Glutathione Peroxidase-2 Protects from Allergen-Induced Airway Inflammation in Mice
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Eur Respir J 2010; 35: 1148–1154 DOI: 10.1183/09031936.00026108 CopyrightßERS Journals Ltd 2010 Glutathione peroxidase-2 protects from allergen-induced airway inflammation in mice A.M. Dittrich*,#,e, H-A. Meyer*,e, M. Krokowski*, D. Quarcoo*, B. Ahrens*, S.M. Kube", M. Witzenrath", R.S. Esworthy+, F-F. Chu+ and E. Hamelmann*,1 ABSTRACT: The aim of the present study was to identify and validate the biological significance AFFILIATIONS of new genes/proteins involved in the development of allergic airway disease in a murine asthma *Dept of Paediatric Pneumology and Immunology, Charite´ Humboldt model. University, Gene microarrays were used to identify genes with at least a two-fold increase in gene "Dept of Internal Medicine/Infectious expression in lungs of two separate mouse strains with high and low allergic susceptibility. Diseases and Respiratory Medicine, Validation of mRNA data was obtained by western blotting and immunohistochemistry, followed Charite´-Universita¨tsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, by functional analysis of one of the identified genes in mice with targeted disruption of specific #Junior Research Group SFB 587, gene expression. Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Expression of two antioxidant enzymes, glutathione peroxidase-2 (GPX2) and glutathione S- 1University Children’s Hospital, Ruhr transferase omega (GSTO) 1-1 was increased in both mouse strains after induction of allergic University, Bochum, Germany. +Dept of Radiation Biology, Beckman airway disease and localised in lung epithelial cells. Mice with targeted disruption of the Gpx-2 Research Institute of City of Hope, gene showed significantly enhanced airway inflammation compared to sensitised and challenged Duarte, CA, USA. wild-type mice. eBoth authors contributed equally to Our data indicate that genes encoding the antioxidants GPX2 and GSTO 1-1 are common this work. inflammatory genes expressed upon induction of allergic airway inflammation, and independently CORRESPONDENCE of allergic susceptibility. Furthermore, we provide evidence to illustrate the importance of a single E. Hamelmann antioxidant enzyme, GPX2, in protection from allergen-induced disease. University Children’s Hospital Bochum Alexandrinenstraße 5 KEYWORDS: Airway hyperreactivity, asthma, glutathione peroxidase, glutathione S-transferase 44791 Bochum Germany E-mail: eckard.hamelmann@ llergic asthma is a polygenetic disease Different technologies may be applied in search klinikum-bochum.de that unfolds through the interplay of of new factors. Several recent studies benefitted A various genes with environmental factors. from microarray analysis of gene expression Received: Despite the identification of several proteins and profiles in order to identify genes involved in Feb 20 2008 pathways involved in this inflammatory process, the development of allergic airway inflammation, Accepted after revision: clinical trials in which key mediators were as reviewed previously [3]. This approach has Oct 08 2009 inhibited revealed that other, and as yet significant advantages over conventional experi- First published online: unknown, factors might be causally involved in mental approaches. Conventional approaches Nov 06 2009 the allergic cascade [1]. In search for these only permit the study of known mediators of putative candidates, it is intriguing to speculate inflammation, where previous studies usually that antioxidant defence systems might be already suggested a possible association with involved in the regulation of airway inflamma- allergic airway disease. Deductive gene expres- tion, since airways are naturally exposed to sion profiling via microarrays, however, might higher oxygen concentrations than most other identify mediators without any known link to tissues. Recent studies have identified increased inflammation or airway disease, thereby introdu- levels of oxidative stress and alterations of cing truly ‘‘novel’’ targets into the field of allergic antioxidant enzymes in the lungs of allergic airway research. To identify novel factors com- individuals and in allergic animal models, result- monly involved in pulmonary inflammation, we ing in the hypothesis that an increase in oxidative therefore employed RNA microarray technology. stress may contribute to the characteristic fea- Comparisons of naı¨ve and treated mice on the tures of asthma [2]. one hand, and of two mouse strains with known European Respiratory Journal Print ISSN 0903-1936 This article has online supplementary material available from www.erj.ersjournals.com Online ISSN 1399-3003 1148 VOLUME 35 NUMBER 5 EUROPEAN RESPIRATORY JOURNAL A.M. DITTRICH ET AL. CELL AND ANIMAL STUDIES different genetic susceptibilities to the induction of allergic Airway reactivity airway disease [4] on the other hand, allowed us to identify Airway reactivity was measured by whole body barometric common genes involved in pulmonary inflammation, inde- plethysmography (WBP; corresponding to the Buxco-system pendently from genetic susceptibility to disease development. provided by EMKA Technologies, Paris, France), as previously Among the identified genes were several genes involved in the described [6]. regulation of oxidative stress, among these the antioxidative Invasive lung function measurement in isolated perfused enzymes, glutathione peroxidase-2 (GPX2) and glutathione S- mouse lungs after three challenges (days 28, 29 and 30) of transferase omega 1-1 (GSTO 1-1). These two enzymes had not wild-type and knockout mice: mouse lungs were prepared, previously been recognised to be part of the allergen-mediated ventilated and analysed as described [7]. After a steady state inflammation cascade. Our data indicate that GSTO 1-1 and period of 30 min, methacholine was administered to the GPX2 are upregulated in allergic airway inflammation. perfusate for 30 s at 12-min intervals. Airway resistance values Furthermore, the absence of GPX2 leads to an increase in the were determined at the end of the steady state period, as well allergic airway inflammation. Manipulating this pathway in as at the maximum level of resistance increase. The change in future studies will test the hypotheses that oxidative stress is airway resistance was expressed as ‘‘relative fold airway involved in the pathogenesis of asthma. resistance’’, representing the increase in responsiveness due to OVA sensitisation by normalising fold airway resistance METHODS values of OVA lungs to corresponding mean values of control Animals groups. Specific-pathogen-free female BALB/c and C57BL/6 mice (Harlan-Winkelmann, Borchen, Germany), and C57BL/6 mice Preparation of RNA with a targeted disruption of Gpx-2 [5], 6–8 weeks old at the Total RNA was extracted from mouse lungs using Qiagen starting point of experiments, were used. Five animals per RNeasy Total RNA isolation kit (Qiagen, Hilden, Germany) group were analysed and three independent experiments were according to the manufacturer’s instructions. conducted. All experimental procedures were approved by the animal care facility (Berlin Office for Occupational Safety, Microarray analysis Protection of Health and Technical Safety-LAGeSo, Berlin, cRNAs were hybridised individually to mouse genome MG- Germany). U74Av2 chips (Affymetrix, High Wycombe, UK). In total, eight lungs were analysed, two treated mice versus two controls in Sensitisation and challenge protocol two different mouse strains (BALB/c and C57BL/6), respec- Mice were sensitised by intraperitoneal injection of 20 mg tively. The gene chips were scanned with an Affymetrix Gene ovalbumin (OVA) grade VI (Sigma-Aldrich, Munich, Chip Instrument and scaled using Affymetrix’s Microarray Germany) in 2 mg of aluminium hydroxide on days 1 and Suite software 5.0 (MAS5). We made four-way comparison of 14. Airway inflammation was induced by intranasal instillation the arrays; between two different mouse strains and between of OVA grade V (Sigma-Aldrich) (50 mgin50mL PBS) on day treated and controls (262 matrix). Only those genes which 28 (for microarray analyses) and 29 (for quantitative real-time were found to be similarly regulated in all four comparisons RT-PCR). For studies with GPX2-null animals, mice were were classified as differentially expressed genes. The signal log systemically sensitised by i.p. injection of OVA and aluminium ratio was converted to a standard on a logarithmic scale and hydroxide. Nonsensitised mice received aluminium hydroxide the mean fold change of all four comparisons was calculated. without OVA. On days 28, 29 and 30, all mice were challenged We consecutively focused on those genes, which were with OVA, and killed at day 32. For microarray analyses, similarly regulated in both strains of mice and with more than animals were sacrificed 16 h after the single intranasal two-fold changes between treated and untreated mice. A more challenge on day 28. For RT-PCR, western blotting and for detailed description of the microarray analysis is attached as studies with GPX2-null animals, animals were sacrificed 48 h supplementary material. after last challenge, i.e. either 48 h after two challenges on day Real-time PCR 28 and 29 or 48 h after challenges on day 28, 29 and 30. PCR amplification and analysis were performed using an ABI PRISM 7700 (Perkin Elmer, Rodgau, Germany) and SDS Detection of the allergic phenotype software version 1.7 (a more detailed description of the real Immunoglobulins time PCR can be found in the online supplementary material). 48 h after the last challenge, blood was drawn from the tail vein, and serum levels of total immunoglobulin (Ig)E