Mitsugumin-53: potential biomarker and therapeutic for myocardial ischemic injury?

MG53 suppresses NFκB activation to mitigate age-related heart failure

Aging is associated with chronic oxidative stress and inflammation that impact the tissue repair and regeneration capacity. MG53 is a TRIM family protein that facilitates repair of cell membrane injury in a redox-dependent manner. Here we demonstrate that the expression of MG53 is reduced in failing human heart and aging mouse heart, concomitant with elevated NFκB activation. We evaluate the safety and efficacy of longitudinal, systemic administration of recombinant human MG53 (rhMG53) protein in aged mice. Echocardiography and pressure-volume loop measurements reveal beneficial effects of rhMG53 treatment in improving heart function of aging mice. Biochemical and histological studies demonstrate the cardioprotective effects of rhMG53 are linked to suppression of NFκB-mediated inflammation, reducing apoptotic cell death and oxidative stress in the aged heart. Repetitive administrations of rhMG53 in aged mice do not have adverse effects on major vital organ functions. These findings support the therapeutic value of rhMG53 in treating age-related decline in cardiac function.

Post-Translational S-Nitrosylation of Proteins in Regulating Cardiac Oxidative Stress

Like other post-translational modifications (PTMs) of proteins, S-nitrosylation has been considered a key regulatory mechanism of multiple cellular functions in many physiological and disease conditions. Emerging evidence has demonstrated that S-nitrosylation plays a crucial role in regulating redox homeostasis in the stressed heart, leading to discoveries in the mechanisms underlying the pathogenesis of heart diseases and cardiac protection. In this review, we summarize recent studies in understanding the molecular and biological basis of S-nitrosylation, including the formation, spatiotemporal specificity, homeostatic regulation, and association with cellular redox status. We also outline the currently available methods that have been applied to detect S-nitrosylation. Additionally, we synopsize the up-to-date studies of S-nitrosylation in various cardiac diseases in humans and animal models, and we discuss its therapeutic potential in cardiac protection. These pieces of information would bring new insights into understanding the role of S-nitrosylation in cardiac pathogenesis and provide novel avenues for developing novel therapeutic strategies for heart diseases.

MG53 promotes corneal wound healing and mitigates fibrotic remodeling in rodents

The cornea plays an important role in transmitting light and providing protection to the eye, but is susceptible to injury and infection. Standard treatments for corneal wounds include topical lubricants, antibiotics, bandage contact lens, and surgery. However, these measures are often ineffective. Here we show that MG53, a protein with an essential role in cell membrane repair, contributes to the corneal injury-repair process. Native MG53 is present in the corneal epithelia, tear film, and aqueous humor, suggesting its potential function in corneal homeostasis. Knockout of MG53 in mice causes impaired healing and regenerative capacity following injury. Exogenous recombinant human MG53 (rhMG53) protein protects the corneal epithelia against mechanical injury and enhances healing by promoting migration of corneal fibroblasts. Using in vivo alkaline-induced injury to the rat cornea, we show that rhMG53 promotes re-epithelialization and reduces post-injury fibrosis and vascularization. Finally, we show that rhMG53 modulates TGF-β-mediated fibrotic remodeling associated with corneal injury. Overall, our data support the bi-functional role of MG53 in facilitating corneal healing and maintaining corneal transparency by reducing fibrosis and vascularization associated with corneal injuries.

Heather Chandler, Tao Tan, Chunlin Yang et al. find that the cell membrane repair protein MG53 plays a key role in repairing cornea injury. Using mouse and rat models, they show that recombinant human MG53 protects the cornea against injury and enhances healing.

Lack of MG53 in human heart precludes utility as a biomarker of myocardial injury or endogenous cardioprotective factor

AIMS

Mitsugumin-53 (MG53/TRIM72) is an E3-ubiquitin ligase that rapidly accumulates at sites of membrane injury and plays an important role in membrane repair of skeletal and cardiac muscle. MG53 has been implicated in cardiac ischaemia-reperfusion injury, and serum MG53 provides a biomarker of skeletal muscle injury in the mdx mouse model of Duchenne muscular dystrophy. We evaluated the clinical utility of MG53 as a biomarker of myocardial injury.

METHODS AND RESULTS

We performed Langendorff ischaemia-reperfusion injury on wild-type and dysferlin-null murine hearts, using dysferlin deficiency to effectively model more severe outcomes from cardiac ischaemia-reperfusion injury. MG53 released into the coronary effluent correlated strongly and significantly (r = 0.79-0.85, P < 0.0001) with functional impairment after ischaemic injury. We initiated a clinical trial in paediatric patients undergoing corrective heart surgery, the first study of MG53 release with myocardial injury in humans. Unexpectedly, we reveal although MG53 is robustly expressed in rat and mouse hearts, MG53 is scant to absent in human, ovine, or porcine hearts. Absence of MG53 in 11 human heart specimens was confirmed using three separate antibodies to MG53, each subject to epitope mapping and confirmed immunospecificity using MG53-deficient muscle cells.

CONCLUSION

MG53 is an effective biomarker of myocardial injury and dysfunction in murine hearts. However, MG53 is not expressed in human heart and therefore does not hold utility as a clinical biomarker of myocardial injury. Although cardioprotective roles for endogenous myocardial MG53 cannot be extrapolated from rodents to humans, potential therapeutic application of recombinant MG53 for myocardial membrane injury prevails.