Fibroblast activation protein in liver fibrosis Lay, Angelina J; Zhang, Hui Emma; McCaughan, Geoffrey William ...
Frontiers in bioscience (Landmark. Print),
01/2019, Letnik:
24, Številka:
1
Journal Article
Recenzirano
Fibroblast activation protein (FAP) belongs to the dipeptidyl peptidase IV (DPP4; CD26) gene family. Other related genes in this family of enzyme include DPP4, 8 and 9. The FAP serine protease has ...the rare property of both dipeptidyl peptidase and endopeptidase activities capable of cleaving the post-proline bond at two or more residues from the N-terminus. FAP is involved in a variety of biological processes but its expression in healthy tissues is low. In contrast, FAP is significantly elevated in pathological conditions such as at sites of tissue remodelling and repair. Its differential pattern of expression in diseases supports the emerging concept for FAP as a potential disease biomarker as well as a useful therapeutic target for drug intervention. This review summarizes the current knowledge of FAP, particularly its diagnostic and pathological significance in liver fibrosis.
Thoracic aortic aneurysm (TAA) is a potentially lethal condition, which can affect individuals of all ages. TAA may be complicated by the sudden onset of life-threatening dissection or rupture. The ...underlying mechanisms leading to TAA formation, particularly in the nonsyndromal idiopathic group of patients, are not well understood. Thus, identification of new genes and targets that are involved in TAA pathogenesis are required to help prevent and reverse the disease phenotype.
Here we explore the role of ARHGAP18, a novel Rho GAP expressed by smooth muscle cells (SMCs), in the pathogenesis of TAA.
Using human and mouse aortic samples, we report that ARHGAP18 levels were significantly reduced in the SMC layer of aortic aneurysms.
global knockout (
) mice exhibited a highly synthetic, proteolytic, and proinflammatory smooth muscle phenotype under basal conditions and when challenged with angiotensin II, developed TAA with increased frequency and severity compared with littermate controls. Chromatin immunoprecipitation studies revealed this phenotype is partly associated with strong enrichment of H3K4me3 and depletion of H3K27me3 at the
and
promoters in
-deficient SMC. We further show that TAA formation in the
mice is associated with loss of Akt activation. The abnormal SMC phenotype observed in the
mice can be partially rescued by pharmacological treatment with the mTORC1 inhibitor rapamycin, which reduces the synthetic and proinflammatory phenotype of
-deficient SMC.
We have identified
as a novel protective gene against TAA formation and define an additional target for the future development of treatments to limit TAA pathogenesis.
Purpose
This study assesses human biodistribution, radiation dosimetry, safety and tumour uptake of cell death indicator labelled with
68
Ga (
68
GaGa-CDI), a novel radiopharmaceutical that can image ...multiple forms of cell death.
Methods
Five participants with at least one extracranial site of solid malignancy > 2 cm and no active cancer treatment in the 8 weeks prior to the study were enrolled. Participants were administered 205 ± 4.1 MBq (range, 200–211 MBq) of
68
GaGa-CDI and 8 serial PET scans acquired: the first commencing immediately and the last 3 h later. Participants were monitored for clinical, laboratory and electrocardiographic side effects and adverse events. Urine and blood radioactivity was measured. Spherical volumes of interest were drawn over tumour, blood pool and organs to determine biodistribution and calculate dosimetry. In one participant, tumour specimens were analysed for cell death using terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase dUTP nick end labelling (TUNEL) staining.
Results
68
GaGa-CDI is safe and well-tolerated with no side effects or adverse events.
68
GaGa-CDI is renally excreted, demonstrates low levels of physiologic uptake in the other organs and has excellent imaging characteristics. The mean effective dose was 2.17E − 02 ± 4.61E − 03 mSv/MBq. It images constitutive tumour cell death and correlates with tumour cell death on histology.
Conclusion
68
GaGa-CDI is a novel cell death imaging radiopharmaceutical that is safe, has low radiation dosimetry and excellent biodistribution and imaging characteristics. It has potential advantages over previously investigated radiopharmaceuticals for imaging of cell death and has progressed to a proof-of-concept trial.
Trial registration
ACTRN12621000641897 (28/5/2021, retrospectively registered)
The von Willebrand factor (VWF) is a key player in regulating hemostasis through adhesion of platelets to sites of vascular injury. It is a large, multi-domain, mechano-sensitive protein that is ...stabilized by a net of disulfide bridges. Binding to platelet integrin is achieved by the VWF-C4 domain, which exhibits a fixed fold, even under conditions of severe mechanical stress, but only if critical internal disulfide bonds are closed.
To determine the oxidation state of disulfide bridges in the C4 domain of VWF and implications for VWF’s platelet binding function.
We combined classical molecular dynamics and quantum mechanical simulations, mass spectrometry, site-directed mutagenesis, and platelet binding assays.
We show that 2 disulfide bonds in the VWF-C4 domain, namely the 2 major force-bearing ones, are partially reduced in human blood. Reduction leads to pronounced conformational changes within C4 that considerably affect the accessibility of the integrin-binding motif, and thereby impair integrin-mediated platelet binding. We also reveal that reduced species in the C4 domain undergo specific thiol/disulfide exchanges with the remaining disulfide bridges, in a process in which mechanical force may increase the proximity of specific reactant cysteines, further trapping C4 in a state of low integrin-binding propensity. We identify a multitude of redox states in all 6 VWF-C domains, suggesting disulfide bond reduction and swapping to be a general theme.
Our data suggests a mechanism in which disulfide bonds dynamically swap cysteine partners and control the interaction of VWF with integrin and potentially other partners, thereby critically influencing its hemostatic function.
•Platelet integrins interact with the disulfide-bonded C4 domain of von Willebrand Factor (VWF).•The redox state of disulfide bonds in C4 domain of VWF was studied by molecular simulations and experiments.•Two bonds are reduced, causing C4 unfolding and disulfide swapping.•Opening of disulfide bonds impairs integrin-mediated platelet binding.
Vascular endothelial cell alignment in the direction of flow is an adaptive response that protects against aortic diseases such as atherosclerosis. The RhoGTPases are known to regulate this ...alignment. We have shown previously that ARHGAP18 in endothelial cells is a negative regulator of RhoC and its expression is essential in flow-mediated alignment. Depletion of ARHGAP18 inhibits alignment and results in the induction of a pro-inflammatory phenotype. In embryogenesis, ARHGAP18 was identified as a downstream effector of the Yes-associated protein, YAP, which regulates cell shape and size.
We have used siRNA technology to deplete either ARHGAP18 or YAP in human endothelial cells. The in vitro studies were performed under athero-protective, laminar flow conditions. The analysis of YAP activity was also investigated, using high performance confocal imaging, in our ARHGAP18 knockout mutant mice.
We show here that loss of ARHGAP18, although decreasing the expression of YAP results in its nuclear localisation consistent with activation. We further show that depletion of YAP itself results in its activation as defined by an in increase in its nuclear localisation and an increase in the YAP target gene, CyR61. Depletion of YAP, similar to that observed for ARHGAP18 depletion, results in loss of endothelial cell alignment under high shear stress mediated flow and also in the activation of NFkB, as determined by p65 nuclear localisation. In contrast, ARHGAP18 overexpression results in upregulation of YAP, its phosphorylation, and a decrease in the YAP target gene Cyr61, consistent with YAP inactivation. Finally, in ARHGAP18 deleted mice, in regions where there is a loss of endothelial cell alignment, a situation associated with a priming of the cells to a pro-inflammatory phenotype, YAP shows nuclear localisation.
Our results show that YAP is downstream of ARHGAP18 in mature endothelial cells and that this pathway is involved in the athero-protective alignment of endothelial cells under laminar shear stress. ARHGAP18 depletion leads to a disruption of the junctions as seen by loss of VE-Cadherin localisation to these regions and a concomitant localisation of YAP to the nucleus.
Fibroblast activation protein-α (FAP) can hydrolyze the post-proline bond. We identified endogenous substrates of FAP in fibroblasts that were previously naive to both FAP and its proteolytic ...activity. FAP-dependent cleavage sites were identified in many extracellular matrix (ECM) and ECM-associated proteins including collagens and lysyl oxidase-like-1, and CSF-1, CXCL-5 and C1qT6. Quantitative proteomic analysis implicated FAP in ECM-cell interactions, coagulation and metabolism. This study greatly expands the repertoire of FAP substrates and shows that FAP has a role in coagulation in the mouse.
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Highlights
•Natural substrates of FAP were identified using degradomic and proteomic techniques and FAP gene knockout mouse derived embryonic fibroblasts stably transduced with enzymatically active or inactive FAP.•Terminal amine isotopic labelling of substrates (TAILS) based degradomics identified cleavage sites in collagens, and many other extracellular matrix (ECM) and associated proteins.•Cleavages of lysyl oxidase-like-1, CXCL-5, CSF-1 and C1qT6 by FAP were confirmed in vitro.•Differential metabolic labelling coupled with quantitative proteomic analysis implicated FAP in regulating proteins that are associated with ECM, ECM-cell interactions, coagulation, metabolism and wound healing.
Fibroblast activation protein-alpha (FAP) is a cell-surface transmembrane-anchored dimeric protease. This unique, constitutively active serine protease has both dipeptidyl aminopeptidase and endopeptidase activities and can hydrolyze the post-proline bond. FAP expression is very low in adult organs but is upregulated by activated fibroblasts in sites of tissue remodeling, including fibrosis, atherosclerosis, arthritis and tumors. To identify the endogenous substrates of FAP, we immortalized primary mouse embryonic fibroblasts (MEFs) from FAP gene knockout embryos and then stably transduced them to express either enzymatically active or inactive FAP. The MEF secretomes were then analyzed using degradomic and proteomic techniques. Terminal amine isotopic labeling of substrates (TAILS)-based degradomics identified cleavage sites in collagens, many other extracellular matrix (ECM) and associated proteins, and lysyl oxidase-like-1, CXCL-5, CSF-1, and C1qT6, that were confirmed in vitro. In addition, differential metabolic labeling coupled with quantitative proteomic analysis also implicated FAP in ECM-cell interactions, as well as with coagulation, metabolism and wound healing associated proteins. Plasma from FAP-deficient mice exhibited slower than wild-type clotting times. This study provides a significant expansion of the substrate repertoire of FAP and provides insight into the physiological and potential pathological roles of this enigmatic protease.
Background Vascular endothelial cell (EC) alignment in the direction of flow is an adaptive response that protects against aortic diseases, such as atherosclerosis. The Rho GTP ases are known to ...regulate this alignment. Herein, we analyze the effect of ARHGAP 18 on the regulation of EC alignment and examine the effect of ARHGAP 18 deficiency on the development of atherosclerosis in mice. Methods and Results We used in vitro analysis of ECs under flow conditions together with apolipoprotein E
Arhgap 18
double-mutant mice to study the function of ARHGAP 18 in a high-fat diet-induced model of atherosclerosis. Depletion of ARHGAP 18 inhibited the alignment of ECs in the direction of flow and promoted inflammatory phenotype, as evidenced by disrupted junctions and increased expression of nuclear factor-κB and intercellular adhesion molecule-1 and decreased endothelial nitric oxide synthase. Mice with double deletion in ARHGAP 18 and apolipoprotein E and fed a high-fat diet show early onset of atherosclerosis, with lesions developing in atheroprotective regions. Conclusions ARHGAP 18 is a protective gene that maintains EC alignments in the direction of flow. Deletion of ARHGAP 18 led to loss of EC ability to align and promoted atherosclerosis development.
Sphingosine kinase 1 (SK1) is a signaling enzyme that catalyzes the formation of sphingosine-1-phosphate. Overexpression of SK1 is causally associated with breast cancer progression and resistance to ...therapy. SK1 inhibitors are currently being investigated as promising breast cancer therapies. Two major transcriptional isoforms, SK143kDa and SK151kDa, have been identified; however, the 51kDa variant is predominant in breast cancer cells. No studies have investigated the protein-protein interactions of the 51kDa isoform and whether the two SK1 isoforms differ significantly in their interactions. Seeking an understanding of the regulation and role of SK1, we used a triple-labeling stable isotope labeling by amino acids in cell culture-based approach to identify SK1-interacting proteins common and unique to both isoforms. Of approximately 850 quantified proteins in SK1 immunoprecipitates, a high-confidence list of 30 protein interactions with each SK1 isoform was generated via a meta-analysis of multiple experimental replicates. Many of the novel identified SK1 interaction partners such as supervillin, drebrin, and the myristoylated alanine-rich C-kinase substrate-related protein supported and highlighted previously implicated roles of SK1 in breast cancer cell migration, adhesion, and cytoskeletal remodeling. Of these interactions, several were found to be exclusive to the 43kDa isoform of SK1, including the protein phosphatase 2A, a previously identified SK1-interacting protein. Other proteins such as allograft inflammatory factor 1-like protein, the latent-transforming growth factor β-binding protein, and dipeptidyl peptidase 2 were found to associate exclusively with the 51kDa isoform of SK1. In this report, we have identified common and isoform-specific SK1-interacting partners that provide insight into the molecular mechanisms that drive SK1-mediated oncogenicity.
RhoGTPases are important regulators of the cell cytoskeleton, controlling cell shape, migration and proliferation. Previously we showed that ARHGAP18 in endothelial cells is important in cell ...junctions. Here we show, using structured illumination microscopy (SIM), ground-state depletion (GSD), and total internal reflection fluorescence microscopy (TIRF) that a proportion of ARHGAP18 localizes to microtubules in endothelial cells, as well as in nonendothelial cells, an association confirmed biochemically. In endothelial cells, some ARHGAP18 puncta also colocalized to Weibel-Palade bodies on the microtubules. Depletion of ARHGAP18 by small interfering RNA or analysis of endothelial cells isolated from ARHGAP18-knockout mice showed microtubule destabilization, as evidenced by altered morphology and decreased acetylated α-tubulin and glu-tubulin. The destabilization was rescued by inhibition of ROCK and histone deacetylase 6 but not by a GAP-mutant form of ARHGAP18. Depletion of ARHGAP18 resulted in a failure to secrete endothelin-1 and a reduction in neutrophil transmigration, both known to be microtubule dependent. Thrombin, a critical regulator of the Rho-mediated barrier function of endothelial cells through microtubule destabilization, enhanced the plasma membrane-bound fraction of ARHGAP18. Thus, in endothelial cells, ARHGAP18 may act as a significant regulator of vascular homeostasis.
Plasma plasminogen is the precursor of the tumor angiogenesis inhibitor, angiostatin. Generation of angiostatin in blood involves activation of plasminogen to the serine protease plasmin and ...facilitated cleavage of two disulfide bonds and up to three peptide bonds in the kringle 5 domain of the protein. The mechanism of reduction of the two allosteric disulfides has been explored in this study. Using thiol-alkylating agents, mass spectrometry, and an assay for angiostatin formation, we show that the Cys462-Cys541 disulfide bond is already cleaved in a fraction of plasma plasminogen and that this reduced plasminogen is the precursor for angiostatin formation. From the crystal structure of plasminogen, we propose that plasmin ligands such as phosphoglycerate kinase induce a conformational change in reduced kringle 5 that leads to attack by the Cys541 thiolate anion on the Cys536 sulfur atom of the Cys512-Cys536 disulfide bond, resulting in reduction of the bond by thiol/disulfide exchange. Cleavage of the Cys512-Cys536 allosteric disulfide allows further conformational change and exposure of the peptide backbone to proteolysis and angiostatin release. The Cys462-Cys541 and Cys512-Cys536 disulfides have −/+RHHook and −LHHook configurations, respectively, which are two of the 20 different measures of the geometry of a disulfide bond. Analysis of the structures of the known allosteric disulfide bonds identified six other bonds that have these configurations, and they share some functional similarities with the plasminogen disulfides. This suggests that the −/+RHHook and −LHHook disulfides, along with the −RHStaple bond, are potential allosteric configurations.
Background: The angiogenesis inhibitor, angiostatin, is an internal fragment of the blood zymogen, plasminogen.
Results: A fraction of plasminogen contains a reduced Cys462-Cys-541 disulfide bond.
Conclusion: Reduced plasminogen is the precursor for angiostatin.
Significance: The plasminogen disulfide bonds reduced during angiostatin formation are examples of allosteric disulfides, and their structures help define new allosteric disulfide bond configurations.
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