Physiological Functions of Thiol Peroxidases (Gpx1 and Prdx2) during <i>Xenopus laevis</i> Embryonic Development
Hongchan Lee,
Na Young Lee,
Youni Kim,
Hong-Seok Choi,
Tayaba Ismail,
Hong-Yeoul Ryu,
Dong-Hyung Cho,
Zae Young Ryoo,
Dong-Seok Lee,
Taeg Kyu Kwon,
Tae Joo Park,
Taejoon Kwon,
Hyun-Shik Lee
Affiliations
Hongchan Lee
BK21 FOUR KNU Creative BioResearch Group, School of Life Sciences, Kyungpook National University, Daegu 41566, Korea
Na Young Lee
BK21 FOUR KNU Creative BioResearch Group, School of Life Sciences, Kyungpook National University, Daegu 41566, Korea
Youni Kim
BK21 FOUR KNU Creative BioResearch Group, School of Life Sciences, Kyungpook National University, Daegu 41566, Korea
Hong-Seok Choi
BK21 FOUR KNU Creative BioResearch Group, School of Life Sciences, Kyungpook National University, Daegu 41566, Korea
Tayaba Ismail
BK21 FOUR KNU Creative BioResearch Group, School of Life Sciences, Kyungpook National University, Daegu 41566, Korea
Hong-Yeoul Ryu
BK21 FOUR KNU Creative BioResearch Group, School of Life Sciences, Kyungpook National University, Daegu 41566, Korea
Dong-Hyung Cho
BK21 FOUR KNU Creative BioResearch Group, School of Life Sciences, Kyungpook National University, Daegu 41566, Korea
Zae Young Ryoo
BK21 FOUR KNU Creative BioResearch Group, School of Life Sciences, Kyungpook National University, Daegu 41566, Korea
Dong-Seok Lee
BK21 FOUR KNU Creative BioResearch Group, School of Life Sciences, Kyungpook National University, Daegu 41566, Korea
Taeg Kyu Kwon
Department of Immunology, School of Medicine, Keimyung University, Daegu 41566, Korea
Tae Joo Park
Department of Biological Sciences, College of Information-Bio Convergence, Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology (UNIST), Ulsan 44919, Korea
Taejoon Kwon
Department of Biomedical Engineering, College of Information-Bio Convergence, Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology (UNIST), Ulsan 44919, Korea
Hyun-Shik Lee
BK21 FOUR KNU Creative BioResearch Group, School of Life Sciences, Kyungpook National University, Daegu 41566, Korea
Glutathione peroxidase 1 (Gpx1) and peroxiredoxin 2 (Prdx2) belong to the thiol peroxidase family of antioxidants, and have been studied for their antioxidant functions and roles in cancers. However, the physiological significance of Gpx1 and Prdx2 during vertebrate embryogenesis are lacking. Currently, we investigated the functional roles of Gpx1 and Prdx2 during vertebrate embryogenesis using Xenopus laevis as a vertebrate model. Our investigations revealed the zygotic nature of gpx1 having its localization in the eye region of developing embryos, whereas prdx2 exhibited a maternal nature and were localized in embryonic ventral blood islands. Furthermore, the gpx1-morphants exhibited malformed eyes with incompletely detached lenses. However, the depletion of prdx2 has not established its involvement with embryogenesis. A molecular analysis of gpx1-depleted embryos revealed the perturbed expression of a cryba1-lens-specific marker and also exhibited reactive oxygen species (ROS) accumulation in the eye regions of gpx1-morphants. Additionally, transcriptomics analysis of gpx1-knockout embryos demonstrated the involvement of Wnt, cadherin, and integrin signaling pathways in the development of malformed eyes. Conclusively, our findings indicate the association of gpx1 with a complex network of embryonic developmental pathways and ROS responses, but detailed investigation is a prerequisite in order to pinpoint the mechanistic details of these interactions.
