Overgrowth with increased proliferation of fibroblast and matrix metalloproteinase activity related to reduced TIMP1: A newly recognized syndrome?

Insulin-like growth factor (IGF)-II- mediated fibrosis in pathogenic lung conditions

Type 2 insulin-like growth factor (IGF-II) levels are increased in fibrosing lung diseases such as idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) and scleroderma/systemic sclerosis-associated pulmonary fibrosis (SSc). Our goal was to investigate the contribution of IGF receptors to IGF-II-mediated fibrosis in these diseases and identify other potential mechanisms key to the fibrotic process. Cognate receptor gene and protein expression were analyzed with qRT-PCR and immunoblot in primary fibroblasts derived from lung tissues of normal donors (NL) and patients with IPF or SSc. Compared to NL, steady-state receptor gene expression was decreased in SSc but not in IPF. IGF-II stimulation differentially decreased receptor mRNA and protein levels in NL, IPF, and SSc fibroblasts. Neutralizing antibody, siRNA, and receptor inhibition targeting endogenous IGF-II and its primary receptors, type 1 IGF receptor (IGF1R), IGF2R, and insulin receptor (IR) resulted in loss of the IGF-II response. IGF-II tipped the TIMP:MMP balance, promoting a fibrotic environment both intracellularly and extracellularly. Differentiation of fibroblasts into myofibroblasts by IGF-II was blocked with a TGFβ1 receptor inhibitor. IGF-II also increased TGFβ2 and TGFβ3 expression, with subsequent activation of canonical SMAD2/3 signaling. Therefore, IGF-II promoted fibrosis through IGF1R, IR, and IGF1R/IR, differentiated fibroblasts into myofibroblasts, decreased protease production and extracellular matrix degradation, and stimulated expression of two TGFβ isoforms, suggesting that IGF-II exerts pro-fibrotic effects via multiple mechanisms.

CCN3 suppresses TGF-β1-induced extracellular matrix accumulation in human mesangial cells in vitro

Glomerular sclerosis is characterized by mesangial cell proliferation and progressive extracellular matrix (ECM) accumulation. CCN3 belongs to the CCN family of matrix proteins; increasing evidence suggests that CCN3 is an endogenous negative regulator of the ECM and fibrosis. However, the exact role of CCN3 in the accumulation of ECM remains unknown. The aim of the present study was to investigate the effects of CCN3 on TGF-β1-induced production of ECM in human mesangial cells (HMCs) in vitro. Treatment with TGF-β1 (0.5-2.0 ng/mL) suppressed the mRNA and protein expression of CCN3 in HMCs in dose- and time-dependent manners. Furthermore, treatment with TGF-β1 significantly increased the expression of the two markers of renal fibrosis, fibronectin (FN) and type I collagen (COLI), in HMCs. Moreover, treatment with TGF-β1 significantly decreased the expression of metalloproteinase (MMP)-2 and MMP-9, and markedly increased the expression of tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase (TIMP)-1 in HMCs. Pretreatment of HMCs with exogenous CCN3 (5-500 ng/mL) or overexpression of CCN3 significantly attenuated TGF-β1-induced changes in FN, COLI, MMP-2, MMP-9 and TIMP-1 in HMCs. These results suggest that CCN3 suppresses TGF-β1-induced accumulation of ECM in HMCs. CCN3 may have potential as a novel therapeutic target for alleviating glomerulosclerosis.

A recessive syndrome of intellectual disability, moderate overgrowth, and renal dysplasia predisposing to Wilms tumor is caused by a mutation in FIBP gene

Clinical classification of overgrowth syndromes represents a challenge since a wide spectrum of disorders result in marked overgrowth. Therefore, there is a continuous effort to identify the genetic basis of these disorders that will eventually facilitate their molecular classification. Here, we have identified the genetic etiology and the pathogenetic mechanism underlying a rare autosomal recessive overgrowth syndrome in three affected siblings. The overgrowth phenotype in the patients was accompanied by developmental delay, learning disabilities, and variable congenital abnormalities. To elucidate the genetic etiology of the disorder, whole-genome genotyping and whole-exome sequencing were used. The disease was mapped to 3p21.1-p14.2 and 11q13.1-q13.4, where an in-frame insertion (c.175_176insTAA) in FIBP gene was revealed. The resulting indel (p.H59LN) was predicted to change the protein conformation with likely deleterious effect on its function as one of the fibroblast growth factor signaling mediators. In vitro cellular proliferation assay and in situ hypridization in vivo were then performed to understand the pathophysiology of the disease. The patients' skin fibroblasts showed an increased proliferation capacity compared to the controls' explaining the observed overgrowth phenotype. In addition, we detected Fibp expression most notably in the brains of mice embryos suggesting a possible effect on cognitive functions early in development. To date, only one patient has been reported with a homozygous nonsense mutation in FIBP exhibiting an overgrowth syndrome with multiple congenital abnormalities. Taken all together, these findings provide convincing evidence implicating FIBP aberrations in the newly recognized overgrowth syndrome and expand the associated phenotypes to include possible Wilms tumor predisposition. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Expression profile analysis of vulnerable CA1 pyramidal neurons in young-Middle-Aged Ts65Dn mice

Down syndrome (DS) is the most prevalent cause of intellectual disability (ID). Individuals with DS show a variety of cognitive deficits, most notably in hippocampal learning and memory, and display pathological hallmarks of Alzheimer's disease (AD), with neurodegeneration of cholinergic basal forebrain (CBF) neurons. Elucidation of the molecular and cellular underpinnings of neuropathology has been assessed via gene expression analysis in a relevant animal model, termed the Ts65Dn mouse. The Ts65Dn mouse is a segmental trisomy model of DS that mimics DS/AD pathology, notably age-related cognitive dysfunction and degeneration of basal forebrain cholinergic neurons (BFCNs). To determine expression level changes, molecular fingerprinting of cornu ammonis 1 (CA1) pyramidal neurons was performed in adult (4-9 month-old) Ts65Dn mice, at the initiation of BFCN degeneration. To quantitate transcriptomic changes during this early time period, laser capture microdissection (LCM), terminal continuation (TC) RNA amplification, custom-designed microarray analysis, and subsequent validation of individual transcripts by qPCR and protein analysis via immunoblotting was performed. The results indicate significant alterations within CA1 pyramidal neurons of Ts65Dn mice compared with normal disomic (2N) littermates, notably in the downregulation of neurotrophins and their cognate neurotrophin receptors among other classes of transcripts relevant to neurodegeneration. The results of this single-population gene expression analysis at the time of septohippocampal deficits in a trisomic mouse model shed light on a vulnerable circuit that may cause the AD-like pathology invariably seen in DS that could help to identify mechanisms of degeneration, and provide novel gene targets for therapeutic interventions. J. Comp. Neurol. 523:61-74, 2015. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.