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Kenny FN, Marcotti S, De Freitas DB, Drudi EM, Leech V, Bell RE, Easton J, Díaz-de-la-Loza MDC, Fleck R, Allison L, Philippeos C, Manhart A, Shaw TJ, Stramer BM. Autocrine IL-6 drives cell and extracellular matrix anisotropy in scar fibroblasts. Matrix Biol 2023; 123:1-16. [PMID: 37660739 PMCID: PMC10878985 DOI: 10.1016/j.matbio.2023.08.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/15/2023] [Revised: 07/31/2023] [Accepted: 08/26/2023] [Indexed: 09/05/2023]
Abstract
Fibrosis is associated with dramatic changes in extracellular matrix (ECM) architecture of unknown etiology. Here we exploit keloid scars as a paradigm to understand fibrotic ECM organization. We reveal that keloid patient fibroblasts uniquely produce a globally aligned ECM network in 2-D culture as observed in scar tissue. ECM anisotropy develops after rapid initiation of a fibroblast supracellular actin network, suggesting that cell alignment initiates ECM patterning. Keloid fibroblasts produce elevated levels of IL-6, and autocrine IL-6 production is both necessary and sufficient to induce cell and ECM alignment, as evidenced by ligand stimulation of normal dermal fibroblasts and treatment of keloid fibroblasts with the function blocking IL-6 receptor monoclonal antibody, tocilizumab. Downstream of IL-6, supracellular organization of keloid fibroblasts is controlled by activation of cell-cell adhesion. Adhesion formation inhibits contact-induced cellular overlap leading to nematic organization of cells and an alignment of focal adhesions. Keloid fibroblasts placed on isotropic ECM align the pre-existing matrix, suggesting that focal adhesion alignment leads to active anisotropic remodeling. These results show that IL-6-induced fibroblast cooperativity can control the development of a nematic ECM, highlighting both IL-6 signaling and cell-cell adhesions as potential therapeutic targets to inhibit this common feature of fibrosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fiona N Kenny
- Randall Centre for Cell and Molecular Biophysics, King's College London, London, UK
| | - Stefania Marcotti
- Randall Centre for Cell and Molecular Biophysics, King's College London, London, UK
| | | | - Elena M Drudi
- Centre for Inflammation Biology & Cancer Immunology, Department of Inflammation Biology, School of Immunology & Microbial Sciences, King's College London, London, UK
| | - Vivienne Leech
- Department of Mathematics, University College London, UK
| | - Rachel E Bell
- Centre for Inflammation Biology & Cancer Immunology, Department of Inflammation Biology, School of Immunology & Microbial Sciences, King's College London, London, UK
| | - Jennifer Easton
- Centre for Inflammation Biology & Cancer Immunology, Department of Inflammation Biology, School of Immunology & Microbial Sciences, King's College London, London, UK
| | | | - Roland Fleck
- Centre for Ultrastructure Imaging, King's College London, UK
| | - Leanne Allison
- Centre for Ultrastructure Imaging, King's College London, UK
| | - Christina Philippeos
- Centre for Stem Cells and Regenerative Medicine, King's College London, London, UK
| | - Angelika Manhart
- Department of Mathematics, University College London, UK; Faculty of Mathematics, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Tanya J Shaw
- Centre for Inflammation Biology & Cancer Immunology, Department of Inflammation Biology, School of Immunology & Microbial Sciences, King's College London, London, UK.
| | - Brian M Stramer
- Randall Centre for Cell and Molecular Biophysics, King's College London, London, UK.
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