scholarly journals Activin A as a Novel Chemokine Induces Migration of L929 Fibroblasts by ERK Signaling in Microfluidic Devices

Author(s):  
Lingling Jiang ◽  
Yan Qi ◽  
Xianghan Kong ◽  
Runnan Wang ◽  
Jianfei Qi ◽  
...  

Activin A, a member of the transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-β) superfamily, contributes to tissue healing and fibrosis. As the innate tissue cells, fibroblasts also play an important role in wound healing and fibrosis. Herein, this study was aimed to investigate how activin A exhibited regulatory effects on adhesion and migration of fibroblasts. We found that activin A induced the migration of fibroblast cell line L929 cells in transwell chamber and microfluidic device. Activin A also promoted L929 cells adhesion, but did not affect L929 cells viability or proliferation. In addition, activin A induced α-SMA expression and TGF-β1 release, which were factors closely related to tissue fibrosis, but had no effect on IL-6 production, a pro-inflammatory cytokine. Furthermore, activin A elevated calcium levels in L929 cells and increased p-ERK protein levels. Activin A-induced migration of L929 cells was attenuated by ERK inhibitor FR180204. To conclude, these data indicated that activin A as a novel chemokine induced the chemotactic migration of L929 cells via ERK signaling and possessed the pro-fibrosis role. These findings provide a new insight into understanding of activin A in tissue fibrosis.

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 16
Author(s):  
Bhaval Parmar ◽  
Urja Verma ◽  
Kashmira Khaire ◽  
Dhanush Danes ◽  
Suresh Balakrishnan

A recent study from our lab revealed that the inhibition of cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) exclusively reduces the level of PGE2 (Prostaglandin E2) among prostanoids and hampers the normal development of several structures, strikingly the cranial vault, in chick embryos. In order to unearth the mechanism behind the deviant development of cranial features, the expression pattern of various factors that are known to influence cranial neural crest cell (CNCC) migration was checked in chick embryos after inhibiting COX-2 activity using etoricoxib. The compromised level of cell adhesion molecules and their upstream regulators, namely CDH1 (E-cadherin), CDH2 (N-cadherin), MSX1 (Msh homeobox 1), and TGF-β (Transforming growth factor beta), observed in the etoricoxib-treated embryos indicate that COX-2, through its downstream effector PGE2, regulates the expression of these factors perhaps to aid the migration of CNCCs. The histological features and levels of FoxD3 (Forkhead box D3), as well as PCNA (Proliferating cell nuclear antigen), further consolidate the role of COX-2 in the migration and survival of CNCCs in developing embryos. The results of the current study indicate that COX-2 plays a pivotal role in orchestrating craniofacial structures perhaps by modulating CNCC proliferation and migration during the embryonic development of chicks.


Open Medicine ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (1) ◽  
pp. 274-283
Author(s):  
Peng Yang ◽  
Jianhua Han ◽  
Shigeng Li ◽  
Shaoning Luo ◽  
Xusheng Tu ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Sepsis is a systemic inflammatory response that can lead to the dysfunction of many organs. The aberrant expression of miRNAs is associated with the pathogenesis of sepsis. However, the biological functions of miR-128-3p in sepsis remain largely unknown, and its mechanism should be further investigated. This study aimed to determine the regulatory network of miR-128-3p and TGFBR2 in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced sepsis. Methods The expression levels of miR-128-3p and transforming growth factor beta receptors II (TGFBR2) were detected by quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR). The protein levels of TGFBR2, Bcl-2, Bax, cleaved caspase 3, Smad2, and Smad3 were measured by western blot. Cell apoptosis was analyzed by flow cytometry. Cytokine production was detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The binding sites of miR-128-3p and TGFBR2 were predicted by Targetscan online software and confirmed by dual-luciferase reporter assay and RNA immunoprecipitation (RIP) assay. Results The level of miR-128-3p was decreased, and TGFBR2 expression was increased in serum samples of sepsis patients and LPS-induced HK2 cells. Overexpression of miR-128-3p or knockdown of TGFBR2 ameliorated LPS-induced inflammation and apoptosis. Moreover, TGFBR2 was a direct target of miR-128-3p, and its overexpression reversed the inhibitory effects of miR-128-3p overexpression on inflammation and apoptosis in LPS-induced HK2 cells. Besides, overexpression of miR-128-3p downregulated TGFBR2 to suppress the activation of the Smad signaling pathway. Conclusion miR-128-3p could inhibit apoptosis and inflammation by targeting TGFBR2 in LPS-induced HK2 cells, which might provide therapeutic strategy for the treatment of sepsis.


Biology Open ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (11) ◽  
pp. bio055103
Author(s):  
Charles B. Trelford ◽  
Gianni M. Di Guglielmo

ABSTRACTTransforming growth factor beta (TGFβ) promotes tumorigenesis by suppressing immune surveillance and inducing epithelial to mesenchymal transition (EMT). TGFβ may augment tumorigenesis by activating autophagy, which protects cancer cells from chemotherapy and promotes invasive and anti-apoptotic properties. Here, we assess how TGFβ1 modulates autophagy related (ATG) gene expression and ATG protein levels. We also assessed microtubule-associated protein light chain 3 (LC3) lipidation, LC3 puncta formation and autophagosome-lysosome co-localization in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) cell lines. These experimental approaches were validated using pharmacological autophagy inhibitors (chloroquine and spautin-1) and an autophagy activator (MG132). We found that TGFβ1, chloroquine and MG132 had little effect on ATG protein levels but increased LC3 lipidation, LC3 puncta formation and autophagosome-lysosome co-localization. Since similar outcomes were observed using chloroquine and MG132, we concluded that several techniques employed to assess TGFβ-dependent autophagy may not differentiate between the activation of autophagy versus lysosomal inhibition. Thus, NSCLC cell lines stably expressing a GFP-LC3-RFP-LC3ΔG autophagic flux probe were used to assess TGFβ-mediated autophagy. Using this approach, we observed that TGFβ, MG132 and serum starvation increased autophagic flux, whereas chloroquine and spautin-1 decreased autophagic flux. Finally, we demonstrated that ATG5 and ATG7 are critical for TGFβ-dependent autophagy in NSCLC cells. The application of this model will fuel future experiments to characterize TGFβ-dependent autophagy, which is necessary to understand the molecular processes that link, TGFβ, autophagy and tumorigenesis.


2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Lingling Jiang ◽  
Boyang Liu ◽  
Yan Qi ◽  
Linru Zhu ◽  
Xueling Cui ◽  
...  

AbstractFibroblasts play an important role in inflammation and tissue fibrosis. Both activin A and TNF-α can activate immune cells, however, the roles and relationship of them in activating fibroblasts in inflammation remain unclear. Here, this study revealed that TNF-α promoted the release of NO and IL-6 by L929 fibroblast cells, but co-treatment with activin A attenuated these effects. In contrast, activin A induced cell migration and increased the production of tissue fibrosis-related TGF-β1 and fibronectin, while TNF-α inhibited these function changes of L929 cells induced by activin A. Moreover, this study revealed that activin A and TNF-α regulated the activities of L929 cells via ERK1/2/MAPK pathway, rather than Smad3-dependent signaling pathway. Taken together, these data indicate that activin A and TNF-α exert mutually antagonistic effects on regulating fibroblasts activities, and the balance between their action may determine the process and outcome of fibroblasts-mediated inflammation.


Blood ◽  
2006 ◽  
Vol 108 (11) ◽  
pp. 855-855
Author(s):  
Andrea Pellagatti ◽  
Martin Jädersten ◽  
Ann-Mari Forsblom ◽  
Helen Cattan ◽  
Birger Christensson ◽  
...  

Abstract The immunomodulatory drug lenalidomide induces cytogenetic remissions in 75% of patients with myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) and del(5)(q31) through unknown mechanisms. We investigated the in vitro effects of lenalidomide on growth and maturation in differentiating erythroblasts from MDS patients with del(5)(q31) (n=13) and from healthy controls (n=10). Lenalidomide selectively inhibited growth of del(5q) erythroblasts, while not affecting normal cells, including cytogenetically normal cells from MDS del(5q) patients. The inhibitory effect was more pronounced in erythroid than in myeloid cells. In order to gain insight into the mode of action of lenalidomide and to identify the molecular targets of this drug, we have investigated the gene expression profiles of the lenalidomide-treated and untreated intermediate erythroblasts from MDS del(5q) patients (n=9) and from healthy controls (n=8). GeneChip Human Genome U133 Plus 2.0 arrays (Affymetrix), covering over 47,000 transcripts representing 39,000 human genes, were used. Treatment with lenalidomide significantly influenced the pattern of gene expression in del(5q) intermediate erythroblasts, with up-regulation of VSIG4, PPIC, TPBG, and SPARC in all samples, and down-regulation of many genes involved in erythropoiesis, including HBA2, GYPA, and KLF1, in most samples. Up-regulation of SPARC (median 4.4-fold, range 2.4–9.5) is of particular interest since SPARC, a gene with known tumor suppressor functions, is both anti-proliferative and anti-angiogenic, and is located at 5q31–q32, within the commonly deleted region in MDS 5q- syndrome. Activin A was one of the most significant differentially expressed genes between lenalidomide-treated cells of MDS del(5q) patients and healthy controls. Activin A is a member of the transforming growth factor-beta superfamily, with pleiotropic functions including apoptosis of hemopoietic cells. We conclude that lenalidomide specifically inhibits growth of del(5q) erythroid progenitors, while not affecting cytogenetically normal cells. These novel findings suggest that up-regulation of SPARC and Activin A may underlie the potent effects of lenalidomide, in particular growth inhibition and anti-angiogenesis, in MDS with del(5)(q31). The localization of the SPARC gene to the CDR of the 5q- syndrome is intriguing and, in relation to the findings of the present study, we suggest that SPARC may well play a role in the molecular pathogenesis of the 5q- syndrome.


Open Biology ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 7 (5) ◽  
pp. 160342 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yan Qi ◽  
Jingyan Ge ◽  
Chunhui Ma ◽  
Na Wu ◽  
Xueling Cui ◽  
...  

Activin A, a member of the transforming growth factor beta superfamily, acts as a pro-inflammatory factor in acute phase response, and influences the pathological progress of neutrophil-mediated disease. However, whether activin A can exert an effect on the activities of neutrophils remains unclear. In this study, we found that the release of activin A was enhanced from neutrophils of mouse when stimulated with lipopolysaccharide. Furthermore, neutrophils were not only the source of activin A but also the target cells in response to activin A, in which canonical activin signalling components existed, and levels of ACTRIIA, SMAD3 and p-SMAD3 proteins were elevated in activin A-treated neutrophils. Next, the role of activin A was determined in regulation of neutrophils activities. Our data revealed that activin A induced O 2 − release and reactive oxygen species production, promoted IL-6 release, and enhanced phagocytosis, but failed to attract neutrophils migrating across the trans-well membrane. Moreover, we found that effect of activin A on IL-6 release from the peritoneal neutrophils of mouse was significantly attenuated by in vivo Smad3 knockdown. In summary, these data demonstrate that activin A can exert an effect on neutrophils activation in an autocrine/paracrine manner through Smad3 signalling, suggesting that activin A is an important regulator of neutrophils.


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