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i Zavadil,2,4
Cvekl1,21From the Departments of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, 2Molecular Genetics, and 4Medicine, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, New York; the 3Department of Biology, West Virginia University, Morgantown, West Virginia; and the 5Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan.
| Abstract |
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METHODS. cDNA microarrays were used to identify the spectrum and range of genes with transcript levels that are altered in response to acute H2O2-induced OS in human lens epithelial (HLE) cells. HLE cells were treated with 50 µM H2O2 for 1 hour in the absence of serum, followed by a return to complete medium. RNAs were prepared from treated and untreated cells at 0, 1, 2, and 8 hours after H2O2 treatment.
RESULTS. The data showed 1171 genes that were significantly up- and downregulated in response to H2O2 treatment. Several functional subcategories of genes were identified, including those encoding DNA repair proteins, antioxidant defense enzymes, molecular chaperones, protein biosynthesis enzymes, and trafficking and degradation proteins. Differential expression of selected genes was confirmed at the level of RNA and/or protein. Many of the identified genes (e.g., glutathione S-transferase [MGST2], thioredoxin reductase ß, and peroxiredoxin 2) have been identified as participants in OS responses in the lens and other systems. Some genes induced by OS in the current study (e.g., oxygen regulated protein [ORP150] and heat shock protein [HSP40]) are better known to respond to other forms of stress. Two genes (receptor tyrosine kinase [AXL/ARK] and protein phosphatase 2A) are known to be differentially expressed in cataract. Most of the genes point to a novel pathways associated with OS.
CONCLUSIONS. The present data provide a global perspective on those genes that respond to acute OS, point to novel genes and pathways associated with OS, and set the groundwork for understanding the functions of OS-related genes in lens protection and disease.
To combat damage by OS and other insults, the numerous protective systems have evolved in the ocular lens, making it an excellent model to study both the biology of aging and the molecular mechanisms associated with OS.4 The lens is an avascular and encapsulated tissue comprising a single layer of epithelial cells that terminally differentiate into fiber cells. Fiber cell differentiation is characterized by elongation of the cells, synthesis and accumulation of crystallins, and eventual degradation of the nuclei and organelles. Thus, the main metabolic part of the lens and the only part of the lens capable of responding to environmental insults through altered gene expression is the lens epithelium.4 The lens epithelium is also the first part of the lens exposed to insults, including H2O2. H2O2 is formed in the aqueous humor by a series of reactions triggered by the interaction of UV light with ascorbate and other molecules. Organ culture experiments have shown that acute OS induced by H2O2 treatment can irreversibly damage the lens epithelium, resulting in cell death and cataract.4
Among the systems that defend against OS in the lens are a high level of reduced glutathione (GSH),5 abundant antioxidant enzymes,6 and the chaperone-like functions of crystallins.7 Aging of the lens is characterized by a diminishing level of GSH and reduced activities of detoxifying enzymes.5 6 Numerous altered levels and activities of antioxidant enzymes and protective proteins have been detected after oxidative damage of lens epithelial cells.5 6 8 The lens also expresses a set of common transcription factors (e.g., AP-1, NF-
B, p53, and upstream stimulatory factor [USF]), with activities that are regulated by the redox state of the cell,1 9 and these factors are known to activate batteries of genes that participate in protection and repair. Previous work has provided evidence that the human lens epithelium (HLE) is capable of responding to the presence of OS and cataract through the altered expression of numerous genes, including the regulatory subunit of protein phosphatase 2A,8 metallothionein IIa,10 thioltransferase,11 catalase,12 glutathione peroxidase,13 multiple glutathione S-transferases,6 Na,K-ATPase,14 AP-1,15 and proline isomerase.16
These data suggest that the lens is capable of dynamic responses to OS and cataract, and in the present study we sought to elucidate the global cellular response of lens epithelial cells to H2O2-induced stress by using high-throughput cDNA microarray technology and genome-scale analysis of the data.17 A consortium including Duke University (Durham, NC), the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center (Seattle, WA), the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (Cambridge, MA), Oregon Health and Science University (Portland, OR), the University of Northern Carolina (Chapel Hill, NC), and the National Institute of Environmental Health Science (NIEHS, Bethesda, MD) is performing similar studies of OS response in human cells, including epithelial cells, fibroblasts, and lymphoblasts.18 The acute responses of lens cells to H2O2 were evaluated under conditions that allowed almost complete survival of lens cells with negligible apoptosis and necrosis. The present data establish six major functional gene classes and 96 specific genes that respond to acute nonlethal H2O2 treatment of HLE cells. The present results provide insight into those stress regulatory mechanisms that provide lens protection against OS, and the identified genes are candidates for the study of cataract and other stress-related disorders.
| Methods |
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Semiquantitative RT-PCR
Primers were designed on computer (Prime algorithm from the GCG package; Oxford Molecular Group, Campbell, CA). The primer sets and reaction conditions are shown in Table 1 . Indicated transcripts were reverse transcribed and amplified with a commercial system (One Step RT-PCR; Invitrogen, Gaithersburg, MD).
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Western Blot Analysis
Whole-cell extracts (40 µg of total proteins) were analyzed by SDS-PAGE. The anti-catalase antiserum (Abcam, Cambridge, UK), anti-
-1-antitrypsin (Stressgen, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada), and anti-basigin22 (gift of Brian Toole, Tufts University, Boston, MA) were used at a dilution of 1:1000; the secondary antibody, anti-rabbit horseradish peroxidase (Vector Laboratories, Burlingame, CA), was used at 1:5000 dilution; and chemiluminescence was detected with a kit (Pierce, Rockford, IL). Antibodies against transcription factors were arylhydrocarbon receptor nuclear translocator (ARNT; Novus Biologicals, Littleton, CO); c-fos, c-jun, JunD, and NF-
B (p50) (Santa Cruz Biotechnology, Santa Cruz, CA); and lens epitheliumderived growth factor (LEDGF; gift of Toshimichi Shinohara, Brigham and Womens Hospital, Boston, MA).
Flow Cytometry Analysis of Apoptotic Cells
Recovery of the cells was monitored by examining the levels of apoptosis at 0, 1, 2, 8, and 24 hours after the H2O2 treatment. Annexin V binding and propidium iodide staining were determined by flow cytometry, using reagents from Roche Molecular Biochemicals (Indianapolis, IN). The cells were treated with 50 µM H2O2 for 1 hour, as described earlier, washed with ice-cold PBS, and double stained with FITC-coupled annexin V protein and propidium iodine for 20 minutes. Flow cytometry was performed with a 488-nm laser coupled to a cell sorter (FacsCalibur; BD Biosciences, San Jose, CA). Cells stained with both propidium iodide and annexin V were considered necrotic, and the cells stained only with annexin V were considered apoptotic.23 The data are based on multiple analyses of two independent experiments.
| Results |
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GCSH), glutathione S-transferase theta 2 (GSTT2), and thioltransferase (TTase) (Fig. 2) . We detected elevated levels of three transcripts (CuZn and Mn superoxide dismutases, and glutathione S-transferase theta 2) at both 1 and 2 hours after the initial treatment. In contrast, transcripts encoding glutamylcysteine synthetase were reduced at 1 hour and elevated at 2 hours after the initial treatment. Because treatment with 50 µM H2O2 yielded significant gene inductions with minimal apoptosis or necrosis, this concentration of H2O2 was chosen for large-scale expression profiling of HLE cells.
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B, ARNT, and LEDGFall known to be regulated by various forms of stress at multiple levels (e.g., at the level of transcription, posttranslational modification, and subcellular localization).6 12 15 The immunoblots are shown in Figure 3 . The data showed that as early as 30 minutes after the initial treatment with H2O2, levels of the proteins c-Jun, Jun D, c-Fos, and NF-
B in nuclear extracts were increased, in agreement with known roles of these transcription factors in the immediate response to OS. In contrast, significantly elevated levels of ARNT and LEDGF were found only at 1 hour after the treatment (data not shown). The increased levels of c-Jun, c-Fos, and Jun-D visible 30 minutes after the initial treatment are attributable to de novo transcription of these genes, mediated by the autoregulatory loops.24 In contrast, the presence of NF-
B in the nuclear extract after 30 minutes of H2O2 treatment resulted from the dissociation of the inactive cytoplasmic complex of NF-
B and I
B, followed by nuclear entry of NF-
B.24 From these data, we conclude that HLE cells treated with 50 µM H2O2 for 1 hour respond to OS by changing the RNA and protein levels of an essential group of transcription factors, demonstrating that HLE cells are widely responsive to H2O2 treatment. These data also suggest that major stress pathways were not abrogated in the SR-01-04 HLE cells.
Dynamic Changes in Expression of 1171 Genes that Respond to H2O2 Insult
To determine the spectrum and range of genes that respond to 50 µM H2O2 in HLE cells, we conducted a series of dual-color cDNA microarray hybridizations. The experimental design (Fig. 4) included several controls to distinguish effects of serum starvation and stimulation by the 50-µM H2O2 treatment. The reference RNA used was prepared as a pool of three RNAs obtained from treatments 0, 1W (H2O), and 2WS (H2O/serum). Pooling multiple RNAs is a standard practice in global gene expression studies, to enhance detection of biologically significant genes.25 26 The reference RNA in this study was always labeled with Cy3 substrate, and the tested samples (0, 1P [H2O2], 2PS, 8PS, 2P, 1W, 2WS, and 8WS) were labeled with Cy5 substrate. Reverse labeling was not conducted, because the data analysis was performed using the SAM algorithm (as described in the Methods section) to evaluate expression of each gene for its deviation from all other time points and experimental conditions.
Using the SAM analysis,20 we evaluated results of three individual experiments: H2O2/serum, H2O2, and H2O/serum (Fig. 4) . The H2O2/serum pathway (0-1P-2PS-8PS) was a primary experiment to identify differentially expressed genes that respond to OS treatment. In contrast, the pathway 0-1W-2WS-8WS was a control experiment (H2O/serum), to eliminate the possibility that changes in gene expression result from serum treatment alone. To further distinguish true H2O2 gene induction from serum induction, a third pathway, H2O2 (0-1P-2P) representing OS caused by prolonged serum starvation, was also studied. Because the overwhelming majority of transcript levels at 8 hours after treatment were similar to those in the control cells and our focus was on primary-response genes, the 8-hour time point was excluded from the SAM analyses. In the H2O2/serum and H2O2 pathways, we found, respectively, 823 and 219 differentially expressed genes unique to each pathway. Differential expression of 129 transcripts was common to both courses of treatment. Altogether, 1171 statistically reliable, differentially expressed transcripts were detected, with a false discovery rate of less than 1%.
The time-course display of the relative intensities of these 1171 genes is shown in Figure 5 . Individual genes are displayed as dots. The pattern of dots from each experiment indicates the amplitude of changes of the individual transcript levels. The H2O2/serum (Fig 5 , top) diagram contains 823 unique and 129 common genes: 952 individual dots; H2O2 (Fig. 5 , middle) contains 219 unique and 129 common genes: 348 individual dots and H2O/serum (Fig. 5 , bottom) contains all 1171 genes and therefore the same number of dots. The zero time point represents the ratios of untreated cells divided by the pooled reference. After 1 hour of treatment with 50 µM H2O2, followed by cultivation in the presence of serum, transcript levels diverged into two distributions, representing up- and downregulated transcripts. Two hours after the initial treatment, a visible majority of transcripts returned to their original levels. Nevertheless, a significant proportion of transcripts (n = 237) were still upregulated by at least a factor of 1.5 (n1 = 206 genes), or downregulated by at least a factor of 0.67 (n2 = 31 genes). Eight hours after the initial treatment, the patterns indicate that the overwhelming majority of transcript levels returned to the levels in the control cells. By contrast, in the H2O2 pathway, the split between up- and downregulated genes was maintained at 2 hours after the initial treatment. In the control experiment (0-1W-2WS-8WS), transcript level changes were less dramatic and reflect the 1 hour of serum starvation followed by stimulation with serum. The normalized 8-hour time point of the H2O2/serum expression pattern and the minimal levels of apoptotic cells suggest that the H2O2-treated cells in the H2O2/serum pathway were approaching the normal state.
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-1-antitrypsin (group 8, protein synthesis and degradation), and basigin (group 3, cellular organization) were also detected at the protein level (Fig. 8D) . These proteins were selected because of the availability of specific antibodies and because they represent different functional groups.
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GCSH) was present on the array. However, this transcript was not analyzed by SAM, because five data entries from 27 chips used did not pass through the initial data-filtering step. Future studies will be undertaken to compare directly the present microarray data with the absolute magnitude of change of most biologically interesting transcript levels at an expanded number of time points, to identify peak values and respective time points of each transcript by real-time RT-PCR. | Discussion |
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Molecular Chaperones and Chaperone-like Proteins
The molecular chaperone group contains many genes known to be induced by OS and other forms of stress. Our data show significant upregulation of eight transcripts encoding classic heat shock proteins, chaperones involved in ß-tubulin folding, and ß-tubulin (TUBB; Fig. 9 ). Elevated levels of transcripts encoding ORP150 and ß-tubulin were found both at 1 and 2 hours after OS treatment. Other members of this group were either initially activated (HSC70, TBCC) or decreased at 1 hour and upregulated at 2 hours (DYT1, VBP1, and CCT8). Five transcripts encoding proteins with chaperone and chaperone-like functions (PFDN4, TR1/gp96, CCT4, CCT7, and HSP10) did not respond to the OS treatment. Prefoldin 4 (PFDN4) was upregulated (by a factor of 1.3) only at 8 hours. OS caused prolonged induction of TUBB, RP2, CCT2, HSC71, HSP40, and ORP150 in the absence of serum (Fig. 9) . ORP150 is a widely studied protein that provides protection to neurons from ischemic stress32 and is not known as an OS-induced gene. Serum stimulation of the cells specifically induces DYT1, a member of the AAA+ family of molecular chaperones.33 The heat shock proteins, HSP70 and HSP90 prevent the formation of apoptosome from Apaf-1, pro-caspase-9 and cytochrome c.34 35 Our present data raise the possibility that functionally similar proteins, HSC70 and HSP40, both induced by OS already at 1 hour are also engaged in this process. ORP150 is known as a potent inhibitor of caspase-3.32 OS induction of transcripts that encode molecular chaperones, such as ORP150, retinitis pigmentosa 2,36 and ß-tubulin, raises the possibility that these proteins have a broad stress-protective function in the lens epithelium.
Enzymes Involved in the Metabolism of Glutathione and Antioxidant Enzymes
Eleven transcripts encoding various glutathione S-transferases were monitored, but only two of them (MGST2 and GSTM3) showed significant changes in their expression profiles according to SAM, whereas the remaining genes (GSTM5, GSTP1, GSTTLp28, GSTT1, GSTA3, GSTZ1, GSTA4, GSTM4, and MGST1) were not identified as statistically significant (Fig. 9) . Transcripts from genes encoding glutathione peroxidase 1 and 4 and glutathione synthetase were also not changed under the present experimental conditions. Five antioxidant and detoxifying enzymes (paraoxonase 2, thioredoxin reductase, ATOX1, and peroxiredoxin 2 and 3) were selected by SAM, whereas two genes (catalase and ALDH6) did not pass the criteria for significance and/or quality of the raw data. Inspection of the raw data combined with RT-PCR and Western analysis results (Fig. 8) caused us to conclude that catalase was induced by 50 µM H2O2 in our experiments. Most of the transcripts were unexpectedly repressed at 1 hour after treatment, with the exception of thioredoxin reductase, which was upregulated in both serum-free and serum-stimulated conditions. Thus, the data suggest that constitutively expressed glutathione S-transferases are sufficient to defend cells against the stress induced in the current model and that peroxiredoxins 2, -3, and -5, together with catalase and GSTT2, serve as antioxidative enzymes. With the exception of catalase, we did not find any significant overlap between genes induced by a defined 1-hour treatment with 50 µM H2O2 and genes with expression and/or copy number that was increased in mouse lens cells resistant to the high levels (125 µM H2O2) of chronic OS identified by Spector et al.37 However, a direct comparison of these two data sets is limited because different microarrays were used.
Ribosomal Proteins and Elongation Factors
Three transcripts encoding ribosomal subunitsL18, L29, and S15were specifically repressed by OS (Fig. 9) . In contrast, the S19 subunit was activated by OS. Three transcripts encoding elongation factors EEF2, EIF3S9, and EIF5G1 showed robust induction caused by OS. Four genes encoding EIF1
1, EIF1AY, EIF2
3, and mitochondrial MTIF2 were selectively repressed by OS.
Protein Trafficking, Secretion, and Quality Control
The protein trafficking subcategory is composed of two subclasses, including classic proteins involved in protein trafficking and specialized proteins (nuclear import subclass) facilitating import of other proteins into the nucleus (Fig. 9) . Both groups contain early-response (e.g., metaxin 1, KPNB1, and RABL2B) and delayed-response (e.g., ARF3, ARF5, and ARF4L) genes and contain numerous genes with highly upregulated transcripts (ARF1, ARF3, and KPNA2). Five genes in the subcategory protein sorting, secretion, and quality control showed significant changes in their expression profiles. Transcripts encoding AP3D1 and VPS26 are involved in protein sorting. SEC6 and NPTX1 are involved in protein secretion, and calreticulin controls the quality of newly synthesized proteins. Calreticulin also exhibits a significant antiapoptotic activity.38 Several members of this subcategory (calnexin, SEC61B, SEC63L) that were present on the chip were not affected by 50 µM H2O2-induced OS. Transcripts encoding SEC61G were induced by a factor of 1.7 only at 8 hours.
Proteasome and Ubiquitination Pathways and Other Routes of Protein Degradation
The majority of transcripts encoding various proteins involved in proteasome-mediated degradation of proteins were reduced as a specific result of imposed OS (Fig. 9) . The notable exception was FBXO3, a ligase component of the ubiquitination pathway. Transcripts encoding 14 proteinases and 6 inhibitors of proteinases were found among the 1171 genes. The most notable transcript encoding a proteinase inhibitor was
-1-antitrypsin, induced by OS (Fig. 8D) . Induction of amyloid ßA4 precursor protein (APP) by OS in the lens has been shown.39 Neither caspase-9 nor -3, both enzymes in the top of the mitochondria-directed apoptotic cascade, was among the significantly changed genes.35 The conclusion drawn from expression profiles of these genes is that they are involved in processes favoring cell survival (e.g.,
-1-antitrypsin has strong antiapoptotic activity),40 elimination of damaged proteins (e.g., FBX03 belongs to a protein ligase complex promoting ubiquitination and degradation), and mobilization of translational machinery (e.g., increase of transcript levels for elongation factors EEF2 and EIF3S9), in parallel with apparent activation of processes used during the apoptosis.
OS and Other Categories of Genes
The remaining functional categories were also analyzed in a format identical with Figure 9 and the data are displayed on our Web site (www.aecom.yu.edu/thecvekllab).
OS and Cataract
Our previous studies have identified a group of differentially expressed genes in human cataractous epithelia8 10 41 and in an Emory mouse model of age-related cataract.42 A 55-kDa regulatory subunit (R2/B/PR55) of the protein phosphatase 2A (PP2A) is downregulated in human cataractous epithelia.8 PP2A comprises two invariant subunits, A and C, combined with three different regulatory B subunits encoded by separate genes. PP2A is a major phosphatase that regulates a variety of key steps in metabolism, replication, transcription, and cell-cycle control. Recent studies have shown involvement of PP2A in various damage-sensing pathways, including the ionizing radiation.43 Our data show that H2O2 induces expression of the R3/B''/PR72 subunit while reducing expression of the scaffolding subunit A (Fig. 9) , raising the possibility that the PP2A-pathway is involved both in the age-related cataract and OS response. More recent data suggest that expression of genes encoding ribosomal subunits (L21, L15, L13a, and L7a) is reduced in cataractous epithelia.41 Our present data indicate downregulation of subunits L18, L29, and S15. Genes encoding L21, L15, and L7a exhibit approximately 25% reduced expression at 1 and 2 hours after the treatment. Because of the strict parameters of SAM, these genes did not qualify for the list of 1171 genes significantly affected by H2O2 treatment. The present data validated by RT-PCR (data not shown) also show H2O2 induction of transcript levels encoding a receptor tyrosine kinase ARK/AXL that correlates with the specific upregulation of this gene in the Emory cataract mouse model.42
OS induces levels of two enzymes, B4GALT1 and MVK (Fig. 9) . B4GALT1 encodes an enzyme that uses UDP-galactose as a substrate.22 44 UDP-galactose is formed by GALT1, a central enzyme in galactosidase metabolism. Mutations in GALT1 cause congenital cataracts,45 and disturbed galactose metabolism in elderly and diabetic humans is associated with cataract.46 Two more proteins participating in galactose metabolism through glycosylations, LGALS3 and FUT2, are also affected by OS in lens cells. Defects in cholesterol biosynthesis can also cause cataracts. Mutations in mevalonate kinase are associated with congenital cataracts,47 and mevalonate kinase is also induced by OS.
In conclusion, our study provides a representative global view of the acute response to OS in HLE cells. In contrast to several similar studies of OS and different cell culture models analyzing the apoptotic pathways,48 49 our study focused on successful defense mechanisms. We found multiple novel responses to OS in HLE cells and identified numerous genes for future functional studies. Our data support the idea that OS changes the levels of those specific transcripts and gene expression pathways likely to be involved in lens protection and cataract.4 5 6 37 49 These transcriptional responses point to candidate genes, the study of which will lead to further understanding of and development of therapies for prevention of numerous OS- and age-related diseases.51
| Acknowledgements |
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| Footnotes |
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Submitted for publication August 28, 2002; revised October 29 and November 11, 2002; accepted November 17, 2002.
Disclosure: S. Goswami, None; N.L. Sheets, None; J. Zavadil, None; B.K. Chauhan, None; E.P. Bottinger, None; V.N. Reddy, None; M. Kantorow, None; A. Cvekl, None
The publication costs of this article were defrayed in part by page charge payment. This article must therefore be marked "advertisement" in accordance with 18 U.S.C.
1734 solely to indicate this fact.
Corresponding author: Ale
Cvekl, Department of Ophthalmology, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, 909 Ullmann, 1300 Morris Park Avenue, Bronx, NY 10461; cvekl{at}aecom.yu.edu.
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B, activator protein-1, and glutathione levels by tumor necrosis factor-
and dexamethasone in alveolar epithelial cells Biochem Pharmacol 60,1041-1049[CrossRef][Medline][Order article via Infotrieve]
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