1
|
Meli V, Rowley AT, Veerasubramanian PK, Heedy SE, Liu WF, Wang SW. Modulation of Stiffness-Dependent Macrophage Inflammatory Responses by Collagen Deposition. ACS Biomater Sci Eng 2024; 10:2212-2223. [PMID: 38467019 PMCID: PMC11005009 DOI: 10.1021/acsbiomaterials.3c01892] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/15/2023] [Revised: 02/19/2024] [Accepted: 02/23/2024] [Indexed: 03/13/2024]
Abstract
Macrophages are innate immune cells that interact with complex extracellular matrix environments, which have varied stiffness, composition, and structure, and such interactions can lead to the modulation of cellular activity. Collagen is often used in the culture of immune cells, but the effects of substrate functionalization conditions are not typically considered. Here, we show that the solvent system used to attach collagen onto a hydrogel surface affects its surface distribution and organization, and this can modulate the responses of macrophages subsequently cultured on these surfaces in terms of their inflammatory activation and expression of adhesion and mechanosensitive molecules. Collagen was solubilized in either acetic acid (Col-AA) or N-(2-hydroxyethyl)piperazine-N'-ethanesulfonic acid (HEPES) (Col-HEP) solutions and conjugated onto soft and stiff polyacrylamide (PA) hydrogel surfaces. Bone marrow-derived macrophages cultured under standard conditions (pH 7.4) on the Col-HEP-derived surfaces exhibited stiffness-dependent inflammatory activation; in contrast, the macrophages cultured on Col-AA-derived surfaces expressed high levels of inflammatory cytokines and genes, irrespective of the hydrogel stiffness. Among the collagen receptors that were examined, leukocyte-associated immunoglobulin-like receptor-1 (LAIR-1) was the most highly expressed, and knockdown of the Lair-1 gene enhanced the secretion of inflammatory cytokines. We found that the collagen distribution was more homogeneous on Col-AA surfaces but formed aggregates on Col-HEP surfaces. The macrophages cultured on Col-AA PA hydrogels were more evenly spread, expressed higher levels of vinculin, and exerted higher traction forces compared to those of cells on Col-HEP. These macrophages on Col-AA also had higher nuclear-to-cytoplasmic ratios of yes-associated protein (YAP) and transcriptional co-activator with PDZ-binding motif (TAZ), key molecules that control inflammation and sense substrate stiffness. Our results highlight that seemingly slight variations in substrate deposition for immunobiology studies can alter critical immune responses, and this is important to elucidate in the broader context of immunomodulatory biomaterial design.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Vijaykumar
S. Meli
- Department
of Biomedical Engineering, University of
California Irvine, Irvine, California 92697, United States
- UCI
Edwards Lifesciences Foundation Cardiovascular Innovation and Research
Center, University of California Irvine, Irvine, California 92697, United States
- Department
of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of California Irvine, Irvine, California 92697, United States
| | - Andrew T. Rowley
- Department
of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of California Irvine, Irvine, California 92697, United States
| | - Praveen K. Veerasubramanian
- Department
of Biomedical Engineering, University of
California Irvine, Irvine, California 92697, United States
- UCI
Edwards Lifesciences Foundation Cardiovascular Innovation and Research
Center, University of California Irvine, Irvine, California 92697, United States
| | - Sara E. Heedy
- Department
of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of California Irvine, Irvine, California 92697, United States
| | - Wendy F. Liu
- Department
of Biomedical Engineering, University of
California Irvine, Irvine, California 92697, United States
- UCI
Edwards Lifesciences Foundation Cardiovascular Innovation and Research
Center, University of California Irvine, Irvine, California 92697, United States
- Department
of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of California Irvine, Irvine, California 92697, United States
- Department
of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, University
of California Irvine, Irvine, California 92697, United States
- Institute
for Immunology, University of California
Irvine, Irvine, California 92697, United States
| | - Szu-Wen Wang
- Department
of Biomedical Engineering, University of
California Irvine, Irvine, California 92697, United States
- Department
of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of California Irvine, Irvine, California 92697, United States
- Institute
for Immunology, University of California
Irvine, Irvine, California 92697, United States
- Chao Family
Comprehensive Cancer Center, University
of California Irvine, Irvine, California 92697, United States
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Ma L, Liang X, Yu S, Zhou J. Expression, characterization, and application potentiality evaluation of recombinant human-like collagen in Pichia pastoris. BIORESOUR BIOPROCESS 2022; 9:119. [PMID: 38647896 PMCID: PMC10992492 DOI: 10.1186/s40643-022-00606-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/08/2022] [Accepted: 10/20/2022] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Collagen is a biofunctional protein that has been widely used in many fields, including but not limited to biomedical, cosmetics and skin care, food, and novel materials. Recombinant collagen has great potential as an alternative to collagen extracted from animals because it avoids the immune response, and the yield and properties are stable. However, challenges remain in the industrial application of recombinant collagen, including improving the expression yield, reducing the cost of purification for industry and expanding applications. In this study, a cloning and recombination method was used to heterologously express the recombinant human-like collagen (RHLC) in Pichia pastoris GS115 using the pPIC9k expression vector. The RHLC expression titre was 2.33 g/L via a 5-L fermenter, and the purification was completed within 48 h and was 98% pure. The characteristics of RHLC were investigated. Furthermore, potential applications for RHLC were explored, such as basal collagen sponge preparation, forming films with chitosan and production of collagen hydrolysed peptides. RHLC has various potential applications due to its triple helical structure, thermostability, good biocompatibility and film-forming ability.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Lingling Ma
- Science Center for Future Foods, Jiangnan University, 1800 Lihu Road, Wuxi, 214122, Jiangsu, China
- Key Laboratory of Industrial Biotechnology, Ministry of Education and School of Biotechnology, Jiangnan University, 1800 Lihu Road, Wuxi, 214122, Jiangsu, China
| | - Xiaolin Liang
- Science Center for Future Foods, Jiangnan University, 1800 Lihu Road, Wuxi, 214122, Jiangsu, China
- Key Laboratory of Industrial Biotechnology, Ministry of Education and School of Biotechnology, Jiangnan University, 1800 Lihu Road, Wuxi, 214122, Jiangsu, China
| | - Shiqin Yu
- Science Center for Future Foods, Jiangnan University, 1800 Lihu Road, Wuxi, 214122, Jiangsu, China
- Key Laboratory of Industrial Biotechnology, Ministry of Education and School of Biotechnology, Jiangnan University, 1800 Lihu Road, Wuxi, 214122, Jiangsu, China
- Engineering Research Center of Ministry of Education On Food Synthetic Biotechnology, Jiangnan University, 1800 Lihu Road, Wuxi, 214122, Jiangsu, China
- Jiangsu Province Engineering Research Center of Food Synthetic Biotechnology, Jiangnan University, Wuxi, 214122, China
| | - Jingwen Zhou
- Science Center for Future Foods, Jiangnan University, 1800 Lihu Road, Wuxi, 214122, Jiangsu, China.
- Key Laboratory of Industrial Biotechnology, Ministry of Education and School of Biotechnology, Jiangnan University, 1800 Lihu Road, Wuxi, 214122, Jiangsu, China.
- Engineering Research Center of Ministry of Education On Food Synthetic Biotechnology, Jiangnan University, 1800 Lihu Road, Wuxi, 214122, Jiangsu, China.
- Jiangsu Province Engineering Research Center of Food Synthetic Biotechnology, Jiangnan University, Wuxi, 214122, China.
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Que RA, Crakes DR, Abdulhadi F, Niu C, Da Silva NA, Wang S. Tailoring Collagen to Engineer the Cellular Microenvironment. Biotechnol J 2018; 13:e1800140. [DOI: 10.1002/biot.201800140] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/03/2018] [Revised: 08/14/2018] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Richard A. Que
- Department of Biomedical EngineeringUniversity of CaliforniaIrvineCA92697USA
| | - Dale R. Crakes
- Department of Biomedical EngineeringUniversity of CaliforniaIrvineCA92697USA
| | - Faten Abdulhadi
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular EngineeringUniversity of CaliforniaIrvineCA92697USA
| | - Chun‐Hao Niu
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular EngineeringUniversity of CaliforniaIrvineCA92697USA
| | - Nancy A. Da Silva
- Department of Biomedical EngineeringUniversity of CaliforniaIrvineCA92697USA
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular EngineeringUniversity of CaliforniaIrvineCA92697USA
| | - Szu‐Wen Wang
- Department of Biomedical EngineeringUniversity of CaliforniaIrvineCA92697USA
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular EngineeringUniversity of CaliforniaIrvineCA92697USA
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Que RA, Arulmoli J, Da Silva NA, Flanagan LA, Wang SW. Recombinant collagen scaffolds as substrates for human neural stem/progenitor cells. J Biomed Mater Res A 2018; 106:1363-1372. [PMID: 29341434 DOI: 10.1002/jbm.a.36343] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/08/2017] [Revised: 12/05/2017] [Accepted: 01/10/2018] [Indexed: 02/05/2023]
Abstract
Adhesion to the microenvironment profoundly affects stem cell functions, including proliferation and differentiation, and understanding the interaction of stem cells with the microenvironment is important for controlling their behavior. In this study, we investigated the effects of the integrin binding epitopes GFOGER and IKVAV (natively present in collagen I and laminin, respectively) on human neural stem/progenitor cells (hNSPCs). To test the specificity of these epitopes, GFOGER or IKVAV were placed within the context of recombinant triple-helical collagen III engineered to be devoid of native integrin binding sites. HNSPCs adhered to collagen that presented GFOGER as the sole integrin-binding site, but not to IKVAV-containing collagen. For the GFOGER-containing collagens, antibodies against the β1 integrin subunit prevented cellular adhesion, antibodies against the α1 subunit reduced cell adhesion, and antibodies against α2 or α3 subunits had no significant effect. These results indicate that hNSPCs primarily interact with GFOGER through the α1β1 integrin heterodimer. These GFOGER-presenting collagen variants also supported differentiation of hNSPCs into neurons and astrocytes. Our findings show, for the first time, that hNSPCs can bind to the GFOGER sequence, and they provide motivation to develop hydrogels formed from recombinant collagen variants as a cell delivery scaffold. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res Part A: 106A: 1363-1372, 2018.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Richard A Que
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of California, Irvine, California, 92697
| | - Janahan Arulmoli
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of California, Irvine, California, 92697.,Sue & Bill Gross Stem Cell Research Center, University of California, Irvine, California, 92697
| | - Nancy A Da Silva
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of California, Irvine, California, 92697.,Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science, University of California, Irvine, California, 92697
| | - Lisa A Flanagan
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of California, Irvine, California, 92697.,Sue & Bill Gross Stem Cell Research Center, University of California, Irvine, California, 92697.,Department of Neurology, University of California, Irvine, California, 92697
| | - Szu-Wen Wang
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of California, Irvine, California, 92697.,Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science, University of California, Irvine, California, 92697
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Kim YK, Chu SH, Hsieh JY, Kamoku CM, Tenner AJ, Liu WF, Wang SW. Incorporation of a Ligand Peptide for Immune Inhibitory Receptor LAIR-1 on Biomaterial Surfaces Inhibits Macrophage Inflammatory Responses. Adv Healthc Mater 2017; 6. [PMID: 29083540 DOI: 10.1002/adhm.201700707] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/06/2017] [Revised: 08/22/2017] [Indexed: 01/22/2023]
Abstract
Leukocyte-associated immunoglobulin-like receptor-1 (LAIR-1) is an inhibitory receptor broadly expressed on immune cells, with its ligands residing within the extracellular matrix protein collagen. In this study, surfaces are modified with a LAIR-1 ligand peptide (LP), and it is observed that macrophages cultured on LAIR-1 LP-conjugated surfaces exhibit significantly reduced secretion of inflammatory cytokines in response to proinflammatory stimuli that reflect an injured environment. These downregulated mediators include TNF-α, MIP-1α, MIP-1β, MIP-2, RANTES, and MIG. Knockdown of LAIR-1 using siRNA abrogates this inhibition of cytokine secretion, supporting the specificity of the inhibitory effect to this receptor. These results are the first to demonstrate that integration of LAIR-1 ligands with biomaterials could suppress inflammatory responses.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Yoon Kyung Kim
- Department of Chemical Engineering & Materials Science; University of California; Irvine CA 92697 USA
- Department of Biomedical Engineering; University of California; Irvine CA 92697 USA
- The Edwards Lifesciences Center for Advanced Cardiovascular Technology; University of California; Irvine CA 92697 USA
| | - Shu-Hui Chu
- Department of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry; University of California; Irvine CA 92697 USA
| | - Jessica Y. Hsieh
- Department of Biomedical Engineering; University of California; Irvine CA 92697 USA
- The Edwards Lifesciences Center for Advanced Cardiovascular Technology; University of California; Irvine CA 92697 USA
| | - Cody M. Kamoku
- Department of Chemical Engineering & Materials Science; University of California; Irvine CA 92697 USA
| | - Andrea J. Tenner
- Department of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry; University of California; Irvine CA 92697 USA
| | - Wendy F. Liu
- Department of Chemical Engineering & Materials Science; University of California; Irvine CA 92697 USA
- Department of Biomedical Engineering; University of California; Irvine CA 92697 USA
- The Edwards Lifesciences Center for Advanced Cardiovascular Technology; University of California; Irvine CA 92697 USA
| | - Szu-Wen Wang
- Department of Chemical Engineering & Materials Science; University of California; Irvine CA 92697 USA
- Department of Biomedical Engineering; University of California; Irvine CA 92697 USA
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
Peng Z, Gao W, Yue B, Jiang J, Gu Y, Dai J, Chen L, Shi Q. Promotion of neurological recovery in rat spinal cord injury by mesenchymal stem cells loaded on nerve-guided collagen scaffold through increasing alternatively activated macrophage polarization. J Tissue Eng Regen Med 2017; 12:e1725-e1736. [PMID: 27863083 DOI: 10.1002/term.2358] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/01/2016] [Revised: 10/03/2016] [Accepted: 11/09/2016] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are characterized by multidifferentiation and immunoregulatory potential and have been used in the treatment of spinal cord injury (SCI), but direct transplantation may limit effectiveness due to their quick diffusion. The role of macrophages in healing is being increasingly recognized because of their ability to polarize into pro- and anti-inflammatory phenotypes. In the present study, nerve-guide collagen scaffold (CS) combined with rat MSCs was developed. After CS was confirmed to minimize MSC distribution in vivo by positron emission tomography (PET) imaging, the repair capacity of combined implantation of CS and MSCs and the effect on classically activated macrophage/alternatively activated macrophage (M2) polarization was assessed in a hemisected SCI rat model. In vivo studies showed that, compared to the control group, the rats in the combined implantation group exhibited more significant recovery of nerve function evidenced by the 21-point Basso-Beattie-Bresnahan score and footprint analysis. Morphological staining showed less macrophage infiltration, apoptosis and glial fibrillary acidic protein, and more neurofilaments, and the fibres were guided to grow through the implant. More M2 were observed in the combined implantation group. The data suggest that the combined implantation could support MSCs to play a protective role of SCI, not only through inhibiting chronic scar formation and providing linear guidance for the nerve, but also benefitting M2 polarization to form an anti-inflammatory environment. Thus, the combination of biomaterial and MSCs might be a prominent therapeutic treatment for SCI. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Zhan Peng
- Department of Orthopedics, the First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University. Orthopedic Institute, Soochow University, Suzhou, P.R. China
| | - Wei Gao
- Department of Orthopedics, the First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University. Orthopedic Institute, Soochow University, Suzhou, P.R. China
| | - Bing Yue
- Department of Orthopedics, the First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University. Orthopedic Institute, Soochow University, Suzhou, P.R. China
| | - Jie Jiang
- Department of Orthopedics, the First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University. Orthopedic Institute, Soochow University, Suzhou, P.R. China
| | - Yong Gu
- Department of Orthopedics, the First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University. Orthopedic Institute, Soochow University, Suzhou, P.R. China
| | - Jianwu Dai
- State Key Laboratory of Molecular Developmental Biology, Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, P.R. China
| | - Liang Chen
- Department of Orthopedics, the First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University. Orthopedic Institute, Soochow University, Suzhou, P.R. China
| | - Qin Shi
- Department of Orthopedics, the First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University. Orthopedic Institute, Soochow University, Suzhou, P.R. China
| |
Collapse
|
7
|
Tuning cellular response by modular design of bioactive domains in collagen. Biomaterials 2015; 53:309-17. [PMID: 25890729 DOI: 10.1016/j.biomaterials.2015.02.074] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/28/2014] [Revised: 02/09/2015] [Accepted: 02/15/2015] [Indexed: 02/02/2023]
Abstract
Collagen's ability to direct cellular behavior suggests that redesigning it at the molecular level could enable manipulation of cells residing in an engineered microenvironment. However, the fabrication of full-length collagen mimics of specified sequence de novo has been elusive, and applications still rely on material from native tissues. Using a bottom-up strategy, we synthesized modular genes and expressed recombinant human collagen variants in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. The resulting biopolymers contained prescribed cell-interaction sites that can direct and tune cellular responses, with retention of the important triple-helical self-assembled structure. Removal of the native integrin-binding sites GROGER, GAOGER, GLOGEN, GLKGEN, and GMOGER in human collagen III yielded collagen that did not support adhesion of mammalian cells. Introduction of GFOGER sequences to this scaffold at specified locations and densities resulted in varying degrees of cellular attachment. The recruitment of focal adhesion complexes on the different collagens ranged from a 96% reduction to a 56% increase over native collagen I. Adhesion to the GFOGER-containing variants was entirely dependent and partially dependent on the β1 and α2 subunits of integrin, respectively, with cell adhesion on average reduced by 86% with anti-β1 and 38% with anti-α2 integrin antibody incubation. Results support the importance of local context in collagen-cell interactions. The investigation demonstrates the flexibility of this approach to introduce targeted changes throughout the collagen polymer for producing fully-prescribed variants with tailored properties.
Collapse
|
8
|
Que R, Mohraz A, Da Silva NA, Wang SW. Expanding functionality of recombinant human collagen through engineered non-native cysteines. Biomacromolecules 2014; 15:3540-9. [PMID: 25144412 DOI: 10.1021/bm500735d] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
Abstract
Collagen is the most abundant protein in extracellular matrices and is commonly used as a tissue engineering scaffold. However, collagen and other biopolymers from native sources can exhibit limitations when tuning mechanical and biological properties. Cysteines do not naturally occur within the triple-helical region of any native collagen. We utilized a novel modular synthesis strategy to fabricate variants of recombinant human collagen that contained 2, 4, or 8 non-native cysteines at precisely defined locations within each biopolymer. This bottom-up approach introduced capabilities using sulfhydryl chemistry to form hydrogels and immobilize bioactive factors. Collagen variants retained their triple-helical structure and supported cellular adhesion. Hydrogels were characterized using rheology, and the storage moduli were comparable to fibrillar collagen gels at similar concentrations. Furthermore, the introduced cysteines functioned as anchoring sites, with TGF-β1-conjugated collagens promoting myofibroblast differentiation. This approach demonstrates the feasibility to produce custom-designed collagens with chemical functionality not available from native sources.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Richard Que
- Department of Biomedical Engineering and ‡Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science, University of California , Irvine, California 92697, United States
| | | | | | | |
Collapse
|