NAT10-mediated ac4C acetylation of TFRC promotes sepsis-induced pulmonary injury through regulating ferroptosis
Pengcheng Xing, Minjie Zhou, Jian Sun, Donglian Wang, Weipeng Huang, Peng An
Abstract
Abstract Background Sepsis-induced pulmonary injury (SPI) is a common complication of sepsis with a high rate of mortality. N4-acetylcytidine (ac 4 C) is mediated by the ac 4 C “writer”, N-acetyltransferase (NAT)10, to regulate the stabilization of mRNA. This study aimed to investigate the role of NAT10 in SPI and the underlying mechanism. Methods Twenty-three acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) patients and 27 non-ARDS volunteers were recruited. A sepsis rat model was established. Reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction was used to detect the expression of NAT10 and transferrin receptor (TFRC). Cell viability was detected by cell counting kit-8. The levels of Fe 2+ , glutathione, and malondialdehyde were assessed by commercial kits. Lipid reactive oxygen species production was measured by flow cytometric analysis. Western blot was used to detect ferroptosis-related protein levels. Haematoxylin & eosin staining was performed to observe the pulmonary pathological symptoms. Results The results showed that NAT10 was increased in ARDS patients and lipopolysaccharide-treated human lung microvascular endothelial cell line-5a (HULEC-5a) cells. NAT10 inhibition increased cell viability and decreased ferroptosis in HULEC-5a cells. TFRC was a downstream regulatory target of NAT10-mediated ac 4 C acetylation. Overexpression of TFRC decreased cell viability and promoted ferroptosis. In in vivo study, NAT10 inhibition alleviated SPI. Conclusion NAT10-mediated ac 4 C acetylation of TFRC aggravated SPI through promoting ferroptosis. Graphical Abstract