On-Off Kinetics of Engagement of FNI Modules of Soluble Fibronectin by β-Strand Addition

Fibronectin-targeted FUD and PEGylated FUD peptides for fibrotic diseases

Tissue fibrosis is characterized by excessive deposition of extracellular matrix (ECM) molecules. Fibronectin (FN) is a glycoprotein found in the blood and tissues, a key player in the assembly of ECM through interaction with cellular and extracellular components. Functional Upstream Domain (FUD), a peptide derived from an adhesin protein of bacteria, has a high binding affinity for the N-terminal 70-kDa domain of FN that plays a crucial role in FN polymerization. In this regard, FUD peptide has been characterized as a potent inhibitor of FN matrix assembly, reducing excessive ECM accumulation. Furthermore, PEGylated FUD was developed to prevent rapid elimination of FUD and enhance its systemic exposure in vivo. Herein, we summarize the development of FUD peptide as a potential anti-fibrotic agent and its application in experimental fibrotic diseases. In addition, we discuss how modification of the FUD peptide via PEGylation impacts pharmacokinetic profiles of the FUD peptide and can potentially contribute to anti-fibrosis therapy.

Multimodal imaging demonstrates enhanced tumor exposure of PEGylated FUD peptide in breast cancer

In breast cancer, the extracellular matrix (ECM) undergoes remodeling and changes the tumor microenvironment to support tumor progression and metastasis. Fibronectin (FN) assembly is an important step in the regulation of the tumor microenvironment since the FN matrix precedes the deposition of various other ECM proteins, controls immune cell infiltration, and serves as a reservoir for cytokines and growth factors. Therefore, FN is an attractive target for breast cancer therapy and imaging. Functional Upstream Domain (FUD) is a 6-kDa peptide targeting the N-terminal 70-kDa domain of FN, which is critical for fibrillogenesis. FUD has previously been shown to function as an anti-fibrotic peptide both in vitro and in vivo. In this work, we conjugated the FUD peptide with 20-kDa of PEG (PEG-FUD) and demonstrated its improved tumor exposure compared to non-PEGylated FUD in a murine breast cancer model via multiple imaging modalities. Importantly, PEG-FUD peptide retained a nanomolar binding affinity for FN and maintained in vitro plasma stability for up to 48 h. Cy5-labeled PEG-FUD bound to exogenous or endogenous FN assembled by fibroblasts. The in vivo fluorescence imaging with Cy5-labeled FUD and FUD conjugates demonstrated that PEGylation of the FUD peptide enhanced blood exposure after subcutaneous (SC) injection and significantly increased accumulation of FUD peptide in 4T1 mammary tumors. Intravital microscopy confirmed that Cy5-labeled PEG-FUD deposited mostly in the extravascular region of the tumor microenvironment after SC administration. Lastly, positron emission tomography/computed tomography imaging showed that ⁶⁴Cu-labeled PEG-FUD preferentially accumulated in the 4T1 tumors with improved tumor uptake compared to ⁶⁴Cu-labeled FUD (48 h: 1.35 ± 0.05 vs. 0.59 ± 0.03 %IA/g, P < 0.001) when injected intravenously (IV). The results indicate that PEG-FUD targets 4T1 breast cancer with enhanced tumor retention compared to non-PEGylated FUD, and biodistribution profiles of PEG-FUD after SC and IV injection may guide the optimization of PEG-FUD as a therapeutic and/or imaging agent for use in vivo.

A new mechanism of fibronectin fibril assembly revealed by live imaging and super-resolution microscopy

Fibronectin (Fn1) fibrils have long been viewed as continuous fibers composed of extended, periodically aligned Fn1 molecules. However, our live-imaging and single-molecule localization microscopy data are inconsistent with this traditional view and show that Fn1 fibrils are composed of roughly spherical nanodomains containing six to eleven Fn1 dimers. As they move toward the cell center, Fn1 nanodomains become organized into linear arrays, in which nanodomains are spaced with an average periodicity of 105±17 nm. Periodical Fn1 nanodomain arrays can be visualized between cells in culture and within tissues; they are resistant to deoxycholate treatment and retain nanodomain periodicity in the absence of cells. The nanodomain periodicity in fibrils remained constant when probed with antibodies recognizing distinct Fn1 epitopes or combinations of antibodies recognizing epitopes spanning the length of Fn1. Treatment with FUD, a peptide that binds the Fn1 N-terminus and disrupts Fn1 fibrillogenesis, blocked the organization of Fn1 nanodomains into periodical arrays. These studies establish a new paradigm of Fn1 fibrillogenesis. This article has an associated First Person interview with the first author of the paper.

Multiple Cryptic Binding Sites are Necessary for Robust Fibronectin Assembly: An In Silico Study

The mechanism of assembly of the extracellular matrix protein fibronectin (FN) into elastic, insoluble fibrils is still poorly understood. FN fibrillogenesis requires cell-generated forces, which expose cryptic FN-FN binding sites buried in FN Type III domains. The number and location of cryptic binding sites have been debated, but experimental evidence suggests multiple domains may contain FN-FN binding sites. The requirement of cell-dependent forces to generate FN fibrils restricts investigation of the mechanism of assembly. To address this, we use a recently developed biophysical model of fibrillogenesis to test competing hypotheses for the location and number of cryptic FN-FN binding sites and quantify the effect of these molecular alterations on assembled FN fibril properties. Simulations predict that a single FN-FN binding site facilitates either negligible fibrillogenesis or produces FN fibrils that are neither robust nor physiological. However, inclusion of multiple FN-FN binding sites predicts robust fibrillogenesis, which minimally depends on individual domain properties. Multiple FN-FN binding site models predict a heterogeneous fibril population that contains two distinct phenotypes with unique viscoelastic properties, which we speculate may play a key role in generating heterogeneous mechanical signaling in the extracellular matrix of developing and regenerating tissues.

Disruption of fibronectin matrix affects type IV collagen, fibrillin and laminin deposition into extracellular matrix of human trabecular meshwork (HTM) cells

Fibronectin fibrils are a major component of the extracellular matrix (ECM) of the trabecular meshwork (TM). They are a key mediator of the formation of the ECM which controls aqueous humor outflow and contributes to the pathogenesis of glaucoma. The purpose of this work was to determine if a fibronectin-binding peptide called FUD, derived from the Streptococcus pyogenes Functional Upstream Domain of the F1 adhesin protein, could be used to control fibronectin fibrillogenesis and hence ECM formation under conditions where its expression was induced by treatment with the glucocorticoid dexamethasone. FUD was very effective at preventing fibronectin fibrillogenesis in the presence or absence of steroid treatment as well as the removal of existing fibronectin fibrils. Disruption of fibronectin fibrillogenesis by FUD also disrupted the incorporation of type IV collagen, laminin and fibrillin into the ECM. The effect of FUD on these other protein matrices, however, was found to be dependent upon the maturity of the ECM when FUD was added. FUD effectively disrupted the incorporation of these other proteins into matrices when added to newly confluent cells that were forming a nascent ECM. In contrast, FUD had no effect on these other protein matrices if the cell cultures already possessed a pre-formed, mature ECM. Our studies indicate that FUD can be used to control fibronectin fibrillogenesis and that these fibrils play a role in regulating the assembly of other ECM protein into matrices involving type IV collagen, laminin, and fibrillin within the TM. This suggests that under in vivo conditions, FUD would selectively disrupt fibronectin fibrils and de novo assembly of other proteins into the ECM. Finally, our studies suggest that targeting fibronectin fibril assembly may be a viable treatment for POAG as well as other glaucomas involving excessive or abnormal matrix deposition of the ECM.

Amino acid polymorphisms in the fibronectin-binding repeats of fibronectin-binding protein A affect bond strength and fibronectin conformation

The Staphylococcus aureus cell surface contains cell wall-anchored proteins such as fibronectin-binding protein A (FnBPA) that bind to host ligands (e.g. fibronectin; Fn) present in the extracellular matrix of tissue or coatings on cardiac implants. Recent clinical studies have found a correlation between cardiovascular infections caused by S. aureus and nonsynonymous SNPs in FnBPA. Atomic force microscopy (AFM), surface plasmon resonance (SPR), and molecular simulations were used to investigate interactions between Fn and each of eight 20-mer peptide variants containing amino acids Ala, Asn, Gln, His, Ile, and Lys at positions equivalent to 782 and/or 786 in Fn-binding repeat-9 of FnBPA. Experimentally measured bond lifetimes (1/k_off) and dissociation constants (K_d = k_off/k_on), determined by mechanically dissociating the Fn·peptide complex at loading rates relevant to the cardiovascular system, varied from the lowest-affinity H782A/K786A peptide (0.011 s, 747 μm) to the highest-affinity H782Q/K786N peptide (0.192 s, 15.7 μm). These atomic force microscopy results tracked remarkably well to metadynamics simulations in which peptide detachment was defined solely by the free-energy landscape. Simulations and SPR experiments suggested that an Fn conformational change may enhance the stability of the binding complex for peptides with K786I or H782Q/K786I (K_d^app = 0.2-0.5 μm, as determined by SPR) compared with the lowest-affinity double-alanine peptide (K_d^app = 3.8 μm). Together, these findings demonstrate that amino acid substitutions in Fn-binding repeat-9 can significantly affect bond strength and influence the conformation of Fn upon binding. They provide a mechanistic explanation for the observation of nonsynonymous SNPs in fnbA among clinical isolates of S. aureus that cause endovascular infections.

Dynamic structure of plasma fibronectin

Fibronectin is a large vertebrate glycoprotein that is found in soluble and insoluble forms and involved in diverse processes. Protomeric fibronectin is a dimer of subunits, each of which comprises 29-31 modules - 12 type I, two type II and 15-17 type III. Plasma fibronectin is secreted by hepatocytes and circulates in a compact conformation before it binds to cell surfaces, converts to an extended conformation and is assembled into fibronectin fibrils. Here we review biophysical and structural studies that have shed light on how plasma fibronectin transitions from the compact to the extended conformation. The three types of modules each have a well-organized secondary and tertiary structure as defined by NMR and crystallography and have been likened to "beads on a string". There are flexible sequences in the N-terminal tail, between the fifth and sixth type I modules, between the first two and last two of the type III modules, and at the C-terminus. Several specific module-module interactions have been identified that likely maintain the compact quaternary structure of circulating fibronectin. The quaternary structure is perturbed in response to binding events, including binding of fibronectin to the surface of vertebrate cells for fibril assembly and to bacterial adhesins.