Proteomics of cell–cell interactions in health and disease

Abstract

The mechanisms of cell-cell communications are now under intense study by proteomic approaches. Proteomics has unraveled changes in protein profiling as the result of cell interactions mediated by ligand/receptor, hormones, soluble factors, and the content of extracellular vesicles. Besides being a brief overview of the main and profitable methodologies now available (evaluating theory behind the methods, their usefulness, and pitfalls), this review focuses on-from a proteome perspective-some signaling pathways and post-translational modifications (PTMs), which are essential for understanding ischemic lesions and their recovery in two vital organs in mammals, the heart, and the kidney. Knowledge of misdirection of the proteome during tissue recovery, such as represented by the convergence between fibrosis and cancer, emerges as an important tool in prognosis. Proteomics of cell-cell interaction is also especially useful for understanding how stem cells interact in injured tissues, anticipating clues for rational therapeutic interventions. In the effervescent field of induced pluripotency and cell reprogramming, proteomic studies have shown what proteins from specialized cells contribute to the recovery of infarcted tissues. Overall, we conclude that proteomics is at the forefront in helping us to understand the mechanisms that underpin prevalent pathological processes.

Tspan8-Tumor Extracellular Vesicle-Induced Endothelial Cell and Fibroblast Remodeling Relies on the Target Cell-Selective Response

“…Extracellular microvesicles (EV) are of utmost importance in intercellular crosstalk in health and disease [1][2][3]. However, the mode of action is still disputed, particularly whether the transferred EV content acts autonomously or activates host cell-inherent programs [4,5].…”

Mesenchymal stem cells and cell-derived extracellular vesicles protect hippocampal neurons from oxidative stress and synapse damage induced by amyloid-β oligomers

“…Here, we aimed to investigate the neuroprotective potential of MSCs in an in vitro model of AD, to gain insight into possible mechanisms of cell-to-cell communication (20) that could be exploited in future therapeutic approaches. We demonstrate that MSCs and MSC-derived EVs block oxidative stress and synapse damage induced by A␤Os in hippocampal neurons and unveil novel neuroprotective mechanisms of action of MSCs, namely the clearance of extracellular A␤Os, selective secretion of cytokines, and the release of active catalase via EVs.…”

Cardiomyogenesis Modeling Using Pluripotent Stem Cells: The Role of Microenvironmental Signaling

“…In the last several years, mass spectrometry approaches have been used for signaling investigation. According to Lindoso et al (2016), this approach provides an overview of proteins present in media and enables a measurement of protein level changes during normal or pathophysiological conditions. Recently, a study analyzed the secretome collected at seven different time points during in vitro CM differentiation.…”