Type VII collagen is an extracellular matrix (ECM) protein encoded by the COL7A1 gene. Anchoring fibrils formed by collagen VII extend from the basement membrane to the papillary dermis, providing integrity to the dermo-epidermal junction. Mutations in COL7A1 lead to the occurrence of dystrophic epidermolysis bullosa (DEB), a skin fragility disorder, characterized by blistering of the skin. In this master's thesis, we were interested in adhesome composition of iPSC lines, obtained by reprogramming fibroblasts from a patient with dominant (DDEB) and a patient with recessive (RDEB) DEB. Analysis by mass spectrometry revealed unexpected differences between the adhesomes, which were manifested in the form of protein composition and quantity. As expected, type VII collagen was not expressed in either of the two iPSC lines. A number of cytoskeletal, ECM, and adhesion-related proteins were present in both samples. We recorded the presence of most proteins of the consensus adhesome, reticular adhesome and clathrin interactome. Adhesome of untreated and with ZnCl2 treated fibroblast lines, obtained from a patient with DDEB and a patient with RDEB and from a healthy person (WT) were also analyzed by mass spectrometry. Protein composition and quantity were dependent on both the cell line and whether the cells were treated with ZnCl2. A number of cytoskeletal, ECM, and adhesion-related proteins were present in all samples. Treatment of cells with ZnCl2 increased the expression of the mentioned proteins in both cell lines, derived from the patients, which indicates the positive effect of this chemical and its potential utility for drug development. The iPSC line derived from a patient with DDEB was successfully differentiated into fibroblats and keratinocytes. Fibroblast-like cells expressed vimentin, a fibroblast cell marker and keratinocyte-like cells expressed keratin 14, a marker of basal keratinocytes. The effect of ZnCl2, lisinopril, tris and niacinamide on fibroblast cell lines was tested using MTS assay. We found that the effect depends on the chemical, its concentration, treatment time and cell line. The greatest positive effect on the cells was recorded after 72 hours. Higher concentrations of chemicals were found to be cytotoxic.
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