The mechanism by which oxidative stress induces inflammation and vice versa is unclear but is of great importance, being apparently linked to many chronic inflammatory diseases. We show here that inflammatory stimuli induce release of oxidized peroxiredoxin-2 (PRDX2), a ubiquitous redox-active intracellular enzyme. Once released, the extracellular PRDX2 acts as a redoxdependent inflammatory mediator, triggering macrophages to produce and release TNF-α. The oxidative coupling of glutathione (GSH) to PRDX2 cysteine residues (i.e., protein glutathionylation) occurs before or during PRDX2 release, a process central to the regulation of immunity. We identified PRDX2 among the glutathionylated proteins released in vitro by LPS-stimulated macrophages using mass spectrometry proteomic methods. Consistent with being part of an inflammatory cascade, we find that PRDX2 then induces TNF-α release. Unlike classical inflammatory cytokines, PRDX2 release does not reflect LPS-mediated induction of mRNA or protein synthesis; instead, PRDX2 is constitutively present in macrophages, mainly in the reduced form, and is released in the oxidized form on LPS stimulation. Release of PRDX2 is also observed in human embryonic kidney cells treated with TNF-α. Importantly, the PRDX2 substrate thioredoxin (TRX) is also released along with PRDX2, enabling an oxidative cascade that can alter the -SH status of surface proteins and thereby facilitate activation via cytokine and Toll-like receptors. Thus, our findings suggest a model in which the release of PRDX2 and TRX from macrophages can modify the redox status of cell surface receptors and enable induction of inflammatory responses. This pathway warrants further exploration as a potential novel therapeutic target for chronic inflammatory diseases.cysteine oxidation | thiol oxidation | redox proteomics

Protein cysteines can form transient disulfides with glutathione (GSH), resulting in the production of glutathionylated proteins, and this process is regarded as a mechanism by which the redox state of the cell can regulate protein function. Most studies on redox regulation of immunity have focused on intracellular proteins. In this study we have used redox proteomics to identify those proteins released in glutathionylated form by macrophages stimulated with lipopolysaccharide (LPS) after pre-loading the cells with biotinylated GSH. Of the several proteins identified in the redox secretome, we have selected a number for validation. Proteomic analysis indicated that LPS stimulated the release of peroxiredoxin (PRDX) 1, PRDX2, vimentin (VIM), profilin1 (PFN1) and thioredoxin 1 (TXN1). For PRDX1 and TXN1, we were able to confirm that the released protein is glutathionylated. PRDX1, PRDX2 and TXN1 were also released by the human pulmonary epithelial cell line, A549, infected with influenza virus. The release of the proteins identified was inhibited by the anti-inflammatory glucocorticoid, dexamethasone (DEX), which also inhibited tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α release, and by thiol antioxidants (N-butanoyl GSH derivative, GSH-C4, and N-acetylcysteine (NAC), which did not affect TNF-α production. The proteins identified could be useful as biomarkers of oxidative stress associated with inflammation, and further studies will be required to investigate if the extracellular forms of these proteins has immunoregulatory functions.

In amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), there is selective degeneration of motor neurons that leads to paralysis and death. Although the etiology of ALS is unclear, its heterogeneity suggests that a combination of factors (endogenous and/or environmental) may induce progressive motor neuron stress that results in the activation of different cell death pathways. Alterations of brain cholesterol homeostasis have recently been considered as possible cofactors in many neurodegenerative disorders, including ALS. The liver X receptor beta (LXRbeta) receptor is involved in lipogenesis and cholesterol metabolism, and we previously found that adult-onset motor neuron pathology occurs in LXRbeta mice. Here, we investigated neuromuscular alterations of LXRbeta mice from ages 3 to 24 months. Increased cholesterol levels, gliosis, and inflammation preceded motor neuron loss and clinical disease onset; the mice showed progressivemotor neuron deficits starting from age 7 months. The numbers ofmotor neurons and neuromuscular junctions were decreased in 24-month-old mice, but neither paralysis nor reduced life span was observed. Moreover, other spinal neurons were also lost in these mice. These results suggest that LXRbeta may inhibit neuroinflammation and maintain cholesterol homeostasis, and that LXRbeta mice represent a potential model for investigating the role of cholesterol in ALS and other neurodegenerative disorders.

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The redox state of cellular thiols is widely studied because it was recently linked to many different diseases and pathologies. In this work we quantified the concentrations of protein disulfides (PSSP) and thiol-protein mixed disulfides (XSSP) in rat tissues (liver, kidney and heart) and cells (Raw 264.7) by an improved method of XSSP and PSSP determination after oxidative stress induced by diamide. Under native and denaturing conditions, a thiol block by N-ethymaleimide was introduced to avoid thiol exchange reaction activations by protein SH groups (PSH) (PSH + XSSP ↔ PSSP + XSH) and alterations of original XSSP/PSSP levels. Low molecular weight thiols (XSH) and PSH were respectively measured by HPLC on supernatants and on corresponding pellets by DTNB (Ellman's reagent) after dithiothreitol reduction. PSSP concentrations of liver, heart and kidney were respectively 0.304, 0.605 and 0.785 µmoles/g and after diamide exposure they were significantly augmented of about 65% -70% in liver and heart, but not in the kidney. Normal XSSP, that were 6 -20 times lower than normal PSSP were induced by diamide in liver and heart of about 40 times, but not in kidney. Thermodynamic criteria regarding the pKa values of thiols engaged as PSSP and GSSP were used to interpret dethiolation mechanisms via thiol exchange reactions.

To better understand the role of redox regulation in immunity, we studied the glutathionylation of proteins secreted in response to inflammatory stimuli such as lipopolysaccharide (LPS). These proteins were detected by cell labeling with biotinylated glutathione ethyl ester (BioGEE) and identified by one‐dimensional gel electrophoresis, subjected to tryptic digestion followed by mass spectrometry analysis. Several proteins were identified in supernatants from Raw 264.7 cells (murine macrophages) stimulated with 100 ng/ml LPS for 24 hours.We focused our study on Peroxiredoxin 2 (Prx2), an antioxidant enzyme involved in cells protection against oxidative stress which breaks down H2O2. Following its identification, we studied secretion of Prx2 by Raw 264.7 cells using Western blot. In vivo studies were also performed to measure Prx2 levels in serum from mice injected intraperitoneally with saline (vehicle) or with 400 μg/mouse LPS (LPS‐treated mice). On the basis of our Western blot data, we confirmed higher levels of secreted Prx2 in Raw 264.7 cells after LPS stimulation. Increase in Prx2 levels were also observed in serum from LPS‐treated mice.Supported by BSMS and interreg TC2N

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