RORα-activated mitophagy attenuating hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy via suppression of microglial cGAS-STING axis
IntroductionHypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy (HIE) involves neuroinflammation driven by microglial activation, yet regulatory mechanisms remain poorly defined. This study investigates how Retinoic Acid Receptor-Related Orphan Receptor Alpha (RORα) modulates mitophagy to suppress mtDNA-cGAS-STING-NLRP...
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2025-07-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Immunology |
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| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fimmu.2025.1592737/full |
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| author | Lei Song Haiyan Shen Fei Hong Weiyan Zhang Hongyi Lu |
| author_facet | Lei Song Haiyan Shen Fei Hong Weiyan Zhang Hongyi Lu |
| author_sort | Lei Song |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | IntroductionHypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy (HIE) involves neuroinflammation driven by microglial activation, yet regulatory mechanisms remain poorly defined. This study investigates how Retinoic Acid Receptor-Related Orphan Receptor Alpha (RORα) modulates mitophagy to suppress mtDNA-cGAS-STING-NLRP3 signaling in aging microglia, offering therapeutic potential for HIE.MethodsA multi-omics approach combining single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) of an HIE rat model, Weighted Gene Co-Expression Network Analysis (WGCNA), and LASSO regression identified RORα as a pivotal regulator. In vivo and in vitro HIE models with RORα overexpression were assessed via behavioral tests (morris water maze, tail suspension), reactive oxygen species (ROS) quantification, and molecular profiling (RT-qPCR, Western Blot, ELISA). Mitophagy inhibitor 3-MA was used to validate pathway dependence.ResultsMulti-omics integration revealed RORα as a hub gene linked to inflammatory and metabolic pathways. RORα activation enhanced mitophagy, reducing mtDNA leakage by 43% and cGAS-STING activity by 68%, which suppressed NLRP3 inflammasome activation (p < 0.01). This correlated with improved cognitive/motor function in HIE rats (p < 0.05) and attenuated ROS/IL-1β levels. Critically, 3-MA reversed RORα’s anti-inflammatory effects, confirming mitophagy dependence.ConclusionRORα alleviates HIE by resolving microglial neuroinflammation through mitophagic inhibition of mtDNA-cGAS-STING-NLRP3 signaling. These findings position RORα as a novel therapeutic target for HIE, bridging mitochondrial quality control and neuroimmunology. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-dee5141334c546f4a3a2061ea6e867c4 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 1664-3224 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-07-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
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| series | Frontiers in Immunology |
| spelling | doaj-art-dee5141334c546f4a3a2061ea6e867c42025-08-20T03:31:33ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Immunology1664-32242025-07-011610.3389/fimmu.2025.15927371592737RORα-activated mitophagy attenuating hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy via suppression of microglial cGAS-STING axisLei SongHaiyan ShenFei HongWeiyan ZhangHongyi LuIntroductionHypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy (HIE) involves neuroinflammation driven by microglial activation, yet regulatory mechanisms remain poorly defined. This study investigates how Retinoic Acid Receptor-Related Orphan Receptor Alpha (RORα) modulates mitophagy to suppress mtDNA-cGAS-STING-NLRP3 signaling in aging microglia, offering therapeutic potential for HIE.MethodsA multi-omics approach combining single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) of an HIE rat model, Weighted Gene Co-Expression Network Analysis (WGCNA), and LASSO regression identified RORα as a pivotal regulator. In vivo and in vitro HIE models with RORα overexpression were assessed via behavioral tests (morris water maze, tail suspension), reactive oxygen species (ROS) quantification, and molecular profiling (RT-qPCR, Western Blot, ELISA). Mitophagy inhibitor 3-MA was used to validate pathway dependence.ResultsMulti-omics integration revealed RORα as a hub gene linked to inflammatory and metabolic pathways. RORα activation enhanced mitophagy, reducing mtDNA leakage by 43% and cGAS-STING activity by 68%, which suppressed NLRP3 inflammasome activation (p < 0.01). This correlated with improved cognitive/motor function in HIE rats (p < 0.05) and attenuated ROS/IL-1β levels. Critically, 3-MA reversed RORα’s anti-inflammatory effects, confirming mitophagy dependence.ConclusionRORα alleviates HIE by resolving microglial neuroinflammation through mitophagic inhibition of mtDNA-cGAS-STING-NLRP3 signaling. These findings position RORα as a novel therapeutic target for HIE, bridging mitochondrial quality control and neuroimmunology.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fimmu.2025.1592737/fullhypoxic-ischemic encephalopathyRORαmitophagyscRNA-seqneuroinflammationcGAS-STING pathway |
| spellingShingle | Lei Song Haiyan Shen Fei Hong Weiyan Zhang Hongyi Lu RORα-activated mitophagy attenuating hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy via suppression of microglial cGAS-STING axis Frontiers in Immunology hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy RORα mitophagy scRNA-seq neuroinflammation cGAS-STING pathway |
| title | RORα-activated mitophagy attenuating hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy via suppression of microglial cGAS-STING axis |
| title_full | RORα-activated mitophagy attenuating hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy via suppression of microglial cGAS-STING axis |
| title_fullStr | RORα-activated mitophagy attenuating hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy via suppression of microglial cGAS-STING axis |
| title_full_unstemmed | RORα-activated mitophagy attenuating hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy via suppression of microglial cGAS-STING axis |
| title_short | RORα-activated mitophagy attenuating hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy via suppression of microglial cGAS-STING axis |
| title_sort | rorα activated mitophagy attenuating hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy via suppression of microglial cgas sting axis |
| topic | hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy RORα mitophagy scRNA-seq neuroinflammation cGAS-STING pathway |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fimmu.2025.1592737/full |
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