Cultured bovine aortic endothelial (BAE) cells were found to synthesize and secrete heparan sulfate proteoglycans (HSPG), which bound basic fibrobalst growth factor (bFGF). bFGF is a known mitogen for vascular smooth muscle cells, and is indicated to have a role in some proliferative vascular disorders. In the present study, we have purified proteoglycans from BAE cells conditioned media (BAE PG), and further separated the PG into two fractions, PG-I and PG-II, by ion exchange chromatography on a Q-Sepharose column using a linear salt gradient (0.15 M to 1.2 M). PG-I and PG-II elute at 0.85M salt and 0.1M salt respectively. BAE PG is primarily composed of heparan sulfate, which is accessible to the digestion of Heparinase I/III and nitrous acid treatment; and a small amount of chondroitin sulfate, which can be digested by Chondroitinase ABC. Gel filtration chromatography (Sepharose CL-2B and CL-4B columns) showed that BAE PG consisted of two different sized peaks, and had an average molecular weight of approximately 5 x 10⁵ Da. SDS-PAGE with silver staining indicated that BAE PG had two core proteins with estimated sizes of 300kDa and 320kDa, which corresponded to the core protein of PG-I and PG-II respectively. Western blotting with anti-perlecan primary antibody recognized the core proteins of BAE PG. Size exclusion chromatography (Sepharose CL-6B column) following β-elimination showed that BAE PG had GAG chains with an estimated size less than 2 x 10⁵ Da. A protocol to investigate the cell free binding of bFGF with purified BAE PG was established using the BioRad Bio-Dot apparatus - the cationic filtration assay (CAFAS). Using a simple monovalent binding model, we obtained values for the equilibrium dissociation constant, K_D, of (1.6 ± 0.8) x 10⁻¹⁰ M; the dissociation rate constant, k_r, of 0.01 min⁻¹; the association rate constant, k_f, of 6.2 x 10⁷ M⁻¹min⁻¹ and the total binding sites of the proteoglycan, R_T, of 0.1~0.2 (# of site)/(molecule of PG). The comparison of experimental data with model predictions indicates that when the number of binding sites provided by the PG is similar or greater than that of bFGF, the monovalent binding model is valid. When the number of binding sites is less than that of bFGF, one possibility is that the binding might not be the described simple monovalent reaction, and bFGF might bind to the PG as dimers or oligomers. In addition, a model is proposed for BAE PG, in which 5 ~ 10 BAE PG molecules form a high affinity binding site for bFGF. Experimentally we find that exogenous heparan sulfate competes with BAE PG for binding with bFGF, while chondroitin sulfate seems to facilitate the binding. This result may be a useful consideration when we want to design possible pharmaceutical compounds. / Master of Science

京都大学 / 0048 / 新制・課程博士 / 博士(医学) / 甲第18886号 / 医博第3997号 / 新制||医||1009(附属図書館) / 31837 / 京都大学大学院医学研究科医学専攻 / (主査)教授 三森 経世, 教授 戸口田 淳也, 教授 開 祐司 / 学位規則第4条第1項該当 / Doctor of Medical Science / Kyoto University / DFAM

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Rationale: Heart failure is the one of the leading causes of death in the United States. Myocardial infarction (MI) is followed by cardiac remodeling involving extensive fibrosis and which can ultimately progress into heart failure. Previous studies have shown both that both post-MI and post-ischemia reperfusion (I/R), there is a reduction in scar size and improved cardiac function as a result of administration of cortical bone stem cell treatment. Objectives: We investigated the mechanism through which CBSC-derived exosomes altered wound healing and reduced scar formation through in vitro experimentation and in an in vivo post-I/R study in mice. The effects of CBSCs and CBSC-derived exosomes on cardiac fibroblasts was determined. The aim was to broaden our understanding of the mechanism by which CBSCs exert their anti-fibrotic effects. Methods and Results: We investigated the effects of mouse CBSCs (mCBSC), human CBSCs (hCBSC), mCBSC-derived exosomes and hCBSC-derived exosomes on murine embryonic fibroblast (MEF) migration. Treatment with both mouse and human CBSC-conditioned media (CBSC-CM) which contains exosomes caused a decrease in fibroblast migration. Exosome depletion from the CBSC-CM enhanced the reduction in fibroblast migration, implying exosome contents are involved in fibroblast migration. Treatment of fibroblasts with mCBSC-CM and mCBSC-derived exosomes showed a reduction in fibroblast-associated genes matrix metalloproteinase 9 (MMP9) and Collagen 3A1 (Col3A1), as evidenced by qPCR analysis. Next, to examine if exosomes decrease fibrotic activation, adult rat ventricular fibroblasts (ARVFs) and adult human cardiac fibroblasts (NHCFs) were treated with TGFβ to activate fibrotic signaling before treatment with mCBSC- and hCBSC-derived exosomes. mCBSC-derived exosomes cause a 40% decrease in myofibroblast activation in ARVFs compared to TGFβ activated controls. hCBSC-derived exosomes caused a 100-fold decrease in human fibroblast activation, implying an even stronger intraspecies anti-fibrotic effect. To further understand the signaling mechanisms regulating the protective decrease in fibrosis, we performed RNA sequencing on the NHCFs after hCBSC-derived exosome treatment. The group treated with both TGFβ and exosomes showed a decrease in micro RNA (miRNA) and small nucleolar RNA (snoRNA), known to be involved with ribosome stability. A 24hr I/R study on 13wk old C57B/L6NJ mice showed that injection of mCBSCs and mCBSC-derived exosomes into the ischemic region of an infarct had a protective effect against I/R injury. Conclusions: In vitro findings show that wound healing induced by CBSC-derived exosome treatment involves the reduction of myofibroblast activation. RNA-Seq analysis identified that CBSC-derived exosomes inhibit with fibroblast activation by decreasing the expression of ribosome-stabilizing snoRNA, reducing protein translation and inflammatory signaling in activated cardiac fibroblasts, culminating in a decrease of myofibroblast activation. Additionally, in vivo, we found that mCBSC-derived exosomes recapitulate the effects of CBSC treatment, indicating exosomes are partly responsible for CBSC therapeutic effects in the post-I/R heart. Both mCBSCs and mCBSC-derived exosome treatment led to lower infarct size at 24 hours post-IR. / Organ Systems & Translational Medicine

Comprehensive genomic profiling has an emerging role in cancer therapeutics. As treatment options remain needed for advanced cancers, patients are relying increasingly more on tumor genomic alterations as possible targets for cancer treatment. Frequent tumor fibroblast growth factor receptor (FGFR) alterations are seen in many cancers, and include genetic amplifications, mutations, rearrangements and fusions. FGFR inhibitors target these receptor alterations and show promise as a drug class. Currently 2 medications are currently FDA approved: erdafitinib and pemigatinib. Through the FDA accelerated approval process, erdafitinib is indicated to treat metastatic urothelial carcinoma with FGFR2 and FGFR3 alterations, whereas pemigatinib is indicated to treat unresectable cholangiocarcinoma with FGFR2 alterations. Despite growing knowledge about such advanced cancers, treatment is usually palliative. With multiple FGFR inhibitors in the pipeline, further FDA approvals are possible, and it is likely their role in therapy will extend to other cancer types. This review outlines erdafitinib, pemigatinib, their role in cancer, as well as outlining the possible future use of other FGFR inhibitors in urothelial carcinoma, cholangiocarcinoma, and other malignancies.

Was vor einigen Jahren undenkbar erschien, könnte zukünftig möglich sein: Krankes Gewebe mit Gesundem ersetzen, das in vitro mit modernsten Biofabrikationstechniken hergestellt wird. Dabei werden bisherige Grenzen überschritten: Während lichtbasierte Biodruckverfahren wie die Zwei-Photonen-Polymerisation Auflösungen bis in den Nanometerbereich erzielen, ermöglicht der Volumetrische Biodruck (VB) den Druck zentimetergroßer Konstrukte in wenigen Sekunden. Diese Geschwindigkeiten erweisen sich unter Biodruckverfahren als konkurrenzlos und werden erreicht, da das Bioharz nicht konsekutiv, sondern zugleich vernetzt wird. Einschränkend gilt bislang nur der Mangel an geeigneten Bioharzen für den VB. Daher beschäftigt sich vorliegende Arbeit mit der Charakterisierung und Modifikation eines dafür geeigneten Bioharzes: Gelatine-Methacrylat (GelMA). Dank seiner Zusammensetzung ähnelt das etablierte Hydrogelsystem der Extratrazellularmatrix: Der Gelatine-Anteil ermöglicht Biokompatibilität und Bioaktivität durch zelladhäsive sowie degradierbare Aminosäure-Sequenzen. Zugleich können durch photovernetzbare Methacryloyl-Substituenten Konstrukte mit einer Formstabilität bei 37 °C erzeugt werden. Zunächst wurde das Bioharz zellbiologisch charakterisiert, indem mit der embryonalen Mausfibroblasten-Zelllinie NIH-3T3 beladene GelMA-Zylinder gegossen, photopolymerisiert und kultiviert wurden. Im Verlauf einer Woche wurde die Zytokompatibilität der Gele anhand der Proliferationsfähigkeit (PicoGreen-Assay), des Metabolismus (CCK-8-Assay) und der Vitalität (Live/Dead-Assay) der Zellen beurteilt. Dabei wurden Polymerkonzentrationen von 6 – 8 % sowie GelMA-Harze zweier verschiedener Molekulargewichte verglichen. Alle hergestellten Gele erwiesen sich als zytokompatibel, 6 % ige Gele ließen im Inneren jedoch zusätzlich eine beginnende Zellspreizung zu und ein niedriges GelMA-Molekulargewicht verstärkte die gemessene Proliferation. Die sich anschließende mechanische und physikalische Charakterisierung belegte, dass höher konzentrierte Gele einen größeren E-Modul aufwiesen und damit steifer waren. Eine Modifikation der Gele mit Fibronektin beeinflusste die Zellverträglichkeit weder positiv noch negativ und die Zugabe von Kollagen war wegen Entmischungseffekten nicht bewertbar. Es liegt die Vermutung nah, dass eine weitere Reduktion der Polymerkonzentration und damit Verringerung der Gelsteifigkeit der Schlüssel für mehr Zellspreizung und -wachstum ist. Da jedoch die Druckbarkeit des Bioharzes die weitere Senkung des GelMA-Gehalts limitiert, sollten zunächst Methoden entwickelt werden, welche die Netzwerkdichte des GelMAs anderweitig herabsetzen. / What seemed unthinkable a few years ago could be possible in the future: replacing diseased tissue with healthy tissue produced in vitro using the latest biofabrication techniques. Previous limits are being exceeded: While light-based bioprinting processes such as two-photon polymerization achieve resolutions down to the nanometer range, volumetric bioprinting (VB) makes it possible to print centimeter-sized constructs in just a few seconds. These speeds are unrivaled among bioprinting processes and are achieved because the bioresin is not cross-linked consecutively but simultaneously. The only limitation to date is the lack of suitable bioresins for VB. Therefore, the present work deals with the characterization and modification of a suitable bioresin: gelatine methacrylate (GelMA). Thanks to its composition, the established hydrogel system is similar to the extracellular matrix: The gelatine component enables biocompatibility and bioactivity through cell-adhesive as well as degradable amino acid sequences. At the same time, photo-crosslinkable methacryloyl substituents can be used to produce constructs with dimensional stability at 37 °C. First, the bioresin was characterized cell biologically by casting, photopolymerizing and culturing GelMA cylinders loaded with the embryonic mouse fibroblast cell line NIH-3T3. Over the course of a week, the cytocompatibility of the gels was assessed based on proliferation capacity (PicoGreen assay), metabolism (CCK-8 assay) and viability (Live/Dead assay) of the cells. Polymer concentrations of 6 - 8 % and GelMA resins of two different molecular weights were compared. All gels produced were found to be cytocompatible, however, 6 % gels additionally allowed incipient cell spreading inside and a low GelMA molecular weight increased the measured proliferation. The subsequent mechanical and physical characterization showed that gels with higher concentration had a higher modulus of elasticity and were therefore stiffer. Modifications of the gels with fibronectin had neither a positive nor negative effect on cell compatibility and the addition of collagen could not be evaluated due to segregation effects. It is reasonable to assume that further reduction in polymer concentration and thus a reduction in gel stiffness is the key to more cell spreading and growth. However, since the printability of the bioresin limits further reduction of the GelMA content, methods should first be developed to reduce the network density of the GelMA in other ways.

Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) / Objective: To determine whether specific mutations within the fibroblast growth factor receptor 2 (FGFR2) gene associated with Crouzon syndrome cause a phenotype with extreme variability of expression suggesting non-penetrance in clinically normal appearing individuals. Methods: Most mutations responsible for Crouzon syndrome occur in exons IIIa(U) or IIIc(B) of the FGFR2 gene, facilitating allelotyping by using polymerase chain reaction to mediate mutation analysis. Once a specific mutation is identified in the index case, remaining affected family members and clinically normal first-degree relatives are screened in order to correlate genotype with phenotype. Results: A novel missense mutation, a G to T transversion, involving the first base of codon 362 (Ala362Ser), was identified following DNA sequencing of exon IIIc, and a specific restriction fragment length polymorphism following BstNI enzyme digestion was found in all Crouzon-affected family members and in one clinically normal-appearing parent. Pattern profile analysis demonstrated a consistent collection of abnormal cephalometric measurements in the Crouzon affected family members, and to a lesser degree, in the clinically normal parent. Conclusion: We have identified a novel missense mutation in the FGFR2 gene predicting an Ala362Ser substitution that is shared by all family members affected by Crouzon syndrome, and a clinically normal appearing father. These data support non-penetrance of Crouzon syndrome.

The developing brain is sensitive to chemical exposures, however, currently there is a lack of good, regulatory accepted methods to study developmental neurotoxicity (DNT). The cell line C17.2 can be used as a model for DNT studies since it has the capacity to differentiate into neuronal and neuroglial populations. However, in a recent experiment, single cell RNA sequencing (scRNAseq) indicated that the cell line might contain a good proportion of fibroblasts. The aim of this project was to complement the scRNAseq with staining for protein markers for specific cell types in order to elucidate the cellular composition of differentiated and undifferentiated C17.2 cultures. The markers Hyaluronan-Mediated Motility Receptor (HMMR), vimentin and Platelet Derived Growth Factor Receptor A (PDGFRA) were identified as promising markers for radial glial cells (RGC) and subsequently fibroblast and validated by immunofluorescence. HMMR by itself was used as a marker for RGC and was, as expected, decreasing during the differentiation process. Co-localization of vimentin and PDGFRA was used as markers for fibroblast. However, the conditions for the PDGFRA-antibody could not be optimized due to time restraints. Thus no specific staining could be obtained and no conclusions could be drawn regarding the presence or absence of fibroblasts in the culture. The results emphasize the need for more optimisation or the selection of more specific markers, e.g. Collagen type I alpha 1 (Col1a1). Further, these findings highlight the complexity of the cellular composition and the need for other methods to characterize C17.2.

Dermal fibroblasts positively contribute throughout the wounding response by secreting a profile of pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokines in the wound milieu. However, a chronically inflamed environment will, cause detrimental effects on the functional, secretory, and molecular properties of these cells. This study aims to understand how the effect of the pro-inflammatory cytokine TNF-α modulates both healthy and diabetic dermal fibroblast phenotype. To mimic a chronic inflammatory environment and assess whether fibroblasts respond similarly in different anatomical sites, donor-matched fibroblasts from face and scalp were pre-incubated for 3 days with different concentrations (2.5, 25 or 250 ng/ml) of TNF-α. All concentrations significantly impaired proliferation by day 14 in cells from both sites and stimulated (papillary) metabolic activity at day 14. However, this did not correlate with an increase in papillary cell senescence since this did not appear until passage 17, and then only at a supra pathophysiological concentration. Migration of dermal fibroblasts, assessed by the scratch assay. TNF-α significantly inhibited the cells migration, particularly in diabetic fibroblasts, suggesting they are more sensitive to TNF-α. Since TNF-α may stimulate the secretion of soluble paracrine factors by dermal fibroblasts, conditioned medium was collected to assess its effect on other dermal fibroblasts, however, this had no significant effect on migration. However, using gelatin zymography, it was found that TNF-α did stimulate the secretion of soluble paracrine factors that induce MMP activity in non-diabetic fibroblasts, mirroring previous observations that a pro-inflammatory environment can increase proteolytic activity, and indicating that diabetic fibroblasts were again more sensitive than healthy. No difference was observed with MMP-9 activity and nor did the results with dermal fibroblasts reach statistical significance, perhaps because of a relatively low n-number. The ability of TNF-α to modulate the expression of genes associated with the ECM (MMP-1, -2, -9, TIMP-1, and -2) and senescence (Sirt1 and 6) was investigated. There was no change in Sirt1 and Sirt6 expression and no evidence of paracrine effects (conditioned medium) on any of the genes. TNF-α significantly induced mRNA expression of MMP-1 in healthy non-scratched and scratched diabetic fibroblasts, and TIMP-1 in healthy non-scratched cells. There was also considerable donor variability that prevented statistical significance being achieved under the other conditions. The secretion of various cytokines associated with inflammation was compared in healthy and diabetic fibroblasts in the presence and absence of TNF-α. Seven cytokines were secreted, by healthy and diabetic male and female fibroblasts, although diabetic female fibroblasts did not secrete two of them. TNF-α stimulated secretion of cytokines in healthy and diabetic, male and female cells but the profiles of those released were different between the different groups. There was no TNF-α induced paracrine effect on cytokine secretion by healthy dermal fibroblasts. In conclusion, changes in the microenvironment and the influx of pro inflammatory cytokines may significantly alter the dermal fibroblast phenotype. Understanding these functional and molecular changes in response to inflammatory cytokines will give a better understanding of the differences between fibroblast activity in normal physiological wound healing and chronic or diabetic non-healing wounds.