(2016) Cell: EGLN1 Inhibition and Rerouting of α-Ketoglutarate Suffice for Remote Ischemic Protection

Citation

Olenchock BA, Moslehi J, Baik AH, Davidson SM, Williams J, Gibson WJ, Chakraborty AA, Pierce KA, Miller CM, Hanse EA, Kelekar A, Sullivan LB, Wagers AJ, Clish CB, Vander Heiden MG, Kaelin WG. 2016. EGLN1 Inhibition and Rerouting of α-Ketoglutarate Suffice for Remote Ischemic Protection. Cell. 164(5):884-95. Pubmed: 26919427 DOI:S0092-8674(16)30072-1

Abstract

Ischemic preconditioning is the phenomenon whereby brief periods of sublethal ischemia protect against a subsequent, more prolonged, ischemic insult. In remote ischemic preconditioning (RIPC), ischemia to one organ protects others organs at a distance. We created mouse models to ask if inhibition of the alpha-ketoglutarate (αKG)-dependent dioxygenase Egln1, which senses oxygen and regulates the hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF) transcription factor, could suffice to mediate local and remote ischemic preconditioning. Using somatic gene deletion and a pharmacological inhibitor, we found that inhibiting Egln1 systemically or in skeletal muscles protects mice against myocardial ischemia-reperfusion (I/R) injury. Parabiosis experiments confirmed that RIPC in this latter model was mediated by a secreted factor. Egln1 loss causes accumulation of circulating αKG, which drives hepatic production and secretion of kynurenic acid (KYNA) that is necessary and sufficient to mediate cardiac ischemic protection in this setting.

Related Faculty

Amy Wagers, Ph.D.

Wagers Lab

Amy Wagers seeks to change the way we repair our tissues after an injury. Her research focuses on defining the factors and mechanisms that regulate the migration, expansion, and regenerative potential of adult blood-forming and muscle-forming stem cells.