Novel regulation mechanism of histone methyltransferase SMYD5 in rheumatoid arthritis

Abstract Background Fibroblast-like synoviocytes (FLS) are crucial for maintaining synovial homeostasis. SMYD5, a member of the histone lysine methyltransferase subfamily SMYDs, is involved in many pathological processes. This study aimed to investigate the role of SMYD5 in regulating synovial fibro...

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Main Authors: Chenxi Xiao, Zhenghua Su, Jialin Zhao, Subei Tan, Mengting He, Yuhui Li, Jiayao Liu, Jie Xu, Yajie Hu, Zhongzheng Li, Chunxiang Fan, Xinhua Liu
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: BMC 2025-03-01
Series:Cellular & Molecular Biology Letters
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Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1186/s11658-025-00707-9
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author Chenxi Xiao
Zhenghua Su
Jialin Zhao
Subei Tan
Mengting He
Yuhui Li
Jiayao Liu
Jie Xu
Yajie Hu
Zhongzheng Li
Chunxiang Fan
Xinhua Liu
author_facet Chenxi Xiao
Zhenghua Su
Jialin Zhao
Subei Tan
Mengting He
Yuhui Li
Jiayao Liu
Jie Xu
Yajie Hu
Zhongzheng Li
Chunxiang Fan
Xinhua Liu
author_sort Chenxi Xiao
collection DOAJ
description Abstract Background Fibroblast-like synoviocytes (FLS) are crucial for maintaining synovial homeostasis. SMYD5, a member of the histone lysine methyltransferase subfamily SMYDs, is involved in many pathological processes. This study aimed to investigate the role of SMYD5 in regulating synovial fibroblast homeostasis and the pathogenesis of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Methods Proteomic screening was conducted to assess SMYD5 expression in the synovium of patients with osteoarthritis (OA) and RA. In vitro, interleukin-1 beta (IL-1β) was used to induce proliferation and inflammation in FLS. Further, we performed loss-of-function and gain-of-function experiments to investigate the biological function of SMYD5. In vivo, adeno-associated virus (AAV) vectors carrying SMYD5 short-hairpin RNA (AAV-shSMYD5) were injected into the knee joints to knock down SMYD5 in a collagen-induced arthritis (CIA) mouse model to evaluate its role in joint damage. Results We observed a significant elevation of SMYD5 expression in the synovial tissues of patients with RA and IL-1β-induced FLS. SMYD5 facilitated posttranslational modifications and activated downstream signaling pathways, thereby promoting proliferation and inflammation in FLS. Mechanistically, SMYD5 mediated the methylation of Forkhead box protein O1 (FoxO1), which accelerated its degradation through ubiquitination, resulting in substantial FLS proliferation. Additionally, SMYD5 promoted lactate release to activate NF-κB signaling pathways by upregulating hexokinases-2 (HK2) expression, a key glycolytic enzyme, thereby intensifying the inflammatory response in FLS. Supporting these findings, intraarticular delivery of AAV-mediated SMYD5 knockdown in the CIA mice model effectively alleviated joint swelling, bone erosion, and overall arthritis severity. Conclusions Together, these findings suggest that SMYD5 is a dual target for regulating synovial fibroblast homeostasis and the pathogenesis of RA. Targeting SMYD5 through local treatment strategies may provide a novel therapeutic approach for RA, particularly when combined with immunotherapy. Graphical abstract
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spelling doaj-art-57dcf091c62e44e283f0a9f8d565af722025-08-20T03:07:43ZengBMCCellular & Molecular Biology Letters1689-13922025-03-0130112510.1186/s11658-025-00707-9Novel regulation mechanism of histone methyltransferase SMYD5 in rheumatoid arthritisChenxi Xiao0Zhenghua Su1Jialin Zhao2Subei Tan3Mengting He4Yuhui Li5Jiayao Liu6Jie Xu7Yajie Hu8Zhongzheng Li9Chunxiang Fan10Xinhua Liu11Department of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai Pudong Hospital, Pharmacophenomics Laboratory, Phenome Research Center of TCM, Human Phenome Institute, Fudan UniversityDepartment of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai Pudong Hospital, Pharmacophenomics Laboratory, Phenome Research Center of TCM, Human Phenome Institute, Fudan UniversityDepartment of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai Pudong Hospital, Pharmacophenomics Laboratory, Phenome Research Center of TCM, Human Phenome Institute, Fudan UniversityDepartment of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai Pudong Hospital, Pharmacophenomics Laboratory, Phenome Research Center of TCM, Human Phenome Institute, Fudan UniversityDepartment of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai Pudong Hospital, Pharmacophenomics Laboratory, Phenome Research Center of TCM, Human Phenome Institute, Fudan UniversityDepartment of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai Pudong Hospital, Pharmacophenomics Laboratory, Phenome Research Center of TCM, Human Phenome Institute, Fudan UniversityDepartment of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai Pudong Hospital, Pharmacophenomics Laboratory, Phenome Research Center of TCM, Human Phenome Institute, Fudan UniversityDepartment of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai Pudong Hospital, Pharmacophenomics Laboratory, Phenome Research Center of TCM, Human Phenome Institute, Fudan UniversityDepartment of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai Pudong Hospital, Pharmacophenomics Laboratory, Phenome Research Center of TCM, Human Phenome Institute, Fudan UniversityThe 9th Hospital of NingboDepartment of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai Pudong Hospital, Pharmacophenomics Laboratory, Phenome Research Center of TCM, Human Phenome Institute, Fudan UniversityDepartment of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai Pudong Hospital, Pharmacophenomics Laboratory, Phenome Research Center of TCM, Human Phenome Institute, Fudan UniversityAbstract Background Fibroblast-like synoviocytes (FLS) are crucial for maintaining synovial homeostasis. SMYD5, a member of the histone lysine methyltransferase subfamily SMYDs, is involved in many pathological processes. This study aimed to investigate the role of SMYD5 in regulating synovial fibroblast homeostasis and the pathogenesis of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Methods Proteomic screening was conducted to assess SMYD5 expression in the synovium of patients with osteoarthritis (OA) and RA. In vitro, interleukin-1 beta (IL-1β) was used to induce proliferation and inflammation in FLS. Further, we performed loss-of-function and gain-of-function experiments to investigate the biological function of SMYD5. In vivo, adeno-associated virus (AAV) vectors carrying SMYD5 short-hairpin RNA (AAV-shSMYD5) were injected into the knee joints to knock down SMYD5 in a collagen-induced arthritis (CIA) mouse model to evaluate its role in joint damage. Results We observed a significant elevation of SMYD5 expression in the synovial tissues of patients with RA and IL-1β-induced FLS. SMYD5 facilitated posttranslational modifications and activated downstream signaling pathways, thereby promoting proliferation and inflammation in FLS. Mechanistically, SMYD5 mediated the methylation of Forkhead box protein O1 (FoxO1), which accelerated its degradation through ubiquitination, resulting in substantial FLS proliferation. Additionally, SMYD5 promoted lactate release to activate NF-κB signaling pathways by upregulating hexokinases-2 (HK2) expression, a key glycolytic enzyme, thereby intensifying the inflammatory response in FLS. Supporting these findings, intraarticular delivery of AAV-mediated SMYD5 knockdown in the CIA mice model effectively alleviated joint swelling, bone erosion, and overall arthritis severity. Conclusions Together, these findings suggest that SMYD5 is a dual target for regulating synovial fibroblast homeostasis and the pathogenesis of RA. Targeting SMYD5 through local treatment strategies may provide a novel therapeutic approach for RA, particularly when combined with immunotherapy. Graphical abstracthttps://doi.org/10.1186/s11658-025-00707-9Rheumatoid arthritisFibroblast-like synoviocytesSMYD5FoxO1HK2NF-κB
spellingShingle Chenxi Xiao
Zhenghua Su
Jialin Zhao
Subei Tan
Mengting He
Yuhui Li
Jiayao Liu
Jie Xu
Yajie Hu
Zhongzheng Li
Chunxiang Fan
Xinhua Liu
Novel regulation mechanism of histone methyltransferase SMYD5 in rheumatoid arthritis
Cellular & Molecular Biology Letters
Rheumatoid arthritis
Fibroblast-like synoviocytes
SMYD5
FoxO1
HK2
NF-κB
title Novel regulation mechanism of histone methyltransferase SMYD5 in rheumatoid arthritis
title_full Novel regulation mechanism of histone methyltransferase SMYD5 in rheumatoid arthritis
title_fullStr Novel regulation mechanism of histone methyltransferase SMYD5 in rheumatoid arthritis
title_full_unstemmed Novel regulation mechanism of histone methyltransferase SMYD5 in rheumatoid arthritis
title_short Novel regulation mechanism of histone methyltransferase SMYD5 in rheumatoid arthritis
title_sort novel regulation mechanism of histone methyltransferase smyd5 in rheumatoid arthritis
topic Rheumatoid arthritis
Fibroblast-like synoviocytes
SMYD5
FoxO1
HK2
NF-κB
url https://doi.org/10.1186/s11658-025-00707-9
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