Regulator of G protein signaling 17 represents a novel target for treating cisplatin induced hearing loss.

Abstract

Regulators of G protein signaling (RGS) accelerate the GTPase activity of G proteins to enable rapid termination of the signals triggered by G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs). Activation of several GPCRs, including cannabinoid receptor 2 (CB2R) and adenosine A1 receptor (A1AR), protects against noise and drug-induced ototoxicity. One such drug, cisplatin, an anticancer agent used to treat various solid tumors, produces permanent hearing loss in experimental animals and in a high percentage of cancer patients who undergo treatments. In this study we show that cisplatin induces the expression of the RGS17 gene and increases the levels of RGS17 protein which contributes to a significant proportion of the hearing loss. Knockdown of RGS17 suppressed cisplatin-induced hearing loss in male Wistar rats, while overexpression of RGS17 alone produced hearing loss in vivo. Furthermore, RGS17 and CB2R negatively regulate the expression of each other. These data suggest that RGS17 mediates cisplatin ototoxicity by uncoupling cytoprotective GPCRs from their normal G protein interactions, thereby mitigating the otoprotective contributions of endogenous ligands of these receptors. Thus, RGS17 represents a novel mediator of cisplatin ototoxicity and a potential therapeutic target for treating hearing loss.

• Authors: Asmita Dhukhwa, Raheem F H Al Aameri, Sandeep Sheth, Debashree Mukherjea, Leonard Rybak, Vickram Ramkumar
• Journal: Scientific reports (Sci Rep) Vol. 11 Issue 1 Pg. 8116 (04 14 2021) ISSN: 2045-2322 [Electronic] England
• PMID: 33854102 (Publication Type: Journal Article, Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural)

Chemical References

• Antineoplastic Agents
• RGS Proteins
• RNA, Small Interfering
• Rgs17 protein, rat
• STAT1 Transcription Factor
• STAT3 Transcription Factor
• Stat1 protein, rat
• Stat3 protein, rat
• Cisplatin

Topics

• Animals
• Antineoplastic Agents (adverse effects, pharmacology, therapeutic use)
• Apoptosis (drug effects)
• Cell Line
• Cisplatin (adverse effects, pharmacology, therapeutic use)
• Cochlea (cytology, metabolism)
• Gene Expression (drug effects)
• Hearing Loss (diagnosis, etiology)
• Male
• Neoplasms (drug therapy)
• RGS Proteins (antagonists & inhibitors, genetics, metabolism)
• RNA Interference
• RNA, Small Interfering (metabolism)
• Rats
• Rats, Wistar
• STAT1 Transcription Factor (metabolism)
• STAT3 Transcription Factor (metabolism)
• Signal Transduction (drug effects)