ADAMTS9-regulated pericellular matrix dynamics governs focal adhesion-dependent smooth muscle differentiation

Focal adhesions anchor cells to extracellular matrix (ECM) and direct assembly of a pre-stressed actin cytoskeleton. They act as a cellular sensor and regulator, linking ECM to the nucleus. Here, we identify proteolytic turnover of the anti-adhesive proteoglycan versican as a requirement for maintenance of smooth muscle cell (SMC) focal adhesions. Using conditional deletion in mice, we show that ADAMTS9, a secreted metalloprotease, is required for myometrial activation during late gestation and for parturition. Through knockdown of ADAMTS9 in uterine SMC, and manipulation of pericellular versican via knockdown or proteolysis, we demonstrate that regulated pericellular matrix dynamics is essential for focal adhesion maintenance. By influencing focal adhesion formation, pericellular versican acts upstream of cytoskeletal assembly and SMC differentiation. Thus, pericellular versican proteolysis by ADAMTS9 balances pro- and anti-adhesive forces to maintain an SMC phenotype, providing a concrete example of the dynamic reciprocity of cells and their ECM

Targeting glycans and heavily glycosylated proteins for tumor imaging

Simple SummaryDistinguishing malignancy from healthy tissue is essential for oncologic surgery. Targeted imaging during an operation aids the surgeon to operate better. The present tracers for detecting cancer are directed against proteins that are overexpressed on the membrane of tumor cells. This review evaluates the use of tumor-associated sugar molecules as an alternative for proteins to image cancer tissue. These sugar molecules are present as glycans on glycosylated membrane proteins and glycolipids. Due to their location and large numbers per cell, these sugar molecules might be better targets for tumor imaging than proteins.Real-time tumor imaging techniques are increasingly used in oncological surgery, but still need to be supplemented with novel targeted tracers, providing specific tumor tissue detection based on intra-tumoral processes or protein expression. To maximize tumor/non-tumor contrast, targets should be highly and homogenously expressed on tumor tissue only, preferably from the earliest developmental stage onward. Unfortunately, most evaluated tumor-associated proteins appear not to meet all of these criteria. Thus, the quest for ideal targets continues. Aberrant glycosylation of proteins and lipids is a fundamental hallmark of almost all cancer types and contributes to tumor progression. Additionally, overexpression of glycoproteins that carry aberrant glycans, such as mucins and proteoglycans, is observed. Selected tumor-associated glyco-antigens are abundantly expressed and could, thus, be ideal candidates for targeted tumor imaging. Nevertheless, glycan-based tumor imaging is still in its infancy. In this review, we highlight the potential of glycans, and heavily glycosylated proteoglycans and mucins as targets for multimodal tumor imaging by discussing the preclinical and clinical accomplishments within this field. Additionally, we describe the major advantages and limitations of targeting glycans compared to cancer-associated proteins. Lastly, by providing a brief overview of the most attractive tumor-associated glycans and glycosylated proteins in association with their respective tumor types, we set out the way for implementing glycan-based imaging in a clinical practice.Surgical oncolog

Glycan-based near-infrared fluorescent (NIRF) imaging of gastrointestinal tumors: a preclinical proof-of-conceptIn vivostudy

Purpose Aberrantly expressed glycans in cancer are of particular interest for tumor targeting. This proof-of-conceptin vivostudy aims to validate the use of aberrant Lewis glycans as target for antibody-based, real-time imaging of gastrointestinal cancers. Procedures Immunohistochemical (IHC) staining with monoclonal antibody FG88.2, targeting Lewis(a/c/x), was performed on gastrointestinal tumors and their healthy counterparts. Then, FG88.2 and its chimeric human/mouse variant CH88.2 were conjugated with near-infrared fluorescent (NIRF) IRDye 800CW for real-time imaging. Specific binding was evaluatedin vitroon human gastrointestinal cancer cell lines with cell-based plate assays, flow cytometry, and immune-fluorescence microscopy. Subsequently, mice bearing human colon and pancreatic subcutaneous tumors were imagedin vivoafter intravenous administration of 1 nmol (150 mu g) CH88.2-800CW with the clinical Artemis NIRF imaging system using the Pearl Trilogy small animal imager as reference. One week post-injection of the tracer, tumors and organs were resected and tracer uptake was analyzedex vivo. Results IHC analysis showed strong FG88.2 staining on colonic, gastric, and pancreatic tumors, while staining on their normal tissue counterparts was limited. Next, human cancer cell lines HT-29 (colon) and BxPC-3 and PANC-1 (both pancreatic) were identified as respectively high, moderate, and low Lewis(a/c/x)-expressing. Using the clinical NIRF camera system for tumor-bearing mice, a mean tumor-to-background ratio (TBR) of 2.2 +/- 0.3 (Pearl: 3.1 +/- 0.8) was observed in the HT-29 tumors and a TBR of 1.8 +/- 0.3 (Pearl: 1.9 +/- 0.5) was achieved in the moderate expression BxPC-3 model. In both models, tumors could be adequately localized and delineated by NIRF for up to 1 week.Ex vivoanalysis confirmed full tumor penetration of the tracer and low fluorescence signals in other organs. Conclusions Using a novel chimeric Lewis(a/c/x)-targeting tracer in combination with a clinical NIRF imager, we demonstrate the potential of targeting Lewis glycans for fluorescence-guided surgery of gastrointestinal tumors.Surgical oncolog

Gene expression and matrix turnover in overused and damaged tendons

Chronic, painful conditions affecting tendons, frequently known as tendinopathy, are very common types of sporting injury. The tendon extracellular matrix is substantially altered in tendinopathy, and these changes are thought to precede and underlie the clinical condition. The tendon cell response to repeated minor injuries or “overuse” is thought to be a major factor in the development of tendinopathy. Changes in matrix turnover may also be effected by the cellular response to physical load, altering the balance of matrix turnover and changing the structure and composition of the tendon. Matrix turnover is relatively high in tendons exposed to high mechanical demands, such as the supraspinatus and Achilles, and this is thought to represent either a repair or tissue maintenance function. Metalloproteinases are a large family of enzymes capable of degrading all of the tendon matrix components, and these are thought to play a major role in the degradation of matrix during development, adaptation and repair. It is proposed that some metalloproteinase enzymes are required for the health of the tendon, and others may be damaging, leading to degeneration of the tissue. Further research is required to investigate how these enzyme activities are regulated in tendon and altered in tendinopathy. A profile of all the metalloproteinases expressed and active in healthy and degenerate tendon is required and may lead to the development of new drug therapies for these common and debilitating sports injuries

An immunohistochemical evaluation of tumor-associated glycans and mucins as targets for molecular imaging of Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma

Simple Summary: Distinguishing pancreatic cancer from healthy tissue before and during surgery can be enhanced by using molecular tracers directed at molecules on tumor cells allowing high-contrast visualization of tumor tissue, eventually improving diagnosis and surgical removal. Albeit sugar molecules and proteins carrying a large amount of sugars-mucins- have gained significant interest as tumor-specific targets, their relative presence on structures surrounding tumor tissues and lymph node metastases is unknown. The current study shows that the presence of several, but not all, investigated sugar molecules and mucins on pancreatic cancer cells is higher compared to surrounding tissues. Moreover, given their abundance on tumor cells in lymph nodes and their absence on normal lymph nodes, all investigated targets are high-potential targets for visualization of lymph node metastases. This study paves the way for the development of molecular tracers against the targets evaluated herein to allow improvement of pancreatic cancer treatment.Targeted molecular imaging may overcome current challenges in the preoperative and intraoperative delineation of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC). Tumor-associated glycans Le(a/c/x), sdi-Le(a), sLe(a), sLe(x), sTn as well as mucin-1 (MUC1) and mucin-5AC (MU5AC) have gained significant interest as targets for PDAC imaging. To evaluate their PDAC molecular imaging potential, biomarker expression was determined using immunohistochemistry on PDAC, (surrounding) chronic pancreatitis (CP), healthy pancreatic, duodenum, positive (LN+) and negative lymph node (LN-) tissues, and quantified using a semi-automated digital image analysis workflow. Positive expression on PDAC tissues was found on 83% for Le(a/c/x), 94% for sdi-Le(a), 98% for sLe(a), 90% for sLe(x), 88% for sTn, 96% for MUC1 and 67% for MUC5AC, where all were not affected by the application of neoadjuvant therapy. Compared to PDAC, all biomarkers were significantly lower expressed on CP, healthy pancreatic and duodenal tissues, except for sTn and MUC1, which showed a strong expression on duodenum (sTn tumor:duodenum ratio: 0.6, p 0.9999), respectively. All biomarkers are suitable targets for correct identification of LN+, as well as the distinction of LN+ from LN- tissues. To conclude, this study paves the way for the development and evaluation of Le(a/c/x)-, sdi-Le(a)-, sLe(a)-, sLe(x)- and MUC5AC-specific tracers for molecular imaging of PDAC imaging and their subsequent introduction into the clinic.Surgical oncolog

The ADAMTS (A Disintegrin and Metalloproteinase with Thrombospondin motifs) family

The ADAMTS (A Disintegrin and Metalloproteinase with Thrombospondin motifs) enzymes are secreted, multi-domain matrix-associated zinc metalloendopeptidases that have diverse roles in tissue morphogenesis and patho-physiological remodeling, in inflammation and in vascular biology. The human family includes 19 members that can be sub-grouped on the basis of their known substrates, namely the aggrecanases or proteoglycanases (ADAMTS1, 4, 5, 8, 9, 15 and 20), the procollagen N-propeptidases (ADAMTS2, 3 and 14), the cartilage oligomeric matrix protein-cleaving enzymes (ADAMTS7 and 12), the von-Willebrand Factor proteinase (ADAMTS13) and a group of orphan enzymes (ADAMTS6, 10, 16, 17, 18 and 19). Control of the structure and function of the extracellular matrix (ECM) is a central theme of the biology of the ADAMTS, as exemplified by the actions of the procollagen-N-propeptidases in collagen fibril assembly and of the aggrecanases in the cleavage or modification of ECM proteoglycans. Defects in certain family members give rise to inherited genetic disorders, while the aberrant expression or function of others is associated with arthritis, cancer and cardiovascular disease. In particular, ADAMTS4 and 5 have emerged as therapeutic targets in arthritis. Multiple ADAMTSs from different sub-groupings exert either positive or negative effects on tumorigenesis and metastasis, with both metalloproteinase-dependent and -independent actions known to occur. The basic ADAMTS structure comprises a metalloproteinase catalytic domain and a carboxy-terminal ancillary domain, the latter determining substrate specificity and the localization of the protease and its interaction partners; ancillary domains probably also have independent biological functions. Focusing primarily on the aggrecanases and proteoglycanases, this review provides a perspective on the evolution of the ADAMTS family, their links with developmental and disease mechanisms, and key questions for the future

Engineering the Human Fc Region Enables Direct Cell Killing by Cancer Glycan-Targeting Antibodies without the Need for Immune Effector Cells or Complement

©2020 American Association for Cancer Research. Murine IgG3 glycan-targeting mAb often induces direct cell killing in the absence of immune effector cells or complement via a proinflammatory mechanism resembling oncotic necrosis. This cancer cell killing is due to noncovalent association between Fc regions of neighboring antibodies, resulting in enhanced avidity. Human isotypes do not contain the residues underlying this cooperative binding mode; consequently, the direct cell killing of mouse IgG3 mAb is lost upon chimerization or humanization. Using the Lewisa/c/x -targeting 88mAb, we identified the murine IgG3 residues underlying the direct cell killing and increased avidity via a series of constant region shuffling and subdomain swapping approaches to create improved ("i") chimeric mAb with enhanced tumor killing in vitro and in vivo. Constant region shuffling identified a major CH3 and a minor CH2 contribution, which was further mapped to discontinuous regions among residues 286-306 and 339-378 that, when introduced in 88hIgG1, recapitulated the direct cell killing and avidity of 88mIgG3. Of greater interest was the creation of a sialyl-di-Lewisa-targeting i129G1 mAb via introduction of these selected residues into 129hIgG1, converting it into a direct cell killing mAb with enhanced avidity and significant in vivo tumor control. The human iG1 mAb, termed Avidimabs, retained effector functions, paving the way for the proinflammatory direct cell killing to promote antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity and complement-dependent cytotoxicity through relief of immunosuppression. Ultimately, Fc engineering of human glycan-targeting IgG1 mAb confers proinflammatory direct cell killing and enhanced avidity, an approach that could be used to improve the avidity of other mAb with therapeutic potential. SIGNIFICANCE: Fc engineering enhances avidity and direct cell killing of cancer-targeting anti-glycan antibodies to create superior clinical candidates for cancer immunotherapy

The endogenous proteoglycan-degrading enzyme ADAMTS-4 promotes functional recovery after spinal cord injury

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Chondroitin sulfate proteoglycans are major inhibitory molecules for neural plasticity under both physiological and pathological conditions. The chondroitin sulfate degrading enzyme chondroitinase ABC promotes functional recovery after spinal cord injury, and restores experience-dependent plasticity, such as ocular dominance plasticity and fear erasure plasticity, in adult rodents. These data suggest that the sugar chain in a proteoglycan moiety is essential for the inhibitory activity of proteoglycans. However, the significance of the core protein has not been studied extensively. Furthermore, considering that chondroitinase ABC is derived from bacteria, a mammalian endogenous enzyme which can inactivate the proteoglycans' activity is desirable for clinical use.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>The degradation activity of ADAMTS-4 was estimated for the core proteins of chondroitin sulfate proteoglycans, that is, brevican, neurocan and phosphacan. To evaluate the biological significance of ADMATS-4 activity, an <it>in vitro </it>neurite growth assay and an <it>in vivo </it>neuronal injury model, spinal cord contusion injury, were employed.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>ADAMTS-4 digested proteoglycans, and reversed their inhibition of neurite outgrowth. Local administration of ADAMTS-4 significantly promoted motor function recovery after spinal cord injury. Supporting these findings, the ADAMTS-4-treated spinal cord exhibited enhanced axonal regeneration/sprouting after spinal cord injury.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Our data suggest that the core protein in a proteoglycan moiety is also important for the inhibition of neural plasticity, and provides a potentially safer tool for the treatment of neuronal injuries.</p

Mesenchymal stem cell-conditioned medium reduces disease severity and immune responses in inflammatory arthritis

We evaluated the therapeutic potential of mesenchymal stem cell-conditioned medium (CM-MSC) as an alternative to cell therapy in an antigen-induced model of arthritis (AIA). Disease severity and cartilage loss were evaluated by histopathological analysis of arthritic knee joints and immunostaining of aggrecan neoepitopes. Cell proliferation was assessed for activated and naïve CD4+ T cells from healthy mice following culture with CM-MSC or co-culture with MSCs. T cell polarization was analysed in CD4+ T cells isolated from spleens and lymph nodes of arthritic mice treated with CM-MSC or MSCs. CM-MSC treatment significantly reduced knee-joint swelling, histopathological signs of AIA, cartilage loss and suppressed TNFα induction. Proliferation of CD4+ cells from spleens of healthy mice was not affected by CM-MSC but reduced when cells were co-cultured with MSCs. In the presence of CM-MSC or MSCs, increases in IL-10 concentration were observed in culture medium. Finally, CD4+ T cells from arthritic mice treated with CM-MSC showed increases in FOXP3 and IL-4 expression and positively affected the Treg:Th17 balance in the tissue. CM-MSC treatment reduces cartilage damage and suppresses immune responses by reducing aggrecan cleavage, enhancing Treg function and adjusting the Treg:Th17 ratio. CM-MSC may provide an effective cell-free therapy for inflammatory arthritis

Investigation of the direct effects of salmon calcitonin on human osteoarthritic chondrocytes

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Calcitonin has been demonstrated to have chondroprotective effects under pre-clinical settings. It is debated whether this effect is mediated through subchondral-bone, directly on cartilage or both in combination. We investigated possible direct effects of salmon calcitonin on proteoglycans and collagen-type-II synthesis in osteoarthritic (OA) cartilage.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Human OA cartilage explants were cultured with salmon calcitonin [100 pM-100 nM]. Direct effects of calcitonin on articular cartilage were evaluated by 1) measurement of proteoglycan synthesis by incorporation of radioactive labeled ³⁵SO₄[5 μCi] 2) quantification of collagen-type-II formation by pro-peptides of collagen type II (PIINP) ELISA, 3) QPCR expression of the calcitonin receptor in OA chondrocytes using four individual primer pairs, 4) activation of the cAMP signaling pathway by EIA and, 5) investigations of metabolic activity by AlamarBlue.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>QPCR analysis and subsequent sequencing confirmed expression of the calcitonin receptor in human chondrocytes. All doses of salmon calcitonin significantly elevated cAMP levels (P < 0.01 and P < 0.001). Calcitonin significantly and concentration-dependently [100 pM-100 nM] induced proteoglycan synthesis measured by radioactive ³⁵SO₄incorporation, with a 96% maximal induction at 10 nM (P < 0.001) corresponding to an 80% induction of 100 ng/ml IGF, (P < 0.05). In alignment with calcitonin treatments [100 pM-100 nM] resulted in 35% (P < 0.01) increased PIINP levels.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Calcitonin treatment increased proteoglycan and collagen synthesis in human OA cartilage. In addition to its well-established effect on subchondral bone, calcitonin may prove beneficial to the management of joint diseases through direct effects on chondrocytes.</p