Selenoprotein T Protects Endothelial Cells against Lipopolysaccharide-Induced Activation and Apoptosis
Dennis Merk,
Johannes Ptok,
Philipp Jakobs,
Florian von Ameln,
Jan Greulich,
Pia Kluge,
Kathrin Semperowitsch,
Olaf Eckermann,
Heiner Schaal,
Niloofar Ale-Agha,
Joachim Altschmied,
Judith Haendeler
Affiliations
Dennis Merk
Environmentally-Induced Cardiovascular Degeneration, Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Diagnostics, Medical Faculty, University Hospital and Heinrich-Heine University Düsseldorf, 40225 Düsseldorf, Germany
Johannes Ptok
Institute for Virology, Medical Faculty, University Hospital and Heinrich-Heine University Düsseldorf, 40225 Düsseldorf, Germany
Philipp Jakobs
Environmentally-Induced Cardiovascular Degeneration, Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Diagnostics, Medical Faculty, University Hospital and Heinrich-Heine University Düsseldorf, 40225 Düsseldorf, Germany
Florian von Ameln
Environmentally-Induced Cardiovascular Degeneration, Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Diagnostics, Medical Faculty, University Hospital and Heinrich-Heine University Düsseldorf, Germany and IUF-Leibniz Research Institute for Environmental Medicine, 40225 Düsseldorf, Germany
Jan Greulich
Environmentally-Induced Cardiovascular Degeneration, Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Diagnostics, Medical Faculty, University Hospital and Heinrich-Heine University Düsseldorf, Germany and IUF-Leibniz Research Institute for Environmental Medicine, 40225 Düsseldorf, Germany
Pia Kluge
Environmentally-Induced Cardiovascular Degeneration, Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Diagnostics, Medical Faculty, University Hospital and Heinrich-Heine University Düsseldorf, 40225 Düsseldorf, Germany
Kathrin Semperowitsch
Environmentally-Induced Cardiovascular Degeneration, Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Diagnostics, Medical Faculty, University Hospital and Heinrich-Heine University Düsseldorf, 40225 Düsseldorf, Germany
Olaf Eckermann
Environmentally-Induced Cardiovascular Degeneration, Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Diagnostics, Medical Faculty, University Hospital and Heinrich-Heine University Düsseldorf, 40225 Düsseldorf, Germany
Heiner Schaal
Institute for Virology, Medical Faculty, University Hospital and Heinrich-Heine University Düsseldorf, 40225 Düsseldorf, Germany
Niloofar Ale-Agha
Environmentally-Induced Cardiovascular Degeneration, Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Diagnostics, Medical Faculty, University Hospital and Heinrich-Heine University Düsseldorf, 40225 Düsseldorf, Germany
Joachim Altschmied
Environmentally-Induced Cardiovascular Degeneration, Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Diagnostics, Medical Faculty, University Hospital and Heinrich-Heine University Düsseldorf, 40225 Düsseldorf, Germany
Judith Haendeler
Environmentally-Induced Cardiovascular Degeneration, Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Diagnostics, Medical Faculty, University Hospital and Heinrich-Heine University Düsseldorf, 40225 Düsseldorf, Germany
Sepsis is an exaggerated immune response upon infection with lipopolysaccharide (LPS) as the main causative agent. LPS-induced activation and apoptosis of endothelial cells (EC) can lead to organ dysfunction and finally organ failure. We previously demonstrated that the first twenty amino acids of the Apurinic/Apyrimidinic Endodeoxyribonuclease 1 (APEX1) are sufficient to inhibit EC apoptosis. To identify genes whose regulation by LPS is affected by this N-terminal APEX1 peptide, EC were transduced with an expression vector for the APEX1 peptide or an empty control vector and treated with LPS. Following RNA deep sequencing, genes upregulated in LPS-treated EC expressing the APEX1 peptide were identified bioinformatically. Selected candidates were validated by semi-quantitative real time PCR, a promising one was Selenoprotein T (SELENOT). For functional analyses, an expression vector for SELENOT was generated. To study the effect of SELENOT expression on LPS-induced EC activation and apoptosis, the SELENOT vector was transfected in EC. Immunostaining showed that SELENOT was expressed and localized in the ER. EC transfected with the SELENOT plasmid showed no activation and reduced apoptosis induced by LPS. SELENOT as well as APEX1(1-20) can protect EC against activation and apoptosis and could provide new therapeutic approaches in the treatment of sepsis.
