Project description:Kallikrein-related peptidase 6 (KLK6) is a secreted serine protease hypothesized to promote inflammation via cleavage of protease-activated receptors (PAR)1 and PAR2. KLK6 levels are elevated in multiple inflammatory and autoimmune conditions, but no definitive role in pathogenesis has been established. Here, we show that skin-targeted overexpression of KLK6 causes generalized, severe psoriasiform dermatitis with spontaneous development of debilitating psoriatic arthritis-like joint disease. The psoriatic skin and joint phenotypes are reversed by normalization of skin KLK6 levels and attenuated following genetic elimination of PAR1 but not PAR2. Conservation of this regulatory pathway was confirmed in human psoriasis using vorapaxar, an FDA-approved PAR1 antagonist, on explanted lesional skin from psoriasis patients. Beyond defining a critical role for KLK6-PAR1 signaling in promoting psoriasis, our results demonstrate that KLK6-PAR1-mediated inflammation in the skin alone is sufficient to drive inflammatory joint disease. Further, we identify PAR1 as a promising cytokine-independent target in therapy of psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis.
Project description:Transcription profiling of wild type and transgenic 35S:PAR1-GG seedlings. To characterize the transcriptional networks altered by constitutive overexpression of PAR1 in seedlings, using two-color long-oligonucleotide microarrays.
Project description:Objective: Thrombin is the key serine protease of the coagulation cascade and mediates cellular responses by activation of protease-activated receptors (PARs). The predominant thrombin receptor is PAR1 and in endothelial cells (ECs) thrombin dynamically regulates a plethora of phosphorylation events. However, it has remained unclear if thrombin signaling is exclusively mediated through PAR1. Furthermore, mechanistic insight into activation and inhibition of PAR1-mediated EC signaling is lacking. In addition, signaling networks of biased PAR1 activation after differential cleavage of the PAR1 N-terminus have remained an unresolved issue.Approach and Results: Here, we used a quantitative phosphoproteomics approach to show that ‘classical’ and ‘peptide’ activation of PAR1 induce highly similar signaling, that low thrombin concentrations initiate only limited phosphoregulation, and that the PAR1 inhibitors vorapaxar and parmodulin-2 demonstrate distinct antagonistic properties. Subsequent analysis of the thrombin-regulated phosphosites in presence of PAR1 inhibitors revealed that biased activation of PAR1 is not solely linked to a specific G-protein downstream of PAR1. In addition, we showed that only the canonical thrombin PAR1 tethered ligand induces extensive early phosphoregulation in ECs.Conclusions: Our study provides detailed insight in the signaling mechanisms downstream of PAR1. Our data demonstrates that thrombin-induced EC phosphoregulation is mediated exclusively through PAR1, that thrombin and thrombin-TL peptide induce similar phosphoregulation and that only canonical PAR1 cleavage by thrombin generates a tethered ligand that potently induces early signaling. Furthermore, platelet PAR1 inhibitors directly affect EC signaling, indicating it will be a challenge to design a PAR1 antagonist that will target only those pathways responsible for tissue pathology.
Project description:Background: Senescent hepatocytes accumulate in parallel with fibrosis progression during NASH. The mechanisms that enable progressive expansion of nonreplicating cell populations and the significance of that process in determining NASH outcomes are unclear. Many types of senescing cells upregulate the THBD-PAR-1 signaling axis to remain viable. Vorapaxar, an FDA-approved PAR-1 inhibitor, blocks the activity of that pathway. We used vorapaxar to determine if and how THBD-PAR1 signaling promotes fibrosis progression in NASH. Methods: We evaluated the THBD-PAR1 pathway in liver biopsies from NAFLD patient cohorts with a spectrum of liver fibrosis. Chow fed mice were treated with viral vectors to over-express p16 specifically in hepatocytes and induce replicative senescence. Effects on the THBD-PAR-1 axis and regenerative capacity were assessed; the transcriptome of p16 over-expressing hepatocytes was characterized and we examined how conditioned medium from senescent but viable (dubbed ‘undead’) hepatocytes reprograms hepatic stellate cells. A genetically obese mouse model of NASH with little liver fibrosis, and a diet-induced mouse model of NASH with advanced fibrosis were treated with vorapaxar to determine effects on hepatocyte senescence and liver damage. Results: Inducing senescence up-regulates the THBD-PAR1 signaling axis in hepatocytes and induces their expression of fibrogenic factors, including hedgehog ligands. Hepatocyte THBD-PAR1 signaling increases in NAFLD and supports sustained hepatocyte senescence that limits effective liver regeneration and promotes maladaptive repair. Inhibiting PAR-1 signaling with vorapaxar interrupts this process, reduces the burden of ‘undead’ senescent cells, and safely improves NASH and fibrosis despite ongoing lipotoxic stress Conclusion: The THBD-PAR1 signaling axis is a novel therapeutic target for NASH because blocking this pathway prevents accumulation of senescing but viable hepatocytes that generate factors that promote maladaptive liver repair.
Project description:LC-MS/MS analysis of Control, PAR1-stimulated and PAR4-stimulated platelet lysate digests. Control lysate digest peptides were labeled with "light", PAR1 lysate digest peptides were labeled with "intermediate" and PAR4 lysate digest peptides were labeled with "high" dimethyl labeled. Labeled digests were mixed in a 1:1:1 ratio, separated by SCX and the resulting (phosphopeptide-enriched) peptide fractions were analyzed by LC-MS/MS.
Project description:We found that PC3 cells secrete proteases that cleavae and activate PAR1 and PAR2. In order to understand gene regulation by this autocrine signaling loop, PAR1 and PAR2 knockout cell gene expression was compared to WT PC3 cell gene expression. Proteinase activated receptors (PARs) are G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) activated by limited N-terminal proteolysis. A variety of proteolytic enzymes derived from the coagulation cascade and inflammatory milieu activate PARs, however specific activators in different physiological and pathophysiological contexts remain poorly defined. PARs are highly expressed in many cancer cells and regulate various aspects of tumor growth and metastasis. Endogenous proteinases that regulate PARs in the setting of various tumors however remains unresolved. Prostate cancer (PCa) remains a major cause of mortality in men despite advances in early detection and clinical intervention. PAR expression has been reported in PCa, however, their role here remains poorly defined. In androgen independent PC3 cells, we find functional expression of PAR1 and PAR2 but not PAR4. Using genetically encoded PAR cleavage biosensors, we find that PCa cells secrete proteolytic enzymes that cleave PARs and trigger autocrine signaling. Deletion of PAR1 and PAR2 using CRISPR/Cas9 combined with microarray analysis revealed genes that are differentially regulated by this autocrine signalling mechanism. Interestingly, several genes that are known PCa prognostic factors or biomarker were differentially expressed in PAR1-KO and PAR2-KO PC3 cells. We also examined PAR1 and PAR2 regulation of PCa cell proliferation and migration using PAR1 and PAR2-KO PC3 cells, as well as PAR1 and PAR2 specific agonists and antagonists. We find that PAR1 and PAR2 have opposite effects on PC3 cell proliferation and migration. In summary, we have identified an autocrine signaling mechanism through PARs as a regulator of PCa cell function.
Project description:Pseudoautosomal regions (PAR1 and PAR2) in eutherians retain homologous regions between the X and Y chromosomes that play a critical role in the obligatory X-Y crossover during male meiosis. Genes that reside in the PAR1 are exceptional in that they are rich in repetitive sequences and undergo a very high rate of recombination. Remarkably, murine PAR1 homologs have translocated to various autosomes, reflecting the complex recombination history during the evolution of the mammalian X chromosome. We now report that the SNF2-type chromatin remodeling protein ATRX controls the expression of eutherians ancestral PAR1 genes that have translocated to autosomes in the mouse. In addition, we have identified two potentially novel mouse PAR1 orthologs. We propose that the ancestral PAR1 genes share a common epigenetic environment that allows ATRX to control their expression.
Project description:To date, single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) have been the most intensively investigated class of polymorphisms in genome wide associations studies (GWAS), however, other classes such as insertion-deletion or multiple nucleotide length polymorphism (MNLPs) may also confer disease risk. Multiple reports have shown that the 5p15.33 prostate cancer (PCa) risk region is a particularly strong expression quantitative trait locus (eQTL) for IRX4 transcripts. Here, we demonstrate using epigenome and genome editing that a biallelic (47bp/21bp) MNLP is the causal variant regulating IRX4 transcript levels. In LNCaP PCa cells (homozygous for the short allele), a single copy knock-in of the long allele potently alters the chromatin state, enabling de novo functional binding of the androgen receptor (AR) associated with increased chromatin accessibility, H3K27 acetylation, and ~3-fold upregulation of IRX4 expression. We further show that an MNLP is amongst the strongest candidate susceptibility variants at two additional PCa risk loci. We estimated that at least 5% of PCa risk loci could be explained by functional non-SNP causal variants, which may have broader implications for other cancers GWAS. More generally, our results underscore the importance of investigating other classes of inherited variation as causal mediators of human traits.