Collagen Remodeling and Degradation: Cellular Mechanisms and Functions

A special issue of Cells (ISSN 2073-4409). This special issue belongs to the section "Cell Motility and Adhesion".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (20 August 2021) | Viewed by 30113

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
Faculty of Dentistry, University of Toronto, 150 College St. Rm 243, Toronto, ON M5S 3E2, Canada
Interests: remodeling of connective tissues, with a focus on the cell-adhesion-associated signaling systems that regulate the synthesis and degradation of collagen

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Guest Editor
Department of Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
Interests: cytoskeleton; phosphoinositide signaling; cell mechanics; actin; PIP2; gel; astrocyte; fibrin; gelsolin; cellular engineering; bioengineered therapeutics; devices and drug delivery; cardiovascular and pulmonary cell and tissue mechanics; mechanobiology

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Guest Editor
School of Dentistry, Faculty of Medicine, Pontifical Catholic University of Chile, Santiago, Chile
Interests: regulation of inflammation and periodontal repair; cytokines and growth factors; extracellular matrix; tissue repair

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The ubiquitous distribution of collagen molecules throughout metazoans underpins its broad evolutionary importance in tissue and organ development. Collagen is the most abundant protein in mammals and is present as multiple types of collagen, with surprisingly broad structures and functions. These molecules play critically important roles in health and notably in fibrotic diseases, which affect many organs in very large numbers of adult patients throughout the world. In addition to its contributions to the formation of tissue structure and function, collagen is also a central player in the transmission of signals that are critical for matrix homeostasis and is deeply involved in the development of a broad array of human diseases. Recently examined features of the mechanical properties of collagen, particularly when organized into scaffolds that are used for tissue repair and regeneration, have highlighted the considerable complexity of its chemical and physical properties. Collectively, the study of collagen and its myriad forms and functions continues to fascinate biomedical scientists, physicists, and chemists. In this Issue we consider the fundamental characteristics of collagen molecules and their relationships with surrounding cells, which enable matrix remodeling. We examine how the transmission of forces through fibrillar collagen arrays mediates the long-range mechanosensing that is critical for matrix homeostasis and the invasion of matrices by metastatic cancers. Finally, we consider how the near-magical properties of collagen molecules are being harnessed to enable the development of novel biomaterials that are beginning to enable organ regeneration.

Prof. Christopher A. McCulloch
Prof. Paul Janmey
Dr. Patricio Smith
Guest Editors

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Keywords

  • matrix mechanosensing
  • collagen remodeling
  • mechanics of matrix polymers
  • adhesion-dependent signaling systems
  • bioengineering of novel matrices

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Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

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11 pages, 3245 KiB  
Article
COL5A1 RS12722 Is Associated with Temporomandibular Joint Anterior Disc Displacement without Reduction in Polish Caucasians
by Bartosz Dalewski, Katarzyna Białkowska, Łukasz Pałka, Anna Jakubowska, Paweł Kiczmer and Ewa Sobolewska
Cells 2021, 10(9), 2423; https://doi.org/10.3390/cells10092423 - 14 Sep 2021
Cited by 10 | Viewed by 2993
Abstract
Numerous reports describe the association between the single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) rs12722 and rs13946 in the COL5A1 gene and injuries, such as Achilles tendon pathology, anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries, and tennis elbow. Hence, there were no studies investigating COL5A1 and temporomandibular joint (TMJ) [...] Read more.
Numerous reports describe the association between the single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) rs12722 and rs13946 in the COL5A1 gene and injuries, such as Achilles tendon pathology, anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries, and tennis elbow. Hence, there were no studies investigating COL5A1 and temporomandibular joint (TMJ) pathology. The aim of this study is to evaluate the relationship between COL5A1 rs12722 and rs13946 SNPs and TMJ articular disc displacement without reduction (ADDwoR). In this case-control study, the study group consisted of 124 Caucasian patients of both sexes. Each patient had a history of ADDwoR no more than 3 months prior. The control group comprised 126 patients with no signs of TMD according to DC/TMD. Genotyping of the selected SNPs was performed by real-time PCR using TaqMan probes. The significance of the differences in the distribution of genotypes was analyzed using Pearson’s chi-square test. Logistic regression modeling was performed to analyze the influence of the 164 investigated SNPs on ADDwoR. The COL5A1 marker rs12722 turned out to be statistically significant (p-value = 0.0119), implying that there is a difference in the frequencies of TMJ ADDwoR. The distribution of rs12722 SNPs in the study group TT(66), CC(27), CT(31) vs. control group TT(45), CC(26), CT(51) indicates that patients with CT had an almost 2.4 times higher likelihood of ADDwoR (OR = 2.41) than those with reference TT (OR = 1), while rs13946 genotypes were shown to be insignificant, with a p-value of 0.1713. The COL5A1 rs12722 polymorphism is a risk factor for ADDwoR in the Polish Caucasian population. Full article
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Review

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11 pages, 687 KiB  
Review
The Dynamic Interaction between Extracellular Matrix Remodeling and Breast Tumor Progression
by Jorge Martinez and Patricio C. Smith
Cells 2021, 10(5), 1046; https://doi.org/10.3390/cells10051046 - 29 Apr 2021
Cited by 18 | Viewed by 3922
Abstract
Desmoplastic tumors correspond to a unique tissue structure characterized by the abnormal deposition of extracellular matrix. Breast tumors are a typical example of this type of lesion, a property that allows its palpation and early detection. Fibrillar type I collagen is a major [...] Read more.
Desmoplastic tumors correspond to a unique tissue structure characterized by the abnormal deposition of extracellular matrix. Breast tumors are a typical example of this type of lesion, a property that allows its palpation and early detection. Fibrillar type I collagen is a major component of tumor desmoplasia and its accumulation is causally linked to tumor cell survival and metastasis. For many years, the desmoplastic phenomenon was considered to be a reaction and response of the host tissue against tumor cells and, accordingly, designated as “desmoplastic reaction”. This notion has been challenged in the last decades when desmoplastic tissue was detected in breast tissue in the absence of tumor. This finding suggests that desmoplasia is a preexisting condition that stimulates the development of a malignant phenotype. With this perspective, in the present review, we analyze the role of extracellular matrix remodeling in the development of the desmoplastic response. Importantly, during the discussion, we also analyze the impact of obesity and cell metabolism as critical drivers of tissue remodeling during the development of desmoplasia. New knowledge derived from the dynamic remodeling of the extracellular matrix may lead to novel targets of interest for early diagnosis or therapy in the context of breast tumors. Full article
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16 pages, 1505 KiB  
Review
Mechanosensitive Regulation of Fibrosis
by Shuying Yang and Sergey V. Plotnikov
Cells 2021, 10(5), 994; https://doi.org/10.3390/cells10050994 - 23 Apr 2021
Cited by 26 | Viewed by 5514
Abstract
Cells in the human body experience and integrate a wide variety of environmental cues. A growing interest in tissue mechanics in the past four decades has shown that the mechanical properties of tissue drive key biological processes and facilitate disease development. However, tissue [...] Read more.
Cells in the human body experience and integrate a wide variety of environmental cues. A growing interest in tissue mechanics in the past four decades has shown that the mechanical properties of tissue drive key biological processes and facilitate disease development. However, tissue stiffness is not only a potent behavioral cue, but also a product of cellular signaling activity. This review explores both roles of tissue stiffness in the context of inflammation and fibrosis, and the important molecular players driving such processes. During inflammation, proinflammatory cytokines upregulate tissue stiffness by increasing hydrostatic pressure, ECM deposition, and ECM remodeling. As the ECM stiffens, cells involved in the immune response employ intricate molecular sensors to probe and alter their mechanical environment, thereby facilitating immune cell recruitment and potentiating the fibrotic phenotype. This powerful feedforward loop raises numerous possibilities for drug development and warrants further investigation into the mechanisms specific to different fibrotic diseases. Full article
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18 pages, 2634 KiB  
Review
Cardiac Fibrosis: Key Role of Integrins in Cardiac Homeostasis and Remodeling
by Patrick B. Meagher, Xavier Alexander Lee, Joseph Lee, Aylin Visram, Mark K. Friedberg and Kim A. Connelly
Cells 2021, 10(4), 770; https://doi.org/10.3390/cells10040770 - 31 Mar 2021
Cited by 39 | Viewed by 8354
Abstract
Cardiac fibrosis is a common finding that is associated with the progression of heart failure (HF) and impacts all chambers of the heart. Despite intense research, the treatment of HF has primarily focused upon strategies to prevent cardiomyocyte remodeling, and there are no [...] Read more.
Cardiac fibrosis is a common finding that is associated with the progression of heart failure (HF) and impacts all chambers of the heart. Despite intense research, the treatment of HF has primarily focused upon strategies to prevent cardiomyocyte remodeling, and there are no targeted antifibrotic strategies available to reverse cardiac fibrosis. Cardiac fibrosis is defined as an accumulation of extracellular matrix (ECM) proteins which stiffen the myocardium resulting in the deterioration cardiac function. This occurs in response to a wide range of mechanical and biochemical signals. Integrins are transmembrane cell adhesion receptors, that integrate signaling between cardiac fibroblasts and cardiomyocytes with the ECM by the communication of mechanical stress signals. Integrins play an important role in the development of pathological ECM deposition. This review will discuss the role of integrins in mechano-transduced cardiac fibrosis in response to disease throughout the myocardium. This review will also demonstrate the important role of integrins as both initiators of the fibrotic response, and modulators of fibrosis through their effect on cardiac fibroblast physiology across the various heart chambers. Full article
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20 pages, 1816 KiB  
Review
Collagen Assembly at the Cell Surface: Dogmas Revisited
by Moses Musiime, Joan Chang, Uwe Hansen, Karl E. Kadler, Cédric Zeltz and Donald Gullberg
Cells 2021, 10(3), 662; https://doi.org/10.3390/cells10030662 - 16 Mar 2021
Cited by 40 | Viewed by 8042
Abstract
With the increased awareness about the importance of the composition, organization, and stiffness of the extracellular matrix (ECM) for tissue homeostasis, there is a renewed need to understand the details of how cells recognize, assemble and remodel the ECM during dynamic tissue reorganization [...] Read more.
With the increased awareness about the importance of the composition, organization, and stiffness of the extracellular matrix (ECM) for tissue homeostasis, there is a renewed need to understand the details of how cells recognize, assemble and remodel the ECM during dynamic tissue reorganization events. Fibronectin (FN) and fibrillar collagens are major proteins in the ECM of interstitial matrices. Whereas FN is abundant in cell culture studies, it is often only transiently expressed in the acute phase of wound healing and tissue regeneration, by contrast fibrillar collagens form a persistent robust scaffold in healing and regenerating tissues. Historically fibrillar collagens in interstitial matrices were seen merely as structural building blocks. Cell anchorage to the collagen matrix was thought to be indirect and occurring via proteins like FN and cell surface-mediated collagen fibrillogenesis was believed to require a FN matrix. The isolation of four collagen-binding integrins have challenged this dogma, and we now know that cells anchor directly to monomeric forms of fibrillar collagens via the α1β1, α2β1, α10β1 and α11β1 integrins. The binding of these integrins to the mature fibrous collagen matrices is more controversial and depends on availability of integrin-binding sites. With increased awareness about the importance of characterizing the total integrin repertoire on cells, including the integrin collagen receptors, the idea of an absolute dependence on FN for cell-mediated collagen fibrillogenesis needs to be re-evaluated. We will summarize data suggesting that collagen-binding integrins in vitro and in vivo are perfectly well suited for nucleating and supporting collagen fibrillogenesis, independent of FN. Full article
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