Spatio-temporal regulation of concurrent developmental processes by generic signaling downstream of chemokine receptors

Targeting chemokine-receptor mediated molecular signaling by ethnopharmacological approaches

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE

Infection and inflammation are critical to global human health status and the goal of current pharmacological interventions intends formulating medications/preventives as a measure to deal with this situation. Chemokines and their cognate receptors are major regulatory molecules in many of these ailments. Natural products have been a keen source to the drug development industry, every year contributing significantly to the growing list of FDA approved drugs. A multiverse of natural resource is employed as a part of curative regimen in folk/traditional/ethnomedicine which can be employed to discover, repurpose, and design potent medications for the diseases of clinical concern.

AIM OF THE STUDY

This review aims to systematically document the ethnopharmacologically active agents targeting the infectious-inflammatory diseases through the chemokine-receptor nexus.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Articles related to chemokine/receptor modulating ethnopharmacological anti-inflammatory, anti-infectious natural sources, bioactive compounds, and formulations have been examined with special emphasis on women related diseases. The available literature has been thoroughly scrutinized for the application of traditional medicines in chemokine associated experimental methods, their regulatory outcomes, and pertinence to women's health wherever applicable. Moreover, the potential traditional regimens under clinical trials have been critically assessed.

RESULTS

A systematic and comprehensive review on the chemokine-receptor targeting ethnopharmaceutics from the available literature has been provided. The article discusses the implication of traditional medicine in the chemokine system dynamics in diverse infectious-inflammatory disorders such as cardiovascular diseases, allergic diseases, inflammatory diseases, neuroinflammation, and cancer. On this note, critical evaluation of the available data surfaced multiple diseases prevalent in women such as osteoporosis, rheumatoid arthritis, breast cancer, cervical cancer and urinary tract infection. Currently there is no available literature highlighting chemokine-receptor targeting using traditional medicinal approach from women's health perspective. Moreover, despite being potent in vitro and in vivo setups there remains a gap in clinical translation of these formulations, which needs to be strategically and scientifically addressed to pave the way for their successful industrial translation.

CONCLUSIONS

The review provides an optimistic global perspective towards the applicability of ethnopharmacology in chemokine-receptor regulated infectious and inflammatory diseases with special emphasis on ailments prevalent in women, consecutively addressing their current status of clinical translation and future directions.

Apical expansion of calvarial osteoblasts and suture patency is dependent on fibronectin cues

The skull roof, or calvaria, is comprised of interlocking plates of bones that encase the brain. Separating these bones are fibrous sutures that permit growth. Currently, we do not understand the instructions for directional growth of the calvaria, a process which is error-prone and can lead to skeletal deficiencies or premature suture fusion (craniosynostosis, CS). Here, we identify graded expression of fibronectin (FN1) in the mouse embryonic cranial mesenchyme (CM) that precedes the apical expansion of calvaria. Conditional deletion of Fn1 or Wasl leads to diminished frontal bone expansion by altering cell shape and focal actin enrichment, respectively, suggesting defective migration of calvarial progenitors. Interestingly, Fn1 mutants have premature fusion of coronal sutures. Consistently, syndromic forms of CS in humans exhibit dysregulated FN1 expression, and we also find FN1 expression altered in a mouse CS model of Apert syndrome. These data support a model of FN1 as a directional substrate for calvarial osteoblast migration that may be a common mechanism underlying many cranial disorders of disparate genetic etiologies.

GRP78-CAR T cell effector function against solid and brain tumors is controlled by GRP78 expression on T cells

Lack of targetable antigens is a key limitation for developing successful T cell-based immunotherapies. Members of the unfolded protein response (UPR) represent ideal immunotherapy targets because the UPR regulates the ability of cancer cells to resist cell death, sustain proliferation, and metastasize. Glucose-regulated protein 78 (GRP78) is a key UPR regulator that is overexpressed and translocated to the cell surface of a wide variety of cancers in response to elevated endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress. We show that GRP78 is highly expressed on the cell surface of multiple solid and brain tumors, making cell surface GRP78 a promising chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cell target. We demonstrate that GRP78-CAR T cells can recognize and kill GRP78+ brain and solid tumors in vitro and in vivo. Additionally, our findings demonstrate that GRP78 is upregulated on CAR T cells upon T cell activation; however, this expression is tumor-cell-line specific and results in heterogeneous GRP78-CAR T cell therapeutic response.

A multi-dimensional view of context-dependent G protein-coupled receptor function

G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) family members can sense an extraordinary variety of biomolecules to activate intracellular signalling cascades that modulate key aspects of cell physiology. Apart from their crucial role in maintaining cell homeostasis, these critical sensory and modulatory properties have made GPCRs the most successful drug target class to date. However, establishing direct links between receptor activation of specific intracellular partners and individual physiological outcomes is still an ongoing challenge. By studying this receptor signalling complexity at increasing resolution through the development of novel biosensors and high-throughput techniques, a growing number of studies are revealing how receptor function can be diversified in a spatial, temporal or cell-specific manner. This mini-review will introduce recent examples of this context-dependent receptor signalling and discuss how it can impact our understanding of receptor function in health and disease, and contribute to the search of more selective, efficacious and safer GPCR drug candidates.

Apical expansion of calvarial osteoblasts and suture patency is dependent on graded fibronectin cues

The skull roof, or calvaria, is comprised of interlocking plates of bone. Premature suture fusion (craniosynostosis, CS) or persistent fontanelles are common defects in calvarial development. Although some of the genetic causes of these disorders are known, we lack an understanding of the instructions directing the growth and migration of progenitors of these bones, which may affect the suture patency. Here, we identify graded expression of Fibronectin (FN1) protein in the mouse embryonic cranial mesenchyme (CM) that precedes the apical expansion of calvarial osteoblasts. Syndromic forms of CS exhibit dysregulated FN1 expression, and we find FN1 expression is altered in a mouse CS model as well. Conditional deletion of Fn1 in CM causes diminished frontal bone expansion by altering cell polarity and shape. To address how osteoprogenitors interact with the observed FN1 prepattern, we conditionally ablate Wasl/N-Wasp to disrupt F-actin junctions in migrating cells, impacting lamellipodia and cell-matrix interaction. Neural crest-targeted deletion of Wasl results in a diminished actin network and reduced expansion of frontal bone primordia similar to conditional Fn1 mutants. Interestingly, defective calvaria formation in both the Fn1 and Wasl mutants occurs without a significant change in proliferation, survival, or osteogenesis. Finally, we find that CM-restricted Fn1 deletion leads to premature fusion of coronal sutures. These data support a model of FN1 as a directional substrate for calvarial osteoblast migration that may be a common mechanism underlying many cranial disorders of disparate genetic etiologies.

Cadherin-Mediated Cell Coupling Coordinates Chemokine Sensing across Collectively Migrating Cells

The directed migration of cells sculpts the embryo, contributes to homeostasis in the adult, and, when dysregulated, underlies many diseases [1, 2]. During these processes, cells move singly or as a collective. In both cases, they follow guidance cues, which direct them to their destination [3-6]. In contrast to single cells, collectively migrating cells need to coordinate with their neighbors to move together in the same direction. Recent studies suggest that leader cells in the front sense the guidance cue, relay the directional information to the follower cells in the back, and can pull the follower cells along [7-19]. In this manner, leader cells steer the collective and set the collective's overall speed. However, whether follower cells also participate in steering and speed setting of the collective is largely unclear. Using chimeras, we analyzed the role of leader and follower cells in the collectively migrating zebrafish posterior lateral line primordium. This tissue expresses the chemokine receptor Cxcr4 and is guided by the chemokine Cxcl12a [20-23]. We find that leader and follower cells need to sense the attractant Cxcl12a for efficient migration, are coupled to each other through cadherins, and require coupling to pull Cxcl12a-insensitive cells along. Analysis of cell dynamics in chimeric and protein-depleted primordia shows that Cxcl12a-sensing and cadherin-mediated adhesion contribute jointly to direct migration at both single-cell and tissue levels. These results suggest that all cells in the primordium need to sense the attractant and adhere to each other to coordinate their movements and migrate with robust directionality.

The extracellular matrix in development

As the crucial non-cellular component of tissues, the extracellular matrix (ECM) provides both physical support and signaling regulation to cells. Some ECM molecules provide a fibrillar environment around cells, while others provide a sheet-like basement membrane scaffold beneath epithelial cells. In this Review, we focus on recent studies investigating the mechanical, biophysical and signaling cues provided to developing tissues by different types of ECM in a variety of developing organisms. In addition, we discuss how the ECM helps to regulate tissue morphology during embryonic development by governing key elements of cell shape, adhesion, migration and differentiation.

Summary: This Review discusses our current understanding of how the extracellular matrix helps guide developing tissues by influencing cell adhesion, migration, shape and differentiation, emphasizing the biophysical cues it provides.

Exploring Biased Agonism at FPR1 as a Means to Encode Danger Sensing

Ligand-based selectivity in signal transduction (biased signaling) is an emerging field of G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) research and might allow the development of drugs with targeted activation profiles. Human formyl peptide receptor 1 (FPR1) is a GPCR that detects potentially hazardous states characterized by the appearance of N-formylated peptides that originate from either bacteria or mitochondria during tissue destruction; however, the receptor also responds to several non-formylated agonists from various sources. We hypothesized that an additional layer of FPR signaling is encoded by biased agonism, thus allowing the discrimination of the source of threat. We resorted to the comparative analysis of FPR1 agonist-evoked responses across three prototypical GPCR signaling pathways, i.e., the inhibition of cAMP formation, receptor internalization, and ERK activation, and analyzed cellular responses elicited by several bacteria- and mitochondria-derived ligands. We also included the anti-inflammatory annexinA1 peptide Ac2-26 and two synthetic ligands, the W-peptide and the small molecule FPRA14. Compared to the endogenous agonists, the bacterial agonists displayed significantly higher potencies and efficacies. Selective pathway activation was not observed, as both groups were similarly biased towards the inhibition of cAMP formation. The general agonist bias in FPR1 signaling suggests a source-independent pathway selectivity for transmission of pro-inflammatory danger signaling.

Chemokine Receptors and Phagocyte Biology in Zebrafish

Phagocytes are highly motile immune cells that ingest and clear microbial invaders, harmful substances, and dying cells. Their function is critically dependent on the expression of chemokine receptors, a class of G-protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs). Chemokine receptors coordinate the recruitment of phagocytes and other immune cells to sites of infection and damage, modulate inflammatory and wound healing responses, and direct cell differentiation, proliferation, and polarization. Besides, a structurally diverse group of atypical chemokine receptors (ACKRs) are unable to signal in G-protein-dependent fashion themselves but can shape chemokine gradients by fine-tuning the activity of conventional chemokine receptors. The optically transparent zebrafish embryos and larvae provide a powerful in vivo system to visualize phagocytes during development and study them as key elements of the immune response in real-time. In this review, we discuss how the zebrafish model has furthered our understanding of the role of two main classes of chemokine receptors, the CC and CXC subtypes, in phagocyte biology. We address the roles of the receptors in the migratory properties of phagocytes in zebrafish models for cancer, infectious disease, and inflammation. We illustrate how studies in zebrafish enable visualizing the contribution of chemokine receptors and ACKRs in shaping self-generated chemokine gradients of migrating cells. Taking the functional antagonism between two paralogs of the CXCR3 family as an example, we discuss how the duplication of chemokine receptor genes in zebrafish poses challenges, but also provides opportunities to study sub-functionalization or loss-of-function events. We emphasize how the zebrafish model has been instrumental to prove that the major determinant for the functional outcome of a chemokine receptor-ligand interaction is the cell-type expressing the receptor. Finally, we highlight relevant homologies and analogies between mammalian and zebrafish phagocyte function and discuss the potential of zebrafish models to further advance our understanding of chemokine receptors in innate immunity and disease.

RNAscope™ Multiplex Detection in Zebrafish

The RNAscope methodology is a powerful tool to detect RNA expression patterns with high subcellular resolution and possibility for RNA-protein colocalization studies. Presented here is a two-day protocol for robust multiplex detection of up to three different RNAs in zebrafish whole-mount embryos using the RNAscope procedure. Application of the protocol offers the simultaneous detection of multiple RNAs with a high signal-to-noise ratio in an intact embryo.

Germ cell migration-Evolutionary issues and current understanding

In many organisms, primordial germ cells (PGCs) are specified at a different location than where the gonad forms, meaning that PGCs must migrate toward the gonad within the early developing embryo. Following species-specific paths, PGCs can be passively carried by surrounding tissues and also perform active migration. When PGCs actively migrate through and along a variety of embryonic structures in different organisms, they adopt an ancestral robust migration mode termed "amoeboid motility", which allows cells to migrate within diverse environments. In this review, we discuss the possible significance of the PGC migration process in facilitating the evolution of animal body shape. In addition, we summarize the latest findings relevant for the molecular and cellular mechanisms controlling the movement and the directed migration of PGCs in different species.

Frontline Science: Antagonism between regular and atypical Cxcr3 receptors regulates macrophage migration during infection and injury in zebrafish

The CXCR3‐CXCL11 chemokine‐signaling axis plays an essential role in infection and inflammation by orchestrating leukocyte trafficking in human and animal models, including zebrafish. Atypical chemokine receptors (ACKRs) play a fundamental regulatory function in signaling networks by shaping chemokine gradients through their ligand scavenging function, while being unable to signal in the classic G‐protein‐dependent manner. Two copies of the CXCR3 gene in zebrafish, cxcr3.2 and cxcr3.3, are expressed on macrophages and share a highly conserved ligand‐binding site. However, Cxcr3.3 has structural characteristics of ACKRs indicative of a ligand‐scavenging role. In contrast, we previously showed that Cxcr3.2 is an active CXCR3 receptor because it is required for macrophage motility and recruitment to sites of mycobacterial infection. In this study, we generated a cxcr3.3 CRISPR‐mutant to functionally dissect the antagonistic interplay among the cxcr3 paralogs in the immune response. We observed that cxcr3.3 mutants are more susceptible to mycobacterial infection, whereas cxcr3.2 mutants are more resistant. Furthermore, macrophages in the cxcr3.3 mutant are more motile, show higher activation status, and are recruited more efficiently to sites of infection or injury. Our results suggest that Cxcr3.3 is an ACKR that regulates the activity of Cxcr3.2 by scavenging common ligands and that silencing the scavenging function of Cxcr3.3 results in an exacerbated Cxcr3.2 signaling. In human, splice variants of CXCR3 have antagonistic functions and CXCR3 ligands also interact with ACKRs. Therefore, in zebrafish, an analogous regulatory mechanism appears to have evolved after the cxcr3 gene duplication event, through diversification of conventional and atypical receptor variants.

The cell sets the tone

In zebrafish larvae, it is the cell type that determines how the cell responds to a chemokine signal.