Exosomes are communication mediators participating in the intercellular exchange of proteins, metabolites and nucleic acids. Recent studies have demonstrated that exosomes are characterized by a unique proteomic composition that is distinct from the cellular one. The mechanisms responsible for determining the proteome content of the exosomes remain however obscure. In the current study we employ ultrastructural approach to validate a novel exosomal protein myoferlin. This is a multiple C2-domain containing protein, known for its conserved physiological function in endocytosis and vesicle fusion biology. Emerging studies demonstrate that myoferlin is frequently overexpressed in cancer, where it promotes cancer cell migration and invasion. Our data expand these findings by showing that myoferlin is a general component of cancer cell derived exosomes from different breast and pancreatic cancer cell lines. Using proteomic analysis, we demonstrate for the first time that myoferlin depletion in cancer cells leads to a significantly modulated exosomal protein load. Such myoferlin-depleted exosomes were also functionally deficient as shown by their reduced capacity to transfer nucleic acids to human endothelial cells (HUVEC). Beyond this, myoferlin-depleted cancer exosomes also had a significantly reduced ability to induce migration and proliferation of HUVEC. The present study highlights myoferlin as a new functional player in exosome biology, calling for novel strategies to target this emerging oncogene in human cancer.
uPAR enhances the internalization and thus the signaling downstream of a proangiogenic receptor.
This study sought to determine whether GH response to synthetic GHRH was impaired in 13 postmenopausal (55-71 years) as compared with that in 8 eugonadal women and whether IGF-I and bone metabolism were consequently depressed. Thereafter, the effects of daily iv injections of 80\g=m\g GHRH-44 for 8 days were studied in the same postmenopausal group. In addition to significantly higher basal IGF-I and osteocalcin levels (P< 0.005) in eugonadal as compared with the postmenopausal women, the administration of one GHRH-44 injection resulted in significantly higher 120-min postinjection GH maximum peak and cumulative responses in the former group as well (P< 0.005). Highly significant correlations were observed between 17\g=b\-estradiolplasma levels and either GH maximum peak or cumulative responses to GHRH-44 when both groups were pooled together, but not when considered independently. In postmenopausal women, a correlation was found between both age and duration of menopause and GH responses. Repeated GHRH-44 injections in postmenopausal women induced a significant increase in GH response (P< 0.001) as well as in IGF-I levels from day 4 to 8. No phospho-calcium parameters were modified except for a significant rise in osteocalcin from day 2 to 8. These data indicate an age-related loss of sensitivity of somatotrope cells to GHRH-44 in postmenopausal women, partly corrected by repeated daily GHRH-44 injections. As a consequence of the GHRH-induced increase in GH secretion, IGF-I was also enhanced and may be responsible for a stimulatory effect on bone formation, as shown by the osteocalcin increase, uncoupled from bone resorption.Although it has been reported that the pituitary content of human GH does not vary with aging (Gershberg 1957), the secretion of GH decreases in postmenopausal women as compared with premenopausal women as shown by the reduction in the 24-h integrated GH concentration (Zadik et al. 1985), the disappearance of sleep-related GH peaks (Carlson et al. 1972), as well as the decreased response to GHRH (Lang et al. 1987) and to indi¬ rect GH secretagogues such as insulin-and arginine-induced hypoglycemia, exercise, and L-dopa (Carlson et al. 1972;Kalk et al. 1973;Bazarre et al. 1979;Muggeo et al. 1975). The reduc¬ tion in GH secretion in women has been linked to several different factors. An effect of age inde¬ pendent of estrogen status has not been excluded.Furthermore, reduced estrogen secretion must also be considered. It is known that the administra¬ tion of estrogens increases both resting (Wiedeman et al. 1976) and stimulated (Schalch 1967) GH se¬ cretion, and that physiological estrogen replace¬ ment increases spontaneous and exercise-induced GH secretion in postmenopausal women (DawsonHughes et al. 1986). Moreover, a significant corre¬ lation was found between serum estradiol and GH response to GHRH injection (Lang et al. 1987). On the other hand, GH hyposecretion may be related to the age-related decrease in somatotrope sensi-
The influence of an extremely low frequency (ELF) electric field stimulus (30 Hz at 6 microV/cm rms), known to promote bone formation in vivo, was evaluated for its ability to affect bone cell function in vitro. To accomplish this, we developed an apparatus for the exposure of monolayer cell systems to electric fields in a manner that provides relatively uniform electric field exposure of multiple cell samples as well as a rigorous sham exposure. We show that field exposure significantly limits the normal increase in osteoblastic cell number and enhances alkaline phosphatase activity compared to sham-exposed samples. Moreover, these alterations are shown to occur in a cell density-dependent manner. Samples plated at 6 x 10(3) cells/cm2 show no effect of field exposure. In samples plated at 30 x 10(3) cells/cm2, 72 h of field exposure resulted in 25% fewer cells in the exposed samples, and a doubling of alkaline phosphatase activity in those cells compared to sham exposure. Experiments using a 12 h exposure to preclude significant changes in cell number during the exposure show this density-dependent response to be biphasic. Sparse cultures (< 50 x 10(3) cells/cm2) were not found to be affected by the field exposure, but increases in alkaline phosphatase activity occurred in cultures at densities of 50-200 x 10(3) and 200-350 x 10(3) cells/cm2 and no effect on alkaline phosphatase activity was seen in confluent cell cultures of greater than 350 x 10(3) cells/cm2.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
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