COMP promotes pancreatic fibrosis by activating pancreatic stellate cells through CD36-ERK/AKT signaling pathways.

BACKGROUND: Pancreatic fibrosis is one of the most important pathological features of chronic pancreatitis (CP) and pancreatic stellate cells (PSCs) are the key cells of fibrosis. As an extracellular matrix (ECM) glycoprotein, cartilage oligomeric matrix protein (COMP) is critical for collagen assembly and ECM stability and recent studies showed that COMP exert promoting fibrosis effect in the skin, lungs and liver. However, the role of COMP in activation of PSCs and pancreatic fibrosis remain unclear. We aimed to investigate the role and specific mechanisms of COMP in regulating the profibrotic phenotype of PSCs and pancreatic fibrosis. METHODS: ELISA method was used to determine serum COMP in patients with CP. Mice model of CP was established by repeated intraperitoneal injection of cerulein and pancreatic fibrosis was evaluated by Hematoxylin-Eosin staining (H&E) and Sirius red staining. Immunohistochemical staining was used to detect the expression changes of COMP and fibrosis marker such as α-SMA and Fibronectin in pancreatic tissue of mice. Cell Counting Kit-8, Wound Healing and Transwell assessed the proliferation and migration of human pancreatic stellate cells (HPSCs). Western blotting, qRT-PCR and immunofluorescence staining were performed to detect the expression of fibrosis marker, AKT and MAPK family proteins in HPSCs. RNA-seq omics analysis as well as small interfering RNA of COMP, recombinant human COMP (rCOMP), MEK inhibitors and PI3K inhibitors were used to study the effect and mechanism of COMP on activation of HPSCs. RESULTS: ELISA showed that the expression of COMP significantly increased in the serum of CP patients. H&E and Sirius red staining analysis showed that there was a large amount of collagen deposition in the mice in the CP model group and high expression of COMP, α-SMA, Fibronectin and Vimentin were observed in fibrotic tissues. TGF-ß1 stimulates the activation of HPSCs and increases the expression of COMP. Knockdown of COMP inhibited proliferation and migration of HPSCs. Further, RNA-seq omics analysis and validation experiments in vitro showed that rCOMP could significantly promote the proliferation and activation of HPSCs, which may be due to promoting the phosphorylation of ERK and AKT through membrane protein receptor CD36. rCOMP simultaneously increased the expression of α-SMA, Fibronectin and Collagen I in HPSCs. CONCLUSION: In conclusion, this study showed that COMP was up-regulated in CP fibrotic tissues and COMP induced the activation, proliferation and migration of PSCs through the CD36-ERK/AKT signaling pathway. COMP may be a potential therapeutic candidate for the treatment of CP. Interfering with the expression of COMP or the communication between COMP and CD36 on PSCs may be the next direction for therapeutic research.

COMP-Ang1 enhances DNA synthesis and cell cycle progression in human periodontal ligament cells via Tie2-mediated phosphorylation of PI3K/Akt and MAPKs.

Recombinant COMP-Ang1, a chimera of angiopoietin-1 (Ang1), and a short coiled-coil domain of cartilage oligomeric matrix protein (COMP) can stimulate multiple cellular processes. Proliferative capacity of periodontal ligament (PDL) fibroblasts (PLFs) is important for maintaining PDL integrity and homeostasis. In this study, we explored whether exogenous COMP-Ang1 addition enhances proliferation of human PLFs and the cellular mechanisms therein. We initially isolated and characterized PLFs, where the cells showed highly positive staining for surface markers, CD90, CD105, and CD146. COMP-Ang1 treatment increased proliferation of PLFs by stimulating migration of cells into S and G2/M phases. This increase was coupled with decreased p21(Cip) and p27(Kip) levels and enhanced cyclin D1, cyclin-dependent kinase (CDK) 2, and CDK4 induction. Transfection with si-Tie2 near completely blocked COMP-Ang1-stimulated cell cycle progression in PLFs. Tie2 knockdown also inhibited COMP-Ang1-induced phosphorylation of mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs). In addition, COMP-Ang1-mediated activation of Akt and c-Jun was suppressed by treating each of pharmacological inhibitors specific to phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K) (LY294002 and Wortmannin) or MAPKs (PD98059, SB203580, and SP600125). Similarly, COMP-Ang1-mediated increases in DNA synthesis and cyclin D1 induction were prevented by treating inhibitor of MAPKs and PI3K or by c-Jun knockdown. These results suggest that COMP-Ang1 enhances survival and proliferation of human PLFs through the activation of Tie2-mediated signaling, where PI3K/Akt and MAPK-c-Jun signaling pathways act as downstream effectors. Collectively, COMP-Ang1 may be a useful as a stimulator of human PLFs and therefore improves PDL integrity and homeostasis.

COMP-Ang1 promotes long-term survival of allogeneic islet grafts in a bioinert perforated chamber by inhibiting inflammation via inhibition of the TLR4 signaling pathway.

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the effects of cartilage oligomeric matrix protein (COMP)- angiopoietin-1 (Ang1) on allogeneic islet graft survival in a bioinert perforated chamber. RESULTS: COMP-Ang1 treatment significantly decreased lipopolysaccharide-induced cell apoptosis and islet-related lymph node cell proliferation (both P < 0.01). Tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, interleukin (IL)-1ß, and IL-6 levels in the chamber exudate were significantly lower in the COMP-Ang1 + chamber group than in the chamber group (all P < 0.05), as were the protein expression levels. COMP-Ang1 significantly inhibited the expression of Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) in cultured islets. Finally, full COMP-Ang1 treatment resulted in the longest survival time among the treatment groups. CONCLUSION: Combined use of the bioinert perforated chamber with COMP-Ang1 is an effective strategy for improving islet allograft survival.

Aggrecan- and COMP-loaded poly-(lactic-co-glycolic acid) nanoparticles stimulate chondrogenic differentiation of human mesenchymal stem cells.

During embryogenesis, specific proteins expressed in cells have key roles in the formation of differentiated cells and tissues. Delivery of specific proteins into specific cells, both in vitro and in vivo, has proved to be exceedingly difficult. In this study, we developed a safe and efficient protein delivery system using encapsulation of proteins into biodegradable poly-(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) nanoparticles (NPs). The PLGA NPs were used to deliver proteins into human mesenchymal stem cells (hMSCs). Fluorescent markers loaded into the PLGA NPs were used to verify the internalization of NPs into hMSCs using FACS analysis and confocal microscopy. With these methods, we demonstrated that the encapsulated model proteins are readily delivered into hMSCs, released from the NP vehicles, and, finally, moved into the cytosols. Using chondrogenesis-related proteins such as aggrecan and cartilage oligomeric matrix protein (COMP), chondrogenic differentiation of hMSCs treated with aggrecan and COMP encapsulated PLGA NPs was clearly observed and caused to differentiate into chondrocytes.