein p53 / metabolism*
  • Wnt Signaling Pathway*
  • Young Adult
  • beta Catenin / metabolism

Substances

  • CDKN1A protein, human
  • CTNNB1 protein, human
  • Cyclin-Dependent Kinase Inhibitor p21
  • DKK1 protein, human
  • Intercellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins
  • TP53 protein, human
  • Tumor Suppressor Protein p53
  • beta Catenin