Release of thioredoxin from Saccharomyces cerevisiae with environmental stimuli: solubilization of thioredoxin with ethanol

Excessive accumulation of thioredoxin promotes osteogenic differentiation of mesenchymal stem cells of ligament in ankylosing spondylitis by upregulating autophagy levels

BACKGROUND

Ankylosing spondylitis (AS) is an autoimmune disease characterized by dysfunction of the immune system, which leads to chronic inflammation and progressive ossification of spinal ligaments. The precise pathogenesis of this condition remains unclear, thereby impeding the development of effective treatments.

METHODS

We analyzed the GSE25101 dataset and identified the aberrant expression and potential pathogenic role of TXN. This was achieved through a combination of histopathological testing, quantitative PCR (qPCR), Western blotting (WB), and ELISA to elucidate its aberrant expression and distribution. The pathogenic role of TXN was further clarified by employing lentiviral infection, plasmid transfection, electron microscopy, ALP and ARS staining, WB, and qPCR. Finally, the osteogenic role of TXN in the ligaments of AS mice was further elucidated through in vivo plasmid transfection.

RESULTS

Through an analysis of the public database GSE25101, we identified abnormal transcription of thioredoxin (TXN) in peripheral blood mononuclear cells. Subsequent experiments utilizing ELISA, qPCR, immunohistochemistry, and immunofluorescence revealed a potential link between TXN expression and pathological ossification. KEGG and GO analyses, along with the application of lentivirus and plasmid treatments on mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs), indicated that TXN promotes the osteogenic differentiation of MSCs by activating their autophagy levels. Animal experiments further corroborated the role of TXN in facilitating pathological ossification of ligaments in mice.

CONCLUSIONS

Abnormal TXN expression in the immune system is closely associated with the development of pathological ossification in ankylosing spondylitis. Future research should aim to elucidate the underlying mechanisms, with the inhibition of TXN production emerging as a promising strategy for preventing spinal ligament ossification in this condition.

The plasma membrane-enriched fraction proteome response during adaptation to hydrogen peroxide in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

In Saccharomyces cerevisiae, adaptation to hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) decreases plasma membrane permeability to H₂O₂, changes its lipid composition and reorganizes ergosterol-rich microdomains by a still unknown mechanism. Here we show, by a quantitative analysis of the H₂O₂-induced adaptation effect on the S. cerevisiae plasma membrane-enriched fraction proteome, using two-dimensional gel electrophoresis, that 44 proteins are differentially expressed. Most of these proteins were regulated at a post-transcriptional level. Fourteen of these proteins contain redox-sensitive cysteine residues and nine proteins are associated with lipid and vesicle traffic. In particular, three proteins found in eisosomes and in the eisosome-associated membrane compartment occupied by Can1p were up-regulated (Pil1p, Rfs1p and Pst2p) during adaptation to H₂O₂. Survival studies after exposure to lethal H₂O₂ doses using yeast strains bearing a gene deletion corresponding to proteins associated to lipid and vesicle traffic demonstrated for the first time that down-regulation of Kes1p, Vps4p and Ynl010wp and up-regulation of Atp1 and Atp2 increases resistance to H₂O₂. Moreover, for the pil1Δ strain, H₂O₂ at low levels produces a hormetic effect by increasing proliferation. In conclusion, these data further confirms the plasma membrane as an active cellular site during adaptation to H₂O₂ and shows that proteins involved in lipid and vesicle traffic are important mediators of H₂O₂ adaptation.