Article
Cell Biology
Laura Duffy, John Henderson, Max Brown, Stefan Pryzborski, Nicola Fullard, Lena Summa, Jorg H. W. Distler, Richard Stratton, Steven O'Reilly
Summary: The study revealed that overexpression of Gremlin-1 activates quiescent cells to myofibroblasts and leads to functional effects. Gremlin-1 induces this process by increasing TGF-beta 1 levels and SBE luciferase activity. Inhibition of Gremlin-1 reduces collagen levels, indicating its key role in systemic sclerosis.
FRONTIERS IN CELL AND DEVELOPMENTAL BIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Jeppe Thorlacius-Ussing, Christina Jensen, Emilie A. Madsen, Neel Nissen, Tina Manon-Jensen, Inna M. Chen, Julia S. Johansen, Hadi M. H. Diab, Lars N. Jorgensen, Morten A. Karsdal, Nicholas Willumsen
Summary: In the tumor microenvironment, the extracellular matrix (ECM) plays an important role in cancer development. A study found that type XX collagen (PRO-C20) is significantly elevated in various types of cancer, making it a potential biomarker for cancer and a prognostic marker for pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC).
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2022)
Article
Pharmacology & Pharmacy
Jun Iwashita, Hikari Maeda, Momo Ishimura, Jun Murata
Summary: The excess secretion of MUC5AC in the respiratory tract of asthma patients can be suppressed by type IV collagen exposure, which modulates integrin expression and Akt/ERK phosphorylation in the respiratory tract of OVA-sensitized mice.
FRONTIERS IN PHARMACOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Immunology
Saskia V. Vijver, Akashdip Singh, Eline T. A. M. Mommers-Elshof, Jan Meeldijk, Ronald Copeland, Louis Boon, Sol Langermann, Dallas Flies, Linde Meyaard, M. Ines Pascoal Ramos
Summary: The tumor microenvironment contains collagen fragments that can mediate T cell suppression through LAIR-1, leading to poor outcomes in cancer patients with high expression levels of MMPs and LAIR-1. Therapeutic strategies targeting the interaction of LAIR-1 with collagen fragments may help to reverse T cell dysfunction and improve immunity in cancer patients.
FRONTIERS IN IMMUNOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Roberta Palmulli, Enzo Bresteau, Graca Raposo, Guillaume Montagnac, Guillaume van Niel
Summary: Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are actively involved in melanoma progression by modifying the tumor microenvironment and promoting the formation of pre-metastatic niche. The interaction of tumor-derived EVs with the extracellular matrix (ECM) plays a critical role in promoting persistent tumor cell migration. However, the direct interaction between EVs and ECM components is still uncertain. In this study, we utilized electron microscopy and a pull-down assay to demonstrate that sEVs derived from melanoma cell lines can physically interact with collagen I, forming collagen fibrils coated with sEVs, highlighting the heterogeneity of sEVs' interaction with collagen.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2023)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Salome M. Brutsch, Elizabeta Madzharova, Sophia Pantasis, Till Wustemann, Selina Gurri, Heiko Steenbock, Amiq Gazdhar, Gisela Kuhn, Peter Angel, Saverio Bellusci, Juergen Brinckmann, Ulrich auf dem Keller, Sabine Werner, Mattia R. Bordoli
Summary: Vertebrate lonesome kinase (VLK) is a secreted tyrosine kinase that phosphorylates various secretory pathway-resident and extracellular matrix proteins. However, its specific functions in vivo are still largely unknown. In this study, mice lacking the VLK gene in mesenchymal cells were generated, leading to lung abnormalities and respiratory failure in most homozygous mice. Proteomics analysis revealed differential abundance of extracellular matrix proteins in the lungs of these mice, suggesting that mesenchyme-derived VLK regulates lung development through modulation of matrix dynamics and alveolar epithelial cell differentiation.
CELLULAR AND MOLECULAR LIFE SCIENCES
(2023)
Article
Clinical Neurology
Apoorva A. Kumar, Natalie Yeo, Max Whittaker, Priya Attra, Thomas R. Barrick, Leslie R. Bridges, Dennis W. Dickson, Margaret M. Esiri, Chad W. Farris, Delyth Graham, Wen Lang Lin, Daniel N. Meijles, Anthony C. Pereira, Gregory Perry, Douglas L. Rosene, Anan B. Shtaya, Tom Van Agtmael, Giovanna Zamboni, Atticus H. Hainsworth
Summary: Vascular collagen-IV in cerebral small arteries of older people is negatively associated with radiological SVD severity, but not related to history of hypertension. Reduced collagen-IV is accompanied by accumulation of fibrillar collagens. Brain collagen-IV is elevated in older normotensive primates, but not associated with hypertension. Collagen-IV in arterial tissue does not differ between genetically hypertensive and normotensive rats.
Editorial Material
Oncology
Dennis Schwarz, Marie Lipoldova, Holger Reinecke, Yahya Sohrabi
Summary: This paper provides an overview of the potential mechanisms explaining the anti-inflammatory effects of collagen peptides. It also discusses the possible risks of collagen deposition in inflammatory diseases. Although the detailed mechanisms remain unclear, current knowledge suggests that collagen may be a potential therapeutic option for reducing the residual risk in inflammatory diseases.
CLINICAL AND TRANSLATIONAL MEDICINE
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Nataliya Migulina, Gavin Tjin, Alen Faiz, Theo Borghuis, Fenghua Zhao, Hans J. Kaper, Marit Metzlar, Eline van Dijk, Prashant K. Sharma, Wim Timens, Reinoud Gosens, Corry-Anke Brandsma, Janette K. Burgess
Summary: This study investigated the effects of smoking and COPD on LOs gene and protein expression in the airways and found that LOs alterations may be related to smoking and contribute to impaired airway function in COPD, providing potential novel targets for prevention or treatment of small airways changes in COPD.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Yunxia Ma, Miljana Nenkov, Desiree Charlotte Schroeder, Mohamed Abubrig, Nikolaus Gassler, Yuan Chen
Summary: FBLN2, a member of the fibulin family, acts as a tumor suppressor in non-small cell lung cancer by modulating multiple signaling pathways and genes related to cell adhesion and ECM remodeling, indicating its potential as a biomarker for NSCLC subclassification.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2021)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Elena V. Isaeva, Evgeny E. Beketov, Grigory A. Demyashkin, Nina D. Yakovleva, Nadezhda V. Arguchinskaya, Anastas A. Kisel, Tatiana S. Lagoda, Egor P. Malakhov, Anna N. Smirnova, Vasiliy M. Petriev, Petr S. Eremin, Egor O. Osidak, Sergey P. Domogatsky, Sergey A. Ivanov, Petr V. Shegay, Andrey D. Kaprin
Summary: The aim of this study was to verify the applicability of high-concentration collagen-based bioink with MSC (ADSC) and decellularized ECM granules for the formation of cartilage tissue de novo. It has been established that decellularized ECM granules are able to stimulate chondrogenesis in both cell-free and MSC-laden scaffolds, with some undesirable effects identified.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2022)
Article
Anatomy & Morphology
Makhdoom Sarwar, Peter H. Sykes, Kenny Chitcholtan, John J. Evans
Summary: Collagen I architecture plays a role in ovarian cancer development and therapeutic responses, with distinct morphologies observed in cancerous ovaries compared to normal ones. Fibril alignment is more prevalent in certain ovarian cancer subtypes, suggesting an influence on cancer cell proliferation. The modification of collagen I structure integrity is associated with ovarian cancer progression and therapeutic outcomes.
Article
Cell Biology
Emilie A. A. Madsen, Jeppe Thorlacius-Ussing, Neel I. I. Nissen, Christina Jensen, Inna M. M. Chen, Julia S. S. Johansen, Hadi M. H. Diab, Lars N. N. Jorgensen, Carsten P. P. Hansen, Morten A. A. Karsdal, Nicholas Willumsen
Summary: Circulating fragments of type III collagen, measured by PRO-C3, have shown promising results as a tumor fibrosis biomarker. In this study, the biomarker potential of type XXII collagen (COL22) was investigated, and it was found to have diagnostic potential in various solid tumor types and prognostic potential in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC). Furthermore, it complemented PRO-C3 in predicting mortality, suggesting an additive prognostic value.
Article
Dentistry, Oral Surgery & Medicine
G. Li, Q. Li, Z. Shen, X. Lin, X. Li, J. Wang, B. Zhao, Y. Feng, L. Feng, W. Guo, L. Hu, J. Wang, C. Zhang, Z. Fan, S. Wang, X. Wu
Summary: The successional dental lamina (SDL) of permanent teeth is maintained in a quiescent state until adolescence. Biomechanical stress generated by the rapid growth of deciduous teeth inhibits SDL development. A specific fibroblast subtype, DFDP, in the dental follicle mesenchyme was identified, which is related to biomechanical stress and plays a role in maintaining SDL niche homeostasis. The biomechanical stress-mediated RUNX2-fibulin-1 axis inhibits SDL initiation.
JOURNAL OF DENTAL RESEARCH
(2023)
Article
Oncology
Soyeon Ko, Kyung Hee Jung, Young -Chan Yoon, Beom Seok Han, Min Seok Park, Yun Ji Lee, Sang Eun Kim, Ye Jin Cho, Pureunchowon Lee, Joo Han Lim, Ji-Kan Ryu, Kewon Kim, Tae Young Kim, Sungwoo Hong, So Ha Lee, Soon-Sun Hong
Summary: In this study, a novel DDR1 inhibitor, KI-301690, was developed to enhance the delivery efficiency and improve the sensitivity of chemotherapy drugs by inhibiting the binding of tumor cells to collagen. The results showed that KI-301690 in combination with gemcitabine suppressed the growth of pancreatic cancer cells and attenuated the expression of major tumor ECM components. Additionally, this combination effectively inhibited cell migration and invasion. Mechanistically, the enhanced anticancer efficacy of the co-treatment could be attributed to the inhibition of DDR1/PYK2/FAK signaling pathway, resulting in reduced tumor growth in a pancreatic xenograft model.
AMERICAN JOURNAL OF CANCER RESEARCH
(2022)
Article
Genetics & Heredity
Yukihiko Kubota, Kiyoji Nishiwaki, Masahiro Ito, Asako Sugimoto
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Surabhi Sudevan, Mai Takiura, Yukihiko Kubota, Nahoko Higashitani, Michael Cooke, Rebecca A. Ellwood, Timothy Etheridge, Nathaniel J. Szewczyk, Atsushi Higashitani
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Yusuke Nomoto, Yukihiro Kubota, Yuto Ohnishi, Kota Kasahara, Aimi Tomita, Takehiro Oshime, Hiroki Yamashita, Muhamad Fahmi, Masahiro Ito
Article
Infectious Diseases
Muhamad Fahmi, Yukihiko Kubota, Masahiro Ito
INFECTION GENETICS AND EVOLUTION
(2020)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Takahiro Nakamura, Muhamad Fahmi, Jun Tanaka, Kaito Seki, Yukihiro Kubota, Masahiro Ito
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2019)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Ayaka Imanishi, Yuma Aoki, Masaki Kakehi, Shunsuke Mori, Tomomi Takano, Yukihiko Kubota, Hon-Song Kim, Yukimasa Shibata, Kiyoji Nishiwaki
Article
Endocrinology & Metabolism
Einat Blitz, Hiroki Matsuda, Stefan Guenther, Takuto Morikawa, Yukihiko Kubota, David Zada, Tali Lerer-Goldshtein, Didier Y. R. Stainier, Lior Appelbaum
Summary: Hypothyroidism is characterized by insufficient thyroid hormone activity, leading to reduced goblet cells in the intestine, which can be rescued by T3 treatment. Transcriptome profiling revealed differential gene expression in the intestine of hypothyroid adults, with Fgf19-Fgfr4 signaling pathway being associated with inhibition of goblet cell differentiation in hypothyroidism. Targeting the TH and Fgf19-Fgfr4 signaling pathways could be a potential treatment for TH-related gastro-intestinal diseases.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Yukihiro Kubota, Yuto Ohnishi, Tasuku Hamasaki, Gen Yasui, Natsumi Ota, Hiromu Kitagawa, Arashi Esaki, Muhamad Fahmi, Masahiro Ito
Summary: The study revealed that the corepressors LET-418, SIN-3, and SPR-1 are crucial for embryonic development in Caenorhabditis elegans, playing similar roles in promoting progression to middle and late embryonic stages. Genetic interactions and gene ontology analysis indicated significant overlapping functions among SIN-3, SPR-1, and LET-418, as well as between SIN-3 and SPR-1. These findings suggest that the class-I HDAC-1 corepressors may cooperatively regulate gene expression levels or function independently within specific cells during C. elegans embryogenesis.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Gen Yasui, Syouichi Katayama, Yukihiko Kubota, Hisashi Takatsuka, Masahiro Ito, Tetsuya Inazu
Summary: The study identified the MeCP2 binding protein ZNF483 as broadly conserved in metazoans and proposed its involvement in promoting neuronal differentiation by regulating the subcellular localization of MeCP2 in P19 cells.
BIOCHEMICAL AND BIOPHYSICAL RESEARCH COMMUNICATIONS
(2021)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Takuma Unno, Hisashi Takatsuka, Yuto Ohnishi, Masahiro Ito, Yukihiko Kubota
Summary: The study reveals that HDA-1 and HDA-2 are essential for embryonic development in Caenorhabditis elegans, with HDA-2 specifically involved in regulating fertilized egg size and viability. Transcriptome analysis suggests that HDA-2 mediates epigenetic regulation of embryonic processes by modulating gene expression.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Kaname Tsutsui, Hon-Song Kim, Chizu Yoshikata, Kenji Kimura, Yukihiko Kubota, Yukimasa Shibata, Chenxi Tian, Jun Liu, Kiyoji Nishiwaki
Summary: The study revealed the function of DRAG-1 in axon branching in Caenorhabditis elegans, which is closely related to the role of repulsive guidance molecules in repulsive axon guidance. DRAG-1 signals via the UNC-40 receptor in HSNs to induce branching activity of HSN axons through its expression in hypodermal cells.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2021)
Article
Medicine, General & Internal
Hisashi Takatsuka, Muhamad Fahmi, Kotono Hamanishi, Takuya Sakuratani, Yukihiko Kubota, Masahiro Ito
Summary: In this study, a new network of ORF8-interacting proteins in SARS-CoV-2 was determined through computational analysis. The potential role of these proteins in the pathogenesis and immune response of COVID-19 was predicted based on phylogenetic profiling and pathway analysis.
FRONTIERS IN MEDICINE
(2022)
Article
Cell Biology
Yukihiro Kubota, Natsumi Ota, Hisashi Takatsuka, Takuma Unno, Shuichi Onami, Asako Sugimoto, Masahiro Ito
Summary: Reduction in the function of the PAF1C complex affects oogenesis in Caenorhabditis elegans, and expression of the PAF1C in germ cells is required for oogenesis. Overexpression of OMA-1::GFP partially rescues oogenesis defects in PAF1C mutant animals.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Atsushi Higashitani, Mika Teranishi, Yui Nakagawa, Yukou Itoh, Surabhi Sudevan, Nathaniel J. Szewczyk, Yukihiko Kubota, Takaaki Abe, Takeshi Kobayashi
Summary: Sarcopenia, a syndrome characterized by age-related decline in skeletal muscle mass and strength, can be improved by suppressing mitochondrial calcium uniporter (MCU)-mediated Ca2+ influx into mitochondria. In this study, researchers found that aged muscle cells showed elevated resting mitochondrial Ca2+ levels and increased mitophagy, and suppressing MCU function improved movement in muscular dystrophy. These results suggest that elevated resting mitochondrial Ca2+ levels contribute to muscle decline with age and modulation of MCU activity could be an effective pharmacological target for muscle loss.
Article
Evolutionary Biology
Muhamad Fahmi, Hiromu Kitagawa, Gen Yasui, Yukihiko Kubota, Masahiro Ito
Summary: ORF8 is a highly variable genomic region of SARS-CoV-2 that may assist in viral replication and immune evasion. Through phylogenetic profiling and clustering analyses of binding partner proteins in 446 eukaryotic species, potential genes associated with viral pathogenesis were identified, shedding light on the role of ORF8 in viral pathogenesis.
EVOLUTIONARY BIOINFORMATICS
(2021)