Involvement of peroxiredoxin I in protecting cells from radiation-induced death

Peroxiredoxin I (Prx-I), a key member of the peroxiredoxin family, reduces peroxides and equivalents through the thioredoxin system. Our previous work has shown that expression of Prx-I in mammalian cells increases following ionizing radiation (IR), indicating that Prx-I actively responds to IR-induced reactive oxygen species (ROS) and suggesting that Prx-I plays an important role in protecting cells from IR-induced death. To test this hypothesis, we suppressed the expression of Prx-I in SW480 cells by RNA interference. Our results show that IR induces the expression of Prx-I in SW480 cells in a dose- and time-dependent manner. The recombinant siRNA vector targeting Prx-I dramatically reduced the expression of Prx-I in SW480 cells. When Prx-I was knocked down in SW480 cells, the cells exhibited a decreased growth rate, a reduced antioxidant capability following IR and became more sensitive to IR-induced apoptosis. Together, our results demonstrate that Prx-I plays an important role in protecting cells from IR-induced cell death, which might be through scavenging IR-induced ROS in the cells.