Phenotypical and Functional Characterization of Prenylcysteine Oxidase 1 Like (Pcyox1l) Knockout Murine Neutrophils.

Abstract

Prenylcysteine oxidase 1 like (Pcyox1l) is a known protein coding gene where the protein has no described function. To examine the role of Pcyox1l on murine neutrophil function and metabolism, in vitro and in vivo experiments were performed on immortalized murine neutrophil cell lines and mice primary cells. This study demonstrated that the loss of Pcyox1l negatively impacts the viability of neutrophils in vitro. We further demonstrated Prenylcysteine oxidase 1 (Pcyox1) levels are increased with the absence of Pcyox1l in neutrophil cultures, suggesting a possible interaction between the two. We showed that the loss of Pcyox1l decreases prenylation, impacting functionality of prenylated proteins, and offering an explanation to the lowered effector function of Pcyox1l KO neutrophils against P. aeruginosa. Neutrophils are the most abundant leukocytes in mammals and one of the most important members of innate immunity. Understanding the effect of Pcyox1l can shed light on mechanisms that have potential therapeutic functions.