DJ-1 mediates regulation of metabolism and immune response in Parkinson’s disease astrocytes and Glioblastoma cells

Abstract An inverse correlation for the expression of Parkinson’s disease (PD)- and cancer-associated genes has been previously reported. Genes that are upregulated in cancer are frequently downregulated in PD and vice versa . PARK7, encoding DJ-1, was initially identified as an oncogene, but loss of DJ-1 causes early-onset PD. However, it remains elusive how differential DJ-1 levels contribute to opposite cell fates in cancer and PD. Here, we demonstrate specific effects of differential DJ-1 protein levels on the energy metabolism and cell growth in patient-derived cellular models of PD and glioblastoma (GBM) cell lines. Impaired energy metabolism was associated with an increased immune response upon IL-1β stimulation and increased apoptosis and decreased cell growth in models of PD, whereas in GBM cells increased metabolic activity translated into a reduced immune response and increased cell growth. Furthermore, we found decreased glutathione (GSH) synthesis and therefore increased levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and oxidized glutathione (GSSG) in models of DJ-1 deficiency and decreased ROS levels in GBM cell lines. Thus, the mechanism by which DJ-1 modulates these phenotypes is the same in both diseases. Graphical Abstract DJ-1 levels modulate GSSG/GSH ratio and ROS levels, which results in divergent effects on cell growth and immune response in DJ-1-dependent glial pathologies in glioblastoma and PD. In models of PD, DJ-1 level dependent phenotypes can be rescued by antioxidant treatment that reduces the GSSG/GSH ratio and ROS levels.