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Piludu M, Pichiri G, Coni P, Piras M, Congiu T, Faa G, Lachowicz JI. Cell starvation increases uptake of extracellular Thymosin β4 and its complexes with calcium. Int Immunopharmacol 2023; 116:109743. [PMID: 36706591 DOI: 10.1016/j.intimp.2023.109743] [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: 11/15/2022] [Revised: 01/09/2023] [Accepted: 01/09/2023] [Indexed: 01/26/2023]
Abstract
Cell metastasis is the main cause of cancer mortality. Inhibiting early events during cell metastasis and invasion could significantly improve cancer prognosis, but the initial mechanisms of cell transition and migration are barely known. Calcium regulates cell migration, whilst Thymosin β4 is a G-actin and iron binding peptide associated with tumor metastasis and ferroptosis. Under normal cell growth conditions, intracellular free calcium ions and Thymosin β4 concentrations are strictly regulated, and are not influenced by extracellular supplementation. However, cell starvation decreases intracellular Thymosin β4 and increases extracellular peptide uptake above the normal range. Unexpectedly, cell starvation significantly increases internalization of extracellular Ca2+/Thymosin β4 complexes. Elucidating the role of Ca2+/Thymosin β4 in the early events of metastasis will likely be important in the future to develop therapies targeting metastasis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marco Piludu
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Cagliari, Cagliari, Italy
| | - Giuseppina Pichiri
- Department of Medical Sciences and Public Health, University of Cagliari, Cagliari, Italy
| | - Pierpaolo Coni
- Department of Medical Sciences and Public Health, University of Cagliari, Cagliari, Italy
| | - Monica Piras
- Department of Medical Sciences and Public Health, University of Cagliari, Cagliari, Italy
| | - Terenzio Congiu
- Department of Medical Sciences and Public Health, University of Cagliari, Cagliari, Italy
| | - Gavino Faa
- Department of Medical Sciences and Public Health, University of Cagliari, Cagliari, Italy
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Piras M, Gerosa C, Congiu T, Cau F, Fanni D, Pichiri G, Coni P, Lachowicz JI, Schirru E, Congia M, Rossino R, Muntoni S, Jaremko M, Piludu M. Toward the renal vesicle: Ultrastructural investigation of the cap mesenchyme splitting process in the developing kidney. J Public Health Res 2022; 11:22799036221124076. [PMID: 36310827 PMCID: PMC9597041 DOI: 10.1177/22799036221124076] [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: 06/23/2022] [Accepted: 08/02/2022] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Background A complex sequence of morphogenetic events leads to the development of the adult mouse kidney. In the present study, we investigated the morphological events that characterize the early stages of the mesenchymal-to-epithelial transition of cap mesenchymal cells, analyzing in depth the relationship between cap mesenchymal induction and ureteric bud (UB) branching. Design and methods Normal kidneys of newborn non-obese diabetic (NOD) mice were excised and prepared for light and electron microscopic examination. Results Nephrogenesis was evident in the outer portion of the renal cortex of all examined samples. This process was mainly due to the interaction of two primordial derivatives, the ureteric bud and the metanephric mesenchyme. Early renal developmental stages were initially characterized by the formation of a continuous layer of condensed mesenchymal cells around the tips of the ureteric buds. These caps of mesenchymal cells affected the epithelial cells of the underlying ureteric bud, possibly inducing their growth and branching. Conclusions The present study provides morphological evidence of the reciprocal induction between the ureteric bud and the metanephric mesenchyme showing that the ureteric buds convert mesenchyme to epithelium that in turn stimulates the growth and the branching of the ureteric bud.
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Affiliation(s)
- Monica Piras
- Department of Medical Sciences and
Public Health, AOU, University of Cagliari, Cagliari, Sardegna, Italy
| | - Clara Gerosa
- Department of Medical Sciences and
Public Health, AOU, University of Cagliari, Cagliari, Sardegna, Italy
| | - Terenzio Congiu
- Department of Medical Sciences and
Public Health, AOU, University of Cagliari, Cagliari, Sardegna, Italy,Terenzio Congiu, Department of Medical
Sciences and Public Health, AOU, University of Cagliari, Via Ospedale Cagliari,
Cagliari, Sardegna 09124, Italy.
| | - Flaviana Cau
- Department of Medical Sciences and
Public Health, AOU, University of Cagliari, Cagliari, Sardegna, Italy
| | - Daniela Fanni
- Department of Medical Sciences and
Public Health, AOU, University of Cagliari, Cagliari, Sardegna, Italy
| | - Giuseppina Pichiri
- Department of Medical Sciences and
Public Health, AOU, University of Cagliari, Cagliari, Sardegna, Italy
| | - Pierpaolo Coni
- Department of Medical Sciences and
Public Health, AOU, University of Cagliari, Cagliari, Sardegna, Italy
| | - Joanna Izabela Lachowicz
- Department of Medical Sciences and
Public Health, AOU, University of Cagliari, Cagliari, Sardegna, Italy
| | - Enrico Schirru
- CeSaSASt. Centro Servizi di Ateneo per
gli Stabulari, University of Cagliari, Cagliari, Sardegna, Italy
| | - Mauro Congia
- Unit of Pediatric Gastroenterology,
Microcitemico Hospital, Cagliari, Cagliari, Sardegna, Italy
| | - Rossano Rossino
- Department of Medical Sciences and
Public Health, AOU, University of Cagliari, Cagliari, Sardegna, Italy
| | - Sandro Muntoni
- Department of Biomedical Sciences,
University of Cagliari, Cagliari, Sardegna, Italy
| | - Mariusz Jaremko
- Biological and Environmental Sciences
& Engineering Division (BESE), King Abdullah University of Science and
Technology (KAUST), Thuwal, Saudi Arabia
| | - Marco Piludu
- Department of Biomedical Sciences,
University of Cagliari, Cagliari, Sardegna, Italy,Consorzio Interuniversitario per lo
Sviluppo dei Sistemi a Grande Interfase (CSGI), Sesto Fiorentino, Italy
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Coni P, Piras M, Mateddu A, Piludu M, Orru G, Scano A, Cabras T, Piras V, Lachowicz JI, Jaremko M, Faa G, Castagnola M, Pichiri G. Thymosin β4 cytoplasmic/nuclear translocation as a new marker of cellular stress. A Caco2 case study. RSC Adv 2020; 10:12680-12688. [PMID: 35497634 PMCID: PMC9051466 DOI: 10.1039/c9ra10365a] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/11/2019] [Accepted: 03/20/2020] [Indexed: 01/22/2023] Open
Abstract
Biomarkers of cell stress are important for proper diagnosis, and in studies of how cells respond to drug treatment. Biomarkers that respond early to pharmacological treatment could improve therapy by tailoring the treatment to the needs of the patient. Thymosin beta-4 (Tβ4) plays a significant role in many aspects of cellular metabolism because of its actin-sequestering properties. Other physiological functions of Tβ4 have been also reported. Among these, Tβ4 may play a crucial role during cellular stress. We addressed the relevance of Tβ4 in cellular stress conditions by using different treatments (serum starvation, DMSO, and butyrate administration) in a colon adenocarcinoma cell line (CaCo2), a cell line frequently used for in vitro experimental studies of Tβ4. In this study, different stress stimuli were analyzed and the obtained results were compared using immunocytochemistry, and molecular and biochemical methods. Taken together, the data clearly indicate that the Tβ4 peptide is involved in adaptive and defensive cellular mechanisms, and that different stress inducers lead to a similar Tβ4 cytoplasmic/nuclear translocation. The translocation of Tβ4 between the cytoplasm and the nucleus of the cell seems characteristic of a possible molecular response to cellular stress exerted by this peptide. Biomarkers of cell stress are important for proper diagnosis, and in studies of how cells respond to drug treatment.![]()
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Abstract
The molecular mechanisms of thymosin beta-4 (TB4) involved in regulating hepatic stellate cell (HSC) functions remain unclear. Therefore, we hypothesize that TB4 influences HSC activation through hedgehog (Hh) pathway. HSC functions declined in a TB4 siRNA-treated LX-2. TB4 suppression down-regulated both integrin linked kinase (ILK), an activator of smoothened, and phosphorylated glycogen synthase kinase 3 beta (pGSK-3B), an inactive form of GSK-3B degrading glioblastoma 2 (GLI2), followed by the decreased expression of both smoothened and GLI2. A TB4 CRISPR also blocked the activation of primary HSCs, with decreased expression of smoothened, GLI2 and ILK compared with cells transfected with nontargeting control CRISPR. Double immunostaining and an immunoprecipitation assay revealed that TB4 interacted with either smoothened at the cytoplasm or GLI2 at the nucleus in LX-2. Smoothened suppression in primary HSCs using a Hh antagonist or adenovirus transduction decreased TB4 expression with the reduced activation of HSCs. Tb4-overexpressing transgenic mice treated with CCl4 were susceptible to the development hepatic fibrosis with higher levels of ILK, pGSK3b, and Hh activity, as compared with wild-type mice. These findings demonstrate that TB4 regulates HSC activation by influencing the activity of Smoothened and GLI2, suggesting TB4 as a novel therapeutic target in liver disease.
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Piludu M, Piras M, Pichiri G, Coni P, Orrù G, Cabras T, Messana I, Faa G, Castagnola M. Thymosin beta 4 may translocate from the cytoplasm in to the nucleus in HepG2 cells following serum starvation. An ultrastructural study. PLoS One 2015; 10:e0119642. [PMID: 25835495 PMCID: PMC4383617 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0119642] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/30/2014] [Accepted: 02/02/2015] [Indexed: 02/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Due to its actin-sequestering properties, thymosin beta-4 (Tβ4) is considered to play a significant role in the cellular metabolism. Several physiological properties of Tβ4 have been reported;, however, many questions concerning its cellular function remain to be ascertained. To better understand the role of this small peptide we have analyzed by means of transmission immunoelectron microscopy techniques the ultrastructural localization of Tβ4 in HepG2 cells. Samples of HepG2 cells were fixed in a mixture of 3% formaldehyde and 0.1% glutaraldehyde in 0.1 M cacodylate buffer and processed for standard electron microscopic techniques. The samples were dehydrated in a cold graded methanol series and embedded in LR gold resin. Ultrathin sections were labeled with rabbit antibodies to Tβ4, followed by gold-labeled goat anti-rabbit, stained with uranyl acetate and bismuth subnitrate, observed and photographed in a JEOL 100S transmission electron microscope. High-resolution electron microscopy showed that Tβ4 was mainly restricted to the cytoplasm of HepG2 growing in complete medium. A strong Tβ4 reactivity was detected in the perinuclear region of the cytoplasmic compartment where gold particles appeared strictly associated to the nuclear membrane. In the nucleus specific Tβ4 labeling was observed in the nucleolus. The above electron microscopic results confirm and extend previous observations at light microscopic level, highlighting the subcellular distribution of Tβ4 in both cytoplasmic and nuclear compartments of HepG2 cells. The meaning of Tβ4 presence in the nucleolus is not on the best of our knowledge clarified yet. It could account for the interaction of Tβ4 with nucleolar actin and according with this hypothesis, Tβ4 could contribute together with the other nucleolar acting binding proteins to modulate the transcription activity of the RNA polymerases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marco Piludu
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Cagliari, Cagliari, Italy
| | - Monica Piras
- Divisione di Anatomia Patologica, Dipartimento di Citomorfologia, University of Cagliari, Cagliari, Italy
| | - Giuseppina Pichiri
- Divisione di Anatomia Patologica, Dipartimento di Citomorfologia, University of Cagliari, Cagliari, Italy
- * E-mail:
| | - Pierpaolo Coni
- Divisione di Anatomia Patologica, Dipartimento di Citomorfologia, University of Cagliari, Cagliari, Italy
| | - Germano Orrù
- OBL, Department of Surgical Sciences, University of Cagliari, Cagliari, Italy
| | - Tiziana Cabras
- Dipartimento di Scienze della Vita e dell’Ambiente, Universitadi Cagliari, Cagliari, Italy
| | - Irene Messana
- Dipartimento di Scienze della Vita e dell’Ambiente, Universitadi Cagliari, Cagliari, Italy
| | - Gavino Faa
- Divisione di Anatomia Patologica, Dipartimento di Citomorfologia, University of Cagliari, Cagliari, Italy
| | - Massimo Castagnola
- Istituto di Biochimica e di Biochimica Clinica, Universita`Cattolica, Roma, Italy
- Istituto per la Chimica del Riconoscimento Molecolare, CNR, IstitutoScientifico, Internazionale (ISI) Paolo VI, Roma, Italy
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