Homocysteine causes vascular endothelial dysfunction by disrupting endoplasmic reticulum redox homeostasis

Endothelial dysfunction induced by hyperhomocysteinemia (HHcy) plays a critical role in vascular pathology. However, little is known about the role of endoplasmic reticulum (ER) redox homeostasis in HHcy-induced endothelial dysfunction. Here, we show that Hcy induces ER oxidoreductin-1α (Ero1α) expression with ER stress and inflammation in human umbilical vein endothelial cells and in the arteries of HHcy mice. Hcy upregulates Ero1α expression by promoting binding of hypoxia-inducible factor 1α to the ERO1A promoter. Notably, Hcy rather than other thiol agents markedly increases the GSH/GSSG ratio in the ER, therefore allosterically activating Ero1α to produce H2O2 and trigger ER oxidative stress. By contrast, the antioxidant pathway mediated by ER glutathione peroxidase 7 (GPx7) is downregulated in HHcy mice. Ero1α knockdown and GPx7 overexpression protect the endothelium from HHcy-induced ER oxidative stress and inflammation. Our work suggests that targeting ER redox homeostasis could be used as an intervention for HHcy-related vascular diseases.