Biomedical subjects

Ivor J Lim

Publications and source records attributed to Ivor J Lim.

7 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2006

The role of the activin system in keloid pathogenesis.

Keloid scars represent a pathological response to cutaneous injury under the regulation of many growth factors. Activin-A, a dimeric protein and a member of the transforming growth factor-beta superfamily, has been shown to regulate various aspects of cell growth and differentiation in the repair of the skin mesenchyme and the epidermis. Thus our aim was to study the role of activin and its antagonist, follistatin, in keloid pathogenesis. Increased mRNA expression for activin was observed in keloid scar tissue by performing RNase protection assay. Immunohistochemistry showed increased localization of both activin-A and follistatin in the basal layer of epidermis of keloid tissue compared with normal tissue. ELISA demonstrated a 29-fold increase in concentration of activin-A and an approximately 5-fold increase in follistatin in conditioned media in keloid fibroblasts compared with normal fibroblasts. Although keloid keratinocytes produced 25% more follistatin than normal keratinocytes, the amounts of activin-A, in contrast, was approximately 77% lower. Proliferation of fibroblasts was stimulated when treated with exogenous activin-A (46% increase in keloids fibroblasts) or following co-culture with hbetaAHaCaT cells (66% increase). Activin-A upregulated key extracellular matrix components, namely collagen, fibronectin, and alpha-smooth muscle actin, in normal and keloid fibroblasts. Co-treatment of follistatin with activin-A blocked the stimulatory effects of activin on extracellular matrix components. These findings emphasize the importance of the activin system in keloid biology and pathogenesis and suggest a possible therapeutic potential of follistatin in the prevention and treatment of keloids.

Activins↗

PubMed2006

Differential transcriptional responses of keloid and normal keratinocytes to serum stimulation.

BACKGROUND: Keloids are benign tumors that occur only in response to injury, for which there is no effective treatment. We demonstrated previously that keloid keratinocytes (KKs) promote fibroblast proliferation more than normal keratinocytes (NKs) and that transforming growth factor (TGF)-beta is a component of that signal. We used the transcriptional response to serum stimulation to examine how TGF-beta expression is stimulated in KKs. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Quiescent KKs and NKs were stimulated using serum; harvested using RNA at 0, 1, 6, 12, and 24 h; and analyzed using quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction. TGF-beta activity in the conditioned medium was measured with an MLEC/PAI-luciferase assay. Inhibition of ERK1/2, p38 kinase, and JNK pathways was performed with PD98059, SB203580, and SP600125, respectively. RESULTS: Increased transcription of TGF-beta2 occurs within 1 h of serum stimulation in KKs but not in NKs. In contrast, TGF-beta3 transcription was suppressed in KKs compared with NKs. No significant differences were observed in the transcriptional response of TGF-beta1. Increased TGF-beta2 mRNA correlated with increased TGF-beta biological activity in the conditioned medium. Inhibition of the ERK, p38 kinase or JNK signal transduction pathways blocked the transcriptional up-regulation of TGF-beta2, TbetaR1, and TbetaR2 in KKs. CONCLUSIONS: KKs produce more TGF-beta2 mRNA than NKs in response to serum stimulation, resulting in increased TGF-beta activity in conditioned medium. Combining these results with our previous data lead us to propose a model of keloid formation characterized by an exaggerated response to cellular stress and abnormal epithelial-mesenchymal signaling promoting keloid formation.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2006

Increased transcriptional response to mechanical strain in keloid fibroblasts due to increased focal adhesion complex formation.

Clinicians have observed that keloids preferentially form in body areas subject to increased skin tension. We hypothesized a difference exists in the transcriptional response of keloid fibroblasts to mechanical strain compared with normal fibroblasts. Normal and keloid fibroblasts were seeded in a device calibrated to deliver a known level of equibiaxial strain. We examined the transcriptional response of TGF-beta isoforms and collagen Ialpha, genes differentially expressed in keloids. Keloid fibroblasts produced more mRNA for TGF-beta1, TGF-beta2, and collagen Ialpha after mechanical strain compared to normals, and this was correlated with protein production. Inhibiting the major mechanical signal transduction pathway with the ERK inhibitor, U0126, blocked upregulation of gene expression. In addition, keloid fibroblasts formed more focal adhesion complexes as measured by immunofluorescence for focal adhesion kinase, integrin beta1, and vinculin. Finally, there is increased activation of focal adhesion kinase when we detected the phosphorylated form of focal adhesion kinase with immunofluorescence and immunoblotting. In summary, keloid fibroblasts have an exaggerated response to mechanical strain compared to normal fibroblasts leading to increased production of pro-fibrotic growth factors. This may be one molecular mechanism for the development of keloids.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2003

Synchronous activation of ERK and phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase pathways is required for collagen and extracellular matrix production in keloids.

Keloid fibroproliferation appears to be influenced by epithelial-mesenchymal interactions between keloid keratinocytes (KKs) and keloid fibroblasts (KFs). Keloid and normal fibroblasts exhibit accelerated proliferation and collagen I and III production in co-culture with KKs compared with single cell culture or co-culture with normal keratinocytes. ERK and phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K) pathway activation has been observed in excessively proliferating KFs in co-culture with KKs. We hypothesized that ERK and PI3K pathways might be involved in collagen and extracellular matrix production in KFs. To test our hypothesis, four samples of KFs were co-cultured in defined serum-free medium with KKs for 2-5 days. KF cell lysate was subjected to Western blot analysis. Compared with KF single cell culture, phospho-ERK1/2 and downstream phospho-Elk-1 showed up-regulation in the co-culture groups, as did phospho-PI3K and phospho-Akt-1, indicating ERK and PI3K pathway activation. Western blotting of the conditioned medium demonstrated increased collagen I-III, laminin beta2, and fibronectin levels. Addition of the MEK1/2-specific inhibitor U0126 or the PI3K-specific inhibitor LY294002 (but not p38 kinase and JNK inhibitors) completely nullified collagen I-III production and significantly decreased laminin beta2 and fibronectin secretion. In the presence of the MEK1/2 or PI3K inhibitor, fibronectin demonstrated changes in molecular mass reflected by faster in-gel migration. These data strongly suggest that synchronous activation of both the ERK and PI3K pathways is essential for collagen I-III and laminin beta2 production. These pathways additionally appear to affect the side chain attachments of fibronectin. Modulation of these pathways may suggest a direction for keloid therapy.

Blotting, Western↗

PubMed2002

Differences in collagen production between normal and keloid-derived fibroblasts in serum-media co-culture with keloid-derived keratinocytes.

Keloids are characterized by the deposition of excessive extracellular-matrix collagen by abnormal fibroblasts in response to cutaneous injury. Studies to date have largely concentrated on the role of the keloid fibroblast in the pathogenesis of this lesion. Recent studies have highlighted the important concept of epithelial-mesenchymal interactions in normal skin biology. Extrapolating this to keloids in two recent serum-free in vitro studies, we demonstrated increased growth and proliferation, as well as induction of keloid-like collagen secretory characteristics in normal fibroblasts co-cultured with keloid-derived keratinocytes. Most fibroblast culture work to date has been performed in nutrient and growth factor-rich serum media. To investigate how a serum co-culture system might influence epithelial-mesenchymal interactions, [3H] proline incorporation was examined in normal and keloid fibroblasts co-cultured in serum with keratinocytes derived either from normal skin or keloid tissue. Results showed increased [3H] proline incorporation when normal fibroblasts were co-cultured with keloid keratinocytes, which was significantly increased when keloid fibroblasts were co-cultured with keloid keratinocytes. Taken with previous results, this study demonstrates a good correlation between both serum and serum-free co-culture systems, and supports the significance of epithelial-mesenchymal interactions in keloid pathogenesis.

Cells, Cultured↗

PubMedDate not supplied

From scarless fetal wounds to keloids: molecular studies in wound healing.

Surgical researchers were among the first to describe the different phases of wound healing and the events in tissue repair and regeneration that were taking place during each phase. The understanding of these events has been significantly enhanced in recent years by modern techniques in molecular and cellular biology. In this article, we discuss new findings in scarless fetal repair, angiogenesis in wound healing, and keloid pathogenesis. This serves to highlight the advances that have been made and also how much remains to be understood.

Fetus↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Complex epithelial-mesenchymal interactions modulate transforming growth factor-beta expression in keloid-derived cells.

Keloids are proliferative dermal growths representing a pathologic wound healing response. We have previously demonstrated that coculture of fibroblasts derived from either keloid or normal skin have an elevated proliferation rate when cocultured with keloid-derived keratinocytes vs. normal keratinocytes. In these studies, we examined the contribution of transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-beta) to this phenomenon using a two-chamber coculture system. Fibroblast proliferation in coculture was slower with the addition of a pan-TGF-beta neutralizing antibody. Keloid keratinocytes in coculture expressed more TGF-beta1, -beta3, and TGF-beta receptor 1 than normal keratinocytes. Keloid fibroblasts cocultured with keloid keratinocytes expressed more mRNA for TGF-beta1, -beta2, TGF-beta receptor 1, and Smad2. Keloid fibroblasts also produced more type I collagen, connective tissue growth factor, and insulin-like growth factor-II/mannose-6-phosphate receptor when cocultured with keloid keratinocytes vs. normal keratinocytes. Levels of total and activated TGF-beta activity increased when fibroblasts were cocultured with keratinocytes, correlating with the changes in transcriptional activity of TGF-beta. In conclusion, we find a complex paracrine interaction regulates TGF-beta mRNA expression and activation between keratinocytes and fibroblasts. These data suggest that keloid pathogenesis may result from both an increased TGF-beta production and activation by the keloid keratinocyte, and elevated TGF-beta expression, utilization, and signaling in keloid fibroblasts.

Adolescent↗