A combined computational and functional approach identifies IGF2BP2 as a driver of chemoresistance in a wide array of pre-clinical models of colorectal cancer.

AIM: Chemoresistance is a major cause of treatment failure in colorectal cancer (CRC) therapy. In this study, the impact of the IGF2BP family of RNA-binding proteins on CRC chemoresistance was investigated using in silico, in vitro, and in vivo approaches. METHODS: Gene expression data from a well-characterized cohort and publicly available cross-linking immunoprecipitation sequencing (CLIP-Seq) data were collected. Resistance to chemotherapeutics was assessed in patient-derived xenografts (PDXs) and patient-derived organoids (PDOs). Functional studies were performed in 2D and 3D cell culture models, including proliferation, spheroid growth, and mitochondrial respiration analyses. RESULTS: We identified IGF2BP2 as the most abundant IGF2BP in primary and metastastatic CRC, correlating with tumor stage in patient samples and tumor growth in PDXs. IGF2BP2 expression in primary tumor tissue was significantly associated with resistance to selumetinib, gefitinib, and regorafenib in PDOs and to 5-fluorouracil and oxaliplatin in PDX in vivo. IGF2BP2 knockout (KO) HCT116 cells were more susceptible to regorafenib in 2D and to oxaliplatin, selumitinib, and nintedanib in 3D cell culture. Further, a bioinformatic analysis using CLIP data suggested stabilization of target transcripts in primary and metastatic tumors. Measurement of oxygen consumption rate (OCR) and extracellular acidification rate (ECAR) revealed a decreased basal OCR and an increase in glycolytic ATP production rate in IGF2BP2 KO. In addition, real-time reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) analysis confirmed decreased expression of genes of the respiratory chain complex I, complex IV, and the outer mitochondrial membrane in IGF2BP2 KO cells. CONCLUSIONS: IGF2BP2 correlates with CRC tumor growth in vivo and promotes chemoresistance by altering mitochondrial respiratory chain metabolism. As a druggable target, IGF2BP2 could be used in future CRC therapy to overcome CRC chemoresistance.

Bioactive tetrapeptide GEKG boosts extracellular matrix formation: in vitro and in vivo molecular and clinical proof.

The 'matrikine' concept claims that processing of the precursors for collagen results in the formation of peptides such as KTTKS which in turn augments extracellular matrix (ECM) production. In the present study, we show the development of an anti-ageing active from an in silico approach by molecular design resulting in the tetrapeptide GEKG derived from ECM proteins. The efficacy of the peptide to significantly induce collagen production of the protein level and mRNA level has been demonstrated in vitro in human dermal fibroblasts and in vivo in a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled study enroling 10 volunteers with an average age of 48.2 years. The effect of GEKG on facial wrinkles was studied in 30 volunteers using state of the art fringe projection, which allows determination of surface roughness in three-dimensions. Here, only GEKG but not the placebo was able to significantly decrease skin roughness as a measure for wrinkles.

Functional consequences of mitochondrial DNA deletions in human skin fibroblasts: increased contractile strength in collagen lattices is due to oxidative stress-induced lysyl oxidase activity.

Deletions within the mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) are thought to contribute to extrinsic skin aging. To study the translation of mtDNA deletions into functional and structural changes in the skin, we seeded human skin fibroblasts into collagen gels to generate dermal equivalents. These cells were either derived from Kearns-Sayre syndrome (KSS) patients, who constitutively carry large amounts of the UV-inducible mitochondrial common deletion, or normal human volunteers. We found that KSS fibroblasts, in comparison with normal human fibroblasts, contracted the gels faster and more strongly, an effect that was dependent on reactive oxygen species. Gene expression and Western blot analysis revealed significant upregulation of lysyl oxidase (LOX) in KSS fibroblasts. Treatment with the specific LOX inhibitor beta-aminopropionitrile decreased the contraction difference between KSS and normal human fibroblast equivalents. Also, addition of the antioxidant N-tert-butyl-alpha-phenylnitrone reduced the contraction difference by inhibiting collagen gel contraction in KSS fibroblasts, and both beta-aminopropionitrile and N-tert-butyl-alpha-phenylnitrone diminished LOX activity. These data suggest a causal relationship between mtDNA deletions, reactive oxygen species production, and increased LOX activity that leads to increased contraction of collagen gels. Accordingly, increased LOX expression was also observed in vivo in photoaged human and mouse skin. Therefore, mtDNA deletions in human fibroblasts may lead to functional and structural alterations of the skin.

Targeting connexin43 expression accelerates the rate of wound repair.

The repair of tissue damage is a key survival process in all organisms and involves the coordinated activation of several cell types. Cell-cell communication is clearly fundamental to this process, and a great deal is known about extracellular communication within the wound site via cytokines. Here we show that direct cell-cell communication through connexin 43 (Cx43) gap junction channels also plays a major role in the wound healing process. In two different wound healing models, incisional and excisional skin lesions, we show that a single topical application of Cx43 antisense gel brings about a transient downregulation of Cx43 protein levels, and this results in a dramatic increase in the rate of wound closure. Cx43 knockdown reduces inflammation, seen both macroscopically, as a reduction in swelling, redness, and wound gape, and microscopically, as a significant decrease in neutrophil numbers in the tissue around the wound. One long-term consequence of the improved rate of healing is a significant reduction in the extent of granulation tissue deposition and the subsequent formation of a smaller, less distorted, scar. This approach is likely to have widespread therapeutic applications in other injured tissues and opens up new avenues of research into improving the wound healing process.

Effects of assisted and variable mechanical ventilation on cardiorespiratory interactions in anesthetized pigs.

The physiological importance of respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA) and cardioventilatory coupling (CVC) has not yet been fully elucidated, but these phenomena might contribute to improve ventilation/perfusion matching, with beneficial effects on gas exchange. Furthermore, decreased RSA amplitude has been suggested as an indicator of impaired autonomic control and poor clinical outcome, also during positive-pressure mechanical ventilation (MV). However, it is currently unknown how different modes of MV, including variable tidal volumes (V(T)), affect RSA and CVC during anesthesia. We compared the effects of pressure controlled (PCV) versus pressure assisted (PSV) ventilation, and of random variable versus constant V(T), on RSA and CVC in eight anesthetized pigs. At comparable depth of anesthesia, global hemodynamics, and ventilation, RSA amplitude increased from 20 ms in PCV to 50 ms in PSV (p < 0.05). CVC was detected (using proportional Shannon entropy of the interval between each inspiration onset and the previous R-peak in ECG) in two animals in PCV and seven animals in PSV. Variable V(T) did not significantly influence these phenomena. Furthermore, heart period and systolic arterial pressure oscillations were in phase during PCV but in counter-phase during PSV. At the same depth of anesthesia in pigs, PSV increases RSA amplitude and CVC compared to PCV. Our data suggest that the central respiratory drive, but not the baroreflex or the mechano-electric feedback in the heart, is the main mechanism behind the RSA increase. Hence, differences in RSA and CVC between mechanically ventilated patients might reflect the difference in ventilation mode rather than autonomic impairment. Also, since gas exchange did not increase from PCV to PSV, it is questionable whether RSA has any significance in improving ventilation/perfusion matching during MV.