Involvement of sulfhydryl oxidase QSOX1 in the protection of cells against oxidative stress-induced apoptosis

The QSOX1 protein, belonging to a new class of FAD-linked Quiescin/Sulfhydryl oxidase, catalyzes disulfide bond formation. To give new insight into the biological function of QSOX1, we studied its involvement in oxidative stress-induced apoptosis and cell recovery of PC12 cells. By real time RT-PCR and flow cytometric analysis, we show that the QSOX1 mRNA and protein levels increased late after the beginning of oxidative treatment and were sustained for 72 h. These levels were still high when the PC12 cells were not dying but had resumed proliferation. The kinetics of QSOX1 expression suggest a more protective effect of QSOX1 rather than an involvement of this protein in apoptosis. Human breast cancer MCF-7 cell lines overexpressing the guinea pig QSOX1 protein submitted to the same treatments appeared less sensitive to cell death than the MCF-7 control cells. The protective effect is partly due to a preservation of the mitochondrial polarization generally lost after an oxidative stress. These results strengthen our hypothesis of a protective role of QSOX1 against apoptosis.