He also noted that zinc is a known component of superoxide dismutase, a protein that works to reduce and maintain levels of reactive oxygen species in cells. Previous studies have reported several roles for zinc in antioxidant defense systems, including contributions to processes that reduce reactive oxygen species, according to Bono.
The two genes encode proteins that can bind to zinc, and CRIP1 transports and absorbs zinc. According to Bono, this finding suggests a relationship between oxidative stress and zinc homeostasis. The researchers' meta-analysis found two genes, called CRIP1 and CRIP3, were particularly downregulated during instances of oxidative stress.
"Our meta-analysis identified common factors for oxidative stress and hypoxia in a data-driven way." "Distinguishing oxidative and non-oxidative sources is challenging and complicated, so our present study focused on analyzing the common features among various sources of oxidative stress from the perspective of changes in gene expression," Bono said. The research team published their results on December 3 in Biomedicines.Īccording to paper author Hidemasa Bono, professor in the Graduate School of Integrated Sciences for Life, Hiroshima University, an immense range of external and internal factors can contribute to oxidative stress.
The researchers compared these findings to previously identified samples of hypoxia-related transcriptomes to determine what genes may be involved in both types of stress. From this meta-analysis, they identified 386 pairs of transcriptomes related to oxidative stress. They analyzed 839 collections of genetic material, called transcriptomes, related to oxidative stress from public databases. Researchers from Hiroshima University are a step closer to understanding potential common features of sources of oxidative stress.