laminar-flow-based-assays-to-investigate-leukocyte-recruitment-on

Laminar Flow-based Assays to Investigate Leukocyte Recruitment on Cultured Vascular Cells and Adherent Platelets

The recruitment of leukocytes upon injury or inflammation to sites of injury or tissue damage has been investigated during recent decades and has resulted ...

Maastricht University

Colonization of the airways with potential pathogenic bacteria is observed in a number of chronic respiratory diseases, such as COPD or cystic fibrosis. Infections with respiratory viruses are known triggers of exacerbations of these diseases. We here investigated if pre-exposure to bacteria alters the response of lung epithelial cells to subsequent viral infection.

Exposure to common respiratory bacteria alters the airway epithelial response to subsequent viral infection.

Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are mediators of cell communication during health and disease, and abundantly released by platelets upon activation or during ageing. Platelet EVs exert modulatory effects on immune and vascular cells. Platelet EVs may modulate the function of vascular smooth muscle cells (SMC). Platelet EVs were isolated from platelet-rich plasma and incubated with SMC in order to assess binding, proliferation, migration and pro-inflammatory phenotype of the cells. Platelet EVs firmly bound to resting SMC through the platelet integrin αβ, while binding also occurred in a CX3CL1-CX3CR1-dependent manner after cytokine stimulation. Platelet EVs increased SMC migration comparable to platelet derived growth factor or platelet factor 4 and induced SMC proliferation, which relied on CD40- and P-selectin interactions. Flow-resistant monocyte adhesion to platelet EV-treated SMC was increased compared with resting SMC. Again, this adhesion depended on integrin αβand P-selectin, and to a lesser extent on CD40 and CX3CR1. Treatment of SMC with platelet EVs induced interleukin 6 secretion. Finally, platelet EVs induced a synthetic SMC morphology and decreased calponin expression. Collectively, these data indicate that platelet EVs exert a strong immunomodulatory activity on SMC. In particular, platelet EVs induce a switch towards a pro-inflammatory phenotype, stimulating vascular remodelling.

Platelet extracellular vesicles induce a pro-inflammatory smooth muscle cell phenotype.

Appropriate isolation methods are essential for unravelling the relative contribution of extracellular vesicles (EVs) and the EV-free secretome to homeostasis and disease. We hypothesized that ultrafiltration followed by size exclusion chromatography (UF-SEC) provides well-matched concentrates of EVs and free secreted molecules for proteomic and functional studies. Conditioned media of BEAS-2B bronchial epithelial cells were concentrated on 10 kDa centrifuge filters, followed by separation of EVs and free protein using sepharose CL-4B SEC. Alternatively, EVs were isolated by ultracentrifugation. EV recovery was estimated by bead-coupled flow cytometry and tuneable resistive pulse sensing. The proteomic composition of EV isolates and SEC protein fractions was characterized by nano LC-MS/MS. UF-SEC EVs tended to have a higher yield and EV-to-protein rate of purity than ultracentrifugation EVs. UF-SEC EVs and ultracentrifugation EVs showed similar fold-enrichments for biological pathways that were distinct from those of UF-SEC protein. Treatment of BEAS-2B cells with UF-SEC protein, but not with either type of EV isolate increased the IL-8 concentration in the media whereas EVs, but not protein induced monocyte adhesion to endothelial cells. Thus, UF-SEC is a useful alternative for ultracentrifugation and allows comparing the proteomic composition and functional effects of EVs and free secreted molecules.

Ultrafiltration combined with size exclusion chromatography efficiently isolates extracellular vesicles from cell culture media for compositional and functional studies.

Alexandra C.A. Heinzmann

Department of Biochemistry,
Cardiovascular Research Institute Maastricht (CARIM),
Department of Biochemistry, Cardiovascular Research Institute Maastricht (CARIM)

Maastricht University

Laminar Flow-based Assays to Investigate Leukocyte Recruitment on Cultured Vascular Cells and Adherent Platelets

Alexandra C.A. Heinzmann

.css-o250i3{font-size:18px;font-family:Open Sans,sans-serif;line-height:21.6px;}Department of Biochemistry,Cardiovascular Research Institute Maastricht (CARIM),Department of Biochemistry, Cardiovascular Research Institute Maastricht (CARIM)

Maastricht University

Laminar Flow-based Assays to Investigate Leukocyte Recruitment on Cultured Vascular Cells and Adherent Platelets

Department of Biochemistry,
Cardiovascular Research Institute Maastricht (CARIM),
Department of Biochemistry, Cardiovascular Research Institute Maastricht (CARIM)