AUTHOR=Li Shuai , Liao Zhiwei , Luo Rongjin , Song Yu , Wang Kun , Feng Xiaobo , Ou Yangliu , Wu Xinghuo , Zhang Yukun , Gao Yong , Yin Huipeng , Yang Cao TITLE=Autophagy-Based Unconventional Secretory for AIM2 Inflammasome Drives DNA Damage Resistance During Intervertebral Disc Degeneration JOURNAL=Frontiers in Cell and Developmental Biology VOLUME=9 YEAR=2021 URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/cell-and-developmental-biology/articles/10.3389/fcell.2021.672847 DOI=10.3389/fcell.2021.672847 ISSN=2296-634X ABSTRACT=
Intervertebral disc degeneration (IDD) is the primary cause of low back pain. Stress-induced DNA damage is closely relevant to the pathogenesis of IDD; however, the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. This study investigated the role of the absent in melanoma 2 (AIM2) inflammasome as a DNA damage sensor in nucleus pulposus (NP) cells. We found that the level of AIM2 increased in degenerated discs and was correlated to the degree of IDD. Knockdown of AIM2 ameliorated H2O2-induced DNA damage and apoptosis in NP cells