Assembly assay identifies a critical region of human fibrillin-1 required for 10–12 nm diameter microfibril biogenesis

The human FBN1 gene encodes fibrillin-1 (FBN1); the main component of the 10–12 nm diameter extracellular matrix microfibrils. Marfan syndrome (MFS) is a common inherited connective tissue disorder, caused by FBN1 mutations. It features a wide spectrum of disease severity, from mild cases to the lethal neonatal form (nMFS), that is yet to be explained at the molecular level. Mutations associated with nMFS generally affect a region of FBN1 between domains TB3-cbEGF18—the "neonatal region". To gain insight into the process of fibril assembly and increase our understanding of the mechanisms determining disease severity in MFS, we compared the secretion and assembly properties of FBN1 variants containing nMFS-associated substitutions with variants associated with milder, classical MFS (cMFS). In the majority of cases, both nMFS- and cMFS-associated neonatal region variants were secreted at levels comparable to wild type. Microfibril incorporation by the nMFS variants was greatly reduced or absent compared to the cMFS forms, however, suggesting that nMFS substitutions disrupt a previously undefined site of microfibril assembly. Additional analysis of a domain deletion variant caused by exon skipping also indicates that register in the neonatal region is likely to be critical for assembly. These data demonstrate for the first time new requirements for microfibril biogenesis and identify at least two distinct molecular mechanisms associated with disease substitutions in the TB3-cbEGF18 region; incorporation of mutant FBN1 into microfibrils changing their integral properties (cMFS) or the blocking of wild type FBN1 assembly by mutant molecules that prevents late-stage lateral assembly (nMFS).

Proteolysis of fibrillin-2 microfibrils is essential for normal skeletal development

The extracellular matrix (ECM) undergoes an orchestrated transition from embryonic to mature ECM that is essential for postnatal life, yet the developmental transition mechanisms for ECM components and macromolecular complexes are poorly defined. Fibrillin microfibrils are macromolecular ECM complexes with important structural and regulatory roles. In mice, Fbn1 and Fbn2 mRNAs, which encode the major microfibrillar components, are strongly expressed during embryogenesis. Fbn2 mRNA levels rapidly decline postnatally, consistent with fibrillin-1 being the major component of adult tissue microfibrils. Here, by combining transgenic and N-terminomics strategies with in vitro analysis of microfibril assembly and intermolecular interactions, we identify cooperative proteolysis of fibrillin-2 by the secreted metalloproteases ADAMTS6 and ADAMTS10 as a mechanism contributing to postnatal fibrillin-1 dominance. The primacy of the protease-substrate relationship between ADAMTS6 and fibrillin-2 was unequivocally established by demonstrating a dramatic reversal of skeletal defects in Adamts6−/− embryos by Fbn2 haploinsufficiency.

Acoustic Fabrication of Collagen–Fibronectin Composite Gels Accelerates Microtissue Formation

Ultrasound can influence biological systems through several distinct acoustic mechanisms that can be manipulated by varying reaction conditions and acoustic exposure parameters. We recently reported a new ultrasound-based fabrication technology that exploits the ability of ultrasound to generate localized mechanical forces and thermal effects to control collagen fiber microstructure non-invasively. Exposing solutions of type I collagen to ultrasound during the period of microfibril assembly produced changes in collagen fiber structure and alignment, and increased the biological activity of the resultant collagen hydrogels. In the extracellular matrix, interactions between fibronectin and collagen fibrils influence the biological activity of both proteins. Thus, in the present study, we examined how addition of fibronectin to collagen solutions prior to ultrasound exposure affects protein organization and the biological activity of the composite hydrogels. Results indicate that ultrasound can alter the distribution of fibronectin within 3D hydrogels via thermal and non-thermal mechanisms to produce composite hydrogels that support accelerated microtissue formation. The use of acoustic energy to drive changes in protein conformation to functionalize biomaterials has much potential as a unique, non-invasive technology for tissue engineering and regenerative medicine.