The non-phagocytic route of collagen uptake: a distinct degradation pathway

The degradation of collagens, the most abundant proteins of the extracellular matrix, is involved in numerous physiological and pathological conditions including cancer invasion. An important turnover pathway involves cellular internalization and degradation of large, soluble collagen fragments, generated by initial cleavage of the insoluble collagen fibers. We have previously observed that in primary mouse fibroblasts, this endocytosis of collagen fragments is dependent on the receptor urokinase plasminogen activator receptor-associated protein (uPARAP)/Endo180. Others have identified additional mechanisms of collagen uptake, with different associated receptors, in other cell types. These receptors include β1-integrins, being responsible for collagen phagocytosis, and the mannose receptor. We have now utilized a newly developed monoclonal antibody against uPARAP/Endo180, which down-regulates the receptor protein level on treated cells, to examine the role of uPARAP/Endo180 as a mediator of collagen internalization by a wide range of cultured cell types. With the exception of macrophages, all cells that proved capable of efficient collagen internalization were of mesenchymal origin and all of these utilized uPARAP/Endo180 for their collagen uptake process. Macrophages internalized collagen in a process mediated by the mannose receptor, a protein belonging to the same protein family as uPARAP/Endo180. β1-Integrins were found not to be involved in the endocytosis of soluble collagen, irrespectively of whether this was mediated by uPARAP/Endo180 or the mannose receptor. This further distinguishes these pathways from the phagocytic uptake of particulate collagen.     

Immobilized metal affinity chromatography optimized for the analysis of extracellular phosphorylation

Phosphorylation is the most widely studied posttranslational modification. Its role within the cell has been the focus of numerous large‐scale studies. Recently there is growing evidence on the biological significance of extracellular phosphorylation. The analysis of these phosphopeptides is complicated by the abundance of glycosylation in the extracellular space, since glycopeptides are also enriched by the methods used for phosphopeptide isolation. Thus, we optimized IMAC for phosphorylation analysis of secreted proteins, specifically in human serum. Selectivity and efficiency of different enrichment conditions used in earlier large‐scale phosphoproteomic studies were evaluated. We found that minimizing hydrophilic interactions in the enrichment allowed selective phosphopeptide isolation. Using a two‐step IMAC enrichment protocol under these conditions led to the identification of ～100 phosphorylation sites from the tryptic digest of as little as 40 μL human serum.     

异种血清诱发肝纤维化模型中ECM变化的研究

为了观察异种血清诱发肝纤维化过程中细胞外基质（ECM）及其生成细胞的变化规律,经腹腔注射猪血清建立大鼠肝纤维化模型,以免疫组织化学方法显示肝内胶原（Col）Ⅰ、Ⅲ、Ⅳ、Ⅴ型和纤连蛋白（Fn）及其生成细胞。结果：①Fn最早在汇管区、小叶间隔内沉积,ColⅢ、Ⅳ、Ⅴ随之增多,停止血清注射后它们都明显减弱或消失;ColⅠ沉积出现最迟,但阳性迅速增强,停止注射后仍较强;②结蛋白（Dm）阳性的肝星状细胞（HSC,原称Ito细胞）其分布和数量变化与Fn和ColⅡ基本同步,而位于汇管区及细胞间隔的原始间叶细胞（PMC）Dm（-）。提示ECM生成细胞可能来自细胞骨架表型不同的PMC和HSC,本模型由于能清晰地显示ECM及其生成细胞而更适用于肝纤维化机制及防治的研究。     

The miR-302c/transforming growth factor-β receptor type-2 axis modulates interleukin-1β-induced degenerative changes in osteoarthritic chondrocytes

Chondrocyte production of catabolic and inflammatory mediators participating in extracellular matrix degradation has been regarded as a central event in osteoarthritis (OA) development. During OA pathogenesis, interleukin-1β (IL-1β) decreases the mRNA expression and protein levels of transforming growth factor-β receptor type-2 (TGFBR2), thus disrupting transforming growth factor-β signaling and promoting OA development. In the present study, we attempted to identify the differentially expressed genes in OA chondrocytes upon IL-1β treatment, investigate their specific roles in OA development, and reveal the underlying mechanism. As shown by online data analysis and experimental results, TGFBR2 expression was significantly downregulated in IL-1β-treated human primary OA chondrocytes. IL-1β treatment induced degenerative changes in OA chondrocytes, as manifested by increased matrix metalloproteinase 13 and a disintegrin and metalloproteinase with thrombospondin motifs 5 proteins, decreased Aggrecan and Collagen II proteins, and suppressed OA chondrocyte proliferation. These degenerative changes were significantly reversed by TGFBR2 overexpression. miR-302c expression was markedly induced by IL-1β treatment in OA chondrocytes. miR-302c suppressed the expression of TGFBR2 via direct binding to its 3′- untranslated region. Similar to TGFBR2 overexpression, miR-302c inhibition significantly improved IL-1β-induced degenerative changes in OA chondrocytes. Conversely, TGFBR2 silencing enhanced IL-1β-induced degenerative changes and significantly reversed the effects of miR-302c inhibition in response to IL-1β treatment. In conclusion, the miR-302c/TGFBR2 axis could modulate IL-1β-induced degenerative changes in OA chondrocytes and might become a novel target for OA treatment.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (10.1007/s12079-020-00591-2) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.     

Drugging the undruggable proteins in cancer: A systems biology approach

In recent years, the research community has, with comprehensive systems biology approaches and related technologies, gained insight into the vast complexity of numerous cancers. These approaches allow an in-depth exploration that cannot be achieved solely using conventional low-throughput methods, which do not closely mimic the natural cellular environment. In this review, we discuss recent integrative multiple omics approaches for understanding and modulating previously identified ‘undruggable’ targets such as members of the RAS family, MYC, TP53, and various E3 ligases and deubiquitinases. We describe how these technologies have revolutionized drug discovery by overcoming an array of biological and technological challenges and how, in the future, they will be pivotal in assessing cancer states in individual patients, allowing for the prediction and application of personalized disease treatments.     

影响深红酵母和白地霉产生胞外蛋白和多肽的因素

采用白地霉2.498-47在以蛋白胨为氮源发酵时,只在开始pH3.2左右产生胞外蛋白,NH_4~+则无此限制,还有助于胞外多肽的产生。深红酵母2.280胞外蛋白的最大产率约在pH5.8;尿素作唯一氮源效果最好,与蛋白胨合并使用,可产胞外蛋白约800μg/ml。酵母膏对生长和产胞外蛋白很必要,不能用玉米浆和麦芽汁代替。用0.05N NaOH浸洗不同pH和氮源所培养的细胞都能浸出胞内蛋白,接近400μg/ml。发酵产生胞外蛋白自一日后开始,至二日接近最大量,以后逐渐减少。多肽产生起自第二日,五日未达到最大量。两株酵母菌都不表现蛋白酶活性,因此这个现象还不能解释。