DNA repair enzyme OGG1 promotes alveolar progenitor cell renewal and relieves PM2.5-induced lung injury and fibrosis

Fine particulate matter (PM2.5) airborne pollution increases the risk of chronic respiratory diseases, such as idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), which is characterized by non-specific inflammation of the interstitial lung and extensive deposition of collagen fibers. Type 2 alveolar epithelial cells (AEC2s) are alveolar stem cells in the adult lung that contribute to the lung repair process through complex signaling. Our previous studies demonstrated that OGG1, a kind of DNA repair Enzyme, have a critical role in protecting cells from oxidative damage and Apoptosis induced by PM2.5, but the contribution of OGG1 in proliferation and self-renewal of AEC2s is not known. Here, we constructed OGG1^-/-mice to test the effect and mechanism of OGG1 on PM2.5-induced pulmonary fibrosis and injury in vivo. We detected proliferation and self-renewal of OGG1 overexpression or OGG1 knockout AEC2s after PM2.5 injury by flow cytometry and clone formation. We observed that knockout of OGG1 aggravated pulmonary fibrosis, oxidative stress, and AEC2 cell death in PM2.5-injured mice. In addition, OGG1 is required for the proliferation and renewal of AEC2s after PM2.5 injury. Overexpression of OGG1 promotes the proliferation and self-renewal of AEC2s by inhibiting PM2.5-mediated oxidative stress and NF-κB signaling hyperactivation in vitro. Furthermore, NF-κB inhibitors promoted proliferation and self-renewal of OGG1-deficient AEC2s cells after PM2.5 injury, and attenuated PM2.5-induced pulmonary fibrosis and injury in mice. These data establish OGG1 as a regulator of NF-κB signal that serves to regulate AEC2 cell proliferation and self-renewal, and suggest a mechanism that inhibition of the NF-κB signaling pathway may represent a potential therapeutic strategy for IPF patients with low-expression of OGG1.