Modulation of Mechanical Stress Mitigates Anti-Dsg3 Antibody-Induced Dissociation of Cell–Cell Adhesion

Xiaowei Jin, Jordan Rosenbohm, Eunju Kim, Amir Monemian Esfahani, Kristina Seiffert-Sinha, James K. Wahl, Jung Yul Lim, Animesh A. Sinha, Ruiguo Yang

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

2 Scopus citations

Abstract

It is becoming increasingly clear that mechanical stress in adhesive junctions plays a significant role in dictating the fate of cell–cell attachment under physiological conditions. Targeted disruption of cell–cell junctions leads to multiple pathological conditions, among them the life-threatening autoimmune blistering disease pemphigus vulgaris (PV). The dissociation of cell–cell junctions by autoantibodies is the hallmark of PV, however, the detailed mechanisms that result in tissue destruction remain unclear. Thus far, research and therapy in PV have focused primarily on immune mechanisms upstream of autoantibody binding, while the biophysical aspects of the cell–cell dissociation process leading to acantholysis are less well studied. In work aimed at illuminating the cellular consequences of autoantibody attachment, it is reported that externally applied mechanical stress mitigates antibody-induced monolayer fragmentation and inhibits p38 MAPK phosphorylation activated by anti-Dsg3 antibody. Further, it is demonstrated that mechanical stress applied externally to cell monolayers enhances cell contractility via RhoA activation and promotes the strengthening of cortical actin, which ultimately mitigates antibody-induced cell–cell dissociation. The study elevates understanding of the mechanism of acantholysis in PV and shifts the paradigm of PV disease development from a focus solely on immune pathways to highlight the key role of physical transformations at the target cell.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Article number2000159
JournalAdvanced Biology
Volume5
Issue number1
DOIs
StatePublished - Jan 2021

Keywords

  • autoantibodies
  • cell–cell adhesion
  • desmosome
  • mechanical stress
  • pemphigus

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Biomaterials
  • Biomedical Engineering
  • Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology(all)

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