Macrophage stimulating protein (MSP), which is secreted as biologically inactive pro-MSP, is activated to MSP by cleavage at a single peptide bond. Our objectives were to determine the form of MSP in circulating blood and to study proteolytic activation of pro-MSP by its target cell. Western blot of immunoaffinity-purified serum MSP showed that all the protein was pro-MSP, without detectable MSP. The circulating form of the protein is therefore pro-MSP, and conversion to MSP does not occur when blood is shed. Incubation of radiolabeled pro-MSP with murine peritoneal macrophages caused proteolytic cleavage to predominantly inactive fragments. Among several protease inhibitors, soybean trypsin inhibitor was one of two that inhibited nonspecific cleavage and revealed a macrophage proteolysis of pro-MSP, and certain concentrations enhanced cleavage to mature MSP. Macrophage membranes had nonspecific and specific pro-MSP proteolytic activity, which was not present in macrophage culture fluids. The results suggest that control of MSP activity can occur at the level of the target cell by proteolytic cleavage of pro-MSP to mature MSP or to inactive fragments.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1172/JCI118470 | DOI Listing |
ACS Pharmacol Transl Sci
January 2025
Fraunhofer Institute for Translational Medicine and Pharmacology ITMP, Discovery Research ScreeningPort, Schnackenburgallee 114, 22525 Hamburg, Germany.
The SARS-CoV-2 papain-like protease PLpro has multiple roles in the viral replication cycle, related to both its polypeptide cleavage function and its ability to antagonize the host immune response. Targeting the PLpro function is recognized as a promising mechanism to modulate viral replication, while supporting host immune responses. However, the development of PLpro-specific inhibitors remains challenging.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFNat Chem Biol
January 2025
Department of Chemical Engineering, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA.
Synthetic circuits that regulate protein secretion in human cells could support cell-based therapies by enabling control over local environments. Although protein-level circuits enable such potential clinical applications, featuring orthogonality and compactness, their non-human origin poses a potential immunogenic risk. In this study, we developed Humanized Drug Induced Regulation of Engineered CyTokines (hDIRECT) as a platform to control cytokine activity exclusively using human-derived proteins.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJ Control Release
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Molecular Imaging Branch, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA. Electronic address:
B7-H3, an immunomodulatory protein overexpressed in many cancers, is associated with tumor aggressiveness and poor prognosis, making it a crucial target for imaging to elucidate its role in cancer progression and guide therapeutic interventions. This study employed PET imaging to investigate the in vivo delivery and pharmacokinetics of two anti-B7-H3 antibodies, Ab-1 and Ab-2, in mouse xenograft models with varying B7-H3 expression levels. The antibodies were radiolabeled with [Zr]Zr and evaluated through PET imaging, biodistribution studies, and in vitro assays to assess binding, tumor uptake, and retention.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPLoS One
January 2025
Institute of Parasitology, Vetsuisse Faculty, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.
The cardiopulmonary nematode Angiostrongylus vasorum can cause severe disease in dogs, including coagulopathies manifesting with bleeding. We analysed A. vasorum excretory/secretory protein (ESP)-treated dog plasma and serum by N-terminome analysis using Terminal Amine Isotopic Labelling of Substrates (TAILS) to identify cleaved host substrates.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFFASEB J
January 2025
Laboratory of Tissue Biology and Therapeutic Engineering, UMR5305 CNRS, University Lyon 1, Lyon Cedex 07, France.
G-Protein Coupled Receptor, Class C, Group 5, Member A (GPRC5A) has been extensively studied in lung and various epithelial cancers. Nevertheless, its role in the skin remains to be elucidated. In this study, we sought to investigate the function of this receptor in skin biology.
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