Background
The pathogenesis of vitiligo remains unclear. The genes encoding vitiligo-related RNA-binding proteins (RBPs) and their underlying pathogenic mechanism have not been determined.
Methods
Single-cell transcriptome sequencing (scRNA-seq) data from the CNCB database was obtained to identify distinct cell types and subpopulations and the relative proportion changes in vitiligo and healthy samples. Using RBP genes for unsupervised clustering, we obtained the specific RBP genes of different cell types in vitiligo and healthy groups. We analyzed the RBP genes in different cell subpopulations, especially melanocytes. Combined with the bulk RNA-seq data of melanocytes, we obtained the different RBP genes from melanocytes and predicted their function. Cell experiments, including gene knockdown, qRT–PCR, western blotting, flow cytometry, oxidative stress, and ferroptosis-related tests, were conducted to explore the role of the key RBP gene SLC3A2 in vitiligo.
Results
We identified 14 different cell types and 28 cell subpopulations using scRNA-seq data. There is a significant difference in the proportion of each cell subpopulation between the patients with vitiligo and healthy groups. The RBP gene expression is highly heterogeneous; there are significant differences in some cell types, such as keratinocytes, Langerhans, and melanocytes, while there are no significant differences in other cells, such as T cells and fibroblasts in the two groups. The melanocyte-specific RBP genes were enriched in the apoptosis and immune-related pathways in the patients with vitiligo group. Combined with the bulk RNA-seq data of melanocytes, key RBP genes related to melanocytes were identified, including 11 upregulated RBP genes (BST2, CDKN2A, HLA-A, IFIT1, LMF2, RPL12, RPL29, RPL31, RPS19, RPS21, and RPS28) and one downregulated RBP gene (SLC3A2). Cell experiments confirmed melanocyte proliferation decreased, whereas apoptosis increased after SLC3A2 knockdown. SLC3A2 knockdown in melanocytes also decreased the SOD activity and melanin content; increased the Fe2+, ROS, and MDA content; significantly increased the expression levels of TYR and COX2; and decreased the expression levels of GSH and GPX4.
Conclusions
We identified the RBP genes of different cell subsets in patients with vitiligo and confirmed that downregulating SLC3A2 can promote ferroptosis in melanocytes. These findings provide new insights into the pathogenesis of vitiligo.