Tumor necrosis factor receptor-associated protein 1 improves hypoxia-impaired energy production in cardiomyocytes through increasing activity of cytochrome c oxidase subunit II

Tumor necrosis factor receptor-associated protein 1 protects cardiomyocytes against hypoxia, but the underlying mechanisms are not completely understood. In the present study, we used gain- and loss-of-function approaches to explore the effects of tumor necrosis factor receptor-associated protein 1 and cytochrome c oxidase subunit II on energy production in hypoxic cardiomyocytes. Hypoxia repressed ATP production in cultured cardiomyocytes, whereas overexpression of tumor necrosis factor receptor-associated protein 1 significantly improved ATP production. Conversely, knockdown of tumor necrosis factor receptor-associated protein 1 facilitated the hypoxia-induced decrease in ATP synthesis. Further investigation revealed that tumor necrosis factor receptor-associated protein 1 induced the expression and activity of cytochrome c oxidase subunit II, a component of cytochrome c oxidase that is important in mitochondrial respiratory chain function. Moreover, lentiviral-mediated overexpression of cytochrome c oxidase subunit II antagonized the decrease in ATP synthesis caused by knockdown of tumor necrosis factor receptor-associated protein 1, whereas knockdown of cytochrome c oxidase subunit II attenuated the increase in ATP synthesis caused by overexpression of tumor necrosis factor receptor-associated protein 1. In addition, inhibition of cytochrome c oxidase subunit II by a specific inhibitor sodium azide suppressed the ATP sy nthesis induced by overexpressed tumor necrosis factor receptor-associated protein 1. Hence, tumor necrosis factor receptor-associated protein 1 protects cardiomyocytes from hypoxia at least partly via potentiation of energy generation, and cytochrome c oxidase subunit II is one of the downstream effectors that mediates the tumor necrosis factor receptor-associated protein 1-mediated energy generation program.