scholarly journals Thrombospondin-1 mediates muscle damage in brachio-cervical inflammatory myopathy and systemic sclerosis

2020 ◽  
Vol 7 (3) ◽  
pp. e694 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xavier Suárez-Calvet ◽  
Jorge Alonso-Pérez ◽  
Ivan Castellví ◽  
Ana Carrasco-Rozas ◽  
Esther Fernández-Simón ◽  
...  

ObjectiveTo describe the clinical, serologic and histologic features of a cohort of patients with brachio-cervical inflammatory myopathy (BCIM) associated with systemic sclerosis (SSc) and unravel disease-specific pathophysiologic mechanisms occurring in these patients.MethodsWe reviewed clinical, immunologic, muscle MRI, nailfold videocapillaroscopy, muscle biopsy, and response to treatment data from 8 patients with BCIM-SSc. We compared cytokine profiles between patients with BCIM-SSc and SSc without muscle involvement and controls. We analyzed the effect of the deregulated cytokines in vitro (fibroblasts, endothelial cells, and muscle cells) and in vivo.ResultsAll patients with BCIM-SSc presented with muscle weakness involving cervical and proximal muscles of the upper limbs plus Raynaud syndrome, telangiectasia and/or sclerodactilia, hypotonia of the esophagus, and interstitial lung disease. Immunosuppressive treatment stopped the progression of the disease. Muscle biopsy showed pathologic changes including the presence of necrotic fibers, fibrosis, and reduced capillary number and size. Cytokines involved in inflammation, angiogenesis, and fibrosis were deregulated. Thrombospondin-1 (TSP-1), which participates in all these 3 processes, was upregulated in patients with BCIM-SSc. In vitro, TSP-1 and serum of patients with BCIM-SSc promoted proliferation and upregulation of collagen, fibronectin, and transforming growth factor beta in fibroblasts. TSP-1 disrupted vascular network, decreased muscle differentiation, and promoted hypotrophic myotubes. In vivo, TSP-1 increased fibrotic tissue and profibrotic macrophage infiltration in the muscle.ConclusionsPatients with SSc may present with a clinically and pathologically distinct myopathy. A prompt and correct diagnosis has important implications for treatment. Finally, TSP-1 may participate in the pathologic changes observed in muscle.

2018 ◽  
Vol 77 (5) ◽  
pp. 744-751 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yun Zhang ◽  
Sebastian Pötter ◽  
Chih-Wei Chen ◽  
Ruifang Liang ◽  
Kolja Gelse ◽  
...  

ObjectivesThe enzyme poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase-1 (PARP-1) transfers negatively charged ADP-ribose units to target proteins. This modification can have pronounced regulatory effects on target proteins. Recent studies showed that PARP-1 can poly(ADP-ribosyl)ate (PARylate) Smad proteins. However, the role of PARP-1 in the pathogenesis of systemic sclerosis (SSc) has not been investigated.MethodsThe expression of PARP-1 was determined by quantitative PCR and immunohistochemistry. DNA methylation was analysed by methylated DNA immunoprecipitation assays. Transforming growth factor-β (TGFβ) signalling was assessed using reporter assays, chromatin immunoprecipitation assays and target gene analysis. The effect of PARP-1 inactivation was investigated in bleomycin-induced and topoisomerase-induced fibrosis as well as in tight-skin-1 (Tsk-1) mice.ResultsThe expression of PARP-1 was decreased in patients with SSc, particularly in fibroblasts. The promoter of PARP-1 was hypermethylated in SSc fibroblasts and in TGFβ-stimulated normal fibroblasts. Inhibition of DNA methyltransferases (DNMTs) reduced the promoter methylation and reactivated the expression of PARP-1. Inactivation of PARP-1 promoted accumulation of phosphorylated Smad3, enhanced Smad-dependent transcription and upregulated the expression of TGFβ/Smad target genes. Inhibition of PARP-1 enhanced the effect of TGFβ on collagen release and myofibroblast differentiation in vitro and exacerbated experimental fibrosis in vivo. PARP-1 deficiency induced a more severe fibrotic response to bleomycin with increased dermal thickening, hydroxyproline content and myofibroblast counts. Inhibition of PARylation also exacerbated fibrosis in Tsk-1 mice and in mice with topoisomerase-induced fibrosis.ConclusionPARP-1 negatively regulates canonical TGFβ signalling in experimental skin fibrosis. The downregulation of PARP-1 in SSc fibroblasts may thus directly contribute to hyperactive TGFβ signalling and to persistent fibroblast activation in SSc.


Reumatismo ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 73 (2) ◽  
pp. 122-130
Author(s):  
C.S.R. Araujo ◽  
R. Miossi ◽  
F.H.C. De Souza ◽  
M.D. Costa ◽  
A.M.S. Da Silva ◽  
...  

This study was aimed at describing a case series of brachio-cervical inflammatory myopathy (BCIM) associated with systemic sclerosis (SSc), due to its rarity and limited coverage in published data. Another aim was to provide a literature review. We reported four cases of BCIM-SSc from our tertiary center. In addition, we researched the literature and found six articles featuring 17 patients who fit this phenotype. We pooled all cases and reported their features. Most patients were female and had limited SSc, and the median time of BCIM presentation was three years after SSc diagnosis. Asymmetric muscle involvement, scapular winging, dropped head, axial weakness, camptocormia, dysphagia, and dermatomyositis stigmas were common features. All patients had esophageal involvement. Most had positive antinuclear antibody results, a scleroderma pattern in their capillaroscopy images, elevated serum creatine phosphokinase, myopathic electrophysiology, and muscle involvement in magnetic resonance imaging. Muscle histopathological findings varied widely, but in general all showed the presence of lymphoid infiltrates, muscle atrophy, increased MHC-I expression, MAC deposits, vasculopathy, and muscle fiber necrosis. The response to immunosuppressive therapy was highly irregular. BCIM-SSc is a rare disorder that shares many similar phenotypes among the described cases, but has a highly heterogeneous response to treatment. At present, more data on the physiopathology, clinical features, and treatment is still needed.


2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (4) ◽  
pp. 1985
Author(s):  
Xiaohe Li ◽  
Ling Ma ◽  
Kai Huang ◽  
Yuli Wei ◽  
Shida Long ◽  
...  

Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a fatal and age-related pulmonary disease. Nintedanib is a receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitor, and one of the only two listed drugs against IPF. Regorafenib is a novel, orally active, multi-kinase inhibitor that has similar targets to nintedanib and is applied to treat colorectal cancer and gastrointestinal stromal tumors in patients. In this study, we first identified that regorafenib could alleviate bleomycin-induced pulmonary fibrosis in mice. The in vivo experiments indicated that regorafenib suppresses collagen accumulation and myofibroblast activation. Further in vitro mechanism studies showed that regorafenib inhibits the activation and migration of myofibroblasts and extracellular matrix production, mainly through suppressing the transforming growth factor (TGF)-β1/Smad and non-Smad signaling pathways. In vitro studies have also indicated that regorafenib could augment autophagy in myofibroblasts by suppressing TGF-β1/mTOR (mechanistic target of rapamycin) signaling, and could promote apoptosis in myofibroblasts. In conclusion, regorafenib attenuates bleomycin-induced pulmonary fibrosis by suppressing the TGF-β1 signaling pathway.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Nozomi Igarashi ◽  
Megumi Honjo ◽  
Makoto Aihara

AbstractWe examined the effects of mTOR inhibitors on the fibrotic response induced by transforming growth factor-beta2 (TGF-β2) in cultured human trabecular meshwork (hTM) cells. TGF-β2-induced expression of fibronectin, collagen type I, alpha 1 chain (COL1A1), and alpha-smooth muscle actin (αSMA) in hTM cells was examined in the presence or absence of mTOR inhibitors using quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction, Western blotting, and immunohistochemistry. The migration rates of hTM cells were examined in the presence of TGF-β2 with or without mTOR inhibitors. An in vitro study showed that the expression of fibronectin, COL1A1, and αSMA was upregulated by TGF-β2 treatment of hTM cells; such upregulation was significantly suppressed by mTOR inhibitors. The inhibitors significantly reduced the migration rate of TGF-β2-stimulated hTM cells. mTOR inhibitors may usefully reduce the fibrotic response of hTM cells and we may have to explore if it is also effective in in vivo model.


2001 ◽  
Vol 193 (11) ◽  
pp. 1295-1302 ◽  
Author(s):  
Megan K. Levings ◽  
Romina Sangregorio ◽  
Maria-Grazia Roncarolo

Active suppression by T regulatory (Tr) cells plays an important role in the downregulation of T cell responses to foreign and self-antigens. Mouse CD4+ Tr cells that express CD25 possess remarkable suppressive activity in vitro and in autoimmune disease models in vivo. Thus far, the existence of a similar subset of CD25+CD4+ Tr cells in humans has not been reported. Here we show that human CD25+CD4+ Tr cells isolated from peripheral blood failed to proliferate and displayed reduced expression of CD40 ligand (CD40L), in response to T cell receptor–mediated polyclonal activation, but strongly upregulated cytotoxic T lymphocyte–associated antigen (CTLA)-4. Human CD25+CD4+ Tr cells also did not proliferate in response to allogeneic antigen-presenting cells, but they produced interleukin (IL)-10, transforming growth factor (TGF)-β, low levels of interferon (IFN)-γ, and no IL-4 or IL-2. Importantly, CD25+CD4+ Tr cells strongly inhibited the proliferative responses of both naive and memory CD4+ T cells to alloantigens, but neither IL-10, TGF-β, nor CTLA-4 seemed to be directly required for their suppressive effects. CD25+CD4+ Tr cells could be expanded in vitro in the presence of IL-2 and allogeneic feeder cells and maintained their suppressive capacities. These findings that CD25+CD4+ Tr cells with immunosuppressive effects can be isolated from peripheral blood and expanded in vitro without loss of function represent a major advance towards the therapeutic use of these cells in T cell–mediated diseases.


2011 ◽  
Vol 301 (4) ◽  
pp. F793-F801 ◽  
Author(s):  
Abolfazl Zarjou ◽  
Shanzhong Yang ◽  
Edward Abraham ◽  
Anupam Agarwal ◽  
Gang Liu

Renal fibrosis is a final stage of many forms of kidney disease and leads to impairment of kidney function. The molecular pathogenesis of renal fibrosis is currently not well-understood. microRNAs (miRNAs) are important players in initiation and progression of many pathologic processes including diabetes, cancer, and cardiovascular disease. However, the role of miRNAs in kidney injury and repair is not well-characterized. In the present study, we found a unique miRNA signature associated with unilateral ureteral obstruction (UUO)-induced renal fibrosis. We found altered expression in UUO kidneys of miRNAs that have been shown to be responsive to stimulation by transforming growth factor (TGF)-β1 or TNF-α. Among these miRNAs, miR-21 demonstrated the greatest increase in UUO kidneys. The enhanced expression of miR-21 was located mainly in distal tubular epithelial cells. miR-21 expression was upregulated in response to treatment with TGF-β1 or TNF-α in human renal tubular epithelial cells in vitro. Furthermore, we found that blocking miR-21 in vivo attenuated UUO-induced renal fibrosis, presumably through diminishing the expression of profibrotic proteins and reducing infiltration of inflammatory macrophages in UUO kidneys. Our data suggest that targeting specific miRNAs could be a novel therapeutic approach to treat renal fibrosis.


2002 ◽  
Vol 76 (2) ◽  
pp. 923-927 ◽  
Author(s):  
B. Charleston ◽  
L. S. Brackenbury ◽  
B. V. Carr ◽  
M. D. Fray ◽  
J. C. Hope ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT In contrast to the results of previous in vitro studies, experimental infection of calves with noncytopathic bovine viral diarrhea virus (ncpBVDV) was found to induce strong alpha/beta and gamma interferon responses in gnotobiotic animals. These responses were associated with depressed levels of transforming growth factor β (TGF-β) in serum. The results of this study indicate that the immunosuppression caused by ncpBVDV is not associated with low interferon responses or elevated levels of TGF-β.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Yumeko Satou-Kobayashi ◽  
Jun-Dal Kim ◽  
Akiyoshi Fukamizu ◽  
Makoto Asashima

AbstractActivin, a member of the transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β) superfamily of proteins, induces various tissues from the amphibian presumptive ectoderm, called animal cap explants (ACs) in vitro. However, it remains unclear how and to what extent the resulting cells recapitulate in vivo development. To comprehensively understand whether the molecular dynamics during activin-induced ACs differentiation reflect the normal development, we performed time-course transcriptome profiling of Xenopus ACs treated with 50 ng/mL of activin A, which predominantly induced dorsal mesoderm. The number of differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in response to activin A increased over time, and totally 9857 upregulated and 6663 downregulated DEGs were detected. 1861 common upregulated DEGs among all Post_activin samples included several Spemann’s organizer genes. In addition, the temporal transcriptomes were clearly classified into four distinct groups in correspondence with specific features, reflecting stepwise differentiation into mesoderm derivatives, and a decline in the regulation of nuclear envelop and golgi. From the set of early responsive genes, we also identified the suppressor of cytokine signaling 3 (socs3) as a novel activin A-inducible gene. Our transcriptome data provide a framework to elucidate the transcriptional dynamics of activin-driven AC differentiation, reflecting the molecular characteristics of early normal embryogenesis.


2002 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 86-95 ◽  
Author(s):  
Denise A. Kaminski ◽  
John J. Letterio ◽  
Peter D. Burrows

Transforming growth factor β (TGFβ) can inhibit thein vitroproliferation, survival and differentiation of B cell progenitors, mature B lymphocytes and plasma cells. Here we demonstrate unexpected, age-dependent reductions in the bone marrow (BM) B cell progenitors and immature B cells in TGFβ1-/-mice. To evaluate TGFβ responsiveness during normal B lineage development, cells were cultured in interleukin 7 (IL7)±TGFβ. Picomolar doses of TGFβ1 reduced pro-B cell recoveries at every timepoint. By contrast, the pre-B cells were initially reduced in number, but subsequently increased compared to IL7 alone, resulting in a 4-fold increase in the growth rate for the pre-B cell population. Analysis of purified BM sub-populations indicated that pro-B cells and the earliest BP1-pre-B cells were sensitive to the inhibitory effects of TGFβ1. However, the large BP1+pre-B cells, although initially reduced, were increased in number at days 5 and 7 of culture. These results indicate that TGFβ1 is important for normal B cell developmentin vivo, and that B cell progenitors are differentially affected by the cytokine according to their stage of differentiation.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document