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LIM-domain protein cysteine- and glycine-rich protein 2 (CRP2) is a novel marker of hepatic stellate cells and binding partner of the protein inhibitor of activated STAT1.

ABSTRACT: Activation of hepatic stellate cells is considered to be the main step in the development of liver fibrosis, which is characterized by the transition of quiescent vitamin-A-rich cells to proliferative, fibrogenic and contractile myofibroblasts. The identification of regulatory genes during early cell activation and transdifferentiation is essential to extend our knowledge of hepatic fibrogenesis. In liver, the gene CSRP2 is exclusively expressed by stellate cells, whereas no transcripts are detectable in hepatocytes, sinusoidal endothelial cells or Kupffer cells. The early activation of stellate cells induced by platelet-derived growth factor is accompanied by an enhanced expression of CSRP2. During later stages of transdifferentiation, the expression of CSRP2 in these cells is suppressed in vitro and in vivo. The CSRP2-encoded cysteine- and glycine-rich double-LIM-domain protein (CRP)2 is proposed to function as a molecular adapter, arranging two or more as yet unidentified protein constituents into a macromolecular complex. To identify these proteins and assign a cellular function to CRP2, a human cDNA library was screened with full-length CRP2 as bait in a yeast two-hybrid screen. The protein inhibitor of activated STAT1 ('PIAS1') was shown to associate selectively with the C-terminal LIM domain of CRP2. Physical interaction of both proteins in the cellular environment was confirmed by co-localization experiments with confocal laser scanning microscopy and co-immunoprecipitation analysis. These results establish CRP2 as a potential new factor in the JAK/STAT-signalling pathway and suggest that the suppression of CSRP2 might be a prerequisite for the myofibroblastic transition of hepatic stellate cells.

SUBMITTER: Weiskirchen R

PROVIDER: S-EPMC1222169 | biostudies-other | 2001 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-other

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Project description:The cysteine-rich LIM-only protein 4 (CRP4), a LIM-domain and zinc finger containing adapter protein, has been implicated as a downstream effector of the second messenger 3',5'-cyclic guanosine monophosphate (cGMP) pathway in multiple cell types, including vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs). VSMCs and nitric oxide (NO)-induced cGMP signaling through cGMP-dependent protein kinase type I (cGKI) play fundamental roles in the physiological regulation of vascular tone and arterial blood pressure (BP). However, it remains unclear whether the vasorelaxant actions attributed to the NO/cGMP axis require CRP4. This study uses mice with a targeted deletion of the CRP4 gene (CRP4 KO) to elucidate whether cGMP-elevating agents, which are well known for their vasorelaxant properties, affect vessel tone, and thus, BP through CRP4. Cinaciguat, a NO- and heme-independent activator of the NO-sensitive (soluble) guanylyl cyclase (NO-GC) and NO-releasing agents, relaxed both CRP4-proficient and -deficient aortic ring segments pre-contracted with prostaglandin F2α. However, the magnitude of relaxation was slightly, but significantly, increased in vessels lacking CRP4. Accordingly, CRP4 KO mice presented with hypotonia at baseline, as well as a greater drop in systolic BP in response to the acute administration of cinaciguat, sodium nitroprusside, and carbachol. Mechanistically, loss of CRP4 in VSMCs reduced the Ca2+-sensitivity of the contractile apparatus, possibly involving regulatory proteins, such as myosin phosphatase targeting subunit 1 (MYPT1) and the regulatory light chain of myosin (RLC). In conclusion, the present findings confirm that the adapter protein CRP4 interacts with the NO-GC/cGMP/cGKI pathway in the vasculature. CRP4 seems to be part of a negative feedback loop that eventually fine-tunes the NO-GC/cGMP axis in VSMCs to increase myofilament Ca2+ desensitization and thereby the maximal vasorelaxant effects attained by (selected) cGMP-elevating agents.

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LIM-domain protein cysteine- and glycine-rich protein 2 (CRP2) is a novel marker of hepatic stellate cells and binding partner of the protein inhibitor of activated STAT1.

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