AUTHOR=Zhang Xingyue , Li Lingfei , Zhang Qiong , Wei Qinglin , Lin Jiezhi , Jia Jiezhi , Zhang Junhui , Yan Tiantian , Lv Yanling , Jiang Xupin , Zhang Peng , Song Huapei , Zhang Dongxia , Huang Yuesheng TITLE=CD38 Causes Autophagic Flux Inhibition and Cardiac Dysfunction Through a Transcriptional Inhibition Pathway Under Hypoxia/Ischemia Conditions JOURNAL=Frontiers in Cell and Developmental Biology VOLUME=8 YEAR=2020 URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/cell-and-developmental-biology/articles/10.3389/fcell.2020.00191 DOI=10.3389/fcell.2020.00191 ISSN=2296-634X ABSTRACT=

Induced autophagy is protective against myocardial hypoxia/ischemia (H/I) injury, but evidence regarding the extent of autophagic clearance under H/I and the molecular mechanisms that influence autophagic flux has scarcely been presented. Here, we report that CD38 knockout improved cardiac function and autophagic flux in CD38–/– mice and CD38–/– neonatal cardiomyocytes (CMs) under H/I conditions. Mechanistic studies demonstrated that overexpression of CD38 specifically downregulated the expression of Rab7 and its adaptor protein pleckstrin homology domain-containing protein family member 1 (PLEKHM1) through nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD)-dependent and non-NAD-dependent pathways, respectively. Loss of Rab7/PLEKHM1 impaired the fusion of autophagosomes and lysosomes, resulting in autophagosome accumulation in the myocardium and consequent cardiac dysfunction under H/I conditions. Thus, CD38 mediated autophagic flux blockade and cardiac dysfunction in a Rab7/PLEKHM1-dependent manner. These findings suggest a potential therapeutic strategy involving targeted suppression of CD38 expression.