151
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A Beginner's Introduction to Skin Stem Cells and Wound Healing. Int J Mol Sci 2021; 22:ijms222011030. [PMID: 34681688 PMCID: PMC8538579 DOI: 10.3390/ijms222011030] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/15/2021] [Revised: 10/06/2021] [Accepted: 10/11/2021] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
The primary function of the skin is that of a physical barrier against the environment and diverse pathogens; therefore, its integrity is essential for survival. Skin regeneration depends on multiple stem cell compartments within the epidermis, which, despite their different transcriptional and proliferative capacity, as well as different anatomical location, fall under the general term of skin stem cells (SSCs). Skin wounds can normally heal without problem; however, some diseases or extensive damage may delay or prevent healing. Non-healing wounds represent a serious and life-threatening scenario that may require advanced therapeutic strategies. In this regard, increased focus has been directed at SSCs and their role in wound healing, although emerging therapeutical approaches are considering the use of other stem cells instead, such as mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs). Given its extensive and broad nature, this review supplies newcomers with an introduction to SSCs, wound healing, and therapeutic strategies for skin regeneration, thus familiarizing the reader with the subject in preparation for future in depth reading.
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152
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Wiśniewska J, Sadowska A, Wójtowicz A, Słyszewska M, Szóstek-Mioduchowska A. Perspective on Stem Cell Therapy in Organ Fibrosis: Animal Models and Human Studies. Life (Basel) 2021; 11:life11101068. [PMID: 34685439 PMCID: PMC8538998 DOI: 10.3390/life11101068] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/17/2021] [Revised: 10/06/2021] [Accepted: 10/08/2021] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Tissue fibrosis is characterized by excessive deposition of extracellular matrix (ECM) components that result from the disruption of regulatory processes responsible for ECM synthesis, deposition, and remodeling. Fibrosis develops in response to a trigger or injury and can occur in nearly all organs of the body. Thus, fibrosis leads to severe pathological conditions that disrupt organ architecture and cause loss of function. It has been estimated that severe fibrotic disorders are responsible for up to one-third of deaths worldwide. Although intensive research on the development of new strategies for fibrosis treatment has been carried out, therapeutic approaches remain limited. Since stem cells, especially mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs), show remarkable self-renewal, differentiation, and immunomodulatory capacity, they have been intensively tested in preclinical studies and clinical trials as a potential tool to slow down the progression of fibrosis and improve the quality of life of patients with fibrotic disorders. In this review, we summarize in vitro studies, preclinical studies performed on animal models of human fibrotic diseases, and recent clinical trials on the efficacy of allogeneic and autologous stem cell applications in severe types of fibrosis that develop in lungs, liver, heart, kidney, uterus, and skin. Although the results of the studies seem to be encouraging, there are many aspects of cell-based therapy, including the cell source, dose, administration route and frequency, timing of delivery, and long-term safety, that remain open areas for future investigation. We also discuss the contemporary status, challenges, and future perspectives of stem cell transplantation for therapeutic options in fibrotic diseases as well as we present recent patents for stem cell-based therapies in organ fibrosis.
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153
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Liu SY, Wu JJ, Chen ZH, Zou ML, Teng YY, Zhang KW, Li YY, Guo DY, Yuan FL, Li X. Insight into the role of dermal white adipose tissue loss in dermal fibrosis. J Cell Physiol 2021; 237:169-177. [PMID: 34608987 DOI: 10.1002/jcp.30552] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/28/2021] [Revised: 07/30/2021] [Accepted: 08/03/2021] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
The loss of dermal white adipose tissue (dWAT) is vital to the formation of dermal fibrosis (DF), but the specific mechanism is not well understood. A few studies are reviewed to explore the role of dWAT in the formation of DF. Recent findings indicated that the adipocytes-to-myofibroblasts transition in dWAT reflects the direct contribution to the DF formation. While adipose-derived stem cells (ADSCs) contained in dWAT express antifibrotic cytokines, the loss of ADSCs leads to skin protection decreased, which indirectly exacerbates DF and tissue damage. Therefore, blocking or reversing the adipocytes-to-myofibroblasts transition or improving the survival of ADSCs in dWAT and the expression of antifibrotic cytokines may be an effective strategy for the treatment of DF.
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Affiliation(s)
- Si-Yu Liu
- Wuxi Clinical Medicine School of Integrated Chinese and Western Medicine, Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Wuxi, Jiangsu, China
| | - Jun-Jie Wu
- Institute of Integrated Chinese and Western Medicine, The Hospital Affiliated to Jiangnan University, Wuxi, Jiangsu, China
| | - Zhong-Hua Chen
- Department of Medicine, Nantong University, Nantong, Jiangsu, China
| | - Ming-Li Zou
- Wuxi Clinical Medicine School of Integrated Chinese and Western Medicine, Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Wuxi, Jiangsu, China
| | - Ying-Ying Teng
- Department of Medicine, The Hospital Affiliated to Jiangnan University, Wuxi, Jiangsu, China
| | - Kai-Wen Zhang
- Wuxi Clinical Medicine School of Integrated Chinese and Western Medicine, Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Wuxi, Jiangsu, China
| | - Yue-Yue Li
- Department of Pharmacy, The Hospital Affiliated to Jiangnan University, Wuxi, Jiangsu, China
| | - Dang-Yang Guo
- Department of Pharmacy, The Hospital Affiliated to Jiangnan University, Wuxi, Jiangsu, China
| | - Feng-Lai Yuan
- Wuxi Clinical Medicine School of Integrated Chinese and Western Medicine, Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Wuxi, Jiangsu, China.,Institute of Integrated Chinese and Western Medicine, The Hospital Affiliated to Jiangnan University, Wuxi, Jiangsu, China.,Department of Pharmacy, The Hospital Affiliated to Jiangnan University, Wuxi, Jiangsu, China
| | - Xia Li
- Department of Medicine, The Hospital Affiliated to Jiangnan University, Wuxi, Jiangsu, China
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154
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Griffin MF, Borrelli MR, Garcia JT, Januszyk M, King M, Lerbs T, Cui L, Moore AL, Shen AH, Mascharak S, Diaz Deleon NM, Adem S, Taylor WL, desJardins-Park HE, Gastou M, Patel RA, Duoto BA, Sokol J, Wei Y, Foster D, Chen K, Wan DC, Gurtner GC, Lorenz HP, Chang HY, Wernig G, Longaker MT. JUN promotes hypertrophic skin scarring via CD36 in preclinical in vitro and in vivo models. Sci Transl Med 2021; 13:eabb3312. [PMID: 34516825 DOI: 10.1126/scitranslmed.abb3312] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
[Figure: see text].
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Affiliation(s)
- Michelle F Griffin
- Hagey Laboratory of Pediatric Regenerative Medicine, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Mimi R Borrelli
- Hagey Laboratory of Pediatric Regenerative Medicine, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Julia T Garcia
- Center for Personal Dynamics Regulomes, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA.,Department of Genetics, Stanford School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Michael Januszyk
- Hagey Laboratory of Pediatric Regenerative Medicine, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Megan King
- Hagey Laboratory of Pediatric Regenerative Medicine, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA.,CIRM Scholars Program, Humboldt State University, Arcata, CA 95521, USA
| | - Tristan Lerbs
- Department of Pathology, Stanford School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Lu Cui
- Department of Pathology, Stanford School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Alessandra L Moore
- Hagey Laboratory of Pediatric Regenerative Medicine, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Abra H Shen
- Hagey Laboratory of Pediatric Regenerative Medicine, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Shamik Mascharak
- Hagey Laboratory of Pediatric Regenerative Medicine, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA.,Department of Pathology, Stanford School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Nestor M Diaz Deleon
- Hagey Laboratory of Pediatric Regenerative Medicine, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Sandeep Adem
- Hagey Laboratory of Pediatric Regenerative Medicine, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Walter L Taylor
- Hagey Laboratory of Pediatric Regenerative Medicine, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Heather E desJardins-Park
- Hagey Laboratory of Pediatric Regenerative Medicine, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA.,Institute for Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine, Stanford School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Marc Gastou
- Department of Pathology, Stanford School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Ronak A Patel
- Hagey Laboratory of Pediatric Regenerative Medicine, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Bryan A Duoto
- Hagey Laboratory of Pediatric Regenerative Medicine, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Jan Sokol
- Hagey Laboratory of Pediatric Regenerative Medicine, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Yuning Wei
- Center for Personal Dynamics Regulomes, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Deshka Foster
- Hagey Laboratory of Pediatric Regenerative Medicine, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA.,Department of Pathology, Stanford School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Kellen Chen
- Hagey Laboratory of Pediatric Regenerative Medicine, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Derrick C Wan
- Hagey Laboratory of Pediatric Regenerative Medicine, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Geoffrey C Gurtner
- Hagey Laboratory of Pediatric Regenerative Medicine, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Hermann P Lorenz
- Hagey Laboratory of Pediatric Regenerative Medicine, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Howard Y Chang
- Center for Personal Dynamics Regulomes, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA.,Department of Genetics, Stanford School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA.,Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Gerlinde Wernig
- Department of Pathology, Stanford School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA.,Institute for Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine, Stanford School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Michael T Longaker
- Hagey Laboratory of Pediatric Regenerative Medicine, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA.,Institute for Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine, Stanford School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
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155
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Györfi AH, Matei AE, Fuchs M, Liang C, Rigau AR, Hong X, Zhu H, Luber M, Bergmann C, Dees C, Ludolph I, Horch RE, Distler O, Wang J, Bengsch B, Schett G, Kunz M, Distler JH. Engrailed 1 coordinates cytoskeletal reorganization to induce myofibroblast differentiation. J Exp Med 2021; 218:e20201916. [PMID: 34259830 PMCID: PMC8288503 DOI: 10.1084/jem.20201916] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/03/2020] [Revised: 04/05/2021] [Accepted: 05/24/2021] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Transforming growth factor-β (TGFβ) is a key mediator of fibroblast activation in fibrotic diseases, including systemic sclerosis. Here we show that Engrailed 1 (EN1) is reexpressed in multiple fibroblast subpopulations in the skin of SSc patients. We characterize EN1 as a molecular amplifier of TGFβ signaling in myofibroblast differentiation: TGFβ induces EN1 expression in a SMAD3-dependent manner, and in turn, EN1 mediates the profibrotic effects of TGFβ. RNA sequencing demonstrates that EN1 induces a profibrotic gene expression profile functionally related to cytoskeleton organization and ROCK activation. EN1 regulates gene expression by modulating the activity of SP1 and other SP transcription factors, as confirmed by ChIP-seq experiments for EN1 and SP1. Functional experiments confirm the coordinating role of EN1 on ROCK activity and the reorganization of cytoskeleton during myofibroblast differentiation, in both standard fibroblast culture systems and in vitro skin models. Consistently, mice with fibroblast-specific knockout of En1 demonstrate impaired fibroblast-to-myofibroblast transition and are partially protected from experimental skin fibrosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrea-Hermina Györfi
- Department of Internal Medicine 3 - Rheumatology and Immunology, Friedrich-Alexander-University Erlangen-Nürnberg and University Hospital Erlangen, Erlangen, Germany
- Deutsches Zentrum für Immuntherapie, Friedrich-Alexander-University Erlangen-Nürnberg and University Hospital Erlangen, Erlangen, Germany
| | - Alexandru-Emil Matei
- Department of Internal Medicine 3 - Rheumatology and Immunology, Friedrich-Alexander-University Erlangen-Nürnberg and University Hospital Erlangen, Erlangen, Germany
- Deutsches Zentrum für Immuntherapie, Friedrich-Alexander-University Erlangen-Nürnberg and University Hospital Erlangen, Erlangen, Germany
| | - Maximilian Fuchs
- Medical Informatics, Friedrich-Alexander University of Erlangen-Nürnberg, Erlangen, Germany
| | - Chunguang Liang
- Medical Informatics, Friedrich-Alexander University of Erlangen-Nürnberg, Erlangen, Germany
| | - Aleix Rius Rigau
- Department of Internal Medicine 3 - Rheumatology and Immunology, Friedrich-Alexander-University Erlangen-Nürnberg and University Hospital Erlangen, Erlangen, Germany
- Deutsches Zentrum für Immuntherapie, Friedrich-Alexander-University Erlangen-Nürnberg and University Hospital Erlangen, Erlangen, Germany
| | - Xuezhi Hong
- Department of Internal Medicine 3 - Rheumatology and Immunology, Friedrich-Alexander-University Erlangen-Nürnberg and University Hospital Erlangen, Erlangen, Germany
- Deutsches Zentrum für Immuntherapie, Friedrich-Alexander-University Erlangen-Nürnberg and University Hospital Erlangen, Erlangen, Germany
| | - Honglin Zhu
- Department of Internal Medicine 3 - Rheumatology and Immunology, Friedrich-Alexander-University Erlangen-Nürnberg and University Hospital Erlangen, Erlangen, Germany
- Deutsches Zentrum für Immuntherapie, Friedrich-Alexander-University Erlangen-Nürnberg and University Hospital Erlangen, Erlangen, Germany
- Department of Rheumatology, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, P.R. China
| | - Markus Luber
- Department of Internal Medicine 3 - Rheumatology and Immunology, Friedrich-Alexander-University Erlangen-Nürnberg and University Hospital Erlangen, Erlangen, Germany
- Deutsches Zentrum für Immuntherapie, Friedrich-Alexander-University Erlangen-Nürnberg and University Hospital Erlangen, Erlangen, Germany
| | - Christina Bergmann
- Department of Internal Medicine 3 - Rheumatology and Immunology, Friedrich-Alexander-University Erlangen-Nürnberg and University Hospital Erlangen, Erlangen, Germany
- Deutsches Zentrum für Immuntherapie, Friedrich-Alexander-University Erlangen-Nürnberg and University Hospital Erlangen, Erlangen, Germany
| | - Clara Dees
- Department of Internal Medicine 3 - Rheumatology and Immunology, Friedrich-Alexander-University Erlangen-Nürnberg and University Hospital Erlangen, Erlangen, Germany
- Deutsches Zentrum für Immuntherapie, Friedrich-Alexander-University Erlangen-Nürnberg and University Hospital Erlangen, Erlangen, Germany
| | - Ingo Ludolph
- Department of Plastic and Hand Surgery, Friedrich-Alexander-University Erlangen-Nürnberg and University Hospital Erlangen, Erlangen, Germany
| | - Raymund E. Horch
- Department of Plastic and Hand Surgery, Friedrich-Alexander-University Erlangen-Nürnberg and University Hospital Erlangen, Erlangen, Germany
| | - Oliver Distler
- Department of Rheumatology, Center of Experimental Rheumatology, University Hospital of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Jiucun Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Genetic Engineering, Collaborative Innovation Center for Genetics and Development, School of Life Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai, P.R. China
- Human Phenome Institute, Fudan University, Shanghai, P.R. China
- Institute of Rheumatology, Immunology and Allergy, Fudan University, Shanghai, P.R. China
| | - Bertram Bengsch
- Department of Medicine II: Gastroenterology, Hepatology, Endocrinology, and Infectious Disease, University Medical Center Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
- BIOSS Centre for Biological Signaling Studies, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Georg Schett
- Department of Internal Medicine 3 - Rheumatology and Immunology, Friedrich-Alexander-University Erlangen-Nürnberg and University Hospital Erlangen, Erlangen, Germany
- Deutsches Zentrum für Immuntherapie, Friedrich-Alexander-University Erlangen-Nürnberg and University Hospital Erlangen, Erlangen, Germany
| | - Meik Kunz
- Medical Informatics, Friedrich-Alexander University of Erlangen-Nürnberg, Erlangen, Germany
| | - Jörg H.W. Distler
- Department of Internal Medicine 3 - Rheumatology and Immunology, Friedrich-Alexander-University Erlangen-Nürnberg and University Hospital Erlangen, Erlangen, Germany
- Deutsches Zentrum für Immuntherapie, Friedrich-Alexander-University Erlangen-Nürnberg and University Hospital Erlangen, Erlangen, Germany
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156
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Griffin MF, Huber J, Evan FJ, Quarto N, Longaker MT. The role of Wnt signaling in skin fibrosis. Med Res Rev 2021; 42:615-628. [PMID: 34431110 DOI: 10.1002/med.21853] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/12/2020] [Revised: 05/14/2021] [Accepted: 08/17/2021] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
Skin fibrosis is the excessive deposition of extracellular matrix in the dermis. Cutaneous fibrosis can occur following tissue injury, including burns, trauma, and surgery, resulting in scars that are disfiguring, limit movement and cause significant psychological distress for patients. Many molecular pathways have been implicated in the development of skin fibrosis, yet effective treatments to prevent or reverse scarring are unknown. The Wnt signaling pathways are known to play an important role in skin homeostasis, skin injury, and in the development of fibrotic skin diseases. This review provides a detailed overview of the role of the canonical Wnt signaling pathways in regulating skin scarring. We also discuss how Wnt signaling interacts with other known fibrotic molecular pathways to cause skin fibrosis. We further provide a summary of the different Wnt inhibitor types available for treating skin scarring. Understanding the role of the Wnt pathway in cutaneous fibrosis will accelerate the development of effective Wnt modulators for the treatment of skin fibrosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michelle F Griffin
- Hagey Laboratory for Pediatric Regenerative Medicine, Division of Plastic Surgery, Department of Surgery, Stanford, California, USA
| | - Julika Huber
- Hagey Laboratory for Pediatric Regenerative Medicine, Division of Plastic Surgery, Department of Surgery, Stanford, California, USA
| | - Fahy J Evan
- Hagey Laboratory for Pediatric Regenerative Medicine, Division of Plastic Surgery, Department of Surgery, Stanford, California, USA
| | - Natalina Quarto
- Hagey Laboratory for Pediatric Regenerative Medicine, Division of Plastic Surgery, Department of Surgery, Stanford, California, USA.,Stanford Institute for Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California, USA
| | - Michael T Longaker
- Hagey Laboratory for Pediatric Regenerative Medicine, Division of Plastic Surgery, Department of Surgery, Stanford, California, USA.,Stanford Institute for Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California, USA
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157
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Parsing β-catenin's cell adhesion and Wnt signaling functions in malignant mammary tumor progression. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2021; 118:2020227118. [PMID: 34408016 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2020227118] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
During malignant progression, epithelial cancer cells dissolve their cell-cell adhesion and gain invasive features. By virtue of its dual function, β-catenin contributes to cadherin-mediated cell-cell adhesion, and it determines the transcriptional output of Wnt signaling: via its N terminus, it recruits the signaling coactivators Bcl9 and Pygopus, and via the C terminus, it interacts with the general transcriptional machinery. This duality confounds the simple loss-of-function analysis of Wnt signaling in cancer progression. In many cancer types including breast cancer, the functional contribution of β-catenin's transcriptional activities, as compared to its adhesion functions, to tumor progression has remained elusive. Employing the mouse mammary tumor virus (MMTV)-PyMT mouse model of metastatic breast cancer, we compared the complete elimination of β-catenin with the specific ablation of its signaling outputs in mammary tumor cells. Notably, the complete lack of β-catenin resulted in massive apoptosis of mammary tumor cells. In contrast, the loss of β-catenin's transcriptional activity resulted in a reduction of primary tumor growth, tumor invasion, and metastasis formation in vivo. These phenotypic changes were reflected by stalled cell cycle progression and diminished epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) and cell migration of breast cancer cells in vitro. Transcriptome analysis revealed subsets of genes which were specifically regulated by β-catenin's transcriptional activities upon stimulation with Wnt3a or during TGF-β-induced EMT. Our results uncouple the signaling from the adhesion function of β-catenin and underline the importance of Wnt/β-catenin-dependent transcription in malignant tumor progression of breast cancer.
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158
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Guo F, Seldin M, Péterfy M, Charugundla S, Zhou Z, Lee SD, Mouton A, Rajbhandari P, Zhang W, Pellegrini M, Tontonoz P, Lusis AJ, Shih DM. NOTUM promotes thermogenic capacity and protects against diet-induced obesity in male mice. Sci Rep 2021; 11:16409. [PMID: 34385484 PMCID: PMC8361163 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-95720-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/10/2021] [Accepted: 07/28/2021] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
We recently showed that NOTUM, a liver-secreted Wnt inhibitor, can acutely promote browning of white adipose. We now report studies of chronic overexpression of NOTUM in liver indicating that it protects against diet-induced obesity and improves glucose homeostasis in mice. Adeno-associated virus (AAV) vectors were used to overexpress GFP or mouse Notum in the livers of male C57BL/6J mice and the mice were fed an obesifying diet. After 14 weeks of high fat, high sucrose diet feeding, the AAV-Notum mice exhibited decreased obesity and improved glucose tolerance compared to the AAV-GFP mice. Gene expression and immunoblotting analysis of the inguinal fat and brown fat revealed increased expression of beige/brown adipocyte markers in the AAV-Notum group, suggesting enhanced thermogenic capacity by NOTUM. A β3 adrenergic receptor agonist-stimulated lipolysis test suggested increased lipolysis capacity by NOTUM. The levels of collagen and C–C motif chemokine ligand 2 (CCL2) in the epididymal white adipose tissue of the AAV-Notum mice were significantly reduced, suggesting decreased fibrosis and inflammation, respectively. RNA sequencing analysis of inguinal white adipose of 4-week chow diet-fed mice revealed a highly significant enrichment of extracellular matrix (ECM) functional cluster among the down-regulated genes in the AAV-Notum group, suggesting a potential mechanism contributing to improved glucose homeostasis. Our in vitro studies demonstrated that recombinant human NOTUM protein blocked the inhibitory effects of WNT3A on brown adipocyte differentiation. Furthermore, NOTUM attenuated WNT3A’s effects on upregulation of TGF-β signaling and its downstream targets. Overall, our data suggest that NOTUM modulates adipose tissue function by promoting thermogenic capacity and inhibiting fibrosis through inhibition of Wnt signaling.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fangfei Guo
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Molecular Genetics, Division of Cardiology, Department of Medicine, Department of Human Genetics, University of California, 10833 Le Conte Avenue, A2-237 CHS, Los Angeles, CA, 90095-1679, USA
| | - Marcus Seldin
- Department of Biological Chemistry and Center for Epigenetics and Metabolism, University of California, Irvine, CA, 92697, USA
| | - Miklós Péterfy
- Department of Basic Medical Sciences, Western University of Health Sciences, Pomona, CA, 91766, USA
| | - Sarada Charugundla
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Molecular Genetics, Division of Cardiology, Department of Medicine, Department of Human Genetics, University of California, 10833 Le Conte Avenue, A2-237 CHS, Los Angeles, CA, 90095-1679, USA
| | - Zhiqiang Zhou
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Molecular Genetics, Division of Cardiology, Department of Medicine, Department of Human Genetics, University of California, 10833 Le Conte Avenue, A2-237 CHS, Los Angeles, CA, 90095-1679, USA
| | - Stephen D Lee
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, 90095, USA
| | - Alice Mouton
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, 90095, USA
| | - Prashant Rajbhandari
- Diabetes, Obesity, and Metabolism Institute, Icahn School of Medicine Mount Sinai, New York, NY, 10029, USA
| | - Wenchao Zhang
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Molecular Genetics, Division of Cardiology, Department of Medicine, Department of Human Genetics, University of California, 10833 Le Conte Avenue, A2-237 CHS, Los Angeles, CA, 90095-1679, USA.,The Key Laboratory of Cardiovascular Remodeling and Function Research, Chinese Ministry of Education, Chinese National Health Commission and Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, The State and Shandong Province Joint Key Laboratory of Translational Cardiovascular Medicine, Department of Cardiology, Qilu Hospital, Cheeloo College of Medicine, Shandong University, Jinan, 250012, Shandong, China.,Department of Critical Care Medicine, Qilu Hospital, Cheeloo College of Medicine, Shandong University, Jinan, 250012, Shandong, China
| | - Matteo Pellegrini
- Molecular, Cell, and Developmental Biology, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, 90095, USA
| | - Peter Tontonoz
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, 90095, USA
| | - Aldons J Lusis
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Molecular Genetics, Division of Cardiology, Department of Medicine, Department of Human Genetics, University of California, 10833 Le Conte Avenue, A2-237 CHS, Los Angeles, CA, 90095-1679, USA
| | - Diana M Shih
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Molecular Genetics, Division of Cardiology, Department of Medicine, Department of Human Genetics, University of California, 10833 Le Conte Avenue, A2-237 CHS, Los Angeles, CA, 90095-1679, USA.
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159
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Mouse Models of Skin Fibrosis. Methods Mol Biol 2021; 2299:371-383. [PMID: 34028755 DOI: 10.1007/978-1-0716-1382-5_25] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/14/2023]
Abstract
Systemic sclerosis (SSc) is a rare systemic autoimmune disease associated with a high mortality. The first histopathological hallmarks are vasculopathy and inflammation, followed by fibrosis of the skin and internal organs. The molecular and cellular mechanisms are incompletely understood. Rodent models provide important insights into the pathogenesis of SSc and are a mainstay for the development of novel targeted therapies. Here we describe the mechanistic insights of inducible and genetic models, and also discuss in detail the limitations and pitfalls of the most frequently used SSc mouse models. We also describe protocols for running the established bleomycin-induced scleroderma skin fibrosis model.
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160
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Circulating miRNAs Related to Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transitions (EMT) as the New Molecular Markers in Endometriosis. Curr Issues Mol Biol 2021; 43:900-916. [PMID: 34449536 PMCID: PMC8929046 DOI: 10.3390/cimb43020064] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/04/2021] [Revised: 07/31/2021] [Accepted: 08/03/2021] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Endometriosis is a chronic gynecological disease defined by the presence of endometrial-like tissue found outside the uterus, most commonly in the peritoneal cavity. Endometriosis lesions are heterogenous but usually contain endometrial stromal cells and epithelial glands, immune cell infiltrates and are vascularized and innervated by nerves. The complex etiopathogenesis and heterogenity of the clinical symptoms, as well as the lack of a specific non-invasive diagnostic biomarkers, underline the need for more advanced diagnostic tools. Unfortunately, the contribution of environmental, hormonal and immunological factors in the disease etiology is insufficient, and the contribution of genetic/epigenetic factors is still fragmentary. Therefore, there is a need for more focused study on the molecular mechanisms of endometriosis and non-invasive diagnostic monitoring systems. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) demonstrate high stability and tissue specificity and play a significant role in modulating a range of molecular pathways, and hence may be suitable diagnostic biomarkers for the origin and development of endometriosis. Of these, the most frequently studied are those related to endometriosis, including those involved in epithelial–mesenchymal transition (EMT), whose expression is altered in plasma or endometriotic lesion biopsies; however, the results are ambiguous. Specific miRNAs expressed in endometriosis may serve as diagnostics markers with prognostic value, and they have been proposed as molecular targets for treatment. The aim of this review is to present selected miRNAs associated with EMT known to have experimentally confirmed significance, and discuss their utility as biomarkers in endometriosis.
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161
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Myofibroblasts: Function, Formation, and Scope of Molecular Therapies for Skin Fibrosis. Biomolecules 2021; 11:biom11081095. [PMID: 34439762 PMCID: PMC8391320 DOI: 10.3390/biom11081095] [Citation(s) in RCA: 64] [Impact Index Per Article: 21.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/03/2021] [Revised: 07/16/2021] [Accepted: 07/20/2021] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Myofibroblasts are contractile, α-smooth muscle actin-positive cells with multiple roles in pathophysiological processes. Myofibroblasts mediate wound contractions, but their persistent presence in tissues is central to driving fibrosis, making them attractive cell targets for the development of therapeutic treatments. However, due to shared cellular markers with several other phenotypes, the specific targeting of myofibroblasts has long presented a scientific and clinical challenge. In recent years, myofibroblasts have drawn much attention among scientific research communities from multiple disciplines and specialisations. As further research uncovers the characterisations of myofibroblast formation, function, and regulation, the realisation of novel interventional routes for myofibroblasts within pathologies has emerged. The research community is approaching the means to finally target these cells, to prevent fibrosis, accelerate scarless wound healing, and attenuate associated disease-processes in clinical settings. This comprehensive review article describes the myofibroblast cell phenotype, their origins, and their diverse physiological and pathological functionality. Special attention has been given to mechanisms and molecular pathways governing myofibroblast differentiation, and updates in molecular interventions.
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162
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Zehender A, Li YN, Lin NY, Stefanica A, Nüchel J, Chen CW, Hsu HH, Zhu H, Ding X, Huang J, Shen L, Györfi AH, Soare A, Rauber S, Bergmann C, Ramming A, Plomann M, Eckes B, Schett G, Distler JHW. TGFβ promotes fibrosis by MYST1-dependent epigenetic regulation of autophagy. Nat Commun 2021; 12:4404. [PMID: 34285225 PMCID: PMC8292318 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-24601-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/23/2019] [Accepted: 04/29/2021] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Activation of fibroblasts is essential for physiological tissue repair. Uncontrolled activation of fibroblasts, however, may lead to tissue fibrosis with organ dysfunction. Although several pathways capable of promoting fibroblast activation and tissue repair have been identified, their interplay in the context of chronic fibrotic diseases remains incompletely understood. Here, we provide evidence that transforming growth factor-β (TGFβ) activates autophagy by an epigenetic mechanism to amplify its profibrotic effects. TGFβ induces autophagy in fibrotic diseases by SMAD3-dependent downregulation of the H4K16 histone acetyltransferase MYST1, which regulates the expression of core components of the autophagy machinery such as ATG7 and BECLIN1. Activation of autophagy in fibroblasts promotes collagen release and is both, sufficient and required, to induce tissue fibrosis. Forced expression of MYST1 abrogates the stimulatory effects of TGFβ on autophagy and re-establishes the epigenetic control of autophagy in fibrotic conditions. Interference with the aberrant activation of autophagy inhibits TGFβ-induced fibroblast activation and ameliorates experimental dermal and pulmonary fibrosis. These findings link uncontrolled TGFβ signaling to aberrant autophagy and deregulated epigenetics in fibrotic diseases and may contribute to the development of therapeutic interventions in fibrotic diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ariella Zehender
- Department of Internal Medicine 3-Rheumatology and Immunology, Friedrich-Alexander-University Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU) and University Hospital Erlangen, Erlangen, Germany
- Deutsches Zentrum für Immuntherapie, Friedrich Alexander University Erlangen-Nuremberg and Universitaetsklinikum Erlangen, Erlangen, Germany
| | - Yi-Nan Li
- Department of Internal Medicine 3-Rheumatology and Immunology, Friedrich-Alexander-University Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU) and University Hospital Erlangen, Erlangen, Germany
- Deutsches Zentrum für Immuntherapie, Friedrich Alexander University Erlangen-Nuremberg and Universitaetsklinikum Erlangen, Erlangen, Germany
| | - Neng-Yu Lin
- Department of Internal Medicine 3-Rheumatology and Immunology, Friedrich-Alexander-University Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU) and University Hospital Erlangen, Erlangen, Germany
- Deutsches Zentrum für Immuntherapie, Friedrich Alexander University Erlangen-Nuremberg and Universitaetsklinikum Erlangen, Erlangen, Germany
- Graduate Institute of Anatomy and Cell Biology, College of Medicine, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Adrian Stefanica
- Department of Internal Medicine 3-Rheumatology and Immunology, Friedrich-Alexander-University Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU) and University Hospital Erlangen, Erlangen, Germany
- Deutsches Zentrum für Immuntherapie, Friedrich Alexander University Erlangen-Nuremberg and Universitaetsklinikum Erlangen, Erlangen, Germany
| | - Julian Nüchel
- Center for Biochemistry, University of Cologne, Faculty of Medicine, Cologne, Germany
| | - Chih-Wei Chen
- Department of Internal Medicine 3-Rheumatology and Immunology, Friedrich-Alexander-University Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU) and University Hospital Erlangen, Erlangen, Germany
- Deutsches Zentrum für Immuntherapie, Friedrich Alexander University Erlangen-Nuremberg and Universitaetsklinikum Erlangen, Erlangen, Germany
| | - Hsiao-Han Hsu
- Graduate Institute of Anatomy and Cell Biology, College of Medicine, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Honglin Zhu
- Department of Internal Medicine 3-Rheumatology and Immunology, Friedrich-Alexander-University Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU) and University Hospital Erlangen, Erlangen, Germany
- Deutsches Zentrum für Immuntherapie, Friedrich Alexander University Erlangen-Nuremberg and Universitaetsklinikum Erlangen, Erlangen, Germany
- Department of Rheumatology, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, China
| | - Xiao Ding
- Department of Internal Medicine 3-Rheumatology and Immunology, Friedrich-Alexander-University Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU) and University Hospital Erlangen, Erlangen, Germany
- Deutsches Zentrum für Immuntherapie, Friedrich Alexander University Erlangen-Nuremberg and Universitaetsklinikum Erlangen, Erlangen, Germany
| | - Jingang Huang
- Department of Internal Medicine 3-Rheumatology and Immunology, Friedrich-Alexander-University Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU) and University Hospital Erlangen, Erlangen, Germany
- Deutsches Zentrum für Immuntherapie, Friedrich Alexander University Erlangen-Nuremberg and Universitaetsklinikum Erlangen, Erlangen, Germany
| | - Lichong Shen
- Department of Internal Medicine 3-Rheumatology and Immunology, Friedrich-Alexander-University Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU) and University Hospital Erlangen, Erlangen, Germany
- Deutsches Zentrum für Immuntherapie, Friedrich Alexander University Erlangen-Nuremberg and Universitaetsklinikum Erlangen, Erlangen, Germany
| | - Andrea-Hermina Györfi
- Department of Internal Medicine 3-Rheumatology and Immunology, Friedrich-Alexander-University Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU) and University Hospital Erlangen, Erlangen, Germany
- Deutsches Zentrum für Immuntherapie, Friedrich Alexander University Erlangen-Nuremberg and Universitaetsklinikum Erlangen, Erlangen, Germany
| | - Alina Soare
- Department of Internal Medicine 3-Rheumatology and Immunology, Friedrich-Alexander-University Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU) and University Hospital Erlangen, Erlangen, Germany
- Deutsches Zentrum für Immuntherapie, Friedrich Alexander University Erlangen-Nuremberg and Universitaetsklinikum Erlangen, Erlangen, Germany
| | - Simon Rauber
- Department of Internal Medicine 3-Rheumatology and Immunology, Friedrich-Alexander-University Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU) and University Hospital Erlangen, Erlangen, Germany
- Deutsches Zentrum für Immuntherapie, Friedrich Alexander University Erlangen-Nuremberg and Universitaetsklinikum Erlangen, Erlangen, Germany
| | - Christina Bergmann
- Department of Internal Medicine 3-Rheumatology and Immunology, Friedrich-Alexander-University Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU) and University Hospital Erlangen, Erlangen, Germany
- Deutsches Zentrum für Immuntherapie, Friedrich Alexander University Erlangen-Nuremberg and Universitaetsklinikum Erlangen, Erlangen, Germany
| | - Andreas Ramming
- Department of Internal Medicine 3-Rheumatology and Immunology, Friedrich-Alexander-University Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU) and University Hospital Erlangen, Erlangen, Germany
- Deutsches Zentrum für Immuntherapie, Friedrich Alexander University Erlangen-Nuremberg and Universitaetsklinikum Erlangen, Erlangen, Germany
| | - Markus Plomann
- Center for Biochemistry, University of Cologne, Faculty of Medicine, Cologne, Germany
| | - Beate Eckes
- Translational Matrix Biology, University of Cologne, Faculty of Medicine, Cologne, Germany
- Cologne Excellence Cluster on Cellular Stress Responses in Aging-Associated Diseases (CECAD), Cologne, Germany
| | - Georg Schett
- Department of Internal Medicine 3-Rheumatology and Immunology, Friedrich-Alexander-University Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU) and University Hospital Erlangen, Erlangen, Germany
- Deutsches Zentrum für Immuntherapie, Friedrich Alexander University Erlangen-Nuremberg and Universitaetsklinikum Erlangen, Erlangen, Germany
| | - Jörg H W Distler
- Department of Internal Medicine 3-Rheumatology and Immunology, Friedrich-Alexander-University Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU) and University Hospital Erlangen, Erlangen, Germany.
- Deutsches Zentrum für Immuntherapie, Friedrich Alexander University Erlangen-Nuremberg and Universitaetsklinikum Erlangen, Erlangen, Germany.
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163
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Tabib T, Huang M, Morse N, Papazoglou A, Behera R, Jia M, Bulik M, Monier DE, Benos PV, Chen W, Domsic R, Lafyatis R. Myofibroblast transcriptome indicates SFRP2 hi fibroblast progenitors in systemic sclerosis skin. Nat Commun 2021; 12:4384. [PMID: 34282151 PMCID: PMC8289865 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-24607-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 98] [Impact Index Per Article: 32.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/15/2019] [Accepted: 06/11/2021] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Skin and lung fibrosis in systemic sclerosis (SSc) is driven by myofibroblasts, alpha-smooth muscle actin expressing cells. The number of myofibroblasts in SSc skin correlates with the modified Rodnan skin score, the most widely used clinical measure of skin disease severity. Murine fibrosis models indicate that myofibroblasts can arise from a variety of different cell types, but their origin in SSc skin has remained uncertain. Utilizing single cell RNA-sequencing, we define different dermal fibroblast populations and transcriptome changes, comparing SSc to healthy dermal fibroblasts. Here, we show that SSc dermal myofibroblasts arise in two steps from an SFRP2hi/DPP4-expressing progenitor fibroblast population. In the first step, SSc fibroblasts show globally upregulated expression of transcriptome markers, such as PRSS23 and THBS1. A subset of these cells shows markers indicating that they are proliferating. Only a fraction of SFRP2hi SSc fibroblasts differentiate into myofibroblasts, as shown by expression of additional markers, SFRP4 and FNDC1. Bioinformatics analysis of the SSc fibroblast transcriptomes implicated upstream transcription factors, including FOSL2, RUNX1, STAT1, FOXP1, IRF7 and CREB3L1, as well as SMAD3, driving SSc myofibroblast differentiation. Myofibroblasts drive fibrosis in systemic sclerosis (SSc), but the cellular progenitors are unknown. Utilizing single cell RNA-sequencing, the authors show that SSc dermal myofibroblasts arise in a two-step process from SFRP2/DPP4-expressing progenitors and implicate upstream transcription factors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tracy Tabib
- Division of Rheumatology and Clinical Immunology, School of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh, Department of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - Mengqi Huang
- Division of Rheumatology and Clinical Immunology, School of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh, Department of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - Nina Morse
- Division of Rheumatology and Clinical Immunology, School of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh, Department of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - Anna Papazoglou
- Division of Rheumatology and Clinical Immunology, School of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh, Department of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - Rithika Behera
- Division of Rheumatology and Clinical Immunology, School of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh, Department of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - Minxue Jia
- Department of Computational and Systems Biology, School of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA.,Joint CMU-Pitt PhD Program in Computational Biology, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - Melissa Bulik
- Division of Rheumatology and Clinical Immunology, School of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh, Department of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - Daisy E Monier
- Division of Rheumatology and Clinical Immunology, School of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh, Department of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - Panayiotis V Benos
- Department of Computational and Systems Biology, School of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA.,Joint CMU-Pitt PhD Program in Computational Biology, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - Wei Chen
- Division of Pulmonary Medicine, Allergy and Immunology, Department of Pediatrics, School of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - Robyn Domsic
- Division of Rheumatology and Clinical Immunology, School of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh, Department of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - Robert Lafyatis
- Division of Rheumatology and Clinical Immunology, School of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh, Department of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA, USA.
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164
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Li Z, Zhang M, Teuscher KB, Ji H. Discovery of 1-Benzoyl 4-Phenoxypiperidines as Small-Molecule Inhibitors of the β-Catenin/B-Cell Lymphoma 9 Protein-Protein Interaction. J Med Chem 2021; 64:11195-11218. [PMID: 34270257 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jmedchem.1c00596] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
Structure-based design and optimization were performed to develop small-molecule β-catenin/B-cell lymphoma 9 (BCL9) inhibitors and improve their inhibitory activities. Compound ZL3138 with a novel 1-benzoyl 4-phenoxypiperidine scaffold was discovered to disrupt the β-catenin/BCL9 protein-protein interaction (PPI) with a Ki of 0.96 μM in AlphaScreen competitive inhibition assays and displayed good selectivity for β-catenin/BCL9 over β-catenin/E-cadherin PPIs. The binding mode of new inhibitors was characterized by structure-activity relationship and site-directed mutagenesis studies. Protein pull-down assays indicate that this series of compounds directly binds with β-catenin. Cellular target engagement and co-immunoprecipitation experiments demonstrate that ZL3138 binds with β-catenin and disrupts the β-catenin/BCL9 interaction without affecting the β-catenin/E-cadherin interaction in living cells. Further cell-based studies show that ZL3138 selectively suppresses transactivation of Wnt/β-catenin signaling, regulates transcription and expression of Wnt target genes, and inhibits the growth of Wnt/β-catenin-dependent cancer cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zilu Li
- Drug Discovery Department, H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center and Research Institute, Tampa, Florida 33612-9497, United States.,Departments of Oncologic Sciences and Chemistry, University of South Florida, Tampa, Florida 33612-9497, United States
| | - Min Zhang
- Drug Discovery Department, H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center and Research Institute, Tampa, Florida 33612-9497, United States
| | - Kevin B Teuscher
- Drug Discovery Department, H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center and Research Institute, Tampa, Florida 33612-9497, United States.,Department of Chemistry, Center for Cell and Genome Science, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah 84112-0850, United States
| | - Haitao Ji
- Drug Discovery Department, H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center and Research Institute, Tampa, Florida 33612-9497, United States.,Departments of Oncologic Sciences and Chemistry, University of South Florida, Tampa, Florida 33612-9497, United States
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165
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Zhang Y, Jin D, Kang X, Zhou R, Sun Y, Lian F, Tong X. Signaling Pathways Involved in Diabetic Renal Fibrosis. Front Cell Dev Biol 2021; 9:696542. [PMID: 34327204 PMCID: PMC8314387 DOI: 10.3389/fcell.2021.696542] [Citation(s) in RCA: 77] [Impact Index Per Article: 25.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/16/2021] [Accepted: 06/08/2021] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Diabetic kidney disease (DKD), as the most common complication of diabetes mellitus (DM), is the major cause of end-stage renal disease (ESRD). Renal interstitial fibrosis is a crucial metabolic change in the late stage of DKD, which is always considered to be complex and irreversible. In this review, we discuss the pathological mechanisms of diabetic renal fibrosis and discussed some signaling pathways that are closely related to it, such as the TGF-β, MAPK, Wnt/β-catenin, PI3K/Akt, JAK/STAT, and Notch pathways. The cross-talks among these pathways were then discussed to elucidate the complicated cascade behind the tubulointerstitial fibrosis. Finally, we summarized the new drugs with potential therapeutic effects on renal fibrosis and listed related clinical trials. The purpose of this review is to elucidate the mechanisms and related pathways of renal fibrosis in DKD and to provide novel therapeutic intervention insights for clinical research to delay the progression of renal fibrosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuqing Zhang
- Endocrinology Department, Guang'anmen Hospital, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - De Jin
- Endocrinology Department, Guang'anmen Hospital, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Xiaomin Kang
- Endocrinology Department, Guang'anmen Hospital, Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, Beijing, China
| | - Rongrong Zhou
- Endocrinology Department, Guang'anmen Hospital, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Yuting Sun
- Endocrinology Department, Guang'anmen Hospital, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Fengmei Lian
- Endocrinology Department, Guang'anmen Hospital, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Xiaolin Tong
- Endocrinology Department, Affiliated Hospital to Changchun University of Chinese Medicine, Changchun University of Chinese Medicine, Changchun, China
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166
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Reshad RAI, Alam S, Raihan HB, Meem KN, Rahman F, Zahid F, Rafid MI, Rahman SMO, Omit S, Ali MH. In silico investigations on curcuminoids from Curcuma longa as positive regulators of the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway in wound healing. EGYPTIAN JOURNAL OF MEDICAL HUMAN GENETICS 2021. [DOI: 10.1186/s43042-021-00182-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Abstract
Background
Curcuma longa (Turmeric) is a traditionally used herb in wound healing. The efficacy of fresh turmeric paste to heal wounds has already been investigated in multiple ethnobotanical studies. Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway plays a significant role in wound healing and injury repair processes which has been evident in different in vitro studies. This study aims to analyze the potentiality of curcuminoids (curcumin I, curcumin II and curcumin III) from Curcuma longa to bind and enhance the activity of two intracellular signaling proteins- casein kinase-1 (CK1) and glycogen synthase kinase-3β (GSK3B) involved in Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway. This study is largely based on a computer-based molecular docking program which mimics the in vivo condition and works on a specific algorithm to interpret the binding affinity and poses of a ligand molecule to a receptor. Subsequently, drug likeness property, ADME/Toxicity profile, pharmacological activity, and site of metabolism of the curcuminoids were also analyzed.
Results
Curcumin I showed better affinity of binding with CK1 (− 10.31 Kcal/mol binding energy) and curcumin II showed better binding affinity (− 7.55 Kcal/mol binding energy) for GSK3B. All of the ligand molecules showed quite similar pharmacological properties.
Conclusion
Curcumin has anti-oxidant, anti-carcinogenic, anti-mutagenic, anti-coagulant, and anti-infective properties. Curcumin has also anti-inflammatory and wound healing properties. It hastens wound healing by acting on different stages of the natural wound healing process. In this study, three curcumins from Curcuma longa were utilized in this experiment in a search for a drug to be used in wound healing and injury repair processes. Hopefully, this study will raise research interest among researchers.
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167
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Hung SW, Zhang R, Tan Z, Chung JPW, Zhang T, Wang CC. Pharmaceuticals targeting signaling pathways of endometriosis as potential new medical treatment: A review. Med Res Rev 2021; 41:2489-2564. [PMID: 33948974 PMCID: PMC8252000 DOI: 10.1002/med.21802] [Citation(s) in RCA: 57] [Impact Index Per Article: 19.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/28/2020] [Revised: 12/23/2020] [Accepted: 03/19/2021] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Endometriosis (EM) is defined as endometrial tissues found outside the uterus. Growth and development of endometriotic cells in ectopic sites can be promoted via multiple pathways, including MAPK/MEK/ERK, PI3K/Akt/mTOR, NF-κB, Rho/ROCK, reactive oxidative stress, tumor necrosis factor, transforming growth factor-β, Wnt/β-catenin, vascular endothelial growth factor, estrogen, and cytokines. The underlying pathophysiological mechanisms include proliferation, apoptosis, autophagy, migration, invasion, fibrosis, angiogenesis, oxidative stress, inflammation, and immune escape. Current medical treatments for EM are mainly hormonal and symptomatic, and thus the development of new, effective, and safe pharmaceuticals targeting specific molecular and signaling pathways is needed. Here, we systematically reviewed the literature focused on pharmaceuticals that specifically target the molecular and signaling pathways involved in the pathophysiology of EM. Potential drug targets, their upstream and downstream molecules with key aberrant signaling, and the regulatory mechanisms promoting the growth and development of endometriotic cells and tissues were discussed. Hormonal pharmaceuticals, including melatonin, exerts proapoptotic via regulating matrix metallopeptidase activity while nonhormonal pharmaceutical sorafenib exerts antiproliferative effect via MAPK/ERK pathway and antiangiogenesis activity via VEGF/VEGFR pathway. N-acetyl cysteine, curcumin, and ginsenoside exert antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects via radical scavenging activity. Natural products have high efficacy with minimal side effects; for example, resveratrol and epigallocatechin gallate have multiple targets and provide synergistic efficacy to resolve the complexity of the pathophysiology of EM, showing promising efficacy in treating EM. Although new medical treatments are currently being developed, more detailed pharmacological studies and large sample size clinical trials are needed to confirm the efficacy and safety of these treatments in the near future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sze Wan Hung
- Department of Obstetrics and GynaecologyThe Chinese University of Hong KongHong Kong
| | - Ruizhe Zhang
- Department of Obstetrics and GynaecologyThe Chinese University of Hong KongHong Kong
- Center for Reproductive Medicine, Henan Key Laboratory of Reproduction and GeneticsThe First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou UniversityZhengzhou
| | - Zhouyurong Tan
- Department of Obstetrics and GynaecologyThe Chinese University of Hong KongHong Kong
| | | | - Tao Zhang
- Department of Obstetrics and GynaecologyThe Chinese University of Hong KongHong Kong
| | - Chi Chiu Wang
- Department of Obstetrics and GynaecologyThe Chinese University of Hong KongHong Kong
- Reproduction and Development, Li Ka Shing Institute of Health SciencesThe Chinese University of Hong KongHong Kong
- School of Biomedical SciencesThe Chinese University of Hong KongHong Kong
- Chinese University of Hong Kong‐Sichuan University Joint Laboratory in Reproductive MedicineThe Chinese University of Hong KongHong Kong
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168
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Contreras O, Rossi FMV, Theret M. Origins, potency, and heterogeneity of skeletal muscle fibro-adipogenic progenitors-time for new definitions. Skelet Muscle 2021; 11:16. [PMID: 34210364 PMCID: PMC8247239 DOI: 10.1186/s13395-021-00265-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 54] [Impact Index Per Article: 18.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/22/2021] [Accepted: 03/22/2021] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Striated muscle is a highly plastic and regenerative organ that regulates body movement, temperature, and metabolism-all the functions needed for an individual's health and well-being. The muscle connective tissue's main components are the extracellular matrix and its resident stromal cells, which continuously reshape it in embryonic development, homeostasis, and regeneration. Fibro-adipogenic progenitors are enigmatic and transformative muscle-resident interstitial cells with mesenchymal stem/stromal cell properties. They act as cellular sentinels and physiological hubs for adult muscle homeostasis and regeneration by shaping the microenvironment by secreting a complex cocktail of extracellular matrix components, diffusible cytokines, ligands, and immune-modulatory factors. Fibro-adipogenic progenitors are the lineage precursors of specialized cells, including activated fibroblasts, adipocytes, and osteogenic cells after injury. Here, we discuss current research gaps, potential druggable developments, and outstanding questions about fibro-adipogenic progenitor origins, potency, and heterogeneity. Finally, we took advantage of recent advances in single-cell technologies combined with lineage tracing to unify the diversity of stromal fibro-adipogenic progenitors. Thus, this compelling review provides new cellular and molecular insights in comprehending the origins, definitions, markers, fate, and plasticity of murine and human fibro-adipogenic progenitors in muscle development, homeostasis, regeneration, and repair.
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Affiliation(s)
- Osvaldo Contreras
- Developmental and Stem Cell Biology Division, Victor Chang Cardiac Research Institute, Darlinghurst, NSW, 2010, Australia.
- St. Vincent's Clinical School, Faculty of Medicine, UNSW Sydney, Kensington, 2052, Australia.
- Departamento de Biología Celular y Molecular and Center for Aging and Regeneration (CARE-ChileUC), Facultad de Ciencias Biológicas, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, 8331150, Santiago, Chile.
| | - Fabio M V Rossi
- Biomedical Research Centre, Department of Medical Genetics and School of Biomedical Engineering, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, V6T 1Z3, Canada
| | - Marine Theret
- Biomedical Research Centre, Department of Medical Genetics and School of Biomedical Engineering, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, V6T 1Z3, Canada.
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169
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Moreno SE, Massee M, Bara H, Koob TJ. Dehydrated human amniotic membrane modulates canonical Wnt signaling in multiple cell types in vitro. Eur J Cell Biol 2021; 100:151168. [PMID: 34246182 DOI: 10.1016/j.ejcb.2021.151168] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/20/2021] [Revised: 06/24/2021] [Accepted: 06/28/2021] [Indexed: 10/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Canonical Wnt signaling is a major pathway known to regulate diverse physiological processes in multicellular organisms. Signaling is tightly regulated by feedback mechanisms; however, persistent dysregulation of this pathway is implicated in the progression of multiple disease states. In this study, proteomic analysis identified endogenous Wnt antagonists in micronized dehydrated human amnion/chorion membrane (μdHACM); thereby, prompting a study to further characterize the intrinsic properties of μdHACM as it relates to Wnt activity, in vitro. A TCF/LEF reporter cell line demonstrated the general ability of μdHACM to inhibit β-catenin induced transcription activity. Furthermore, in vitro systems, modeling elevated Wnt signaling, were developed in relevant cell types including tenocytes, synoviocytes, and human dermal fibroblasts (HDFs). Stimulation of these cells with Wnt3A resulted in translocation of β-catenin to the nucleus and increased expression of Wnt related genes. The subsequent addition of μdHACM, in the continued presence of Wnt-stimulus, mitigated the downstream effects of Wnt3A in tenocytes, synoviocytes, and HDFs. Nuclear localization of β-catenin was abated with corresponding reduction of Wnt related gene expression. These data demonstrate the in vitro regulation of canonical Wnt signaling as an inherent property of μdHACM and a novel mechanism of action.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah E Moreno
- MiMedx Group, Inc. 1775 West Oak Commons Court NE, Marietta, GA 30062, USA
| | - Michelle Massee
- MiMedx Group, Inc. 1775 West Oak Commons Court NE, Marietta, GA 30062, USA.
| | - Heather Bara
- MiMedx Group, Inc. 1775 West Oak Commons Court NE, Marietta, GA 30062, USA
| | - Thomas J Koob
- MiMedx Group, Inc. 1775 West Oak Commons Court NE, Marietta, GA 30062, USA
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170
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Liao Z, Liu C, Wang L, Sui C, Zhang H. Therapeutic Role of Mesenchymal Stem Cell-Derived Extracellular Vesicles in Female Reproductive Diseases. Front Endocrinol (Lausanne) 2021; 12:665645. [PMID: 34248842 PMCID: PMC8261239 DOI: 10.3389/fendo.2021.665645] [Citation(s) in RCA: 47] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/08/2021] [Accepted: 05/27/2021] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Reproductive disorders, including intrauterine adhesion (IUA), premature ovarian insufficiency (POI), and polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), are great threats to female reproduction. Recently, mesenchymal stem cells derived-extracellular vesicles (MSC-EVs) have presented their potentials to cure these diseases, not only for the propensity ability they stemmed from the parent cells, but also for the higher biology stability and lower immunogenicity, compared to MSCs. EVs are lipid bilayer complexes, functional as mediators by transferring multiple molecules to recipient cells, such as proteins, microRNAs, lipids, and cytokines. EVs appeared to have a therapeutic effect on the female reproductive disorder, such as repairing injured endometrium, suppressing fibrosis of endometrium, regulating immunity and anti-inflammatory, and repressing apoptosis of granulosa cells (GCs) in ovaries. Although the underlying mechanisms of MSC-EVs have reached a consensus, several theories have been proposed, including promoting angiogenesis, regulating immunity, and reducing oxidate stress levels. In the current study, we summarized the current knowledge of functions of MSC-EVs on IUA, POI, and PCOS. Given the great potentials of MSC-EVs on reproductive health, the critical issues discussed will guide new insights in this rapidly expanding field.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Chang Liu
- Reproductive Medicine Center, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
| | | | - Cong Sui
- Reproductive Medicine Center, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
| | - Hanwang Zhang
- Reproductive Medicine Center, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
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171
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Ballester B, Milara J, Montero P, Cortijo J. MUC16 Is Overexpressed in Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis and Induces Fibrotic Responses Mediated by Transforming Growth Factor-β1 Canonical Pathway. Int J Mol Sci 2021; 22:ijms22126502. [PMID: 34204432 PMCID: PMC8235375 DOI: 10.3390/ijms22126502] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/29/2021] [Revised: 05/30/2021] [Accepted: 06/15/2021] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Several transmembrane mucins have demonstrated that they contribute intracellularly to induce fibrotic processes. The extracellular domain of MUC16 is considered as a biomarker for disease progression and death in IPF patients. However, there is no evidence regarding the signalling capabilities of MUC16 that contribute to IPF development. Here, we demonstrate that MUC16 was overexpressed in the lung tissue of IPF patients (n = 20) compared with healthy subjects (n = 17) and localised in fibroblasts and hyperplastic alveolar type II cells. Repression of MUC16 expression by siRNA-MUC16 transfection inhibited the TGF-β1-induced fibrotic processes such as mesenchymal/ myofibroblast transformations of alveolar type II A549 cells and lung fibroblasts, as well as fibroblast proliferation. SiRNA-MUC16 transfection also decreased the TGF-β1-induced SMAD3 phosphorylation, thus inhibiting the Smad Binding Element activation. Immunoprecipitation assays and confocal immunofluorescence showed the formation of a protein complex between MUC16/p-SMAD3 in the cell membrane after TGF-β1 stimulation. This study shows that MUC16 is overexpressed in IPF and collaborates with the TGF-β1 canonical pathway to induce fibrotic processes. Therefore, direct or indirect targeting of MUC16 could be a potential drug target for human IPF.
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Affiliation(s)
- Beatriz Ballester
- Comprehensive Pneumology Center (CPC), Helmholtz Zentrum München, 85764 Munich, Germany
- CIBERES, Health Institute Carlos III, 46010 Valencia, Spain;
- Correspondence: (B.B.); (J.M.); Tel.: +34-605148470 (B.B.); +34-963864631 (J.M.)
| | - Javier Milara
- CIBERES, Health Institute Carlos III, 46010 Valencia, Spain;
- Pharmacy Unit, General University Hospital, 46010 Valencia, Spain
- Department of Pharmacology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Valencia, 46010 Valencia, Spain;
- Correspondence: (B.B.); (J.M.); Tel.: +34-605148470 (B.B.); +34-963864631 (J.M.)
| | - Paula Montero
- Department of Pharmacology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Valencia, 46010 Valencia, Spain;
| | - Julio Cortijo
- CIBERES, Health Institute Carlos III, 46010 Valencia, Spain;
- Department of Pharmacology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Valencia, 46010 Valencia, Spain;
- Research and Teaching Unit, University General Hospital Consortium, 46010 Valencia, Spain
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172
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Li H, Shen X, Tong Y, Ji T, Feng Y, Tang Y, Mai R, Ye J, Que T, Luo X. Aggravation of hepatic ischemia‑reperfusion injury with increased inflammatory cell infiltration is associated with the TGF‑β/Smad3 signaling pathway. Mol Med Rep 2021; 24:580. [PMID: 34132369 PMCID: PMC8223105 DOI: 10.3892/mmr.2021.12219] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/15/2020] [Accepted: 05/18/2021] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Abstract
Ischemia‑reperfusion (IR) injury is a major challenge influencing the outcomes of hepatic transplantation. Transforming growth factor‑β (TGF‑β) and its downstream gene, SMAD family member 3 (Smad3), have been implicated in the pathogenesis of chronic hepatic injuries, such as hepatic fibrosis. Thus, the present study aimed to investigate the role of the TGF‑β/Smad3 signaling pathway on hepatic injury induced by IR in vivo. In total, 20 129S2/SvPasCrl wild‑type (WT) mice were randomized into two groups; 10 mice underwent IR injury surgery and 10 mice were sham‑operated. Histopathological changes in liver tissues and serum levels of alanine aminotransferase (ALT) were examined to confirm hepatic injury caused by IR surgery. The expression levels of TGF‑β1, Smad3 and phosphorylated‑Smad3 (p‑Smad3) were detected via western blotting. Furthermore, a total of five Smad3‑/‑ 129S2/SvPasCrl mice (Smad3‑/‑ mice) and 10 Smad3+/+ littermates received IR surgery, while another five Smad3‑/‑ mice and 10 Smad3+/+ littermates received the sham operation. Histopathological changes in liver tissues and serum levels of ALT were then compared between the groups. Furthermore, hepatic apoptosis and inflammatory cell infiltration after IR were evaluated in the liver tissues of Smad3‑/‑ mice and Smad3+/+ mice. The results demonstrated that the expression levels of TGF‑β1, Smad3 and p‑Smad3 were elevated in hepatic tissue from WT mice after IR injury. Aggravated hepatic injury, increased apoptosis and enhanced inflammatory cell infiltration induced by hepatic IR injury were observed in the Smad3‑/‑ mice compared with in Smad3+/+ mice. Collectively, the current findings suggested that activation of the TGF‑β/Smad3 signaling pathway was present alongside the hepatic injury induced by IR. However, the TGF‑β/Smad3 signaling pathway may have an effect on protecting against liver tissue damage caused by IR injury in vivo.
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Affiliation(s)
- Haixia Li
- Department of Immunology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Guangxi Medical University, Nanning, Guangxi 530021, P.R. China
| | - Xiaoyun Shen
- Key Laboratory of Endoscopic Technology Research, Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310016, P.R. China
| | - Yifan Tong
- Key Laboratory of Endoscopic Technology Research, Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310016, P.R. China
| | - Tong Ji
- Key Laboratory of Endoscopic Technology Research, Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310016, P.R. China
| | - Yan Feng
- Research Department, Affiliated Tumor Hospital of Guangxi Medical University, Nanning, Guangxi 530021, P.R. China
| | - Yanping Tang
- Research Department, Affiliated Tumor Hospital of Guangxi Medical University, Nanning, Guangxi 530021, P.R. China
| | - Rongyun Mai
- Research Department, Affiliated Tumor Hospital of Guangxi Medical University, Nanning, Guangxi 530021, P.R. China
| | - Jiaxiang Ye
- Department of Immunology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Guangxi Medical University, Nanning, Guangxi 530021, P.R. China
| | - Ting Que
- Department of Immunology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Guangxi Medical University, Nanning, Guangxi 530021, P.R. China
| | - Xiaoling Luo
- Department of Immunology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Guangxi Medical University, Nanning, Guangxi 530021, P.R. China
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173
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Duffy L, Henderson J, Brown M, Pryzborski S, Fullard N, Summa L, Distler JHW, Stratton R, O'Reilly S. Bone Morphogenetic Protein Antagonist Gremlin-1 Increases Myofibroblast Transition in Dermal Fibroblasts: Implications for Systemic Sclerosis. Front Cell Dev Biol 2021; 9:681061. [PMID: 34150776 PMCID: PMC8213337 DOI: 10.3389/fcell.2021.681061] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/15/2021] [Accepted: 05/13/2021] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Objective Systemic Sclerosis is an autoimmune connective tissue disease which results in fibrosis of the skin and lungs. The disease is characterized by activation of myofibroblasts but what governs this is unknown. Gremlin-1 is a BMP antagonist that is developmentally regulated and we sought to investigate its role in Systemic Sclerosis. Methods Dermal fibroblasts were transfected with Grem1pcDNA3.1 expression vectors or empty vectors. Various markers of myofibroblasts were measured at the mRNA and protein levels. Scratch wound assays were also performed. Media Transfer experiments were performed to evaluate cytokine like effects. Various inhibitors of TGF-β signaling and MAPK signaling were used post-transfection. siRNA to Gremlin-1 in SSc dermal fibroblasts were performed to evaluate the role of Gremlin-1. Different cytokines were incubated with fibroblasts and Gremlin-1 measured. Bleomycin was used as model of fibrosis and immunohistochemistry performed. Results Overexpression of Gremlin-1 was achieved in primary dermal fibroblasts and lead to activation of quiescent cells to myofibroblasts indicated by collagen and α-Smooth muscle actin. Overexpression also led to functional effects. This was associated with increased TGF-β1 levels and SBE luciferase activity but not increased Thrombospondin-1 expression. Inhibition of Gremlin-1 overexpression cells with antibodies to TGF-β1 but not isotype controls led to reduced collagen and various TGF-β pathway chemical inhibitors also led to reduced collagen levels. In SSc cells siRNA mediated reduction of Gremlin-1 reduced collagen expression and CTGF gene and protein levels in these cells. IL-13 did not lead to elevated Gremlin-1 expression nor did IL-11. Gremlin-1 was elevated in an animal model of fibrosis compared to NaCl-treated mice. Conclusion Gremlin-1 is a key regulator of myofibroblast transition leading to enhanced ECM deposition. Strategies that block Gremlin-1 maybe a possible therapeutic target in fibrotic diseases such as SSc.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura Duffy
- Faculty of Health and Life Science, Northumbria University, Newcastle upon Tyne, United Kingdom
| | - John Henderson
- Faculty of Health and Life Science, Northumbria University, Newcastle upon Tyne, United Kingdom
| | - Max Brown
- Biosciences Department, Durham University, Durham, United Kingdom
| | | | - Nicola Fullard
- Biosciences Department, Durham University, Durham, United Kingdom
| | - Lena Summa
- Department of Internal Medicine 3 Friedrich-Alexander-University, Erlangen-Nurnberg, Germany
| | - Jorg H W Distler
- Department of Internal Medicine 3 Friedrich-Alexander-University, Erlangen-Nurnberg, Germany
| | - Richard Stratton
- Centre for Rheumatology, University College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Steven O'Reilly
- Biosciences Department, Durham University, Durham, United Kingdom
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174
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Mechanical and Immunological Regulation in Wound Healing and Skin Reconstruction. Int J Mol Sci 2021; 22:ijms22115474. [PMID: 34067386 PMCID: PMC8197020 DOI: 10.3390/ijms22115474] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/20/2021] [Revised: 05/07/2021] [Accepted: 05/19/2021] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
In the past decade, a new frontier in scarless wound healing has arisen because of significant advances in the field of wound healing realised by incorporating emerging concepts from mechanobiology and immunology. The complete integumentary organ system (IOS) regeneration and scarless wound healing mechanism, which occurs in specific species, body sites and developmental stages, clearly shows that mechanical stress signals and immune responses play important roles in determining the wound healing mode. Advances in tissue engineering technology have led to the production of novel human skin equivalents and organoids that reproduce cell–cell interactions with tissue-scale tensional homeostasis, and enable us to evaluate skin tissue morphology, functionality, drug response and wound healing. This breakthrough in tissue engineering has the potential to accelerate the understanding of wound healing control mechanisms through complex mechanobiological and immunological interactions. In this review, we present an overview of recent studies of biomechanical and immunological wound healing and tissue remodelling mechanisms through comparisons of species- and developmental stage-dependent wound healing mechanisms. We also discuss the possibility of elucidating the control mechanism of wound healing involving mechanobiological and immunological interaction by using next-generation human skin equivalents.
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175
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Effect of Pig-Adipose-Derived Stem Cells' Conditioned Media on Skin Wound-Healing Characteristics In Vitro. Int J Mol Sci 2021; 22:ijms22115469. [PMID: 34067360 PMCID: PMC8196863 DOI: 10.3390/ijms22115469] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/13/2021] [Revised: 05/17/2021] [Accepted: 05/19/2021] [Indexed: 01/05/2023] Open
Abstract
The primary mechanism by which adipose-derived stem cells (ASCs) exert their reparative or regenerative potential relies predominantly on paracrine action. Secretory abilities of ASCs have been found to be amplified by hypoxia pre-conditioning. This study investigates the impact of hypoxia (1% O2) on the secretome composition of pig ASCs (pASCs) and explores the effect of pASCs’ conditioned media (CM) on skin cell functions in vitro and the expression of markers attributed to wound healing. Exposure of pASCs to hypoxia increased levels of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) in CM-Hyp compared to CM collected from the cells cultured in normoxia (CM-Nor). CM-Hyp promoted the migratory ability of pig keratinocytes (pKERs) and delayed migration of pig dermal fibroblasts (pDFs). Exposure of pKERs to either CM-Nor or CM-Hyp decreased the levels of pro-fibrotic indicators WNT10A and WNT11. Furthermore, CM-Hyp enhanced the expression of KRT14, the marker of the basal epidermis layer. In contrast, CM-Nor showed a stronger effect on pDFs manifested by increases in TGFB1, COL1A1, COL3A1, and FN1 mRNA expression. The formation of three-dimensional endothelial cell networks was improved in the presence of CM-Hyp. Overall, our results demonstrate that the paracrine activity of pASCs affects skin cells, and this property might be used to modulate wound healing.
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176
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Aros CJ, Pantoja CJ, Gomperts BN. Wnt signaling in lung development, regeneration, and disease progression. Commun Biol 2021; 4:601. [PMID: 34017045 PMCID: PMC8138018 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-021-02118-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 55] [Impact Index Per Article: 18.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/01/2020] [Accepted: 03/26/2021] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
The respiratory tract is a vital, intricate system for several important biological processes including mucociliary clearance, airway conductance, and gas exchange. The Wnt signaling pathway plays several crucial and indispensable roles across lung biology in multiple contexts. This review highlights the progress made in characterizing the role of Wnt signaling across several disciplines in lung biology, including development, homeostasis, regeneration following injury, in vitro directed differentiation efforts, and disease progression. We further note uncharted directions in the field that may illuminate important biology. The discoveries made collectively advance our understanding of Wnt signaling in lung biology and have the potential to inform therapeutic advancements for lung diseases. Cody Aros, Carla Pantoja, and Brigitte Gomperts review the key role of Wnt signaling in all aspects of lung development, repair, and disease progression. They provide an overview of recent research findings and highlight where research is needed to further elucidate mechanisms of action, with the aim of improving disease treatments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cody J Aros
- UCLA Department of Molecular Biology Interdepartmental Program, UCLA, Los Angeles, CA, USA.,UCLA Medical Scientist Training Program, David Geffen School of Medicine, UCLA, Los Angeles, CA, USA.,UCLA Children's Discovery and Innovation Institute, Mattel Children's Hospital UCLA, Department of Pediatrics, David Geffen School of Medicine, UCLA, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Carla J Pantoja
- UCLA Children's Discovery and Innovation Institute, Mattel Children's Hospital UCLA, Department of Pediatrics, David Geffen School of Medicine, UCLA, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Brigitte N Gomperts
- UCLA Children's Discovery and Innovation Institute, Mattel Children's Hospital UCLA, Department of Pediatrics, David Geffen School of Medicine, UCLA, Los Angeles, CA, USA. .,Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care MedicineDavid Geffen School of Medicine, UCLA, Los Angeles, CA, USA. .,Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center, UCLA, Los Angeles, CA, USA. .,Eli and Edythe Broad Stem Cell Research Center, UCLA, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
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177
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Targeting of canonical WNT signaling ameliorates experimental sclerodermatous chronic graft-versus-host disease. Blood 2021; 137:2403-2416. [PMID: 33529322 DOI: 10.1182/blood.2020008720] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/26/2020] [Accepted: 01/18/2021] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Chronic graft-versus-host disease (cGVHD) is a major life-threatening complication of allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. The molecular mechanisms underlying cGVHD remain poorly understood, and targeted therapies for clinical use are not well established. Here, we examined the role of the canonical WNT pathway in sclerodermatous cGVHD (sclGVHD). WNT signaling was activated in human sclGVHD with increased nuclear accumulation of the transcription factor β-catenin and a WNT-biased gene expression signature in lesional skin. Treatment with the highly selective tankryase inhibitor G007-LK, the CK1α agonist pyrvinium, or the LRP6 inhibitor salinomycin abrogated the activation of WNT signaling and protected against experimental cGVHD, without a significant impact on graft-versus-leukemia effect (GVL). Treatment with G007-LK, pyrvinium, or salinomycin almost completely prevented the development of clinical and histological features in the B10.D2 (H-2d) → BALB/c (H-2d) and LP/J (H-2b) → C57BL/6 (H-2b) models of sclGVHD. Inhibition of canonical WNT signaling reduced the release of extracellular matrix from fibroblasts and reduced leukocyte influx, suggesting that WNT signaling stimulates fibrotic tissue remodeling by direct effects on fibroblasts and by indirect inflammation-dependent effects in sclGVHD. Our findings may have direct translational potential, because pyrvinium is in clinical use, and tankyrase inhibitors are in clinical trials for other indications.
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178
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Bogdanova E, Beresneva O, Galkina O, Zubina I, Ivanova G, Parastaeva M, Semenova N, Dobronravov V. Myocardial Hypertrophy and Fibrosis Are Associated with Cardiomyocyte Beta-Catenin and TRPC6/Calcineurin/NFAT Signaling in Spontaneously Hypertensive Rats with 5/6 Nephrectomy. Int J Mol Sci 2021; 22:4645. [PMID: 33924991 PMCID: PMC8124394 DOI: 10.3390/ijms22094645] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/28/2021] [Revised: 04/26/2021] [Accepted: 04/27/2021] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Arterial hypertension (AH) is associated with heart and chronic kidney disease (CKD). However, the precise mechanisms of myocardial remodeling (MR) in the settings of CKD remain elusive. We hypothesized that TRPC6, calcineurin/NFAT, and Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathways are involved in the development of MR in the background of CKD and AH. METHODS Early CKD was induced by performing a 5/6 nephrectomy (5/6NE) in spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR-NE). Sham-operated (SO) SHR (SHR-SO) and Wistar Kyoto (WKY-SO) rats served as controls. Systolic blood pressure (SBP), heart rate, myocardial mass index (MMI), serum creatinine, cardiomyocyte diameter (dCM), myocardial fibrosis (MF), serum and kidney α-Klotho levels, myocardial expression of calcineurin (CaN), TRPC6, and β-catenin were measured two months after 5/6NE or SO. RESULTS NE-induced kidney dysfunction corresponded to mild-to-moderate human CKD and was associated with an increase in FGF23 and a decrease in renal α-Klotho. The levels of SBP, MMI, dCM, and MF were higher in SHRs compared to WKY-SO as well as in SHR-NE vs. SHR-SO. The MR was associated with increased cardiomyocyte expression of CaN/NFAT and β-catenin along with its intracellular re-distribution. TRPC6 protein levels were substantially elevated in both SHR groups with higher Trpc6 mRNA expression in SHR-NE. CONCLUSIONS The Wnt/β-catenin and TRPC6/CaN/NFAT hypertrophic signaling pathways seem to be involved in myocardial remodeling in the settings of AH and CKD and might be mediated by FGF23 and α-Klotho axis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Evdokia Bogdanova
- Research Institute of Nephrology, Pavlov University, Saint Petersburg 197022, Russia; (E.B.); (O.B.); (O.G.); (I.Z.); (M.P.)
| | - Olga Beresneva
- Research Institute of Nephrology, Pavlov University, Saint Petersburg 197022, Russia; (E.B.); (O.B.); (O.G.); (I.Z.); (M.P.)
| | - Olga Galkina
- Research Institute of Nephrology, Pavlov University, Saint Petersburg 197022, Russia; (E.B.); (O.B.); (O.G.); (I.Z.); (M.P.)
| | - Irina Zubina
- Research Institute of Nephrology, Pavlov University, Saint Petersburg 197022, Russia; (E.B.); (O.B.); (O.G.); (I.Z.); (M.P.)
| | - Galina Ivanova
- Laboratory of Cardiovascular and Lymphatic Systems Physiology, Pavlov Institute of Physiology, Saint Petersburg 199034, Russia;
| | - Marina Parastaeva
- Research Institute of Nephrology, Pavlov University, Saint Petersburg 197022, Russia; (E.B.); (O.B.); (O.G.); (I.Z.); (M.P.)
| | - Natalia Semenova
- Research Department of Pathomorphology, Almazov National Medical Research Center, Saint Petersburg 197341, Russia;
- Laboratory of Leukemia Research, Russian Research Institute of Hematology and Transfusiology of FMBA of Russia, Saint Petersburg 191024, Russia
| | - Vladimir Dobronravov
- Research Institute of Nephrology, Pavlov University, Saint Petersburg 197022, Russia; (E.B.); (O.B.); (O.G.); (I.Z.); (M.P.)
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179
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Bergmann C, Hallenberger L, Chenguiti Fakhouri S, Merlevede B, Brandt A, Dees C, Zhu H, Zehender A, Zhou X, Schwab A, Chen CW, Györfi AH, Matei AE, Chakraborty D, Trinh-Minh T, Rauber S, Coras R, Bozec A, Kreuter A, Ziemer M, Schett G, Distler JHW. X-linked inhibitor of apoptosis protein (XIAP) inhibition in systemic sclerosis (SSc). Ann Rheum Dis 2021; 80:1048-1056. [PMID: 33903093 DOI: 10.1136/annrheumdis-2020-219822] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/02/2021] [Revised: 03/05/2021] [Accepted: 03/22/2021] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE X-linked inhibitor of apoptosis protein (XIAP) is a multifunctional protein with important functions in apoptosis, cellular differentiation and cytoskeletal organisation and is emerging as potential target for the treatment of various cancers. The aim of the current study was to investigate the role of XIAP in the pathogenesis of systemic sclerosis (SSc). METHODS The expression of XIAP in human skin samples of patients with SSc and chronic graft versus host disease (cGvHD) and healthy individuals was analysed by quantitative PCR, immunofluorescence (IF) and western blot. XIAP was inactivated by siRNA-mediated knockdown and pharmacological inhibition. The effects of XIAP inactivation were analysed in cultured fibroblasts and in the fibrosis models bleomycin-induced and topoisomerase-I-(topoI)-induced fibrosis and in Wnt10b-transgenic mice. RESULTS The expression of XIAP, but not of other inhibitor of apoptosis protein family members, was increased in fibroblasts in SSc and sclerodermatous cGvHD. Transforming growth factor beta (TGF-β) induced the expression of XIAP in a SMAD3-dependent manner. Inactivation of XIAP reduced WNT-induced fibroblast activation and collagen release. Inhibition of XIAP also ameliorated fibrosis induced by bleomycin, topoI and overexpression of Wnt10b in well-tolerated doses. The profibrotic effects of XIAP were mediated via WNT/β-catenin signalling. Inactivation of XIAP reduces binding of β-catenin to TCF to in a TLE-dependent manner to block WNT/β-catenin-dependent transcription. CONCLUSIONS Our data characterise XIAP as a novel link between two core pathways of fibrosis. XIAP is overexpressed in SSc and cGvHD in a TGF-β/SMAD3-dependent manner and in turn amplifies the profibrotic effects of WNT/β-catenin signalling on fibroblasts via transducin-like enhancer of split 3. Targeted inactivation of XIAP inhibits the aberrant activation of fibroblasts in murine models of SSc.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christina Bergmann
- Department of Internal Medicine 3-Rheumatology and Immunology, Friedrich-Alexander-University Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU), Universitätsklinikum Erlangen, Erlangen, Bayern, Germany
| | - Ludwig Hallenberger
- Department of Internal Medicine 3-Rheumatology and Immunology, Friedrich-Alexander-University Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU), Universitätsklinikum Erlangen, Erlangen, Bayern, Germany
| | - Sara Chenguiti Fakhouri
- Department of Internal Medicine 3-Rheumatology and Immunology, Friedrich-Alexander-University Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU), Universitätsklinikum Erlangen, Erlangen, Bayern, Germany
| | - Benita Merlevede
- Department of Internal Medicine 3-Rheumatology and Immunology, Friedrich-Alexander-University Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU), Universitätsklinikum Erlangen, Erlangen, Bayern, Germany
| | - Amelie Brandt
- Department of Internal Medicine 3-Rheumatology and Immunology, Friedrich-Alexander-University Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU), Universitätsklinikum Erlangen, Erlangen, Bayern, Germany
| | - Clara Dees
- Department of Internal Medicine 3-Rheumatology and Immunology, Friedrich-Alexander-University Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU), Universitätsklinikum Erlangen, Erlangen, Bayern, Germany
| | - Honglin Zhu
- Department of Internal Medicine 3-Rheumatology and Immunology, Friedrich-Alexander-University Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU), Universitätsklinikum Erlangen, Erlangen, Bayern, Germany.,Department of Rheumatology and Immunology, Xiangya Hospital Central South University, Changsha, China
| | - Ariella Zehender
- Department of Internal Medicine 3-Rheumatology and Immunology, Friedrich-Alexander-University Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU), Universitätsklinikum Erlangen, Erlangen, Bayern, Germany
| | - Xiang Zhou
- Department of Internal Medicine 3-Rheumatology and Immunology, Friedrich-Alexander-University Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU), Universitätsklinikum Erlangen, Erlangen, Bayern, Germany
| | - Annemarie Schwab
- Interdisciplinary Centre for Clinical Research, University Hospital Erlangen, FAU-Erlangen-Nuremberg, Universitätsklinikum Erlangen, Erlangen, Bayern, Germany
| | - Chih-Wei Chen
- Department of Internal Medicine 3-Rheumatology and Immunology, Friedrich-Alexander-University Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU), Universitätsklinikum Erlangen, Erlangen, Bayern, Germany
| | - Andrea Hermina Györfi
- Department of Internal Medicine 3-Rheumatology and Immunology, Friedrich-Alexander-University Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU), Universitätsklinikum Erlangen, Erlangen, Bayern, Germany
| | - Alexandru Emil Matei
- Department of Internal Medicine 3-Rheumatology and Immunology, Friedrich-Alexander-University Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU), Universitätsklinikum Erlangen, Erlangen, Bayern, Germany
| | - Debomita Chakraborty
- Department of Internal Medicine 3-Rheumatology and Immunology, Friedrich-Alexander-University Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU), Universitätsklinikum Erlangen, Erlangen, Bayern, Germany
| | - Thuong Trinh-Minh
- Department of Internal Medicine 3-Rheumatology and Immunology, Friedrich-Alexander-University Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU), Universitätsklinikum Erlangen, Erlangen, Bayern, Germany
| | - Simon Rauber
- Department of Internal Medicine 3-Rheumatology and Immunology, Friedrich-Alexander-University Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU), Universitätsklinikum Erlangen, Erlangen, Bayern, Germany
| | - Roland Coras
- Department of Neuropathology, Universitätsklinikum Erlangen, Erlangen, Bayern, Germany
| | - Aline Bozec
- Institute for Clinical Immunology University of Erlangen-Nuremberg, Universitätsklinikum Erlangen, Erlangen, Bayern, Germany
| | - Alexander Kreuter
- Department of Dermatology and Allergology, HELIOS Sankt Elisabeth Klinik Oberhausen, Oberhausen, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany
| | - Mirjana Ziemer
- Klinik für Dermatologie, Venerologie und Allergologie, Universitätsklinikum Leipzig, Leipzig, Sachsen, Germany
| | - Georg Schett
- Department of Internal Medicine 3-Rheumatology and Immunology, Friedrich-Alexander-University Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU), Universitätsklinikum Erlangen, Erlangen, Bayern, Germany
| | - Jörg H W Distler
- Department of Internal Medicine 3-Rheumatology and Immunology, Friedrich-Alexander-University Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU), Universitätsklinikum Erlangen, Erlangen, Bayern, Germany
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180
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Di Benedetto P, Ruscitti P, Berardicurti O, Vomero M, Navarini L, Dolo V, Cipriani P, Giacomelli R. Endothelial-to-mesenchymal transition in systemic sclerosis. Clin Exp Immunol 2021; 205:12-27. [PMID: 33772754 DOI: 10.1111/cei.13599] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/27/2021] [Revised: 02/19/2021] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Systemic sclerosis (SSc) is an autoimmune disease characterized by significant vascular alterations and multi-organ fibrosis. Microvascular alterations are the first event of SSc and injured endothelial cells (ECs) may transdifferentiate towards myofibroblasts, the cells responsible for fibrosis and collagen deposition. This process is identified as endothelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EndMT), and understanding of its development is pivotal to identify early pathogenetic events and new therapeutic targets for SSc. In this review, we have highlighted the molecular mechanisms of EndMT and summarize the evidence of the role played by EndMT during the development of progressive fibrosis in SSc, also exploring the possible therapeutic role of its inhibition.
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Affiliation(s)
- P Di Benedetto
- Clinical Pathology Unit, Department of Biotechnological and Applied Clinical Sciences, University of L'Aquila, L'Aquila, Italy
| | - P Ruscitti
- Division of Rheumatology, Department of Biotechnological and Applied Clinical Sciences, University of L'Aquila, L'Aquila, Italy
| | - O Berardicurti
- Division of Rheumatology, Department of Biotechnological and Applied Clinical Sciences, University of L'Aquila, L'Aquila, Italy
| | - M Vomero
- Unit of Rheumatology and Clinical Immunology, University of Rome 'Campus Biomedico', Rome, Italy
| | - L Navarini
- Unit of Rheumatology and Clinical Immunology, University of Rome 'Campus Biomedico', Rome, Italy
| | - V Dolo
- Clinical Pathology Unit, Department of Life, Health and Environmental Sciences, University of L'Aquila, L'Aquila, Italy
| | - P Cipriani
- Division of Rheumatology, Department of Biotechnological and Applied Clinical Sciences, University of L'Aquila, L'Aquila, Italy
| | - R Giacomelli
- Unit of Rheumatology and Clinical Immunology, University of Rome 'Campus Biomedico', Rome, Italy
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181
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Cherifi C, Monteagudo S, Lories RJ. Promising targets for therapy of osteoarthritis: a review on the Wnt and TGF-β signalling pathways. Ther Adv Musculoskelet Dis 2021; 13:1759720X211006959. [PMID: 33948125 PMCID: PMC8053758 DOI: 10.1177/1759720x211006959] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/05/2021] [Accepted: 03/10/2021] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Osteoarthritis (OA) is the most common chronic joint disorder worldwide, with a high personal burden for the patients and an important socio-economic impact. Current therapies are largely limited to pain management and rehabilitation and exercise strategies. For advanced cases, joint replacement surgery may be the only option. Hence, there is an enormous need for the development of effective and safe disease-modifying anti-OA drugs. A strong focus in OA research has been on the identification and role of molecular signalling pathways that contribute to the balance between anabolism and catabolism in the articular cartilage. In this context, most insights have been gained in understanding the roles of the transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-β) and the Wingless-type (Wnt) signalling cascades. The emerging picture demonstrates a high degree of complexity with context-dependent events. TGF-β appears to protect cartilage under healthy conditions, but shifts in its receptor use and subsequent downstream signalling may be deleterious in aged individuals or in damaged cartilage. Likewise, low levels of Wnt activity appear important to sustain chondrocyte viability but excessive activation is associated with progressive joint damage. Emerging clinical data suggest some potential for the use of sprifermin, a recombinant forms of fibroblast growth factor 18, a distant TGF-β superfamily member, and for lorecivivint, a Wnt pathway modulator.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chahrazad Cherifi
- Department of Development and Regeneration, KU Leuven, Skeletal Biology and Engineering Research Centre, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Silvia Monteagudo
- Department of Development and Regeneration, KU Leuven, Skeletal Biology and Engineering Research Centre, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Rik J Lories
- Department of Development and Regeneration, KU Leuven, Skeletal Biology and Engineering Research Centre, Box 813 O&N, Herestraat 49, Leuven 3000, Belgium; Division of Rheumatology, University Hospitals Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
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182
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Romano E, Rosa I, Fioretto BS, Cerinic MM, Manetti M. The Role of Pro-fibrotic Myofibroblasts in Systemic Sclerosis: from Origin to Therapeutic Targeting. Curr Mol Med 2021; 22:209-239. [PMID: 33823766 DOI: 10.2174/0929867328666210325102749] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/04/2020] [Revised: 03/02/2021] [Accepted: 03/09/2021] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
Systemic sclerosis (SSc, scleroderma) is a complex connective tissue disorder characterized by multisystem clinical manifestations resulting from immune dysregulation/autoimmunity, vasculopathy and, most notably, progressive fibrosis of the skin and internal organs. In recent years, it has emerged that the main drivers of SSc-related tissue fibrosis are myofibroblasts, a type of mesenchymal cells with both the extracellular matrix-synthesizing features of fibroblasts and the cytoskeletal characteristics of contractile smooth muscle cells. The accumulation and persistent activation of pro-fibrotic myofibroblasts during SSc development and progression result into elevated mechanical stress and reduced matrix plasticity within the affected tissues and may be ascribed to a reduced susceptibility of these cells to pro-apoptotic stimuli, as well as their increased formation from tissue-resident fibroblasts or transition from different cell types. Given the crucial role of myofibroblasts in SSc pathogenesis, finding the way to inhibit myofibroblast differentiation and accumulation by targeting their formation, function and survival may represent an effective approach to hamper the fibrotic process or even halt or reverse established fibrosis. In this review, we discuss the role of myofibroblasts in SSc-related fibrosis, with a special focus on their cellular origin and the signaling pathways implicated in their formation and persistent activation. Furthermore, we provide an overview of potential therapeutic strategies targeting myofibroblasts that may be able to counteract fibrosis in this pathological condition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eloisa Romano
- Department of Experimental and Clinical Medicine, Division of Rheumatology, University of Florence, Florence. Italy
| | - Irene Rosa
- Department of Experimental and Clinical Medicine, Division of Rheumatology, University of Florence, Florence. Italy
| | - Bianca Saveria Fioretto
- Department of Experimental and Clinical Medicine, Division of Rheumatology, University of Florence, Florence. Italy
| | - Marco Matucci Cerinic
- Department of Experimental and Clinical Medicine, Division of Rheumatology, University of Florence, Florence. Italy
| | - Mirko Manetti
- Department of Experimental and Clinical Medicine, Section of Anatomy and Histology, University of Florence, Florence. Italy
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183
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Bukowska J, Walendzik K, Kopcewicz M, Cierniak P, Gawronska-Kozak B. Wnt signaling and the transcription factor Foxn1 contribute to cutaneous wound repair in mice. Connect Tissue Res 2021; 62:238-248. [PMID: 31690137 DOI: 10.1080/03008207.2019.1688314] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/03/2023]
Abstract
Aim: The transcription factor Foxn1 is a regulator of scar-ended cutaneous wound healing in mice. However, the link between Foxn1 and Wnt signaling has not been explored in the context of cutaneous repair. Here, we investigate the effects of β-catenin-dependent and -independent Wnt signaling represented by Wnt10a and Wnt11, respectively, in healing of full-thickness cutaneous wounds in C57BL/6 mice. Material and Methods: Quantitative polymerase chain reaction, western blot, and immunostaining were performed to assess the spatial and temporal distribution of Wnt10a, Wnt11, and β-catenin in skin during wound healing. A co-culture system consisting of keratinocytes transfected with an adenoviral vector carrying Foxn1-GFP and dermal fibroblasts (DFs) was employed to determine the influence of epidermal signals on the capacity of DFs to produce extracellular matrix (ECM) proteins in vitro. The levels of types I and III collagen in conditioned media from DFs cultures were examined via enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Results: The expression of Wnt10a, Wnt11, and β-catenin increased at post-wounding days 14 and 21 when tissue remodeling occurred. Foxn1::Egfp transgenic mice experiments demonstrated that Wnts were abundant in the epidermis adjacent to the wound margin and to a lesser extent in the dermis. The Wnt10a signal colocalized with Foxn1-eGFP in the epithelial tongue and neo-epidermis during the initial stage of wound healing. Foxn1 overexpression in keratinocytes affected DFs function related to collagen synthesis. Conclusions: Wnt ligands contribute to cutaneous wound repair, predominantly by engagement in ECM maturation. The data indicates a possible relationship between Foxn1 and Wnts in post-traumatic skin tissue.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joanna Bukowska
- Institute of Animal Reproduction and Food Research, Polish Academy of Sciences , Olsztyn, Poland
| | - Katarzyna Walendzik
- Institute of Animal Reproduction and Food Research, Polish Academy of Sciences , Olsztyn, Poland
| | - Marta Kopcewicz
- Institute of Animal Reproduction and Food Research, Polish Academy of Sciences , Olsztyn, Poland
| | - Patrycja Cierniak
- Institute of Animal Reproduction and Food Research, Polish Academy of Sciences , Olsztyn, Poland
| | - Barbara Gawronska-Kozak
- Institute of Animal Reproduction and Food Research, Polish Academy of Sciences , Olsztyn, Poland
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184
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Multiple Myeloma Bone Disease: Implication of MicroRNAs in Its Molecular Background. Int J Mol Sci 2021; 22:ijms22052375. [PMID: 33673480 PMCID: PMC7956742 DOI: 10.3390/ijms22052375] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/13/2021] [Revised: 02/23/2021] [Accepted: 02/26/2021] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Multiple myeloma (MM) is a common hematological malignancy arising from terminally differentiated plasma cells. In the majority of cases, symptomatic disease is characterized by the presence of bone disease. Multiple myeloma bone disease (MMBD) is a result of an imbalance in the bone-remodeling process that leads to increased osteoclast activity and decreased osteoblast activity. The molecular background of MMBD appears intriguingly complex, as several signaling pathways and cell-to-cell interactions are implicated in the pathophysiology of MMBD. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small non-coding RNA molecules that regulate the expression of their target mRNAs. Numerous miRNAs have been witnessed to be involved in cancer and hematological malignancies and their role has been characterized either as oncogenic or oncosuppressive. Recently, scientific research turned towards miRNAs as regulators of MMBD. Scientific data support that miRNAs finely regulate the majority of the signaling pathways implicated in MMBD. In this review, we provide concise information regarding the molecular pathways with a significant role in MMBD and the miRNAs implicated in their regulation. Moreover, we discuss their utility as molecular biomarkers and highlight the putative usage of miRNAs as novel molecular targets for targeted therapy in MMBD.
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185
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Romero G, Salama G. Relaxin abrogates genomic remodeling of the aged heart. VITAMINS AND HORMONES 2021; 115:419-448. [PMID: 33706957 DOI: 10.1016/bs.vh.2020.12.017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
"Healthy" aging drives structural and functional changes in the heart including maladaptive electrical remodeling, fibrosis and inflammation, which lower the threshold for cardiovascular diseases such as heart failure (HF) and atrial fibrillation (AF). Despite mixed results in clinical trials, Relaxin-therapy for 2-days reduced mortality by 37% at 180-days post-treatment, in patients with acute decompensated HF. Relaxin's short lifespan (2-3h) but long-lasting protective actions suggested that relaxin acts at a genomic level to reverse maladaptive remodeling in AF, HF and aging. Our recent studies showed that a 2-week treatment with Relaxin (0.4mg/kg/day) of aged (24months old F-344 rats) increases the expression of voltage-gated Na+ channels (mRNA, Nav1.5 and INa), connexin-43, abrogates inflammatory and immune responses and reverses myocardial fibrosis and cellular hypertrophy of the aged hearts. Relaxin acts directly at a wide range of cell types in the cardiovascular system that express its cognate GPCR receptor, RXFP1. RNA-seq analysis of young and aged hearts with and without Relaxin treatment revealed that "normal" aging altered the expression of ~10% of genes expressed in the ventricles, including: ion channels, components of fibrosis, hemodynamic biomarkers, immune and inflammatory responses which were reversed by Relaxin. The extensive cardiovascular remodeling caused by Relaxin was mediated through the activation of the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway which was otherwise suppressed by in adult cardiomyocytes intracellular by cytosolic Dickkopf1 (Dkk1). Wnt/β-catenin signaling is a mechanism that can explain the pleiotropic actions of Relaxin and the marked reversal of genomic changes that occur in aged hearts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Guillermo Romero
- Department of Pharmacology & Chemical Biology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, United States.
| | - Guy Salama
- Department of Medicine, Heart and Vascular Institute, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, United States
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186
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Witherel CE, Sao K, Brisson BK, Han B, Volk SW, Petrie RJ, Han L, Spiller KL. Regulation of extracellular matrix assembly and structure by hybrid M1/M2 macrophages. Biomaterials 2021; 269:120667. [PMID: 33450585 PMCID: PMC7870567 DOI: 10.1016/j.biomaterials.2021.120667] [Citation(s) in RCA: 104] [Impact Index Per Article: 34.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/19/2020] [Revised: 12/22/2020] [Accepted: 01/05/2021] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
Aberrant extracellular matrix (ECM) assembly surrounding implanted biomaterials is the hallmark of the foreign body response, in which implants become encapsulated in thick fibrous tissue that prevents their proper function. While macrophages are known regulators of fibroblast behavior, how their phenotype influences ECM assembly and the progression of the foreign body response is poorly understood. In this study, we used in vitro models with physiologically relevant macrophage phenotypes, as well as controlled release of macrophage-modulating cytokines from gelatin hydrogels implanted subcutaneously in vivo to investigate the role of macrophages in ECM assembly. Primary human macrophages were polarized to four distinct phenotypes, which have each been associated with fibrosis, including pro-inflammatory M1, pro-healing M2, and a hybrid M1/M2, generated by exposing macrophages to M1-and M2-promoting stimuli simultaneously. Additionally, macrophages were first polarized to M1 and then to M2 (M1→M2) to generate a phenotype typically observed during normal wound healing. Human dermal fibroblasts that were cultured in macrophage-conditioned media upregulated numerous genes involved in regulation of ECM assembly, especially in M2-conditioned media. Hybrid M1/M2 macrophage-conditioned media caused fibroblasts to produce a matrix with thicker and less aligned fibers, while M2 macrophage-conditioned media caused the formation of a more aligned matrix with thinner fibers. Gelatin methacrylate hydrogels containing interleukin-4 (IL4) and IL13-loaded poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) microparticles were designed to promote the M2 phenotype in a murine subcutaneous in vivo model. NanoString multiplex gene expression analysis of hydrogel explants showed that hydrogels without cytokines caused mostly M1 phenotype markers to be highly expressed at an early time point (3 days), but the release of IL4+IL13 promoted upregulation of M2 markers and genes associated with regulation of ECM assembly, such as Col5a1 and Col6a1. Biochemical analysis and second harmonic generation microscopy showed that the release of IL4+IL13 increased total sulfated glycosaminoglycan content and decreased fibril alignment, which is typically associated with less fibrotic tissue. Together, these results show that hybrid M1/M2 macrophages regulate ECM assembly, and that shifting the balance towards M2 may promote architectural and compositional changes in ECM with enhanced potential for downstream remodeling.
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Affiliation(s)
- Claire E Witherel
- School of Biomedical Engineering, Science, and Health Systems, Drexel University, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Kimheak Sao
- Department of Biology, College of Arts and Sciences, Drexel University, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Becky K Brisson
- Department of Clinical Sciences and Advanced Medicine, University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Biao Han
- School of Biomedical Engineering, Science, and Health Systems, Drexel University, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Susan W Volk
- Department of Clinical Sciences and Advanced Medicine, University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Ryan J Petrie
- Department of Biology, College of Arts and Sciences, Drexel University, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Lin Han
- School of Biomedical Engineering, Science, and Health Systems, Drexel University, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Kara L Spiller
- School of Biomedical Engineering, Science, and Health Systems, Drexel University, Philadelphia, PA, USA.
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187
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Fatty Acids and a High-Fat Diet Induce Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition by Activating TGFβ and β-Catenin in Liver Cells. Int J Mol Sci 2021; 22:ijms22031272. [PMID: 33525359 PMCID: PMC7865431 DOI: 10.3390/ijms22031272] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/29/2020] [Revised: 01/26/2021] [Accepted: 01/27/2021] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease is defined as the accumulation of excessive fat in the liver in the absence of excessive alcohol consumption or any secondary cause. Although the disease generally remains asymptomatic, chronic liver inflammation leads to fibrosis, liver cirrhosis, and even to the development of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Fibrosis results from epithelial–mesenchymal transition (EMT), which leads to dedifferentiation of epithelial cells into cells with a mesenchymal-like phenotype. During EMT, epithelial cells with high expression of E-cadherin, influenced by growth factors, cytokines, and inflammatory processes, undergo morphological changes via enhanced expression of, e.g., vimentin, fibronectin, and N-cadherin. An inducer of EMT and, consequently, of fibrosis development is transforming growth factor beta (TGFβ), a pleiotropic cytokine associated with the progression of hepatocarcinogenesis. However, the understanding of the molecular events that direct the development of steatosis into steatohepatitis and liver fibrosis remains incomplete. Our study revealed that both prolonged exposure of hepatocarcinoma cells to fatty acids in vitro and high-fat diet in mice (20 weeks) result in inflammation. Prolonged treatment with fatty acids increased the levels of TGFβ, MMP9, and β-catenin, important EMT inducers. Moreover, the livers of mice fed a high-fat diet exhibited features of liver fibrosis with increased TGFβ and IL-1 levels. Increased expression of IL-1 correlated with a decrease in monocyte chemoattractant protein-induced protein 1 (MCPIP1), a negative regulator of the inflammatory response that regulates the stability of proinflammatory transcripts encoding IL-1. Our study showed that a high-fat diet induced EMT by increasing the levels of EMT-activating transcription factors, including Zeb1, Zeb2, and Snail and changed the protein profile to a profile characteristic of the mesenchymal phenotype.
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188
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Dees C, Pötter S, Zhang Y, Bergmann C, Zhou X, Luber M, Wohlfahrt T, Karouzakis E, Ramming A, Gelse K, Yoshimura A, Jaenisch R, Distler O, Schett G, Distler JH. TGF-β-induced epigenetic deregulation of SOCS3 facilitates STAT3 signaling to promote fibrosis. J Clin Invest 2021; 130:2347-2363. [PMID: 31990678 DOI: 10.1172/jci122462] [Citation(s) in RCA: 79] [Impact Index Per Article: 26.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/25/2018] [Accepted: 01/17/2020] [Indexed: 12/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Fibroblasts are key effector cells in tissue remodeling. They remain persistently activated in fibrotic diseases, resulting in progressive deposition of extracellular matrix. Although fibroblast activation may be initiated by external factors, prolonged activation can induce an "autonomous," self-maintaining profibrotic phenotype in fibroblasts. Accumulating evidence suggests that epigenetic alterations play a central role in establishing this persistently activated pathologic phenotype of fibroblasts. We demonstrated that in fibrotic skin of patients with systemic sclerosis (SSc), a prototypical idiopathic fibrotic disease, TGF-β induced the expression of DNA methyltransferase 3A (DNMT3A) and DNMT1 in fibroblasts in a SMAD-dependent manner to silence the expression of suppressor of cytokine signaling 3 (SOCS3) by promoter hypermethylation. Downregulation of SOCS3 facilitated activation of STAT3 to promote fibroblast-to-myofibroblast transition, collagen release, and fibrosis in vitro and in vivo. Reestablishment of the epigenetic control of STAT3 signaling by genetic or pharmacological inactivation of DNMT3A reversed the activated phenotype of SSc fibroblasts in tissue culture, inhibited TGF-β-dependent fibroblast activation, and ameliorated experimental fibrosis in murine models. These findings identify a pathway of epigenetic imprinting of fibroblasts in fibrotic disease with translational implications for the development of targeted therapies in fibrotic diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Clara Dees
- Department of Internal Medicine 3 - Rheumatology and Immunology, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität (FAU) Erlangen-Nürnberg and Universitätsklinikum Erlangen, Erlangen, Germany
| | - Sebastian Pötter
- Department of Internal Medicine 3 - Rheumatology and Immunology, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität (FAU) Erlangen-Nürnberg and Universitätsklinikum Erlangen, Erlangen, Germany
| | - Yun Zhang
- Department of Internal Medicine 3 - Rheumatology and Immunology, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität (FAU) Erlangen-Nürnberg and Universitätsklinikum Erlangen, Erlangen, Germany
| | - Christina Bergmann
- Department of Internal Medicine 3 - Rheumatology and Immunology, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität (FAU) Erlangen-Nürnberg and Universitätsklinikum Erlangen, Erlangen, Germany
| | - Xiang Zhou
- Department of Internal Medicine 3 - Rheumatology and Immunology, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität (FAU) Erlangen-Nürnberg and Universitätsklinikum Erlangen, Erlangen, Germany
| | - Markus Luber
- Department of Internal Medicine 3 - Rheumatology and Immunology, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität (FAU) Erlangen-Nürnberg and Universitätsklinikum Erlangen, Erlangen, Germany
| | - Thomas Wohlfahrt
- Department of Internal Medicine 3 - Rheumatology and Immunology, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität (FAU) Erlangen-Nürnberg and Universitätsklinikum Erlangen, Erlangen, Germany
| | - Emmanuel Karouzakis
- Center of Experimental Rheumatology, Department of Rheumatology, University Hospital of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Andreas Ramming
- Department of Internal Medicine 3 - Rheumatology and Immunology, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität (FAU) Erlangen-Nürnberg and Universitätsklinikum Erlangen, Erlangen, Germany
| | - Kolja Gelse
- Department of Trauma Surgery - Orthopedic Surgery, University of Erlangen-Nuremberg, Erlangen, Germany
| | - Akihiko Yoshimura
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Keio University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Rudolf Jaenisch
- Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Oliver Distler
- Center of Experimental Rheumatology, Department of Rheumatology, University Hospital of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Georg Schett
- Department of Internal Medicine 3 - Rheumatology and Immunology, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität (FAU) Erlangen-Nürnberg and Universitätsklinikum Erlangen, Erlangen, Germany
| | - Jörg Hw Distler
- Department of Internal Medicine 3 - Rheumatology and Immunology, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität (FAU) Erlangen-Nürnberg and Universitätsklinikum Erlangen, Erlangen, Germany
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189
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Zhang R, Jiang J, Yu Y, Wang F, Gao N, Zhou Y, Wan X, Wang Z, Wei P, Mei J. Analysis of structural components of decellularized scaffolds in renal fibrosis. Bioact Mater 2021; 6:2187-2197. [PMID: 33511316 PMCID: PMC7815494 DOI: 10.1016/j.bioactmat.2020.12.028] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/20/2020] [Revised: 12/29/2020] [Accepted: 12/30/2020] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Chronic kidney disease has been recognized as a major public health problem worldwide and renal fibrosis is a common pathological process occurring in chronic renal failure. It is very promising to find the strategies to slow or even prevent the progression of fibrosis. This study focused on whether renal fibrosis decellularized scaffolds has the potential to be a model of cellular mechanisms of tissue fibrosis or donors for tissue engineering. In order to evaluate the feasibility of decellularized scaffolds derived from pathological kidneys, histology, proteomics and ELISA will be used to analysis the changes in the structure and main components of fibrotic tissue. The fibrosis model in this paper was induced by adenine-fed and the results showed that the structure of fibrotic scaffold was changed and some protein were up-regulated or down-regulated, but the cytokines associated with renal regeneration after injury were remained. In cell experiments, endothelial progenitor cells proliferated well, which proved that the fibrotic scaffolds have non-cytotoxic. All these conclusions indicate that the renal fibrosis decellularized scaffolds model has the ability to study fibrosis mechanism and the potential to be engineering donors as well as normal scaffolds. A study model of the mechanism of renal fibrosis from natural sources. Adenine-induced renal fibrosis with a cytopathic scaffold preserves important cytokines. There was no significant difference in cytokine content with natural scaffolds. Heat maps of differentially expressed proteins from subcellular localization.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rui Zhang
- Institute of Bioscaffold Transplantation and Immunology, Wenzhou Medical University, North Center Road, Ouhai District, Wenzhou, 325035, China.,Institute of Biomaterials, Ningbo City First Hospital, No.59 Liuting Street, Haishu District, Ningbo, 315010, China
| | - Junqun Jiang
- Institute of Bioscaffold Transplantation and Immunology, Wenzhou Medical University, North Center Road, Ouhai District, Wenzhou, 325035, China.,Institute of Biomaterials, Ningbo City First Hospital, No.59 Liuting Street, Haishu District, Ningbo, 315010, China
| | - Yaling Yu
- Institute of Bioscaffold Transplantation and Immunology, Wenzhou Medical University, North Center Road, Ouhai District, Wenzhou, 325035, China.,Department of Orthopaedics, Shanghai Jiao Tong University Affiliated Sixth People's Hospital, No.600 Yishan Road, Shanghai, 200233, China
| | - Fangfang Wang
- Institute of Bioscaffold Transplantation and Immunology, Wenzhou Medical University, North Center Road, Ouhai District, Wenzhou, 325035, China.,Institute of Biomaterials, Ningbo City First Hospital, No.59 Liuting Street, Haishu District, Ningbo, 315010, China
| | - Niuniu Gao
- Institute of Bioscaffold Transplantation and Immunology, Wenzhou Medical University, North Center Road, Ouhai District, Wenzhou, 325035, China.,Institute of Biomaterials, Ningbo City First Hospital, No.59 Liuting Street, Haishu District, Ningbo, 315010, China
| | - Yingjie Zhou
- Institute of Biomaterials, Ningbo City First Hospital, No.59 Liuting Street, Haishu District, Ningbo, 315010, China
| | - Xinlong Wan
- Institute of Bioscaffold Transplantation and Immunology, Wenzhou Medical University, North Center Road, Ouhai District, Wenzhou, 325035, China
| | - Zhibin Wang
- Institute of Bioscaffold Transplantation and Immunology, Wenzhou Medical University, North Center Road, Ouhai District, Wenzhou, 325035, China
| | - Peng Wei
- Institute of Biomaterials, Ningbo City First Hospital, No.59 Liuting Street, Haishu District, Ningbo, 315010, China
| | - Jin Mei
- Institute of Bioscaffold Transplantation and Immunology, Wenzhou Medical University, North Center Road, Ouhai District, Wenzhou, 325035, China.,Institute of Biomaterials, Ningbo City First Hospital, No.59 Liuting Street, Haishu District, Ningbo, 315010, China
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190
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Shen W, Zhang Z, Ma J, Lu D, Lyu L. The Ubiquitin Proteasome System and Skin Fibrosis. Mol Diagn Ther 2021; 25:29-40. [PMID: 33433895 DOI: 10.1007/s40291-020-00509-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 12/16/2020] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
The ubiquitin proteasome system (UPS) is a highly conserved way to regulate protein turnover in cells. The UPS hydrolyzes and destroys variant or misfolded proteins and finely regulates proteins involved in differentiation, apoptosis, and other biological processes. This system is a key regulatory factor in the proliferation, differentiation, and collagen secretion of skin fibroblasts. E3 ubiquitin protein ligases Parkin and NEDD4 regulate multiple signaling pathways in keloid. Tumor necrosis factor (TNF) receptor-associated factor 4 (TRAF4) binding with deubiquitinase USP10 can induce p53 destabilization and promote keloid-derived fibroblast proliferation. The UPS participates in the occurrence and development of hypertrophic scars by regulating the transforming growth factor (TGF)-β/Smad signaling pathway. An initial study suggests that TNFα-induced protein 3 (TNFAIP3) polymorphisms may be significantly associated with scleroderma susceptibility in individuals of Caucasian descent. Sumoylation and multiple ubiquitin ligases, including Smurfs, UFD2, and KLHL42, play vital roles in scleroderma by targeting the TGF-β/Smad signaling pathway. In the future, drugs targeting E3 ligases and deubiquitinating enzymes have great potential for the treatment of skin fibrosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wanlu Shen
- Science and Technology Achievement Incubation Center, Kunming Medical University, 1168 West Chunrong Road, Yuhua Avenue, Chenggong District, Kunming, 650500, Yunnan, China
| | - Zhigang Zhang
- Science and Technology Achievement Incubation Center, Kunming Medical University, 1168 West Chunrong Road, Yuhua Avenue, Chenggong District, Kunming, 650500, Yunnan, China
| | - Jiaqing Ma
- School of Basic Medical Sciences, Kunming Medical University, Kunming, China
| | - Di Lu
- Science and Technology Achievement Incubation Center, Kunming Medical University, 1168 West Chunrong Road, Yuhua Avenue, Chenggong District, Kunming, 650500, Yunnan, China
| | - Lechun Lyu
- Science and Technology Achievement Incubation Center, Kunming Medical University, 1168 West Chunrong Road, Yuhua Avenue, Chenggong District, Kunming, 650500, Yunnan, China.
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191
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Li J, Gao Y, Li Q, Chen L, Chen Y, Li J. LncRNA COL1A2-AS1 promotes skin fibroblast apoptosis by repressing p-Smad3 and promoting β-catenin expression. Exp Dermatol 2021; 30:1090-1098. [PMID: 33354832 DOI: 10.1111/exd.14269] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/08/2020] [Revised: 12/09/2020] [Accepted: 12/18/2020] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
LncRNA COL1A2-AS1 has been demonstrated to inhibit fibroblast proliferation of hypertrophic scars. However, the function of COL1A2-AS1 in normal skin fibroblasts remains poorly studied. Here, we report that overexpression of COL1A2-AS1 promoted normal skin fibroblast apoptosis. On the basis of mRNA-seq data and gene set enrichment analysis plus Kyoto encyclopedia of genes and genomes pathway analysis, 16 upregulated and 125 downregulated mRNAs were found; TGF-β, Wnt, and MAPK pathways were potentially involved. Western blot assay confirmed that overexpression of COL1A2-AS1 repressed p-Smad3 expression and promoted β-catenin expression. Furthermore, COL1A2-AS1 overexpression combined with either TGF-β1 or siRNA against β-catenin reversed the upregulation of apoptosis in the COL1A2-AS1 overexpression group. In conclusion, our study revealed the roles of COL1A2-AS1 in normal skin fibroblast apoptosis, with COL1A2-AS1 functioning by repressing p-Smad3 expression and promoting β-catenin expression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jun Li
- Department of Plastic & Cosmetic Surgery, Women's Hospital of Nanjing Medical University (Nanjing Maternity and Child Health Care Hospital), Nanjing, China
| | - Yanli Gao
- Department of Plastic & Cosmetic Surgery, Women's Hospital of Nanjing Medical University (Nanjing Maternity and Child Health Care Hospital), Nanjing, China
| | - Qian Li
- Department of Plastic & Cosmetic Surgery, Women's Hospital of Nanjing Medical University (Nanjing Maternity and Child Health Care Hospital), Nanjing, China
| | - Ling Chen
- Department of Plastic & Cosmetic Surgery, Women's Hospital of Nanjing Medical University (Nanjing Maternity and Child Health Care Hospital), Nanjing, China
| | - Yajun Chen
- Department of Clinical laboratory, Women's Hospital of Nanjing Medical University (Nanjing Maternity and Child Health Care Hospital), Nanjing, China
| | - Jingyun Li
- Nanjing Maternal and Child Health Medical Institute, Women's Hospital of Nanjing Medical University (Nanjing Maternity and Child Health Care Hospital), Nanjing, China
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192
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Summers ME, Richmond BW, Kropski JA, Majka SA, Bastarache JA, Hatzopoulos AK, Bylund J, Ghosh M, Petrache I, Foronjy RF, Geraghty P, Majka SM. Balanced Wnt/Dickkopf-1 signaling by mesenchymal vascular progenitor cells in the microvascular niche maintains distal lung structure and function. Am J Physiol Cell Physiol 2021; 320:C119-C131. [PMID: 33085496 PMCID: PMC7846975 DOI: 10.1152/ajpcell.00277.2020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/10/2020] [Revised: 09/29/2020] [Accepted: 10/12/2020] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
Abstract
The well-described Wnt inhibitor Dickkopf-1 (DKK1) plays a role in angiogenesis as well as in regulation of growth factor signaling cascades in pulmonary remodeling associated with chronic lung diseases (CLDs) including emphysema and fibrosis. However, the specific mechanisms by which DKK1 influences mesenchymal vascular progenitor cells (MVPCs), microvascular endothelial cells (MVECs), and smooth muscle cells (SMCs) within the microvascular niche have not been elucidated. In this study, we show that knockdown of DKK1 in Abcg2pos lung mouse adult tissue resident MVPCs alters lung stiffness, parenchymal collagen deposition, microvessel muscularization and density as well as loss of tissue structure in response to hypoxia exposure. To complement the in vivo mouse modeling, we also identified cell- or disease-specific responses to DKK1, in primary lung chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) MVPCs, COPD MVECs, and SMCs, supporting a paradoxical disease-specific response of cells to well-characterized factors. Cell responses to DKK1 were dose dependent and correlated with varying expressions of the DKK1 receptor, CKAP4. These data demonstrate that DKK1 expression is necessary to maintain the microvascular niche whereas its effects are context specific. They also highlight DKK1 as a regulatory candidate to understand the role of Wnt and DKK1 signaling between cells of the microvascular niche during tissue homeostasis and during the development of chronic lung diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Megan E Summers
- Division of Pulmonary, Critical Care & Sleep Medicine, Department of Medicine, National Jewish Health, Denver, Colorado
| | - Bradley W Richmond
- Division of Allergy, Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine or Cardiology, Department of Medicine, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee
- Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee
| | - Jonathan A Kropski
- Division of Allergy, Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine or Cardiology, Department of Medicine, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee
- Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee
| | - Sarah A Majka
- Division of Pulmonary, Critical Care & Sleep Medicine, Department of Medicine, National Jewish Health, Denver, Colorado
| | - Julie A Bastarache
- Division of Allergy, Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine or Cardiology, Department of Medicine, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee
- Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee
| | - Antonis K Hatzopoulos
- Division of Allergy, Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine or Cardiology, Department of Medicine, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee
- Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee
| | - Jeffery Bylund
- Division of Allergy, Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine or Cardiology, Department of Medicine, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee
- Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee
| | - Moumita Ghosh
- Division of Pulmonary, Critical Care & Sleep Medicine, Department of Medicine, National Jewish Health, Denver, Colorado
| | - Irina Petrache
- Division of Pulmonary, Critical Care & Sleep Medicine, Department of Medicine, National Jewish Health, Denver, Colorado
| | - Robert F Foronjy
- Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, SUNY Downstate Medical Center, Brooklyn, New York
| | - Patrick Geraghty
- Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, SUNY Downstate Medical Center, Brooklyn, New York
| | - Susan M Majka
- Division of Pulmonary, Critical Care & Sleep Medicine, Department of Medicine, National Jewish Health, Denver, Colorado
- Department of Medicine, Pulmonary & Critical Care Medicine, Gates Center for Regenerative Medicine and Stem Cell Biology, University of Colorado, Aurora, Colorado
- Gates Center for Regenerative Medicine and Stem Cell Biology, University of Colorado, Aurora, Colorado
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193
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Xu Q, Liu M, Zhang F, Liu X, Ling S, Chen X, Gu J, Ou W, Liu S, Liu N. Ubiquitin-specific protease 2 regulates Ang Ⅱ-induced cardiac fibroblasts activation by up-regulating cyclin D1 and stabilizing β-catenin in vitro. J Cell Mol Med 2021; 25:1001-1011. [PMID: 33314748 PMCID: PMC7812274 DOI: 10.1111/jcmm.16162] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/27/2020] [Revised: 11/16/2020] [Accepted: 11/21/2020] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Cardiac fibrosis, featuring abnormally elevated extracellular matrix accumulation, decreases tissue compliance, impairs cardiac function and accelerates heart failure. Mounting evidence suggests that the ubiquitin proteasome pathway is involved in cardiac fibrosis. In the present study, ubiquitin-specific protease 2 (USP2) was identified as a novel therapeutic target in cardiac fibrosis. Indeed, USP2 expression was increased in angiotensin II-induced primary cardiac fibroblasts (CFs) from neonatal rats. In addition, USP2 inhibition suppressed CFs proliferation, collagen synthesis and cell cycle progression. Furthermore, USP2 interacted with β-catenin, thereby regulating its deubiquitination and stabilization in CFs. To sum up, these findings revealed that USP2 has a therapeutic potential for the treatment of cardiac fibrosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qiong Xu
- Guangzhou Institute of Cardiovascular DiseaseGuangdong Key Laboratory of Vascular DiseasesState Key Laboratory of Respiratory DiseaseThe Second Affiliated Hospital, Guangzhou Medical UniversityGuangzhouChina
| | - Mingke Liu
- Guangzhou Institute of Cardiovascular DiseaseGuangdong Key Laboratory of Vascular DiseasesState Key Laboratory of Respiratory DiseaseThe Second Affiliated Hospital, Guangzhou Medical UniversityGuangzhouChina
| | - Fangcheng Zhang
- Guangzhou Institute of Cardiovascular DiseaseGuangdong Key Laboratory of Vascular DiseasesState Key Laboratory of Respiratory DiseaseThe Second Affiliated Hospital, Guangzhou Medical UniversityGuangzhouChina
| | - Xiaolin Liu
- Guangzhou Institute of Cardiovascular DiseaseGuangdong Key Laboratory of Vascular DiseasesState Key Laboratory of Respiratory DiseaseThe Second Affiliated Hospital, Guangzhou Medical UniversityGuangzhouChina
| | - Sisi Ling
- Guangzhou Institute of Cardiovascular DiseaseGuangdong Key Laboratory of Vascular DiseasesState Key Laboratory of Respiratory DiseaseThe Second Affiliated Hospital, Guangzhou Medical UniversityGuangzhouChina
| | - Xuke Chen
- Guangzhou Institute of Cardiovascular DiseaseGuangdong Key Laboratory of Vascular DiseasesState Key Laboratory of Respiratory DiseaseThe Second Affiliated Hospital, Guangzhou Medical UniversityGuangzhouChina
| | - Jielei Gu
- Guangzhou Institute of Cardiovascular DiseaseGuangdong Key Laboratory of Vascular DiseasesState Key Laboratory of Respiratory DiseaseThe Second Affiliated Hospital, Guangzhou Medical UniversityGuangzhouChina
| | - Wenchao Ou
- Guangzhou Institute of Cardiovascular DiseaseGuangdong Key Laboratory of Vascular DiseasesState Key Laboratory of Respiratory DiseaseThe Second Affiliated Hospital, Guangzhou Medical UniversityGuangzhouChina
| | - Shiming Liu
- Guangzhou Institute of Cardiovascular DiseaseGuangdong Key Laboratory of Vascular DiseasesState Key Laboratory of Respiratory DiseaseThe Second Affiliated Hospital, Guangzhou Medical UniversityGuangzhouChina
| | - Ningning Liu
- Guangzhou Institute of Cardiovascular DiseaseGuangdong Key Laboratory of Vascular DiseasesState Key Laboratory of Respiratory DiseaseThe Second Affiliated Hospital, Guangzhou Medical UniversityGuangzhouChina
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194
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Dees C, Chakraborty D, Distler JHW. Cellular and molecular mechanisms in fibrosis. Exp Dermatol 2021; 30:121-131. [PMID: 32931037 DOI: 10.1111/exd.14193] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/03/2020] [Revised: 08/14/2020] [Accepted: 08/31/2020] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
The activation of fibroblasts is required for physiological tissue remodelling such as wound healing. However, when the regulatory mechanisms are disrupted and fibroblasts remain persistently activated, the progressive deposition of extracellular matrix proteins leads to tissue fibrosis, which results in dysfunction or even loss of function of the affected organ. Although fibrosis has been recognized as a major cause of morbidity and mortality in modern societies, there are only few treatment options available that directly disrupt the release of extracellular matrix from fibroblasts. Intensive research in recent years, however, identified several pathways as core fibrotic mechanisms that are shared across different fibrotic diseases and organs. We discuss herein selection of those core pathways, especially downstream of the profibrotic TGF-β pathway, which are druggable and which may be transferable from bench to bedside.
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Affiliation(s)
- Clara Dees
- Friedrich-Alexander-University (FAU) Erlangen-Nürnberg, Department of Internal Medicine 3-Rheumatology and Immunology, Universitätsklinikum Erlangen, Erlangen, Germany
| | - Debomita Chakraborty
- Friedrich-Alexander-University (FAU) Erlangen-Nürnberg, Department of Internal Medicine 3-Rheumatology and Immunology, Universitätsklinikum Erlangen, Erlangen, Germany
| | - Jörg H W Distler
- Friedrich-Alexander-University (FAU) Erlangen-Nürnberg, Department of Internal Medicine 3-Rheumatology and Immunology, Universitätsklinikum Erlangen, Erlangen, Germany
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195
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Di Gregorio J, Robuffo I, Spalletta S, Giambuzzi G, De Iuliis V, Toniato E, Martinotti S, Conti P, Flati V. The Epithelial-to-Mesenchymal Transition as a Possible Therapeutic Target in Fibrotic Disorders. Front Cell Dev Biol 2020; 8:607483. [PMID: 33409282 PMCID: PMC7779530 DOI: 10.3389/fcell.2020.607483] [Citation(s) in RCA: 81] [Impact Index Per Article: 20.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/17/2020] [Accepted: 11/25/2020] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Fibrosis is a chronic and progressive disorder characterized by excessive deposition of extracellular matrix, which leads to scarring and loss of function of the affected organ or tissue. Indeed, the fibrotic process affects a variety of organs and tissues, with specific molecular background. However, two common hallmarks are shared: the crucial role of the transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-β) and the involvement of the inflammation process, that is essential for initiating the fibrotic degeneration. TGF-β in particular but also other cytokines regulate the most common molecular mechanism at the basis of fibrosis, the Epithelial-to-Mesenchymal Transition (EMT). EMT has been extensively studied, but not yet fully explored as a possible therapeutic target for fibrosis. A deeper understanding of the crosstalk between fibrosis and EMT may represent an opportunity for the development of a broadly effective anti-fibrotic therapy. Here we report the evidences of the relationship between EMT and multi-organ fibrosis, and the possible therapeutic approaches that may be developed by exploiting this relationship.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jacopo Di Gregorio
- Burnett School of Biomedical Sciences, College of Medicine, University of Central Florida, Orlando, FL, United States
| | - Iole Robuffo
- Institute of Molecular Genetics, National Research Council, Section of Chieti, Chieti, Italy
| | - Sonia Spalletta
- Department of Clinical Pathology, E. Profili Hospital, Fabriano, Ancona, Italy
| | - Giulia Giambuzzi
- Department of Medical and Oral Sciences and Biotechnologies, University “G. d’Annunzio”, Chieti, Italy
| | - Vincenzo De Iuliis
- Department of Medical and Oral Sciences and Biotechnologies, University “G. d’Annunzio”, Chieti, Italy
| | - Elena Toniato
- Department of Medical and Oral Sciences and Biotechnologies, University “G. d’Annunzio”, Chieti, Italy
| | - Stefano Martinotti
- Department of Medical and Oral Sciences and Biotechnologies, University “G. d’Annunzio”, Chieti, Italy
| | - Pio Conti
- Postgraduate Medical School, University of Chieti-Pescara, Chieti, Italy
| | - Vincenzo Flati
- Department of Biotechnological and Applied Clinical Sciences, University of L’Aquila, L’Aquila, Italy
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196
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Dual Pharmacological Targeting of HDACs and PDE5 Inhibits Liver Disease Progression in a Mouse Model of Biliary Inflammation and Fibrosis. Cancers (Basel) 2020; 12:cancers12123748. [PMID: 33322158 PMCID: PMC7763137 DOI: 10.3390/cancers12123748] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/01/2020] [Accepted: 12/10/2020] [Indexed: 01/18/2023] Open
Abstract
Simple Summary Chronic liver injury and inflammation leads to excessive deposition of extracellular matrix, known as liver fibrosis, and the distortion of the hepatic parenchyma. Liver fibrosis may progress to cirrhosis, a condition in which hepatic function is impaired and most cases of liver tumors occur. Currently, there are no effective therapies to inhibit and reverse the progression of liver fibrosis, and therefore, chronic liver disease remains a global health problem. In this study we have tested the efficacy of a new class of molecules that simultaneously target two molecular pathways known to be involved in the pathogenesis of hepatic fibrosis. In a clinically relevant mouse model of liver injury and inflammation we show that the combined inhibition of histones deacetylases and the cyclic guanosine monophosphate (cGMP) phosphodiesterase phosphodiesterase 5 (PDE5) results in potent anti-inflammatory and anti-fibrotic effects. Our findings open new avenues for the treatment of liver fibrosis and therefore, the prevention of hepatic carcinogenesis. Abstract Liver fibrosis, a common hallmark of chronic liver disease (CLD), is characterized by the accumulation of extracellular matrix secreted by activated hepatic fibroblasts and stellate cells (HSC). Fibrogenesis involves multiple cellular and molecular processes and is intimately linked to chronic hepatic inflammation. Importantly, it has been shown to promote the loss of liver function and liver carcinogenesis. No effective therapies for liver fibrosis are currently available. We examined the anti-fibrogenic potential of a new drug (CM414) that simultaneously inhibits histone deacetylases (HDACs), more precisely HDAC1, 2, and 3 (Class I) and HDAC6 (Class II) and stimulates the cyclic guanosine monophosphate (cGMP)-protein kinase G (PKG) pathway activity through phosphodiesterase 5 (PDE5) inhibition, two mechanisms independently involved in liver fibrosis. To this end, we treated Mdr2-KO mice, a clinically relevant model of liver inflammation and fibrosis, with our dual HDAC/PDE5 inhibitor CM414. We observed a decrease in the expression of fibrogenic markers and collagen deposition, together with a marked reduction in inflammation. No signs of hepatic or systemic toxicity were recorded. Mechanistic studies in cultured human HSC and cholangiocytes (LX2 and H69 cell lines, respectively) demonstrated that CM414 inhibited pro-fibrogenic and inflammatory responses, including those triggered by transforming growth factor β (TGFβ). Our study supports the notion that simultaneous targeting of pro-inflammatory and fibrogenic mechanisms controlled by HDACs and PDE5 with a single molecule, such as CM414, can be a new disease-modifying strategy.
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197
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Rackow AR, Nagel DJ, McCarthy C, Judge J, Lacy S, Freeberg MAT, Thatcher TH, Kottmann RM, Sime PJ. The self-fulfilling prophecy of pulmonary fibrosis: a selective inspection of pathological signalling loops. Eur Respir J 2020; 56:13993003.00075-2020. [PMID: 32943406 PMCID: PMC7931159 DOI: 10.1183/13993003.00075-2020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/13/2020] [Accepted: 07/01/2020] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Abstract
Pulmonary fibrosis is a devastating, progressive disease and carries a prognosis worse than most cancers. Despite ongoing research, the mechanisms that underlie disease pathogenesis remain only partially understood. However, the self-perpetuating nature of pulmonary fibrosis has led several researchers to propose the existence of pathological signalling loops. According to this hypothesis, the normal wound-healing process becomes corrupted and results in the progressive accumulation of scar tissue in the lung. In addition, several negative regulators of pulmonary fibrosis are downregulated and, therefore, are no longer capable of inhibiting these feed-forward loops. The combination of pathological signalling loops and loss of a checks and balances system ultimately culminates in a process of unregulated scar formation. This review details specific signalling pathways demonstrated to play a role in the pathogenesis of pulmonary fibrosis. The evidence of detrimental signalling loops is elucidated with regard to epithelial cell injury, cellular senescence and the activation of developmental and ageing pathways. We demonstrate where these loops intersect each other, as well as common mediators that may drive these responses and how the loss of pro-resolving mediators may contribute to the propagation of disease. By focusing on the overlapping signalling mediators among the many pro-fibrotic pathways, it is our hope that the pulmonary fibrosis community will be better equipped to design future trials that incorporate the redundant nature of these pathways as we move towards finding a cure for this unrelenting disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ashley R Rackow
- Dept of Environmental Medicine, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, NY, USA.,Authors contributed equally to this work
| | - David J Nagel
- Division of Pulmonary Diseases and Critical Care, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, NY, USA.,Authors contributed equally to this work
| | | | | | - Shannon Lacy
- US Army of Veterinary Corps, Fort Campbell, KY, USA
| | | | - Thomas H Thatcher
- Department of Medicine, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, USA
| | - R Matthew Kottmann
- Division of Pulmonary Diseases and Critical Care, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, NY, USA
| | - Patricia J Sime
- Division of Pulmonary Diseases and Critical Care, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, NY, USA.,Department of Medicine, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, USA
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198
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Li T, Weng X, Cheng S, Wang D, Cheng G, Gao H, Li Y. Wnt3a upregulation is involved in TGFβ1-induced cardiac hypertrophy. Cytokine 2020; 138:155376. [PMID: 33243628 DOI: 10.1016/j.cyto.2020.155376] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/10/2020] [Revised: 11/06/2020] [Accepted: 11/16/2020] [Indexed: 01/03/2023]
Abstract
Pathological cardiac hypertrophy, characterized by enlarged cell size and fetal gene reactivation, ultimately leads to cardiac dysfunction and heart failure. The expression of transforming growth factor beta 1 (TGFβ1) is often elevated in experimental models of cardiac hypertrophy. In the present study, we observed the activation of Wnt/β-catenin signaling in TGFβ1-induced cardiac hypertrophy. TGFβ1 stimulation decreased the phosphorylation levels of β-catenin and triggered the nuclear accumulation of β-catenin. In turn, TGFβ1 enhanced the expression of c-Myc, which is a transcriptional target of canonical Wnt/β-catenin pathway. Knockdown of β-catenin completely blocked TGFβ1-induced c-Myc upregulation. Wnt3a is an important Wnt ligand associated with cardiac fibrosis and hypertrophy. Further investigation revealed that TGFβ1 can upregulate Wnt3a expression in an ALK5-Smad2/3-dependent manner. A consensus Smad binding sequence is located within the Wnt3a promoter, and TGFβ1 stimulation enhanced recruitment of Smad2/3 onto the Wnt3a promoter. Meanwhile, Wnt3a overexpression also stimulated TGFβ1 expression. Chemical inhibition of Wnt/β-catenin signaling partially attenuated TGFβ1-induced hypertrophic responses. These findings suggest crosstalk between TGFβ1 and canonical Wnt/β-catenin pathways in cardiac hypertrophy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tao Li
- School of Medicine, Hunan Normal University, Changsha, Hunan 410081, China
| | - Xiaofei Weng
- School of Medicine, Hunan Normal University, Changsha, Hunan 410081, China
| | - Siya Cheng
- Department of Cardiology, Huaihe Hospital of Henan University, Kaifeng, Henan Province 475000, China
| | - Dongxing Wang
- Department of Cardiology, Huaihe Hospital of Henan University, Kaifeng, Henan Province 475000, China
| | - Guanchang Cheng
- Department of Cardiology, Huaihe Hospital of Henan University, Kaifeng, Henan Province 475000, China
| | - Hai Gao
- Department of Cardiology, Beijing Anzhen Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing 100029, China.
| | - Yanming Li
- Department of Cardiology, Huaihe Hospital of Henan University, Kaifeng, Henan Province 475000, China.
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199
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Bellei B, Migliano E, Picardo M. A Framework of Major Tumor-Promoting Signal Transduction Pathways Implicated in Melanoma-Fibroblast Dialogue. Cancers (Basel) 2020; 12:cancers12113400. [PMID: 33212834 PMCID: PMC7697272 DOI: 10.3390/cancers12113400] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/18/2020] [Revised: 11/11/2020] [Accepted: 11/13/2020] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Simple Summary Melanoma cells reside in a complex stromal microenvironment, which is a critical component of disease onset and progression. Mesenchymal or fibroblastic cell type are the most abundant cellular element of tumor stroma. Factors secreted by melanoma cells can activate non-malignant associated fibroblasts to become melanoma associate fibroblasts (MAFs). MAFs promote tumorigenic features by remodeling the extracellular matrix, supporting tumor cells proliferation, neo-angiogenesis and drug resistance. Additionally, environmental factors may contribute to the acquisition of pro-tumorigenic phenotype of fibroblasts. Overall, in melanoma, perturbed tissue homeostasis contributes to modulation of major oncogenic intracellular signaling pathways not only in tumor cells but also in neighboring cells. Thus, targeted molecular therapies need to be considered from the reciprocal point of view of melanoma and stromal cells. Abstract The development of a modified stromal microenvironment in response to neoplastic onset is a common feature of many tumors including cutaneous melanoma. At all stages, melanoma cells are embedded in a complex tissue composed by extracellular matrix components and several different cell populations. Thus, melanomagenesis is not only driven by malignant melanocytes, but also by the altered communication between melanocytes and non-malignant cell populations, including fibroblasts, endothelial and immune cells. In particular, cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs), also referred as melanoma-associated fibroblasts (MAFs) in the case of melanoma, are the most abundant stromal cells and play a significant contextual role in melanoma initiation, progression and metastasis. As a result of dynamic intercellular molecular dialogue between tumor and the stroma, non-neoplastic cells gain specific phenotypes and functions that are pro-tumorigenic. Targeting MAFs is thus considered a promising avenue to improve melanoma therapy. Growing evidence demonstrates that aberrant regulation of oncogenic signaling is not restricted to transformed cells but also occurs in MAFs. However, in some cases, signaling pathways present opposite regulation in melanoma and surrounding area, suggesting that therapeutic strategies need to carefully consider the tumor–stroma equilibrium. In this novel review, we analyze four major signaling pathways implicated in melanomagenesis, TGF-β, MAPK, Wnt/β-catenin and Hyppo signaling, from the complementary point of view of tumor cells and the microenvironment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Barbara Bellei
- Laboratory of Cutaneous Physiopathology and Integrated Center of Metabolomics Research, San Gallicano Dermatological Institute, IRCCS, 00144 Rome, Italy;
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +39-0652666246
| | - Emilia Migliano
- Department of Plastic and Regenerative Surgery, San Gallicano Dermatological Institute, IRCCS, 00144 Rome, Italy;
| | - Mauro Picardo
- Laboratory of Cutaneous Physiopathology and Integrated Center of Metabolomics Research, San Gallicano Dermatological Institute, IRCCS, 00144 Rome, Italy;
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Liu L, Chen G, Chen T, Shi W, Hu H, Song K, Huang R, Cai H, He Y. si-SNHG5-FOXF2 inhibits TGF-β1-induced fibrosis in human primary endometrial stromal cells by the Wnt/β-catenin signalling pathway. Stem Cell Res Ther 2020; 11:479. [PMID: 33176855 PMCID: PMC7656702 DOI: 10.1186/s13287-020-01990-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/25/2020] [Accepted: 10/21/2020] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Intrauterine adhesions (IUAs) are manifestations of endometrial fibrosis characterized by inflammation and fibrinogen aggregation in the extracellular matrix (ECM). The available therapeutic interventions for IUA are insufficiently effective in the clinical setting for postoperative adhesion recurrence and infertility problems. In this study, we investigated whether si-SNHG5-FOXF2 can serve as a molecular mechanism for the inhibition of IUA fibrosis ex vivo. Methods FOXF2, TGF-β1 and collagen expression levels were measured by microarray sequencing analysis in three normal endometrium groups and six IUA patients. We induced primary human endometrial stromal cells (HESCs) into myofibroblasts (MFs) to develop an IUA cell model with various concentrations of TGF-β1 at various times. Downstream target genes of FOXF2 were screened by chromatin immunoprecipitation combined with whole-genome high-throughput sequencing (ChIP-seq). We investigated ECM formation, cell proliferation and Wnt/β-catenin signalling pathway-related proteins in primary HESCs with FOXF2 downregulation by quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR), western blotting (WB), immunohistochemistry (IHC), flow cytometry, ethylenediurea (EdU) and CCK8 assays. We identified long noncoding RNAs (lncRNA) SNHG5 as the upstream regulatory gene of FOXF2 through RNA immunoprecipitation (RIP), RNA pulldown and fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH). Finally, we examined FOXF2 expression, ECM formation, cell proliferation and Wnt/β-catenin signalling pathway-related proteins in primary HESCs upon FOXF2 downregulation. Results FOXF2 was highly expressed in the endometrium of patients with IUA. Treatment of primary HESCs with 10 ng/ml TGF-β1 for 72 h was found to be most effective for developing an IUA cell model. FOXF2 regulated multiple downstream target genes, including collagen, vimentin (VIM) and cyclin D2/DK4, by ChIP-seq and ChIP-PCR. FOXF2 downregulation inhibited TGF-β1-mediated primary HESC fibrosis, including ECM formation, cell proliferation and Wnt/β-catenin signalling pathway-related protein expression. We identified lncRNA SNHG5 as an upstream gene that directly regulates FOXF2 by RIP-seq, qRT-PCR, WB and FISH. SNHG5 downregulation suppressed FOXF2 expression in the IUA cell model, resulting in synergistic repression of the Wnt/β-catenin pathway, thereby altering TGF-β1-mediated ECM aggregation in endometrial stromal cells ex vivo. Conclusions Regulation of the Wnt/β-catenin signalling pathway and ECM formation by si-SNHG5-FOXF2 effectively inhibited the profibrotic effect of TGF-β1 on primary HESCs. This finding can provide a molecular basis for antagonizing TGF-β1-mediated fibrosis in primary HESCs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Limin Liu
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Zhujiang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Guobin Chen
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Affiliated Shenzhen Maternity & Child Healthcare Hospital, Southern Medical University, Shenzhen, China
| | - Taoliang Chen
- The National Key Clinical Specialty, The Engineering Technology Research Center of Education Ministry of China, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory on Brain Function Repair and Regeneration, Department of Neurosurgery, Zhujiang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Wenjuan Shi
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Affiliated Shenzhen Maternity & Child Healthcare Hospital, Southern Medical University, Shenzhen, China
| | - Haiyan Hu
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Affiliated Shenzhen Maternity & Child Healthcare Hospital, Southern Medical University, Shenzhen, China
| | - Kaijing Song
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Zhujiang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Ruichun Huang
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Zhujiang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Huihua Cai
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Guangdong Provincial People's Hospital, Guangdong Academy of Medical Sciences, Guangzhou, China.
| | - Yuanli He
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Zhujiang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China.
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