TMIGD1 is Expressed at Low Levels in Abdominal Adhesion Tissue and Reduces Oxidative Stress in Peritoneal Mesothelial Cells

BackgroundPostoperative abdominal adhesion is one of the most commonly observed complications after abdominal surgery. However, there is no effective treatment for adhesion other than enterolysis. Mesothelial cell repair plays an extremely important role in the process of adhesion formation. Here, we hypothesize that transmembrane and immunoglobulin domain-containing 1 (TMIGD1) is expressed at low levels in abdominal adhesion tissue and can reduce oxidative stress and promote cell adhesion in peritoneal mesothelial cells.Materials and MethodsFirst, we performed gene microarray analysis and used qPCR, western blotting, immunohistochemistry and immunofluorescence to detect the expression of TMIGD1 in rat adhesion tissue and normal peritoneal tissue. Then, we established a TMIGD1-overexpressing HMrSV5 cell line and detected ROS, apoptosis, and the mitochondrial membrane potential by the MTT assay, western blotting, flow cytometry with 2’,7’-dichlorofluorescein diacetate (DCFH-DA) as a probe. Furthermore, we examined p38 phosphorylation in different TMIGD1-expressing cell lines and used a p38 inhibitor to determine whether the antioxidant effect of TMIGD1 is dependent on p38. Finally, we evaluated the adhesion ability of different TMIGD1 cell lines using scratch wound and adhesion assays.ResultsTMIGD1 was expressed at low levels in adhesion tissue and at lower levels in mesothelial cells. TMIGD1 overexpression alleviated H2O2-induced oxidative stress injury in human HMrSV5 cell lines. The phosphorylation level of p38 was higher in the TMIGD1-overexpressing cell line, and we found that the effect of TMIGD1 was inhibited by a p38 inhibitor. In addition, TMIGD1 overexpression inhibited mesothelial cell migration and promoted mesothelial cell adhesion.ConclusionTMIGD1 is expressed at low levels in abdominal adhesion tissue and can reduce H2O2-induced oxidative stress by promoting p38 phosphorylation. In addition, TMIGD1 can promote cell adhesion.# These authors contributed equally to this work.