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Pedersen RS, Nissen NI, Jensen C, Thorlacius-Ussing J, Manon-Jensen T, Olesen ML, Langholm LL, Diab HMH, Jorgensen LN, Hansen CP, Chen IM, Johansen JS, Karsdal MA, Willumsen N. Plasma Kallikrein-Activated TGF-β Is Prognostic for Poor Overall Survival in Patients with Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma and Associates with Increased Fibrogenesis. Biomolecules 2022; 12:biom12091315. [PMID: 36139154 PMCID: PMC9496221 DOI: 10.3390/biom12091315] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/19/2022] [Revised: 09/12/2022] [Accepted: 09/15/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is a hard-to-treat cancer due to the collagen-rich (fibrotic) and immune-suppressed microenvironment. A major driver of this phenomenon is transforming growth factor beta (TGF-β). TGF-β is produced in an inactive complex with a latency-associated protein (LAP) that can be cleaved by plasma kallikrein (PLK), hereby releasing active TGF-β. The aim of this study was to evaluate LAP cleaved by PLK as a non-invasive biomarker for PDAC and tumor fibrosis. An ELISA was developed for the quantification of PLK-cleaved LAP-TGF-β in the serum of 34 patients with PDAC (stage 1−4) and 20 healthy individuals. Biomarker levels were correlated with overall survival (OS) and compared to serum type III collagen (PRO-C3) and type VI collagen (PRO-C6) pro-peptides. PLK-cleaved LAP-TGF-β was higher in patients with PDAC compared to healthy individuals (p < 0.0001). High levels (>median) of PLK-cleaved LAP-TGF-β were associated with poor OS in patients with PDAC independent of age and stage (HR 2.57, 95% CI: 1.22−5.44, p = 0.0135). High levels of PLK-cleaved LAP-TGF-β were associated with high PRO-C3 and PRO-C6, indicating a relationship between the PLK-cleaved LAP-TGF-β fragment, TGF-β activity, and tumor fibrosis. If these preliminary results are validated, circulating PLK-cleaved LAP-TGF-β may be a biomarker for future clinical trials.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rasmus S. Pedersen
- Nordic Bioscience, 2730 Herlev, Denmark
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, 2200 Copenhagen, Denmark
- Correspondence:
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | - Hadi M. H. Diab
- Digestive Disease Center, Bispebjerg and Frederiksberg Hospital, University of Copenhagen, 2400 Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Lars N. Jorgensen
- Digestive Disease Center, Bispebjerg and Frederiksberg Hospital, University of Copenhagen, 2400 Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Carsten P. Hansen
- Department of Surgery, Rigshospitalet, University of Copenhagen, 2100 Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Inna M. Chen
- Department of Oncology, Herlev and Gentofte Hospital, University of Copenhagen, 2730 Herlev, Denmark
| | - Julia S. Johansen
- Department of Oncology, Herlev and Gentofte Hospital, University of Copenhagen, 2730 Herlev, Denmark
- Department of Medicine, Herlev and Gentofte Hospital, University of Copenhagen, 2730 Herlev, Denmark
- Department of Clinical Medicine, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, 2200 Copenhagen, Denmark
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The versatile role of the contact system in cardiovascular disease, inflammation, sepsis and cancer. Biomed Pharmacother 2021; 145:112429. [PMID: 34801854 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopha.2021.112429] [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: 10/15/2021] [Revised: 11/09/2021] [Accepted: 11/12/2021] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
The human contact system consists of plasma proteins, which - after contact to foreign surfaces - are bound to them, thereby activating the zymogens of the system into enzymes. This activation mechanism gave the system its name - contact system. It is considered as a procoagulant and proinflammatory response mechanism, as activation finally leads to the generation of fibrin and bradykinin. To date, no physiological processes have been described that are mediated by contact activation. However, contact system factors play a pathophysiological role in numerous diseases, such as cardiovascular diseases, arthritis, colitis, sepsis, and cancer. Contact system factors are therefore an interesting target for new therapeutic options in different clinical conditions.
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Inoue I, Qin XY, Masaki T, Mezaki Y, Matsuura T, Kojima S, Furutani Y. Latency-associated Peptide Degradation Fragments Produced in Stellate Cells and Phagocytosed by Macrophages in Bile Duct-ligated Mouse Liver. J Histochem Cytochem 2021; 69:723-730. [PMID: 34674567 DOI: 10.1369/00221554211053665] [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: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β) activation is involved in various pathogeneses, such as fibrosis and malignancy. We previously showed that TGF-β was activated by serine protease plasma kallikrein-dependent digestion of latency-associated peptides (LAPs) and developed a method to detect LAP degradation products (LAP-DPs) in the liver and blood using specific monoclonal antibodies. Clinical studies have revealed that blood LAP-DPs are formed in the early stages of liver fibrosis. This study aimed to identify the cell source of LAP-DP formation during liver fibrosis. The N-terminals of LAP-DPs ending at residue Arg58 (R58) were stained in liver sections of a bile duct-ligated liver fibrosis model at 3 and 13 days. R58 LAP-DPs were detected in quiescent hepatic stellate cells at day 3 and in macrophages on day 13 after ligation of the bile duct. We then performed a detailed analysis of the axial localization of R58 signals in a single macrophage, visualized the cell membrane with the anti-CLEC4F antibody, and found R58 LAP-DPs surrounded by the membrane in phagocytosed debris that appeared to be dead cells. These findings suggest that in the early stages of liver fibrosis, TGF-β is activated on the membrane of stellate cells, and then the cells are phagocytosed after cell death.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ikuyo Inoue
- RIKEN Cluster for Pioneering Research Liver Cancer Prevention Research Unit, Saitama, Japan
| | - Xian-Yang Qin
- RIKEN Cluster for Pioneering Research Liver Cancer Prevention Research Unit, Saitama, Japan
| | - Takahiro Masaki
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, The Jikei University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Yoshihiro Mezaki
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, The Jikei University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Tomokazu Matsuura
- RIKEN Cluster for Pioneering Research Liver Cancer Prevention Research Unit, Saitama, Japan.,Department of Laboratory Medicine, The Jikei University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Soichi Kojima
- RIKEN Cluster for Pioneering Research Liver Cancer Prevention Research Unit, Saitama, Japan
| | - Yutaka Furutani
- RIKEN Cluster for Pioneering Research Liver Cancer Prevention Research Unit, Saitama, Japan
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