TSC-22 promotes transforming growth factor β-mediated cardiac myofibroblast differentiation by antagonizing Smad7 activity

Mol Cell Biol. 2011 Sep;31(18):3700-9. doi: 10.1128/MCB.05448-11. Epub 2011 Jul 26.

Abstract

Transforming growth factor β (TGF-β) plays a critical role in tissue fibrosis. The duration and intensity of TGF-β signaling are tightly regulated. Here we report that TSC-22 (TGF-β-stimulated clone 22) facilitates TGF-β signaling by antagonizing Smad7 activity to increase receptor stability. TSC-22 enhances TGF-β-induced Smad2/3 phosphorylation and transcriptional responsiveness. The stimulatory effect of TSC-22 is dependent on Smad7, as silencing Smad7 expression abolishes it. TSC-22 interacts with TGF-β type I receptor TβRI and Smad7 in mutually exclusive ways and disrupts the association of Smad7/Smurfs with TβRI, thereby preventing ubiquitination and degradation of the receptor. We also found that TSC-22 can promote the differentiation of cardiac myofibroblasts by increasing expression of the fibrotic genes for α-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA), PAI-1, fibronectin, and collagen I, which is consistent with upregulation of TSC-22, phospho-Smad2/3, and the fibrotic genes in isoproterenol-induced rat myocardial fibrotic hearts. Taken together with the notion that TGF-β induces TSC-22 expression, our findings suggest that TSC-22 regulates TGF-β signaling via a positive-feedback mechanism and may contribute to myocardial fibrosis.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Cell Differentiation
  • Fibrosis
  • Fluorescent Antibody Technique
  • HEK293 Cells
  • Humans
  • Immunoblotting
  • Immunoprecipitation
  • Mice
  • Myocardium / cytology*
  • Myofibroblasts / cytology*
  • Myofibroblasts / metabolism
  • Phosphorylation
  • Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases / metabolism
  • RNA Interference
  • RNA, Small Interfering
  • Rats
  • Receptor, Transforming Growth Factor-beta Type I
  • Receptors, Transforming Growth Factor beta / metabolism
  • Repressor Proteins / genetics
  • Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction
  • Signal Transduction*
  • Smad2 Protein / metabolism
  • Smad3 Protein / metabolism
  • Smad7 Protein / antagonists & inhibitors*
  • Smad7 Protein / genetics
  • Smad7 Protein / metabolism
  • Transforming Growth Factor beta / metabolism*
  • Ubiquitin-Protein Ligases / metabolism
  • Ubiquitination

Substances

  • RNA, Small Interfering
  • Receptors, Transforming Growth Factor beta
  • Repressor Proteins
  • Smad2 Protein
  • Smad2 protein, rat
  • Smad3 Protein
  • Smad3 protein, rat
  • Smad7 Protein
  • Smad7 protein, rat
  • Transforming Growth Factor beta
  • Tsc22d1 protein, rat
  • Smurf1 protein, rat
  • Ubiquitin-Protein Ligases
  • Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases
  • Receptor, Transforming Growth Factor-beta Type I
  • Tgfbr1 protein, rat