Ricin (RT) is a plant toxin belonging to the family of type II ribosome-inactivating protein with high bioterrorism potential. Aerosol RT exposure is the most lethal route, but its mechanism of injury needs further investigation. In the present study, we performed a comprehensive transcriptomics, proteomics and metabolomics analysis on the potential mechanism of injury caused by RT on human lung epithelial cells. In total, 5872 genes, 187 proteins, and 143 metabolites were shown to be significantly changed in human lung epithelial cells after RT treatment. Molecular function, pathway, and network analyses, the genes and proteins regulated in RT-treated cells were mainly attributed to fatty acid metabolism, arginine and proline metabolism and ubiquitin-mediated proteolysis pathway. Furthermore, a comprehensive analysis of transcripts, proteins, and metabolites was performed. The results revealed the correlated genes, proteins, and metabolic pathways regulated in metabolic pathways, amino acid metabolism, transcription and energy metabolism. These genes, proteins, and metabolites involved in these dis-regulated pathways may provide a more targeted and credible direction to study the mechanism of RT injury on human lung epithelial cells. This study provides large-scale omics data that can be used to develop a new strategy for the prevention, rapid diagnosis, and treatment of RT poisoning, especially of RT aerosol.
Keywords: Human lung epithelial cells; Metabolomics; Proteomics; Ricin; Transcriptomics.
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