Ablation of Bax and Bak protects skeletal muscle against pressure-induced injury

Bjorn T. Tam, Angus P. Yu, Eric W. Tam, Douglas A. Monks, Xu P. Wang, Xiao M. Pei, Su P. Koh, Thomas K. Sin, Helen K.W. Law, Felix N. Ugwu, Rashmi Supriya, Yat Ming Yung, Shea P. Yip, S. C. Wong, Lawrence W. Chan, Wai Keung Christopher Lai, Pin Ouyang, Parco M. Siu

Research output: Journal article publicationJournal articleAcademic researchpeer-review

9 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Pressure-induced injury (PI), such as a pressure ulcer, in patients with limited mobility is a healthcare issue worldwide. PI is an injury to skin and its underlying tissue such as skeletal muscle. Muscle compression, composed of mechanical deformation of muscle and external load, leads to localized ischemia and subsequent unloading reperfusion and, hence, a pressure ulcer in bed-bound patients. Although the gross factors involved in PI have been identified, little is known about the exact disease mechanism or its links to apoptosis, autophagy and inflammation. Here, we report that PI is mediated by intrinsic apoptosis and exacerbated by autophagy. Conditional ablation of Bax and Bak activates the Akt-mTOR pathway and Bnip3-mediated mitophagy and preserves mitochondrial contents in compressed muscle. Moreover, we find that the presence/absence of Bax and Bak alters the roles and functions of autophagy in PI. Our results suggest that manipulating apoptosis and autophagy are potential therapeutic targets for treatment and prevention of PI.
Original languageEnglish
Article number3689
JournalScientific Reports
Volume8
Issue number1
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 1 Dec 2018

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • General

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Ablation of Bax and Bak protects skeletal muscle against pressure-induced injury'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this