Department of Ophthalmology (Ross Eye Institute), Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, SUNY-University at Buffalo, Buffalo, NY 14209, USA.
Research Service, VA Western NY Healthcare System, Buffalo, NY 14215, USA.
Int J Mol Sci. 2021 Feb 26;22(5):2339. doi: 10.3390/ijms22052339.
Smith-Lemli-Opitz Syndrome (SLOS) results from mutations in the gene encoding the enzyme DHCR7, which catalyzes conversion of 7-dehydrocholesterol (7DHC) to cholesterol (CHOL). Rats treated with a DHCR7 inhibitor serve as a SLOS animal model, and exhibit progressive photoreceptor-specific cell death, with accumulation of 7DHC and oxidized sterols. To understand the basis of this cell type specificity, we performed transcriptomic analyses on a photoreceptor-derived cell line (661W), treating cells with two 7DHC-derived oxysterols, which accumulate in tissues and bodily fluids of SLOS patients and in the rat SLOS model, as well as with CHOL (negative control), and evaluated differentially expressed genes (DEGs) for each treatment. Gene enrichment analysis and compilation of DEG sets indicated that endoplasmic reticulum stress, oxidative stress, DNA damage and repair, and autophagy were all highly up-regulated pathways in oxysterol-treated cells. Detailed analysis indicated that the two oxysterols exert their effects via different molecular mechanisms. Changes in expression of key genes in highlighted pathways (, , , and ) were validated by immunofluorescence confocal microscopy. The results extend our understanding of the pathobiology of retinal degeneration and SLOS, identifying potential new druggable targets for therapeutic intervention into these and other related orphan diseases.
Smith-Lemli-Opitz 综合征 (SLOS) 是由于编码酶 DHCR7 的基因突变引起的,该酶催化 7-脱氢胆固醇 (7DHC) 转化为胆固醇 (CHOL)。用 DHCR7 抑制剂处理的大鼠可作为 SLOS 动物模型,表现出进行性光感受器特异性细胞死亡,伴有 7DHC 和氧化固醇的积累。为了了解这种细胞类型特异性的基础,我们对光感受器衍生的细胞系 (661W) 进行了转录组分析,用两种在 SLOS 患者组织和体液中以及在大鼠 SLOS 模型中积累的 7DHC 衍生的氧化固醇以及 CHOL(阴性对照)处理细胞,并评估了每种处理的差异表达基因 (DEG)。基因富集分析和 DEG 集的汇编表明,内质网应激、氧化应激、DNA 损伤和修复以及自噬在氧化固醇处理的细胞中均高度上调。详细分析表明,两种氧化固醇通过不同的分子机制发挥作用。通过免疫荧光共聚焦显微镜验证了突出途径中关键基因 (,,, 和 ) 的表达变化。这些结果扩展了我们对视网膜变性和 SLOS 病理生物学的理解,为这些和其他相关孤儿疾病的治疗干预确定了潜在的新的可用药靶标。