scholarly journals Overexpression and Activation of αvβ3 Integrin Differentially Affects TGFβ2 Signaling in Human Trabecular Meshwork Cells

Cells ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (8) ◽  
pp. 1923
Author(s):  
Mark S. Filla ◽  
Kristy K. Meyer ◽  
Jennifer A. Faralli ◽  
Donna M. Peters

Studies from our laboratory have suggested that activation of αvβ3 integrin-mediated signaling could contribute to the fibrotic-like changes observed in primary open angle glaucoma (POAG) and glucocorticoid-induced glaucoma. To determine how αvβ3 integrin signaling could be involved in this process, RNA-Seq analysis was used to analyze the transcriptomes of immortalized trabecular meshwork (TM) cell lines overexpressing either a control vector or a wild type (WT) or a constitutively active (CA) αvβ3 integrin. Compared to control cells, hierarchical clustering, PANTHER pathway and protein-protein interaction (PPI) analysis of cells overexpressing WT-αvβ3 integrin or CA-αvβ3 integrin resulted in a significant differential expression of genes encoding for transcription factors, adhesion and cytoskeleton proteins, extracellular matrix (ECM) proteins, cytokines and GTPases. Cells overexpressing a CA-αvβ3 integrin also demonstrated an enrichment for genes encoding proteins found in TGFβ2, Wnt and cadherin signaling pathways all of which have been implicated in POAG pathogenesis. These changes were not observed in cells overexpressing WT-αvβ3 integrin. Our results suggest that activation of αvβ3 integrin signaling in TM cells could have significant impacts on TM function and POAG pathogenesis.

2013 ◽  
Vol 54 (7) ◽  
pp. 5000 ◽  
Author(s):  
Debjani Gagen ◽  
Mark S. Filla ◽  
Ross Clark ◽  
Paloma Liton ◽  
Donna M. Peters

2011 ◽  
Vol 52 (3) ◽  
pp. 1684 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jennifer A. Faralli ◽  
Jessica R. Newman ◽  
Nader Sheibani ◽  
Shoukat Dedhar ◽  
Donna M. Peters

2014 ◽  
Vol 13 ◽  
pp. CIN.S18377 ◽  
Author(s):  
Seema Mishra

Glioblastoma (GBM) is the malignant form of glioma, and the interplay of different pathways working in concert in GBM development and progression needs to be fully understood. Wnt signaling and sonic hedgehog (SHH) signaling pathways, having basic similarities, are among the major pathways aberrantly activated in GBM, and hence, need to be targeted. It becomes imperative, therefore, to explore the functioning of these pathways in context of each other in GBM. An integrative approach may help provide new biological insights, as well as solve the problem of identifying common drug targets for simultaneous targeting of these pathways. The beauty of this approach is that it can recapitulate several known facts, as well as decipher new emerging patterns, identifying those targets that could be missed when relying on one type of data at a time. This approach can be easily extended to other systems to discover key patterns in the functioning of signaling molecules. Studies were designed to assess the relationship between significant differential expression of genes of the Wnt (Wnt/β-catenin canonical and Wnt non-canonical) and SHH signaling pathways and their connectivity patterns in interaction and signaling networks. Further, the aim was to decipher underlying mechanistic patterns that may be involved in a more specific way and to generate a ranked list of genes that can be used as markers or drug targets. These studies predict that Wnt pathway plays a relatively more pro-active role than the SHH pathway in GBM. Further, CTNNB1, CSNK1A1, and Gli2 proteins may act as key drug targets common to these pathways. While CTNNB1 is a widely studied molecule in the context of GBM, the likely roles of CSNK1A1 and Gli2 are found to be relatively novel. It is surmised that Gli2 may be antagonistic to CSNK1A1, preventing the phosphorylation of CTNNB1 and SMO proteins in Wnt and SHH signaling pathway, respectively, by CSNK1A1, and thereby, aberrant activation. New insights into the possible behavior of these pathway molecules relative to each other in GBM reveal some key interesting patterns.


Author(s):  
Xiayin Zhang ◽  
Ruixin Wang ◽  
Ting Wang ◽  
Xulin Zhang ◽  
Meimei Dongye ◽  
...  

BackgroundCryptophthalmos is characterized by congenital ocular dysplasia with eyelid malformation. The pathogenicity of mutations in genes encoding components of the FRAS1/FREM protein complex is well established, but the underlying pathomechanisms of this disease are still unclear. In the previous study, we generated mice carrying Frem2R725X/R2156W compound heterozygous mutations using CRISPR/Cas9 and showed that these mice recapitulated the human cryptophthalmos phenotype.MethodsIn this study, we tracked changes in the metabolic profile of embryos and expression of metabolism-related genes in Frem2 mutant mice on E13.5 compared with wild-type mice. RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) was utilized to decipher the differentiated expression of genes associated with metabolism. Untargeted metabolomics and targeted metabolomics analyses were performed to detect and verify the shifts in the composition of the embryonic metabolome.ResultsDifferentially expressed genes participating in amino acid metabolism and energy metabolism were observed by RNA-seq. Transcriptomic analysis suggests that 821 (39.89%) up-regulated genes and 320 (32.99%) down-regulated genes were involved in the metabolic process in the enriched GO terms. A total of 92 significantly different metabolites were identified including creatine, guanosine 5′-monophosphate, cytosine, cytidine 5′-monophosphate, adenine, and L-serine. Interestingly, major shifts related to ATP binding cassette transporters (ABC transporters) and the biosynthesis of amino acids in the composition of the embryonic metabolome were observed by KEGG metabolic analysis, indicating that these pathways could also be involved in the pathogenesis of cryptophthalmos.ConclusionWe demonstrate that Frem2 mutant fetal mice have increased susceptibility to the disruption of eye morphogenesis in association with distinct transcriptomic and metabolomic signatures. Our findings suggest that the metabolomic signature established before birth may play a role in mediating cryptophthalmos in Frem2 mutant mice, which may have important implications for the pathogenesis of cryptophthalmos.


PeerJ ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
pp. e12424
Author(s):  
Alexandra Cucaita ◽  
Marianne Piochon ◽  
Richard Villemur

Background Hyphomicrobium nitrativorans strain NL23 and Methylophaga nitratireducenticrescens strain JAM1 are the principal bacteria involved in the denitrifying activities of a methanol-fed, fluidized-bed marine denitrification system. Strain NL23 possesses the complete denitrification pathway, but cannot grow under marine conditions in pure cultures. Strain JAM1 is a marine bacterium that lacks genes encoding a dissimilatory nitrite (NO2−) reductase and therefore cannot reduce NO2−. Here, we report the characterization of some of their physiological traits that could influence their co-habitation. We also perform co-cultures to assess the potential synergy between the two strains under marine and denitrifying conditions. Methodology Anoxic planktonic pure cultures of both strains were grown with different concentrations of nitrate (NO3−). Anoxic planktonic co-cultures could only be cultured on low NaCl concentrations for strain NL23 to grow. Biofilm co-cultures were achieved in a 500-mL bioreactor, and operated under denitrifying conditions with increasing concentrations of NaCl. NO3− and NO2− concentrations and the protein content were measured to derive the denitrification rates. The concentrations of both strains in co-cultures were determined by quantitative PCR (qPCR). Ectoine concentration was measured by mass spectrometry in the biofilm co-culture. The biofilm was visualized by fluorescence in situ hybridization. Reverse-transcription-qPCR and RNA-seq approaches were used to assess changes in the expression profiles of genes involved in the nitrogen pathways in the biofilm cultures. Results Planktonic pure cultures of strain JAM1 had a readiness to reduce NO3− with no lag phase for growth in contrast to pure cultures of strain NL23, which had a 2-3 days lag phase before NO3− starts to be consumed and growth to occur. Compared to strain NL23, strain JAM1 has a higher µmax for growth and higher specific NO3− reduction rates. Denitrification rates were twice higher in the planktonic co-cultures than those measured in strain NL23 pure cultures. The biofilm co-cultures showed sustained denitrifying activities and surface colonization by both strains under marine conditions. Increase in ectoine concentrations was observed in the biofilm co-culture with the increase of NaCl concentrations. Changes in the relative transcript levels were observed in the biofilm culture with genes encoding NapA and NapGH in strain NL23. The type of medium had a great impact on the expression of genes involved in the N-assimilation pathways in both strains. Conclusions These results illustrate the capacity of both strains to act together in performing sustainable denitrifying activities under marine conditions. Although strain JAM1 did not contribute in better specific denitrifying activities in the biofilm co-cultures, its presence helped strain NL23 to acclimate to medium with NaCl concentrations >1.0%.


2019 ◽  
Vol 60 (12) ◽  
pp. 3897 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mark S. Filla ◽  
Jennifer A. Faralli ◽  
Harini Desikan ◽  
Jennifer L. Peotter ◽  
Abigail C. Wannow ◽  
...  

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jiyoung Lee ◽  
Jin A. Choi ◽  
Hyun-hee Ju ◽  
Ju-Eun Kim ◽  
Soon-Young Paik ◽  
...  

AbstractThe inflammatory chemokines, monocyte chemoattractant protein (MCP)-1 and IL-8, are produced by normal trabecular meshwork cells (TM) and elevated in the aqueous humor of primary open angle glaucoma (POAG) and hypertensive anterior uveitis associated with viral infection. However, their role in TM cells and aqueous humor outflow remains unclear. Here, we explored the possible involvement of MCP-1 and IL-8 in the physiology of TM cells in the context of aqueous outflow, and the viral anterior uveitis. We found that the stimulation of human TM cells with MCP-1 and IL-8 induced significant increase in the formation of actin stress fibers and focal adhesions, myosin light chain phosphorylation, and the contraction of TM cells. MCP-1 and IL-8 also demonstrated elevation of extracellular matrix proteins, and the migration of TM cells. When TM cells were infected with HSV-1 and CMV virus, there was a significant increase in cytoskeletal contraction and Rho-GTPase activation. Viral infection of TM cells revealed significantly increased expression of MCP-1 and IL-8. Taken together, these results indicate that MCP-1 and IL-8 induce TM cell contractibility, fibrogenic activity, and plasticity, which are presumed to increase resistance to aqueous outflow in viral anterior uveitis and POAG.


Biomolecules ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (9) ◽  
pp. 1371
Author(s):  
Xiaochen Fan ◽  
Emine K. Bilir ◽  
Olivia A. Kingston ◽  
Rachel A. Oldershaw ◽  
Victoria R. Kearns ◽  
...  

Glaucoma is one of the leading causes of vision loss worldwide, characterised with irreversible optic nerve damage and progressive vision loss. Primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG) is a subset of glaucoma, characterised by normal anterior chamber angle and raised intraocular pressure (IOP). Reducing IOP is the main modifiable factor in the treatment of POAG, and the trabecular meshwork (TM) is the primary site of aqueous humour outflow (AH) and the resistance to outflow. The structure and the composition of the TM are key to its function in regulating AH outflow. Dysfunction and loss of the TM cells found in the natural ageing process and more so in POAG can cause abnormal extracellular matrix (ECM) accumulation, increased TM stiffness, and increased IOP. Therefore, repair or regeneration of TM’s structure and function is considered as a potential treatment for POAG. Cell transplantation is an attractive option to repopulate the TM cells in POAG, but to develop a cell replacement approach, various challenges are still to be addressed. The choice of cell replacement covers autologous or allogenic approaches, which led to investigations into TM progenitor cells, induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs), and mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) as potential stem cell source candidates. However, the potential plasticity and the lack of definitive cell markers for the progenitor and the TM cell population compound the biological challenge. Morphological and differential gene expression of TM cells located within different regions of the TM may give rise to different cell replacement or regenerative approaches. As such, this review describes the different approaches taken to date investigating different cell sources and their differing cell isolation and differentiation methodologies. In addition, we highlighted how these approaches were evaluated in different animal and ex vivo model systems and the potential of these methods in future POAG treatment.


2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jana K Schniete ◽  
Richard Reumerman ◽  
Leena Kerr ◽  
Nicholas P Tucker ◽  
Iain S Hunter ◽  
...  

AbstractBackgroundStreptomycete bacteria are prolific producers of specialised metabolites, many of which have clinically relevant bioactivity. A striking feature of their genomes is the expansion of gene families that encode the same enzymatic function. Genes that undergo expansion events, either by horizontal gene transfer or duplication, can have a range of fates: genes can be lost, or they can undergo neo-functionalisation or sub-functionalisation. To test whether expanded gene families in Streptomyces exhibit differential expression, an RNA-Seq approach was used to examine cultures of wild-type Streptomyces coelicolor grown with either glucose or tween as the sole carbon source.ResultsRNA-Seq analysis showed that two-thirds of genes within expanded gene families show transcriptional differences when strains were grown on tween compared to glucose. In addition, expression of specialised metabolite gene clusters (actinorhodin, isorenieratane, coelichelin and a cryptic NRPS) was also influenced by carbon source.ConclusionsExpression of genes encoding the same enzymatic function had transcriptional differences when grown on different carbon sources. This transcriptional divergence enables partitioning to function under different physiological conditions. These approaches can inform metabolic engineering of industrial Streptomyces strains and may help develop cultivation conditions to activate the so-called silent biosynthetic gene clusters.


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