RECK-Mediated β1-Integrin Regulation by TGF-β1 Is Critical for Wound Contraction in Mice

PLoS One. 2015 Aug 6;10(8):e0135005. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0135005. eCollection 2015.

Abstract

Fibroblasts are critical for wound contraction; a pivotal step in wound healing. They produce and modify the extracellular matrix (ECM) required for the proper tissue remodeling. Reversion-inducing cysteine-rich protein with Kazal motifs (RECK) is a key regulator of ECM homeostasis and turnover. However, its role in wound contraction is presently unknown. Here we describe that Transforming growth factor type β1 (TGF-β1), one of the main pro-fibrotic wound-healing promoting factors, decreases RECK expression in fibroblasts through the Smad and JNK dependent pathways. This TGF-β1 dependent downregulation of RECK occurs with the concomitant increase of β1-integrin, which is required for fibroblasts adhesion and wound contraction through the activation of focal adhesion kinase (FAK). Loss and gain RECK expression experiments performed in different types of fibroblasts indicate that RECK downregulation mediates TGF-β1 dependent β1-integrin expression. Also, reduced levels of RECK potentiate TGF-β1 effects over fibroblasts FAK-dependent contraction, without affecting its cognate signaling. The above results were confirmed on fibroblasts derived from the Reck+/- mice compared to wild type-derived fibroblasts. We observed that Reck+/- mice heal dermal wounds more efficiently than wild type mice. Our results reveal a critical role for RECK in skin wound contraction as a key mediator in the axis: TGF-β1-RECK-β1-integrin.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Extracellular Matrix / chemistry
  • Extracellular Matrix / metabolism
  • Fibroblasts / metabolism
  • Fibroblasts / pathology
  • Focal Adhesion Kinase 1 / genetics
  • Focal Adhesion Kinase 1 / metabolism
  • GPI-Linked Proteins / deficiency
  • GPI-Linked Proteins / genetics*
  • Gene Expression Regulation
  • Hemizygote
  • Integrin beta1 / genetics
  • Integrin beta1 / metabolism*
  • Mice
  • Mice, Inbred C57BL
  • Mice, Transgenic
  • NIH 3T3 Cells
  • Primary Cell Culture
  • Signal Transduction
  • Skin / injuries
  • Skin / metabolism
  • Transforming Growth Factor beta1 / genetics
  • Transforming Growth Factor beta1 / metabolism*
  • Wound Healing / genetics*
  • Wounds, Nonpenetrating / genetics
  • Wounds, Nonpenetrating / metabolism*
  • Wounds, Nonpenetrating / pathology

Substances

  • GPI-Linked Proteins
  • Integrin beta1
  • Reck protein, mouse
  • Transforming Growth Factor beta1
  • Focal Adhesion Kinase 1
  • Ptk2 protein, mouse

Grants and funding

This work was supported by Fondo Nacional de Desarrollo Científico y Tecnológico (FONDECYT) (grant number 11110010), Chile (JG), and Comisión Nacional de Investigación Científica y Tecnológica (CONICYT) (grant number 79090027 and CARE-PFB-12/2007), Chile (EB). OC holds a CONICYT-PhD (Chile) fellowship. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.