1. |
- Hasan, Mahmudul, et al.
(author)
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The structure of human dermatan sulfate epimerase 1 emphasizes the importance of C5-epimerization of glucuronic acid in higher organisms
- 2021
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In: Chemical Science. - : Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC). - 2041-6520 .- 2041-6539. ; 12:5, s. 1869-1885
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Dermatan sulfate epimerase 1 (DS-epi1, EC 5.1.3.19) catalyzes the conversion of d-glucuronic acid to l-iduronic acid on the polymer level, a key step in the biosynthesis of the glycosaminoglycan dermatan sulfate. Here, we present the first crystal structure of the catalytic domains of DS-epi1, solved at 2.4 Å resolution, as well as a model of the full-length luminal protein obtained by a combination of macromolecular crystallography and targeted cross-linking mass spectrometry. Based on docking studies and molecular dynamics simulations of the protein structure and a chondroitin substrate, we suggest a novel mechanism of DS-epi1, involving a His/double-Tyr motif. Our work uncovers detailed information about the domain architecture, active site, metal-coordinating center and pattern of N-glycosylation of the protein. Additionally, the structure of DS-epi1 reveals a high structural similarity to proteins from several families of bacterial polysaccharide lyases. DS-epi1 is of great importance in a range of diseases, and the structure provides a necessary starting point for design of active site inhibitors.
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- Raghavan, Maanasa, et al.
(author)
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Genomic evidence for the Pleistocene and recent population history of Native Americans
- 2015
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In: Science. - : American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). - 0036-8075 .- 1095-9203. ; 349:6250
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Howand when the Americas were populated remains contentious. Using ancient and modern genome-wide data, we found that the ancestors of all present-day Native Americans, including Athabascans and Amerindians, entered the Americas as a single migration wave from Siberia no earlier than 23 thousand years ago (ka) and after no more than an 8000-year isolation period in Beringia. After their arrival to the Americas, ancestral Native Americans diversified into two basal genetic branches around 13 ka, one that is now dispersed across North and South America and the other restricted to North America. Subsequent gene flow resulted in some Native Americans sharing ancestry with present-day East Asians (including Siberians) and, more distantly, Australo-Melanesians. Putative "Paleoamerican" relict populations, including the historical Mexican Pericues and South American Fuego-Patagonians, are not directly related to modern Australo-Melanesians as suggested by the Paleoamerican Model.
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3. |
- Åhrman, Emma, et al.
(author)
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Quantitative proteomic characterization of the lung extracellular matrix in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis
- 2018
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In: Journal of Proteomics. - : Elsevier BV. - 1874-3919. ; 189, s. 23-33
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Remodeling of the extracellular matrix (ECM) is a common feature in lung diseases such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). Here, we applied a sequential tissue extraction strategy to describe disease-specific remodeling of human lung tissue in disease, using end-stages of COPD and IPF. Our strategy was based on quantitative comparison of the disease proteomes, with specific focus on the matrisome, using data-independent acquisition and targeted data analysis (SWATH-MS). Our work provides an in-depth proteomic characterization of human lung tissue during impaired tissue remodeling. In addition, we show important quantitative and qualitative effects of the solubility of matrisome proteins. COPD was characterized by a disease-specific increase in ECM regulators, metalloproteinase inhibitor 3 (TIMP3) and matrix metalloproteinase 28 (MMP-28), whereas for IPF, impairment in cell adhesion proteins, such as collagen VI and laminins, was most prominent. For both diseases, we identified increased levels of proteins involved in the regulation of endopeptidase activity, with several proteins belonging to the serpin family. The established human lung quantitative proteome inventory and the construction of a tissue-specific protein assay library provides a resource for future quantitative proteomic analyses of human lung tissues. Significance: We present a sequential tissue extraction strategy to determine changes in extractability of matrisome proteins in end-stage COPD and IPF compared to healthy control tissue. Extensive quantitative analysis of the proteome changes of the disease states revealed altered solubility of matrisome proteins involved in ECM regulators and cell-ECM communication. The results highlight disease-specific remodeling mechanisms associated with COPD and IPF.
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4. |
- Elowsson Rendin, Linda, et al.
(author)
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Matrisome Properties of Scaffolds Direct Fibroblasts in Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis
- 2019
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In: International Journal of Molecular Sciences. - : MDPI AG. - 1422-0067. ; 20:16
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- In idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) structural properties of the extracellular matrix (ECM) are altered and influence cellular responses through cell-matrix interactions. Scaffolds (decellularized tissue) derived from subpleural healthy and IPF lungs were examined regarding biomechanical properties and ECM composition of proteins (the matrisome). Scaffolds were repopulated with healthy fibroblasts cultured under static stretch with heavy isotope amino acids (SILAC), to examine newly synthesized proteins over time. IPF scaffolds were characterized by increased tissue density, stiffness, ultimate force, and differential expressions of matrisome proteins compared to healthy scaffolds. Collagens, proteoglycans, and ECM glycoproteins were increased in IPF scaffolds, however while specific basement membrane (BM) proteins such as laminins and collagen IV were decreased, nidogen-2 was also increased. Findings were confirmed with histology, clearly showing a disorganized BM. Fibroblasts produced scaffold-specific proteins mimicking preexisting scaffold composition, where 11 out of 20 BM proteins were differentially expressed, along with increased periostin and proteoglycans production. We demonstrate how matrisome changes affect fibroblast activity using novel approaches to study temporal differences, where IPF scaffolds support a disorganized BM and upregulation of disease-associated proteins. These matrix-directed cellular responses emphasize the IPF matrisome and specifically the BM components as important factors for disease progression.
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5. |
- Günther, Torsten, et al.
(author)
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Population genomics of Mesolithic Scandinavia : Investigating early postglacial migration routes and high-latitude adaptation
- 2018
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In: PLoS biology. - : Public Library of Science (PLoS). - 1544-9173 .- 1545-7885. ; 16:1
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Scandinavia was one of the last geographic areas in Europe to become habitable for humans after the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM). However, the routes and genetic composition of these postglacial migrants remain unclear. We sequenced the genomes, up to 57x coverage, of seven hunter-gatherers excavated across Scandinavia and dated from 9,500-6,000 years before present (BP). Surprisingly, among the Scandinavian Mesolithic individuals, the genetic data display an east-west genetic gradient that opposes the pattern seen in other parts of Mesolithic Europe. Our results suggest two different early postglacial migrations into Scandinavia: initially from the south, and later, from the northeast. The latter followed the ice-free Norwegian north Atlantic coast, along which novel and advanced pressure-blade stone-tool techniques may have spread. These two groups met and mixed in Scandinavia, creating a genetically diverse population, which shows patterns of genetic adaptation to high latitude environments. These potential adaptations include high frequencies of low pigmentation variants and a gene region associated with physical performance, which shows strong continuity into modern-day northern Europeans.
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6. |
- Larsen, Kristoffer, et al.
(author)
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Presence of activated mobile fibroblasts in bronchoalveolar lavage from patients with mild asthma
- 2004
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In: American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine. - 1535-4970. ; 170:10, s. 1049-1056
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Activated fibroblasts are suggested to be involved in the deposition of extracellular matrix in the formation of peribronchial fibrosis in asthma. We report the novel finding of activated elongated fibroblasts accompanied by elevated numbers of eosinophils in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid from 5 out of 12 patients with mild asthma (= 42%), whereas no fibroblasts were observed in the control subjects without asthma (n = 17). The elongated fibroblasts migrated twice as far when compared with fibroblasts from corresponding bronchial biopsies from the same patients, accompanied by an induced expression of RhoA and Rac1, indicating that the increased expression of these proteins are linked to increased migratory capabilities. Moreover, the elongated fibroblasts had an elevated production of the proteoglycans biglycan, versican, perlecan, and decorin, which correlated to an active cytoplasm in these cells. Differential expression patterns between the two fibroblast groups in motility-regulating proteins, such as cofilin, nuclear chloride ion channel protein, and heat-shock protein 20, were identified by two-dimensional electrophoresis and mass spectrometry. These findings indicate the presence of activated and mobile fibroblasts accompanied by an induced inflammatory response outside the airway epithelium in patients with mild asthma, results that may play a role in formation of airway fibrosis.
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7. |
- Lidgren, Anders, 1975-
(author)
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Hypoxia inducible factor-1α in renal cell carcinoma
- 2007
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Doctoral thesis (other academic/artistic)abstract
- Hypoxia Inducible Factor-1α in Renal Cell Carcinoma Departments of Surgical and Perioperative Sciences, Urology and Andrology; Radiation Sciences, Oncology; Medical Biosciences, Pathology; and Medical Biosciences, Clinical Chemistry, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden Background: Renal cell carcinoma (RCC) accounts for approximately 2-3% of all human cancers. A distinguished feature of RCC is vascularisation and among the three dominating RCC types conventional RCC (cRCC) generally is more vascularised than papillary RCC (pRCC) and chromophobe RCC (chRCC). Angiogenesis is a critical step in tumour progression controlled by a balance involving molecules that have positive and negative regulatory activity. A balance distorted by metabolic stress such as hypoxia, acidosis, and inflammation. Hypoxia-Inducible Factor 1α (HIF-1α) is a key transcription factor in angiogenesis and tumour progression, targeting more than a 100 genes involved in vascular growth and regulation, iron metabolism and erythropoesis, collagen matrix formation, regulation of extracellular pH, glucose uptake and metabolism, proliferation, apoptosis, differentiation, and cell viability. Methods: Tumour tissue and corresponding kidney cortex from nephrectomised RCC patients was used in order to characterize HIF-1α expression and one of its target genes, Glucose Transporter 1 (GLUT-1). All tumour samples were thoroughly described regarding tumour type, TNM stage, nuclear grade, tumour size, vein invasion, and patient survival. Utilizing RT-PCR, Westen Blot and Tissue micro array (TMA) we studied HIF-1α mRNA and protein expression as well as GLUT-1 protein expression, correlating them to each other and clinicopathological parameters. Results: Using Western Blot, HIF-1α protein expression differed significantly between the different RCC types and kidney cortex. In cRCC, high expression of HIF-1α was an independent prognostic factor for favourable prognosis. TMA is a useful method to analyze HIF-1α protein expression in RCC. HIF-1α levels were significantly lower in locally aggressive cRCC and patients with high levels of HIF-1 tended to have a better prognosis. GLUT-1 levels were higher in cRCC than in other RCC types and for cRCC a correlation to HIF-1α was seen. HIF-1α mRNA levels were significantly lower in cRCC compared to other RCC types and kidney cortex. An inverse correlation between HIF-1α protein expression and mRNA levels was observed. Summary: These results demonstrate a discrepancy between RCC types, highlighting the need to separately evaluate biological events in different RCC types. Overexpression of HIF-1α protein is not necessarily all bad and translational regulation appears more critical than anticipated. Further studies are encouraged to clarify angiogenic pathways in RCC.
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9. |
- Maccarana, Marco, et al.
(author)
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Biosynthesis of dermatan sulfate: Chondroitin glucuronate C5-epimerase is identical to SART2.
- 2006
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In: Journal of Biological Chemistry. - 1083-351X. ; 281:17, s. 11560-11568
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- We identified the gene encoding chondroitin-glucuronate C5-epimerase (EC 5.1.3.19 [EC] ) that converts D-glucuronic acid to L-iduronic acid residues in dermatan sulfate biosynthesis. The enzyme was solubilized from bovine spleen, and an ~43,000-fold purified preparation containing a major 89-kDa candidate component was subjected to mass spectrometry analysis of tryptic peptides. SART2 (squamous cell carcinoma antigen recognized by T cell 2), a protein with unknown function highly expressed in cancer cells and tissues, was identified by 18 peptides covering 26% of the sequence. Transient expression of cDNA resulted in a 22-fold increase in epimerase activity in 293HEK cell lysate. Moreover, overexpressing cells produced dermatan sulfate chains with 20% of iduronic acid-containing disaccharide units, as compared with 5% for mock-transfected cells. The iduronic acid residues were preferentially clustered in blocks, as in naturally occurring dermatan sulfate. Given the discovered identity, we propose to rename SART2 (Nakao, M., Shichijo, S., Imaizumi, T., Inoue, Y., Matsunaga, K., Yamada, A., Kikuchi, M., Tsuda, N., Ohta, K., Takamori, S., Yamana, H., Fujita, H., and Itoh, K. (2000) J. Immunol. 164, 2565–2574) with a functional designation, chondroitin-glucuronate C5-epimerase (or DS epimerase). DS epimerase activity is ubiquitously present in normal tissues, although with marked quantitative differences. It is highly homologous to part of the NCAG1 protein, encoded by the C18orf4 gene, genetically linked to bipolar disorder. NCAG1 also contains a putative chondroitin sulfate sulfotransferase domain and thus may be involved in dermatan sulfate biosynthesis. The functional relation between dermatan sulfate and cancer is unknown but may involve known iduronic acid-dependent interactions with growth factors, selectins, cytokines, or coagulation inhibitors.
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