Yeon Hyang Kim

Exosomes derived from human macrophages suppress endothelial cell migration by controlling integrin trafficking.

Integrin trafficking, including internalization, recycling, and lysosomal degradation, is crucial for the regulation of cellular functions. Exosomes, nano‐sized extracellular vesicles, are believed to play important roles in intercellular communications. This study demonstrates that exosomes released from human macrophages negatively regulate endothelial cell migration through control of integrin trafficking. Macrophage‐derived exosomes promote internalization of integrin β1 in primary HUVECs. The internalized integrin β1 persistently accumulates in the perinuclear region and is not recycled back to the plasma membrane. Experimental results indicate that macrophage‐derived exosomes stimulate trafficking of internalized integrin β1 to lysosomal compartments with a corresponding decrease in the integrin destined for recycling endosomes, resulting in proteolytic degradation of the integrin. Moreover, ubiquitination of HUVEC integrin β1 is enhanced by the exosomes, and exosome‐mediated integrin degradation is blocked by bafilomycin A, a lysosomal degradation inhibitor. Macrophage‐derived exosomes were also shown to effectively suppress collagen‐induced activation of the mitogen‐activated protein kinase/extracellular signal‐regulated kinase signaling pathway and HUVEC migration, which are both dependent on integrin β1. These observations provide new insight into the functional significance of exosomes in the regulation of integrin trafficking.

Down-regulation of IL-6 production by astaxanthin via ERK-, MSK-, and NF-κB-mediated signals in activated microglia

In this study, we investigated the effect of astaxanthin on IL-6 in activated microglial cells because excessive interleukin-6 (IL-6) production by activated brain microglia has been linked to many neurological disorders and proper regulation of IL-6 is critical for maintaining brain homeostasis. Astaxanthin inhibited lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated IL-6 mRNA and protein in BV-2 microglial cells. Moreover, LPS-induced p-IKKα, p-IκBα, and p-NF-κB p65 levels were all suppressed by astaxanthin. The translocation of p-NF-κB p65 from the cytosol into the nucleus and transcriptional activity were inhibited by astaxanthin. IL-6 expression and NF-κB transcriptional activation were inhibited by astaxanthin, as well as inhibitors of NF-κB and MAPK in LPS-stimulated BV-2 microglial cells. Consistent with these findings, astaxanthin down-regulated the activation of p-extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1/2 (p-ERK1/2) and p-mitogen- and stress-activated protein kinase 1(p-MSK1), but not of p-c-jun N-terminal kinase (p-JNK). Astaxathin also decreased IL-6 mRNA and protein levels in LPS-stimulated primary microglial cells, RAW264.7 macrophages, and peritoneal macrophages. In addition, IL-6 suppression through astaxanthin-induced down-regulation of p-ERK1/2, p-MSK1, and p-NF-κB p65 occurred in microglial cells stimulated with LPS or stromal derived factor (SDF)-1α. Astaxathin also inhibited the secretion and mRNA expression of IL-6 in SDF-1α-stimulated microglial cells. SDF-1α-stimulated ERK1/2, MSK1, and NF-κB p65 phosphorylation were reduced by astaxanthin. Therefore, our results suggest that astaxanthin regulates IL-6 production through a p-ERK1/2-MSK-1- and p-NF-κB p65-dependent pathway in activated microglial cells.

Comparison Study of Mixing Effect on Batch Cooling Crystallization of 3-Nitro-1,2,4-triazol-5-one (NTO) Using Mechanical Stirrer and Ultrasound Irradiation

The insensitive explosive 3-nitro-1,2,4-triazol-5-one (NTO) has been recrystallized from water in an effort to prepare crystals with smaller size and narrower distribution in a batch cooling crystallizer. Two mixing devices, i.e., a mechanically stirred system with and without ultrasound in aqueous media were employed to compare the mixing effect on the crystallization. Under ultrasound irradiation, the metastable zone width was significantly reduced by more than 2 fold and the crystal size was shifted from 140∼160 μm to 50∼70 μm with a narrower CSD compared to the mechanically stirred system. However in the mechanical stirrer, the mixing effect on NTO crystallization was negligible if the impeller speed was sufficient to suspend all crystals in the crystallizer. It was found that the crystal growth was not influenced by mixing. We suggest that the NTO crystals were formed by primary heterogeneous nucleation that is common in batch cooling system. Finally, the population balance model (PBM), with the empirical nucleation and growth kinetic expressions, was solved numerically to predict the crystal size and the CSD with batch time, and the results were in good agreement with the experimental data.

Exosome release of ADAM15 and the functional implications of human macrophage-derived ADAM15 exosomes

A disintegrin and metalloproteinase 15 (ADAM15), the only ADAM protein containing an Arg‐Gly‐Asp (RGD) motif in its disintegrin‐like domain, is a widely expressed membrane protein that is involved in tumor progression and suppression. However, the underlying mechanism of ADAM15‐mediated tumor suppression is not clearly understood. This study demonstrates that ADAM15 is released as an exosomal component, and ADAM15 exosomes exert tumor suppressive activities. We found that exosomal ADAM15 release is stimulated by phorbol 12‐myristate 13‐acetate, a typical protein kinase C activator, in various tumor cell types, and this results in a corresponding decrease in plasma membrane‐associated ADAM15. Exosomes rich in ADAM15 display enhanced binding affinity for integrin αvβ3 in an RGD‐dependent manner and suppress vitronectin‐ and fibronectin‐induced cell adhesion, growth, and migration, as well as in vivo tumor growth. Exosomal ADAM15 is released from human macrophages, and macrophage‐derived ADAM15 exosomes have tumor inhibitory effects. This work suggests a primary role of ADAM15 for exosome‐mediated tumor suppression, as well as functional significance of exosomal ADAM protein in antitumor immunity.—Lee, H. D., Koo, B.‐H., Kim, Y. H., Jeon, O.‐H., Kim, D.‐S. Exosome release of ADAM15 and the functional implications of human macrophage‐derived ADAM15 exosomes. FASEB J. 26, 3084–3095 (2012). www.fasebj.org

Matrix Metalloproteinase 9 (MMP-9)-dependent Processing of βig-h3 Protein Regulates Cell Migration, Invasion, and Adhesion

Background: Cell migration is involved in altering the cell and matrix interface on the cell surface. Results: βig-h3 is cleaved by MMP-9, and its cleavage results in changes in its binding properties, cell adhesion, cell migration, FAK/Src signals, and chemoattractant effects. Conclusion: MMP-9-cleaved βig-h3 modulates tumor cell and macrophage migration. Significance: The MMP-9-mediated βig-h3 processing mechanism is crucial for understanding cell migration. Cell migration is critically involved in inflammation, cancer, and development. In this study, transforming growth factor-β-induced protein (βig-h3) was identified as a substrate of matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9) by site-directed mutagenesis. βig-h3 has two cleavage sites with the consensus sequence Pro-Xaa-Xaa-Hy-(Ser/Thr) (Hy is a hydrophobic amino acid) (PGSFT beginning at amino acid 135 and PPMGT beginning at amino acid 501). Using recombinant human βig-h3 and MMP-9, βig-h3 from βig-h3-transfected HEK293F cells, and MMP-9 from MMP-9-transfected HEK293F cells, human macrophages, and neutrophils, we found that MMP-9 proteolytically cleaves βig-h3. Cleavage leads to the loss of its adhesive property and its release from extracellular matrix proteins, collagen IV, and fibronectin. Spheroids formed by increased cell-cell interactions were observed in βig-h3-transfected HEK293F cells but not in vehicle-transfected HEK293F cells. In human glioma U87MG cells, MMP-9 constitutive overexpression resulted in endogenous βig-h3 cleavage. βig-h3 cleavage by MMP-9 led to increased cell invasion, and βig-h3 knockdown also resulted in increased cell invasion. The βig-h3 fragment cleaved by MMP-9 could bind to the surface of macrophages, and it may play a role as a peptide chemoattractant by inducing macrophage migration via focal adhesion kinase/Src-mediated signal activation. Thus, intact βig-h3 is responsible for cell migration inhibition, cell-cell contact, and cell-extracellular matrix interaction. Experimental evidence indicates that MMP-9-cleaved βig-h3 plays a role in MMP-9-mediated tumor cell and macrophage migration.

Dimerization of Matrix Metalloproteinase-2 (MMP-2) FUNCTIONAL IMPLICATION IN MMP-2 ACTIVATION

Background: Matrix metalloproteinase-2 (MMP-2) activity is regulated by several mechanisms. Results: We observed that Ca2+ ion is essential for MMP-2 homodimerization, which in turn results in the proteolysis of small peptide substrates and enhances thrombin-mediated activation of pro-MMP-2. Conclusion: Pro-MMP-2 activation is modulated by MMP-2 homodimerization. Significance: This study elucidates a novel mechanism to regulate MMP-2 activity. Matrix metalloproteinase-2 (MMP-2) functions in diverse biological processes through the degradation of extracellular and non-extracellular matrix molecules. Because of its potential for tissue damage, there are several ways to regulate MMP-2 activity, including gene expression, compartmentalization, zymogen activation, and enzyme inactivation by extracellular inhibitors. Enzyme regulation through zymogen activation is important for the regulation of MMP-2 activity. In our previous studies, we showed that thrombin directly cleaved the propeptide of MMP-2 at specific sites for enzyme activation. We also demonstrated that heparan sulfate was required for thrombin-mediated activation of pro-MMP-2 by binding to thrombin, presumably through conformational changes at the active site of the enzyme. This suggests a regulatory mechanism for thrombin-mediated activation of pro-MMP-2. In this study, we found that MMP-2 formed a reduction-sensitive homodimer in a controlled manner and that Ca2+ ion was essential for homodimerization of MMP-2. Homodimerization was not associated with protein kinase C-mediated phosphorylation of MMP-2. MMP-2 formed a homodimer through an intermolecular disulfide bond between Cys102 and the neighboring Cys102. Homodimerization of MMP-2 enhanced thrombin-mediated activation of pro-MMP-2. Moreover, the MMP-2 homodimer could cleave a small peptide substrate without removal of the propeptide. Taken together, our experimental data suggest a novel regulatory mechanism for pro-MMP-2 activation that is modulated through homodimerization of MMP-2.

Nitric oxide induction of IRE1-α-dependent CREB phosphorylation in human glioma cells

In this study, the function of nitric oxide (NO) in endoplasmic reticulum (ER)-related cell death in human glioma cells was investigated. Treatment of human CRT-MG cells with the NO donor S-nitroso-N-acetyl-d,l-penicillamine (SNAP) and thapsigargin, an ER stress inducer, increased cytosolic Ca(2+) and caused apoptosis in a dose-dependent manner. Expression of the ER-associated molecules inositol-requiring enzyme 1 (IRE1)-alpha, p-eIF, and Ero1-alpha were also elevated in thapsigargin- or NO donor-treated cells. Furthermore, thapsigargin and SNAP treatment increased IRE1-alpha nuclease activity, induced IRE1-alpha/TRAF2 complex formation, and increased p-JNK1/2 levels, suggesting that NO activates the IRE1-alpha/TRAF2/JNK pathway in the ER. Expression of IRE1-alpha increased concomitantly with cAMP responsive element binding protein (CREB) phosphorylation. siRNA knock down of IRE1-alpha reduced phospho-CREB levels and abolished its nuclear translocation. The levels of phospho-CREB and IRE1-alpha increased with NO donor concentration, which resulted in cell death. IRE1-alpha and phospho-CREB levels in glioblastoma U87MG cells were higher than those in normal astrocytes in response to NO. In addition, treatment with the intracellular cytokine interleukin-1beta induced cell death associated with NO and increased IRE1-alpha and p-CREB levels. These data reveal that intracellular NO affects IRE1-alpha-dependent CREB phosphorylation in human glioma cells. Therefore, an IRE1-alpha-dependent phospho-CREB signaling pathway responsive to NO/Ca(2+) may play an important role in regulating ER-related cell death in glioma.

Plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 regulates infiltration of macrophages into melanoma via phosphorylation of FAK-Tyr925

Tumor-infiltrating macrophages are potential candidates for cancer immunotherapy. However, the detailed molecular mechanism underlying macrophage infiltration into tumors is poorly understood. Based on our previous finding that plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI-1) enhances vitronectin-dependent migration of macrophages, we investigated the potential role of PAI-1 in macrophage invasion into melanoma. Experimental evidence obtained from spheroid confrontation assay clearly showed that PAI-1 overexpression significantly enhanced the invasion of RAW 264.7 cells into B16F10 melanoma. We further demonstrated that PAI-1 induces phosphorylation of focal adhesion kinase (FAK) at Tyr(925), which, in turn, mediated the invasion of macrophages into the melanoma. This work further illustrates that low-density lipoprotein receptor related-protein 1 (LRP1) is essential for PAI-1-mediated FAK phosphorylation and macrophage invasion into melanoma. In conclusion, our study demonstrates a novel role of PAI-1 in macrophage invasion into melanoma and provides insights into the underlying molecular mechanism.

The ADAM15 ectodomain is shed from secretory exosomes

We demonstrated previously that a disintegrin and metalloproteinase 15 (ADAM15) is released into the extracellular space as an exosomal component, and that ADAM15-rich exosomes have tumor suppressive functions. However, the suppressive mechanism of ADAM15-rich exosomes remains unclear. In this study, we show that the ADAM15 ectodomain is cleaved from released exosomes. This shedding process of the ADAM15 ectodomain was dramatically enhanced in conditioned ovarian cancer cell medium. Proteolytic cleavage was completely blocked by phenylmethylsulfonyl fluoride, indicating that a serine protease is responsible for exosomal ADAM15 shedding. Experimental evidence indicates that the ADAM15 ectodomain itself has comparable functions with those of ADAM15-rich exosomes, which effectively inhibit vitronectininduced cancer cell migration and activation of the MEK/extracellular regulated kinase signaling pathway. We present a tumor suppressive mechanism for ADAM15 exosomes and provide insight into the functional significance of exosomes that generate tumor-inhibitory factors. [BMB Reports 2015; 48(5): 277-282]

Novel regulatory mechanism and functional implication of plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI-1) expression in CpG-ODN-stimulated macrophages

Macrophages are activated by recognizing bacterial DNA and CpG-oligodeoxynucleotides (CpG-ODNs) through Toll-like receptor-9 (TLR-9). Plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI-1) has been shown to be an important factor in inflammation-induced macrophage migration which is essential for defense functions. The aim of this study was to demonstrate the molecular mechanism associated with the regulation of PAI-1 expression and its biological significance in CpG-ODN-stimulated mouse macrophages. Our results clearly show that PAI-1 expression in macrophages was highly up-regulated by CpG-ODN-stimulation in vitro and in vivo. The TLR-9-mediated stimulation of PAI-1 expression was independent of the NF-κB pathway and involved the synergistic activation of Sp1 and Elk-1 by the MEK1/2-ERK and JNK signaling pathways. The elevated PAI-1 expression resulted in significantly enhanced transmigration of RAW264.7 cells through vitronectin but not through fibronectin. We suggest that CpG-ODN plays a role in regulating macrophage migration by stimulating the expression of PAI-1, and the migration is modulated depending on the microenvironmental extracellular matrix components.