Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a lethal interstitial lung disease, marked by progressive extracellular matrix deposition, for which there are no effective treatments to halt disease progression. Although hyperhomocysteinemia is implicated in multiple pathological processes, its role in IPF remains largely unexplored. Through multiomics profiling of IPF patients, significantly elevated homocysteine (Hcy) concentrations in plasma and bronchoalveolar lavage fluid are identified compared to healthy controls. Single-cell RNA sequencing and spatial transcriptomics reveal alveolar type 2 epithelial cells as the primary site of Hcy metabolism, with downregulation of Hcy-catabolizing enzyme methionine synthase reductase (MTRR) during fibrotic progression. Genetic perturbation studies in murine models demonstrate that MTRR knockdown exacerbates bleomycin-induced mortality and fibrosis, whereas MTRR overexpression exerts protective effects. Furthermore, Hcy supplementation initiates and accelerates pulmonary fibrosis development, while folate administration reduces pulmonary Hcy levels and alleviates fibrosis. Mechanistically, it is revealed that pathogenic hyperhomocysteinemia induces homocysteinylation-ubiquitination cascades that modify Syntaxin 17 (STX17) posttranslationally, leading to its proteasomal degradation and consequent impairment of autophagic flux. Notably, pharmacological folate administration reverses STX17 depletion, restoring autophagic flux and mitigating pulmonary fibrosis in mouse models. These findings collectively establish a Hcy-STX17-proteostasis axis wherein excess homocysteinylation creates a self-reinforcing loop of autophagy dysfunction and fibrogenesis.
基金:
the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 82070533, to J.H.), “Discipline Leader” of the first batch of high-level Talents 535 Talent Program of the First Affiliated Hospital of Kunming Medical University in 2022 (Grant
No. 2022535D01, to Z.L.), the Yunnan Xingdian Talent Support Program
(Grant No. RLMY20220004, to Z.L.), the Scientific and Technological Innovation Team Program of the “14th Five-Year Plan” of the Kunming Medical University (Grant No. CXTD202108, to Z.L.), the Joint special project
of Yunnan Provincial Department of Science and Technology (The role
and mechanism of natural active compound M in lung cancer metastasis;
grant no. 202201AY070001-055, to Z.L.), and the Young and Middle-Aged
Leaders and Reserve Candidates of Kunming Medical University – “Cheng Feng” Talent Training Program(to Z.L.).
第一作者机构:[1]Tongji Univ, Shanghai Peoples Hosp 10, Sch Med, Dept Plast Surg, Shanghai 200072, Peoples R China[2]Tongji Univ, Sch Med, Shanghai 200331, Peoples R China
共同第一作者:
通讯作者:
通讯机构:[1]Tongji Univ, Shanghai Peoples Hosp 10, Sch Med, Dept Plast Surg, Shanghai 200072, Peoples R China[2]Tongji Univ, Sch Med, Shanghai 200331, Peoples R China
推荐引用方式(GB/T 7714):
Huang Jiefeng,Fang Ke,Lu Wuyan,et al.Homocysteine Exacerbates Pulmonary Fibrosis via Orchestrating Syntaxin 17 Homocysteinylation of Alveolar Type II Cells[J].ADVANCED SCIENCE.2025,doi:10.1002/advs.202507803.
APA:
Huang, Jiefeng,Fang, Ke,Lu, Wuyan,Wu, Rongrong,Chen, Yuanyuan...&Li, Shuaijun.(2025).Homocysteine Exacerbates Pulmonary Fibrosis via Orchestrating Syntaxin 17 Homocysteinylation of Alveolar Type II Cells.ADVANCED SCIENCE,,
MLA:
Huang, Jiefeng,et al."Homocysteine Exacerbates Pulmonary Fibrosis via Orchestrating Syntaxin 17 Homocysteinylation of Alveolar Type II Cells".ADVANCED SCIENCE .(2025)