Autophagy Protects Murine Preputial Glands Against Premature Aging and Controls Their Sebum Phospholipid and Pheromone Profile

    September 2021 in “ Autophagy ”
    Heidemarie Rossiter, Dragan Copic, Martin Direder, Флориан Грубер, Samuele Zoratto, Martina Marchetti‐Deschmann, Christopher Kremslehner, Michaela Sochorová, Ionela‐Mariana Nagelreiter, Veronika Mlitz, Maria Buchberger, Barbara Lengauer, Bahar Golabi, Supawadee Sukseree, Michael Mildner, Leopold Eckhart, Erwin Tschachler
    TLDR Autophagy prevents early aging and maintains lipid and pheromone balance in mouse glands.
    The study found that autophagy, specifically ATG7-dependent macroautophagy, played a crucial role in maintaining the health and function of murine preputial glands. Suppressing autophagy led to premature aging, altered lipid profiles, and disrupted pheromone production. Single-cell RNA sequencing revealed downregulation of genes related to lipid metabolism and oxidative stress in ATG7-deficient glands. Lipid analysis showed decreased phospholipid levels and increased diacyl glycerides in mutant glands. Mass spectrometric imaging confirmed reduced phosphatidylcholine in sebocytes, and there was a significant reduction in the pheromone palmityl acetate. Thus, autophagy was essential for gland homeostasis, lipid metabolism, and pheromone production.
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