Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42218396›Full record

ArticleCellular & molecular biology letters2026

OTULIN protects hyperoxia-induced neonatal lung injury and modulates mitochondrial protein OPA1 in association with the E3 ubiquitin ligase RNF31.

Li Huang, Qing Liu, Aimin Zhang, Yanhan Liu, Furong Huang, Juanmei Wang, Manting Tan, Duane Wang, Menghua Zhao, Xu Wu

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Cellular & molecular biology letters, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

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1 · What the graph read from it

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2 · The registry

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3 · Its place in the literature

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4 · The record

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5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

10 authors.

Li Huang *Department of Pediatrics, Hunan Provincial People's Hospital, The First Affiliated Hospital of Hunan Normal University, 61 Jie-Fang West Road, Fu-Rong District, Changsha, 410005, China.
Qing Liu *Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, the Second Affiliated Hospital, University of South China, Hengyang, 421001, Hunan, China.
Aimin ZhangDepartment of Pediatrics, Hunan Provincial People's Hospital, The First Affiliated Hospital of Hunan Normal University, 61 Jie-Fang West Road, Fu-Rong District, Changsha, 410005, China.
Yanhan LiuDepartment of Pediatrics, Hunan Provincial People's Hospital, The First Affiliated Hospital of Hunan Normal University, 61 Jie-Fang West Road, Fu-Rong District, Changsha, 410005, China.
Furong HuangDepartment of Pediatrics, Hunan Provincial People's Hospital, The First Affiliated Hospital of Hunan Normal University, 61 Jie-Fang West Road, Fu-Rong District, Changsha, 410005, China.
Juanmei WangDepartment of Pediatrics, Hunan Provincial People's Hospital, The First Affiliated Hospital of Hunan Normal University, 61 Jie-Fang West Road, Fu-Rong District, Changsha, 410005, China.
Manting TanDepartment of Pediatrics, Hunan Provincial People's Hospital, The First Affiliated Hospital of Hunan Normal University, 61 Jie-Fang West Road, Fu-Rong District, Changsha, 410005, China.
Duane WangDepartment of Pediatrics, Hunan Provincial People's Hospital, The First Affiliated Hospital of Hunan Normal University, 61 Jie-Fang West Road, Fu-Rong District, Changsha, 410005, China.
Menghua ZhaoDepartment of Pediatrics, Hunan Provincial People's Hospital, The First Affiliated Hospital of Hunan Normal University, 61 Jie-Fang West Road, Fu-Rong District, Changsha, 410005, China. zhaomh705@hunnu.edu.cn.
Xu WuPulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, the Second Affiliated Hospital, University of South China, Hengyang, 421001, Hunan, China. wx1048946906@126.com.

Funding

Hunan Provincial Department of Education Scientific Research Project 24B0069Hunan Provincial Department of Education Scientific Research Project 25A0327Huxiang High-Level Talent Agrregation Project for 2021-Innovative Talent 2021RC5014National Natural Science Foundation of China 82200017Natural Science Foundation of Hunan Province 2025JJ50622Natural Science Foundation of Hunan Province 2025JJ90191Scientific Research Project of Hunan Provincial Health Commission 20255112The Science and Technology Innovation Program of Hunan Province 2023RC3198
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

The deubiquitinating enzyme OTULIN has been implicated in the development of lung injury, and regulating its expression may either exacerbate or alleviate pulmonary inflammatory damage. In this study, we aimed to investigate the role of deubiquitinating enzyme OTULIN in hyperoxia-induced lung injury and the underlying mechanisms involved. A bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) model was established by exposing neonatal mice to a hyperoxic environment, and the effects of regulating OTULIN expression on mitochondrial homeostasis in pulmonary epithelial cells were further examined under hyperoxic conditions. In addition, we investigated the mechanisms through which OTULIN regulates mitochondrial-associated proteins and the ubiquitination mechanisms of differential mitochondrial protein OPA1. The results showed that hyperoxia induced significant lung injury in neonatal mice and was accompanied by upregulation of OTULIN expression. Additionally, hyperoxia disrupted mitochondrial homeostasis in neonatal mice lung tissue, as observed by a reduction in mitochondrial number and increased mitochondrial fusion and autophagy. After hyperoxia exposure, overexpression of OTULIN significantly reduced mitochondrial reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels in alveolar epithelial cells, maintained mitochondrial membrane potential, and promoted mitochondrial homeostasis. Mechanistically, OTULIN was found to directly interact with OPA1 and regulate its ubiquitination status. The E3 ubiquitin ligase RNF31 was identified as a key regulator of OPA1 stability, with knockdown of RNF31 reducing OPA1 levels. Moreover, OTULIN regulated the expression of both OPA1 and RNF31 and affected the stability of OPA1 and mitochondrial function through RNF31-dependent mechanisms. In vivo experiments further showed that knockdown of OTULIN aggravated hyperoxia-induced lung injury in neonatal mice, characterized by alveolar simplification, increased fibrosis, and further impairment of mitochondrial function, whereas overexpression of OTULIN alleviated these pathological changes. In conclusion, deubiquitinating enzyme OTULIN protected hyperoxia-induced neonatal lung injury and modulates mitochondrial protein OPA1 in association with the E3 ubiquitin ligase RNF31. These findings provide new insights into the pathogenesis of BPD and highlight the therapeutic potential of targeting the OTULIN/RNF31-OPA1 axis.

Indexed as

GTP PhosphohydrolasesHyperoxiaLung InjuryUbiquitin-Protein LigasesAnimalsAnimals, NewbornBronchopulmonary DysplasiaHumansMiceMice, Inbred C57BLMitochondriaMitochondrial ProteinsReactive Oxygen SpeciesUbiquitinationGTP PhosphohydrolasesMitochondrial ProteinsOpa1 protein, mouseReactive Oxygen SpeciesUbiquitin-Protein LigasesHyperoxiaMitochondriaNeonatal lung injuryOPA1OTULINUbiquitination

Identifiers

PMID42218396
PMCPMC13435571

What Socratic holds

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LicenceCC BY-NC-ND
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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.