Cited by 271Autophagy in Disease and TherapyTelomeres, Telomerase, and SenescenceChronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) Research

The DOI matches its Crossref record; 60 of the 60 references it cites were found in a registry or an index; none of the 98 sources its claims cite is checked for support yet.

Impaired mitophagy leads to cigarette smoke stress‐induced cellular senescence: implications for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

Open access

Abstract

Cigarette smoke (CS)‐induced cellular senescence is involved in the pathogenesis of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). The molecular mechanism by which CS induces cellular senescence is unknown. Here, we show that CS stress (exposure of primary lung cells to CS extract 0.2‐0.75% with a half‐maximal inhibitory concentration of ~0.5%) led to impaired mitophagy and perinuclear accumulation of damaged mitochondria associated with cellular senescence in both human lung fibroblasts and small airway epithelial cells (SAECs). Impaired mitophagy was attributed to reduced Parkin translocation to damaged mitochondria, which was due to CS‐induced cytoplasmic p53 accumulation and its interaction with Parkin. Impaired Parkin translocation to damaged mitochondria was also observed in mouse lungs with emphysema (6 months CS exposure, 100 mg TPM/m 3 ) as well as in lungs of chronic smokers and patients with COPD. Primary SAECs from patients with COPD also exhibited impaired mitophagy and increased cellular senescence via suborganellar signaling. Mitochondria‐targeted antioxidant (Mito‐Tempo) restored impaired mitophagy, decreased mitochondrial mass accumulation, and delayed cellular senescence in Parkin‐overexpressing cells. In conclusion, defective mitophagy leads to CS stress‐induced lung cellular senescence, and restoring mitophagy delays cellular senescence, which provides a promising therapeutic intervention in chronic airway diseases.—Ahmad, T., Sundar, I. K., Lerner, C. A., Gerloff, J., Tormos, A. M., Yao, H., Rahman, I. Impaired mitophagy leads to cigarette smoke stress‐induced cellular senescence: implications for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. FASEB J . 29, 2912‐2929 (2015). www.fasebj.org

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TL;DR

Cigarette smoke stress impairs mitophagy in lung fibroblasts and small airway epithelial cells, leading to perinuclear accumulation of damaged mitochondria, DNA damage, and cellular senescence. Restoring Parkin-mediated mitophagy together with mitochondria-targeted antioxidant treatment delays senescence, suggesting a therapeutic target in COPD.

Key findings

  • CSE exposure (0.2–0.75%; half-maximal inhibitory concentration ∼0.5%) induced cellular senescence in human lung fibroblasts and SAECs, with increased SA-β-gal/C12FDG, p16, p21, γ-H2AX foci, mtROS, mitochondrial mass, and decreased ATP.
  • Impaired mitophagy was attributed to reduced Parkin translocation to damaged mitochondria, linked to CS-induced cytoplasmic p53 accumulation and its interaction with Parkin; Pink1 was stabilized on mitochondria, Mfn2 increased, and Drp1 showed more cytoplasmic localization with a slight decrease.
  • Impaired Parkin mitochondrial translocation was also seen in mouse lungs with emphysema after 6 months CS exposure (100 mg TPM/m3), in lungs of chronic smokers and patients with COPD, and in primary SAECs from patients with COPD, which showed increased mitochondrial mass and senescence augmented by CSE.
  • Parkin overexpression restored mitophagy and reduced mitochondrial mass; in Parkin-overexpressing cells, Mito-Tempo (1 µM) reduced mtROS, perinuclear mitochondrial accumulation, γ-H2AX foci, and delayed cellular senescence. MitoT alone reduced mtROS but did not rescue impaired mitophagy or senescence.

Methods

  • In vitro models used human lung fibroblasts (HFL1, WI-38 LC3-GFP), primary mouse lung fibroblasts, and human primary SAECs from nonsmokers and patients with COPD; CSE was used at 0.2–0.75%, with 0.5% for HFL1, 0.25% for mouse lung fibroblasts, and 0.2% for human SAECs, over 10–15 days with alternate-day treatment.
  • In vivo/ex vivo samples included 8-week-old C57BL/6J mice exposed to CS 5 h/day, 5 days/week for 6 months at ∼100 mg/m3 total particulate matter, and human lung tissue from normal nonsmokers, smokers, and patients with COPD.
  • Assays included SA-β-gal, C12FDG flow cytometry, immunofluorescence/confocal microscopy, electron microscopy, MitoTracker Green/Red, MitoSOX, TMRM, mitochondrial ATP, γ-H2AX foci, CellROX, Western blot, mitochondrial isolation, and 1-way ANOVA with means ± SEM.

Limitations

  • Stated: long-term nocodazole treatment caused cell death, so the effect of perinuclear mitochondrial accumulation on cellular senescence could not be directly evaluated; Parkin was transiently overexpressed while CSE treatment continued for 15 days; MitoT alone had no significant effect on senescence, possibly due to insufficient concentration/duration; further studies are needed with stable Parkin overexpression, Parkin knockout mice, in vivo MitoT, other lung cell types, and transmitophagy.
  • Evident from the text: much of the mechanistic evidence is in vitro, while human COPD/smoker data are tissue associations rather than causal in vivo experiments; mitophagy is assessed mainly by Parkin translocation and LC3 colocalization rather than direct flux measurements; no in vivo rescue with MitoT or Parkin is reported.

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Integrity signals

Registry

Crossref · 10.1096/fj.14-268276

Cites

60 of 60 references verified0 citation errors · 0 not checkable

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100 Own result · 42 Not checked yet · 33 Own interpretation · 3 Own method · 2 No basis given

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  • It may state two separate claims as one. 50
  • The quote only partly states this claim. 1
  • Probably not a substantial claim. 28
68 of 68
  • The paper relies on this without support.

    The molecular mechanism by which cigarette smoke induces cellular senescence is unknown.

    “However, the molecular mechanism by which CS induces cellular senescence is unknown.”
  • The paper relies on this without support.

    It is not clear whether cigarette smoke stress-induced lung cellular senescence is due to mitochondrial dysfunction via defective mitophagy.

    “However, it is not clear whether CS stress-induced lung cellular senescence is due to mitochondrial dysfunction via defective mitophagy.”
  • The paper relies on this without support.

    The molecular mechanism underlying cigarette smoke-induced mitochondrial structural changes or dysfunction and their impact during cellular senescence is not known.

    “However, the molecular mechanism underlying these phenomena and their impact during cellular senescence is not known.”
  • The paper relies on this without support.

    Most cellular reactive oxygen species are predominantly generated by mitochondria.

    “Most of the cellular ROS are predominantly generated by mitochondria”
  • The paper relies on this without support.

    The mechanisms and signaling pathways associated with CS stress-induced cellular senescence and COPD are not known.

    “Although a well-appreciated phenomenon, the mechanisms and the signaling pathways associated with CS stress-induced cellular senescence and COPD per se are not known.”
  • The paper relies on this without support.

    One of the major contributing factors of CS-induced COPD is oxidative stress.

    “One of the major contributing factors of CS-induced COPD is oxidative stress.”
6 of 6

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Metadata

Authors
Ahmad, T., Sundar, I. K., Lerner, C. A., Gerloff, J., Tormos, A. M., Yao, H., & Rahman, I.
Affiliations
University of Rochester Medicine (US)
Corresponding author
  • Yao, Hongwei
  • Rahman, Irfan
Venue
The FASEB Journal
Publisher
Wiley
Published
2015-03-19
Volume
29
Issue
7
Pages
2912-2929
ISSN
  • 0892-6638 (ISSN-L)
  • 1530-6860
OpenAlex
W2169986172
Cited by
264
References
60
Citations by year
2026: 13 · 2025: 17 · 2024: 17 · 2023: 33 · 2022: 30 · 2021: 35 · 2020: 25 · 2019: 22 · 2018: 25 · 2017: 25 · 2016: 16 · 2015: 6
FWCI
18.74
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • The FASEB Journal (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
Funders
  • National Institutes of Health (P30‐ES01247)
  • National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (2R01HL085613, 1R01HL092842)
  • American Lung Association (RG‐266456‐N, RG‐305393)
Topics
  • Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Cell Biology › Autophagy in Disease and Therapy
  • Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Cell Biology › Telomeres, Telomerase, and Senescence
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Pulmonary and Respiratory Medicine › Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) Research
Keywords
cigarette smoke, cellular senescence, mitophagy, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, Parkin, p53, mitochondrial damage, small airway epithelial cells, lung fibroblasts, emphysema, MitoTEMPO, subcellular signaling, mitochondrial quality control
MeSH terms
Animals, Antioxidants, Cells, Cultured, DNA Damage, Fibroblasts, Humans, Lung, Mice, Inbred C57BL, Organophosphorus Compounds, Piperidines, Smoking, Case-Control Studies, Cellular Senescence, Reactive Oxygen Species, Respiratory Mucosa, Pulmonary Disease, Chronic Obstructive, Ubiquitin-Protein Ligases, Mice, Mitophagy

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