ijms-logo

Journal Browser

Journal Browser

Tissue Transglutaminase in Physio-Pathological Conditions

A special issue of International Journal of Molecular Sciences (ISSN 1422-0067). This special issue belongs to the section "Molecular Neurobiology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 December 2020) | Viewed by 7604

Special Issue Editor


E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Drug Science (DSF), Università degli Studi di Catania, 95124 Catania, Italy
Interests: tissue transglutaminase; neurodegenerative diseases; neuroprotection; antioxidants; stem cells; cancer; apoptosis

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Transglutaminase 2 (TG2) is the most widely distributed and most abundantly expressed member of the transglutaminase family of enzymes, a group of intracellular and extracellular proteins that catalyze the Ca2+-dependent post-translational modification of proteins. It is a unique member of the transglutaminase family owing to its specialized biochemical, structural, and functional elements; ubiquitous tissue distribution and subcellular localization; and substrate specificity. The broad substrate specificity of TG2 and its flexible interaction with numerous other gene products may account for its multiple biological functions. Many such activities have been directly or indirectly implicated in diverse cellular physiological events, including cell growth and differentiation, cell adhesion and morphology, extracellular matrix stabilization, wound healing, cellular development, receptor-mediated endocytosis, apoptosis, and disease pathology. Interestingly, neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, supranuclear palsy, Huntington’s disease, and other polyglutamine diseases are characterized, in part, by aberrant cerebral transglutaminase activity and by increased crosslinked proteins in affected brains. In this Special Issue we will focus on the possible molecular mechanisms by which these enzymes could be responsible for human diseases and the possible use of transglutaminase inhibitors for patients with diseases characterized by aberrant transglutaminase activity.

Prof. Agata Campisi
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. International Journal of Molecular Sciences is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. There is an Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal. For details about the APC please see here. Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • Transglutaminases
  • tissue transglutaminase
  • neurodegenerative diseases
  • excitotoxicity
  • neuroprotection

Published Papers (3 papers)

Order results
Result details
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:

Research

21 pages, 6457 KiB  
Article
Amyloid-Beta Induces Different Expression Pattern of Tissue Transglutaminase and Its Isoforms on Olfactory Ensheathing Cells: Modulatory Effect of Indicaxanthin
by Agata Campisi, Giuseppina Raciti, Giovanni Sposito, Rosaria Grasso, Maria A. Chiacchio, Michela Spatuzza, Alessandro Attanzio, Ugo Chiacchio, Luisa Tesoriere, Mario Allegra and Rosalia Pellitteri
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2021, 22(7), 3388; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ijms22073388 - 25 Mar 2021
Cited by 7 | Viewed by 2030
Abstract
Herein, we assessed the effect of full native peptide of amyloid-beta (Aβ) (1-42) and its fragments (25-35 and 35-25) on tissue transglutaminase (TG2) and its isoforms (TG2-Long and TG2-Short) expression levels on olfactory ensheathing cells (OECs). Vimentin and glial fibrillary acid protein (GFAP) [...] Read more.
Herein, we assessed the effect of full native peptide of amyloid-beta (Aβ) (1-42) and its fragments (25-35 and 35-25) on tissue transglutaminase (TG2) and its isoforms (TG2-Long and TG2-Short) expression levels on olfactory ensheathing cells (OECs). Vimentin and glial fibrillary acid protein (GFAP) were also studied. The effect of the pre-treatment with indicaxanthin from Opuntia ficus-indica fruit on TG2 expression levels and its isoforms, cell viability, total reactive oxygen species (ROS), superoxide anion (O2), and apoptotic pathway activation was assessed. The levels of Nestin and cyclin D1 were also evaluated. Our findings highlight that OECs exposure to Aβ(1-42) and its fragments induced an increase in TG2 expression levels and a different expression pattern of its isoforms. Indicaxanthin pre-treatment reduced TG2 overexpression, modulating the expression of TG2 isoforms. It reduced total ROS and O2 production, GFAP and Vimentin levels, inhibiting apoptotic pathway activation. It also induced an increase in the Nestin and cyclin D1 expression levels. Our data demonstrated that indicaxanthin pre-treatment stimulated OECs self-renewal through the reparative activity played by TG2. They also suggest that Aβ might modify TG2 conformation in OECs and that indicaxanthin pre-treatment might modulate TG2 conformation, stimulating neural regeneration in Alzheimer’s disease. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Tissue Transglutaminase in Physio-Pathological Conditions)
Show Figures

Graphical abstract

13 pages, 3324 KiB  
Article
Transglutaminases Are Active in Perivascular Adipose Tissue
by Alexis N. Orr, Janice M. Thompson, Janae M. Lyttle and Stephanie W. Watts
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2021, 22(5), 2649; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ijms22052649 - 05 Mar 2021
Viewed by 2099
Abstract
Transglutaminases (TGs) are crosslinking enzymes best known for their vascular remodeling in hypertension. They require calcium to form an isopeptide bond, connecting a glutamine to a protein bound lysine residue or a free amine donor such as norepinephrine (NE) or serotonin (5-HT). We [...] Read more.
Transglutaminases (TGs) are crosslinking enzymes best known for their vascular remodeling in hypertension. They require calcium to form an isopeptide bond, connecting a glutamine to a protein bound lysine residue or a free amine donor such as norepinephrine (NE) or serotonin (5-HT). We discovered that perivascular adipose tissue (PVAT) contains significant amounts of these amines, making PVAT an ideal model to test interactions of amines and TGs. We hypothesized that transglutaminases are active in PVAT. Real time RT-PCR determined that Sprague Dawley rat aortic, superior mesenteric artery (SMA), and mesenteric resistance vessel (MR) PVATs express TG2 and blood coagulation Factor-XIII (FXIII) mRNA. Consistent with this, immunohistochemical analyses support that these PVATs all express TG2 and FXIII protein. The activity of TG2 and FXIII was investigated in tissue sections using substrate peptides that label active TGs when in a catalyzing calcium solution. Both TG2 and FXIII were active in rat aortic PVAT, SMAPVAT, and MRPVAT. Western blot analysis determined that the known TG inhibitor cystamine reduced incorporation of experimentally added amine donor 5-(biotinamido)pentylamine (BAP) into MRPVAT. Finally, experimentally added NE competitively inhibited incorporation of BAP into MRPVAT adipocytes. Further studies to determine the identity of amidated proteins will give insight into how these enzymes contribute to functions of PVAT and, ultimately, blood pressure. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Tissue Transglutaminase in Physio-Pathological Conditions)
Show Figures

Figure 1

26 pages, 2536 KiB  
Article
TGFβ-1 Induced Cross-Linking of the Extracellular Matrix of Primary Human Dermal Fibroblasts
by Mariya E. Semkova and J. Justin Hsuan
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2021, 22(3), 984; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ijms22030984 - 20 Jan 2021
Cited by 14 | Viewed by 2920
Abstract
Excessive cross-linking is a major factor in the resistance to the remodelling of the extracellular matrix (ECM) during fibrotic progression. The role of TGFβ signalling in impairing ECM remodelling has been demonstrated in various fibrotic models. We hypothesised that increased ECM cross-linking by [...] Read more.
Excessive cross-linking is a major factor in the resistance to the remodelling of the extracellular matrix (ECM) during fibrotic progression. The role of TGFβ signalling in impairing ECM remodelling has been demonstrated in various fibrotic models. We hypothesised that increased ECM cross-linking by TGFβ contributes to skin fibrosis in Systemic Sclerosis (SSc). Proteomics was used to identify cross-linking enzymes in the ECM of primary human dermal fibroblasts, and to compare their levels following treatment with TGFβ-1. A significant upregulation and enrichment of lysyl-oxidase-like 1, 2 and 4 and transglutaminase 2 were found. Western blotting confirmed the upregulation of lysyl hydroxylase 2 in the ECM. Increased transglutaminase activity in TGFβ-1 treated ECM was revealed from a cell-based assay. We employed a mass spectrometry-based method to identify alterations in the ECM cross-linking pattern caused by TGFβ-1. Cross-linking sites were identified in collagens I and V, fibrinogen and fibronectin. One cross-linking site in fibrinogen alpha was found only in TGFβ-treated samples. In conclusion, we have mapped novel cross-links between ECM proteins and demonstrated that activation of TGFβ signalling in cultured dermal fibroblasts upregulates multiple cross-linking enzymes in the ECM. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Tissue Transglutaminase in Physio-Pathological Conditions)
Show Figures

Figure 1

Back to TopTop