Heng Lina, Ching‑Feng Chengb,c*
aDepartment of Physiology, School of Medicine, College of Medicine, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan, bDepartment of Pediatrics, Hualien Tzu Chi Hospital,
Buddhist Tzu Chi Medical Foundation, Hualien, Taiwan, cSchool of Medicine, Tzu Chi University, Hualien, Taiwan
Open Access funded by Buddhist Compassion Relief Tzu Chi Foundation
Abstract
Recent studies have reported that ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) may act in the immune system where an exaggerated inflammatory response is initiated. With the activation of the immune system, damage‑associated molecular patterns migrate and adhere to the I/R region, consequently inducing multiorgan injury. Emerging data indicate that upon I/R, stress‑inducible proteins, including activating transcription factor 3 (ATF3), play essential roles in signaling during antiapoptotic, antimigration, and anti‑inflammatory processes. Accumulating data suggest that ATF3 may be a potential target in I/R‑ or inflammation‑induced organ dysfunction. This minireview focuses on the emerging evidence of the roles of ATF3 in multiple organs including the kidney, myocardium, and brain following I/R injury. In addition, this review addresses the role of ATF3 in chronic inflammation‑induced pathophysiologies such as diabetes and atherosclerosis.
Keywords: Activating transcription factor 3, Ischemia, Reperfusion
