Fibromodulin Interacts with Collagen Cross-linking Sites and Activates Lysyl Oxidase

The hallmark of fibrotic disorders is a highly cross-linked and dense collagen matrix, a property driven by the oxidative action of lysyl oxidase. Other fibrosis-associated proteins also contribute to the final collagen matrix properties, one of which is fibromodulin. Its interactions with collagen affect collagen cross-linking, packing, and fibril diameter. We investigated the possibility that a specific relationship exists between fibromodulin and lysyl oxidase, potentially imparting a specific collagen matrix phenotype. We mapped the fibromodulin-collagen interaction sites using the collagen II and III Toolkit peptide libraries. Fibromodulin interacted with the peptides containing the known collagen cross-linking sites and the MMP-1 cleavage site in collagens I and II. Interestingly, the interaction sites are closely aligned within the quarter-staggered collagen fibril, suggesting a multivalent interaction between fibromodulin and several collagen helices. Furthermore, we detected an interaction between fibromodulin and lysyl oxidase (a major collagen cross-linking enzyme) and mapped the interaction site to 12 N-terminal amino acids on fibromodulin. This interaction also increases the activity of lysyl oxidase. Together, the data suggest a fibromodulin-modulated collagen cross-linking mechanism where fibromodulin binds to a specific part of the collagen domain and also forms a complex with lysyl oxidase, targeting the enzyme toward specific cross-linking sites.     

Molecular mechanism of Endosulfan action in mammals

Endosulfan is a broad-spectrum organochlorine pesticide, speculated to be detrimental to human health in areas of active exposure. However, the molecular insights to its mechanism of action remain poorly understood. In two recent studies, our group investigated the physiological and molecular aspects of endosulfan action using in vitro, ex vivo and in vivo analyses. The results showed that apart from reducing fertility levels in male animals, Endosulfan induced DNA damage that triggers compromised DNA damage response leading to undesirable processing of broken DNA ends. In this review, pesticide use especially of Endosulfan in the Indian scenario is summarized and the importance of our findings, especially the rationalized use of pesticides in the future, is emphasized.     

Uncoupling Protein 2 (UCP2) Function in the Brain as Revealed by the Cerebral Metabolism of (1–<Superscript>13</Superscript>C)-Glucose

The mitochondrial aspartate/glutamate transporter Aralar/AGC1/Slc25a12 is critically involved in brain aspartate synthesis, and AGC1 deficiency results in a drastic fall of brain aspartate levels in humans and mice. It has recently been described that the uncoupling protein UCP2 transports four carbon metabolites including aspartate. Since UCP2 is expressed in several brain cell types and AGC1 is mainly neuronal, we set to test whether UCP2 could be a mitochondrial aspartate carrier in the brain glial compartment. The study of the cerebral metabolism of (1–¹³C)-glucose in vivo in wild type and UCP2-knockout mice showed no differences in C3 or C2 labeling of aspartate, suggesting that UCP2 does not function as a mitochondrial aspartate carrier in brain. However, surprisingly, a clear decrease (of about 30–35?%) in the fractional enrichment of glutamate, glutamine and GABA was observed in the brains of UCP2-KO mice which was not associated with differences in either glucose or lactate enrichments. The results suggest that the dilution in the labeling of glutamate and its downstream metabolites could originate from the uptake of an unlabeled substrate that could not leave the matrix via UCP2 becoming trapped in the matrix. Understanding the nature of the unlabeled substrate and its precursor(s) as alternative substrates to glucose is of interest in the context of neurological diseases associated with UCP2.     

Correction to: In vitro cellular and proteome assays identify Wnt pathway and CDKN2A-regulated senescence affected in mesenchymal stem cells from mice after a chronic LD gamma irradiation in utero

Radiation and Environmental Biophysics -