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Glycosaminoglycan-based hydrogels to modulate heterocellular communication in in vitro angiogenesis models.

ABSTRACT: Angiogenesis, the outgrowth of blood vessels, is crucial in development, disease and regeneration. Studying angiogenesis in vitro remains challenging because the capillary morphogenesis of endothelial cells (ECs) is controlled by multiple exogenous signals. Therefore, a set of in situ-forming starPEG-heparin hydrogels was used to identify matrix parameters and cellular interactions that best support EC morphogenesis. We showed that a particular type of soft, matrix metalloproteinase-degradable hydrogel containing covalently bound integrin ligands and reversibly conjugated pro-angiogenic growth factors could boost the development of highly branched, interconnected, and lumenized endothelial capillary networks. Using these effective matrix conditions, 3D heterocellular interactions of ECs with different mural cells were demonstrated that enabled EC network modulation and maintenance of stable vascular capillaries over periods of about one month in vitro. The approach was also shown to permit in vitro tumor vascularization experiments with unprecedented levels of control over both ECs and tumor cells. In total, the introduced 3D hydrogel co-culture system could offer unique options for dissecting and adjusting biochemical, biophysical, and cell-cell triggers in tissue-related vascularization models.

SUBMITTER: Chwalek K

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3958722 | biostudies-literature | 2014 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Glycosaminoglycan-based hydrogels to modulate heterocellular communication in in vitro angiogenesis models.

Chwalek Karolina K Tsurkan Mikhail V MV Freudenberg Uwe U Werner Carsten C

Scientific reports 20140319

Angiogenesis, the outgrowth of blood vessels, is crucial in development, disease and regeneration. Studying angiogenesis in vitro remains challenging because the capillary morphogenesis of endothelial cells (ECs) is controlled by multiple exogenous signals. Therefore, a set of in situ-forming starPEG-heparin hydrogels was used to identify matrix parameters and cellular interactions that best support EC morphogenesis. We showed that a particular type of soft, matrix metalloproteinase-degradable h ...[more]

PMID: 24643064

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Project description:Purpose: Degeneration and aging of the nucleus pulposus (NP) of the intervertebral disc (IVD) is accompanied by alterations in NP cell phenotype marked by reduced cellularity and a shift towards a fibroblast-like state. We have recently demonstrated an ability to manipulate the phenotypic expression of adult degenerative NP cells by culture upon poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) based hydrogels dually functionalized with integrin- and syndecan-binding laminin-mimetic peptides. In the present study, we seek to understand the transcriptome changes elicited by NP cell interactions with the presented hydrogel system. Methods: mRNA profiles of NP from 3 human tissue samples were cultured for 4 days on either tissue culture polysyrene (TCPS) or the functionalized gel before RNA was isolated and sequenced, using Illumina NovaSeq. Unaligned reads were trimmed based on quality score (minimum quality level (Phred) = 20, minimum read length = 25) and aligned to the whole human genome (STAR 2.6.1d; hg19) using Partek Flow software. This software suite was also used to calculate the counts/normalized counts of genes and to perform gene specific analysis (GSA), principle component analysis (PCA), hierarchical clustering, and gene set enrichment. Differentially regulated genes were considered to be those with a fold change value (gel/TCPS) that was greater than or equal to 2 or less than or equal to negative 2 and a p-value of less than or equal to 0.05. Results: The data corroborate and expand on the previous findings by demonstrating that degenerative adult human NP cells cultured upon these gels have upregulations in some markers of NP and notochordal cells but also downregulations of some NP-specific markers and several fibroblastic markers. Furthermore, through gene set enrichment analysis we have shown that pathways related to cell differentiation and notochord morphogenesis were upregulated in the gel condition. Additionally, 13 genes associated with G protein-coupled receptors, many of which are known drug targets, were identified as up or downregulated following periods of culture upon the gel condition. Conclusions: The data from this RNA-sequencing demonstrate that culture on laminin-mimetic-peptide presenting gels can modulate cell phenotype and promotes upregulation of NP and notochordal markers.

Project description:Lipochitin oligosaccharides (LCOs) are signaling molecules required by ecologically and agronomically important bacteria and fungi to establish symbioses with diverse land plants. In plants, oligo-chitins and LCOs can differentially interact with different lysin motif (LysM) receptors and affect innate immunity responses or symbiosis-related pathways. In animals, oligo-chitins also induce innate immunity and other physiological responses but LCO recognition has not been demonstrated. Here LCO and LCO-like compounds are shown to be biologically active in mammals in a structure dependent way through the modulation of angiogenesis, a tightly-regulated process involving the induction and growth of new blood vessels from existing vessels. The testing of 24 LCO, LCO-like or oligo-chitin compounds resulted in structure-dependent effects on angiogenesis in vitro leading to promotion, or inhibition or nil effects. Like plants, the mammalian LCO biological activity depended upon the presence and type of terminal substitutions. Un-substituted oligo-chitins of similar chain lengths were unable to modulate angiogenesis indicating that mammalian cells, like plant cells, can distinguish between LCOs and un-substituted oligo-chitins. The cellular mode-of-action of the biologically active LCOs in mammals was determined. The stimulation or inhibition of endothelial cell adhesion to vitronectin or fibronectin correlated with their pro- or anti-angiogenic activity. Importantly, novel and more easily synthesised LCO-like disaccharide molecules were also biologically active and de-acetylated chitobiose was shown to be the primary structural basis of recognition. Given this, simpler chitin disaccharides derivatives based on the structure of biologically active LCOs were synthesised and purified and these showed biological activity in mammalian cells. Since important chronic disease states are linked to either insufficient or excessive angiogenesis, LCO and LCO-like molecules may have the potential to be a new, carbohydrate-based class of therapeutics for modulating angiogenesis.

Project description:ObjectiveStimulation of cardiac α1A-adrenergic receptors (α1A-AR) has been proposed for treatment of heart failure, since it increases myocardial contractility. We investigated a different mechanism, induction of angiogenesis.Approach and resultsFour to 6 weeks after permanent coronary artery occlusion, transgenic rats with cardiomyocyte-specific α1A-adrenergic receptor overexpression had less remodeling than their nontransgenic littermates, with less fibrosis, hypertrophy and lung weight, and preserved left ventricular ejection fraction and wall stress (all P<0.05). Coronary blood flow, measured with microspheres, increased in the infarct zone in transgenic rats compared with nontransgenic littermates (1.4±0.2 versus 0.5±0.08 mL min(-1) g(-1); P<0.05), which is consistent with angiogenesis, as reflected by a 20% increase in capillary density in the zone adjacent to the infarct. The question arose, how does transgenic overexpression of a gene in cardiomyocytes induce angiogenesis? We identified a paracrine mechanism, whereby vascular endothelial growth factor-A mRNA and protein were increased in isolated transgenic cardiomyocytes and also by nontransgenic littermate cardiomyocytes treated with an α1A-agonist, resulting in angiogenesis. Conditioned medium from cultured cardiomyocytes treated with an α1A agonist enhanced human umbilical vein endothelial cell tubule formation, which was blocked by an anti-vascular endothelial growth factor-A antibody. Moreover, improved cardiac function, blood flow, and increased capillary density after chronic coronary artery occlusion in transgenic rats were blocked by either a mitogen ERK kinase (MEK) or a vascular endothelial growth factor-A inhibitor.ConclusionCardiomyocyte-specific overexpression of the α1A-adrenergic receptors resulted in enhanced MEK-dependent cardiomyocyte vascular endothelial growth factor-A expression, which stimulates angiogenesis via a paracrine mechanism involving heterocellular cardiomyocyte/endothelial cell signaling, protecting against remodeling and heart failure after chronic coronary artery occlusion.

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Glycosaminoglycan-based hydrogels to modulate heterocellular communication in in vitro angiogenesis models.

Publications

Glycosaminoglycan-based hydrogels to modulate heterocellular communication in in vitro angiogenesis models.

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