Chirality-biased protein expression profile during early stages of bone regeneration

Qiang Zeng; Huimin Zheng; Boon Chin Heng; Weitong Yao; Yue Yang; Shengjie Jiang; Xuliang Deng

doi:10.3389/fbioe.2023.1217919

Chirality-biased protein expression profile during early stages of bone regeneration

Front Bioeng Biotechnol. 2023 Jul 18:11:1217919. doi: 10.3389/fbioe.2023.1217919. eCollection 2023.

Authors

Qiang Zeng^{1

2}, Huimin Zheng², Boon Chin Heng², Weitong Yao³, Yue Yang^{2

4}, Shengjie Jiang², Xuliang Deng^{1

2}

Affiliations

¹ Institute of Medical Technology, Peking University Health Science Center, Beijing, China.
² Beijing Laboratory of Biomedical Materials, Department of Geriatric Dentistry, Peking University School and Hospital of Stomatology, Beijing, China.
³ Hubei Jiangxia Laboratory, Wuhan, China.
⁴ Department of Prosthodontics, The First Clinical Division, Peking University School and Hospital of Stomatology, Beijing, China.

Abstract

Introduction: Chirality is a crucial mechanical cue within the extracellular matrix during tissue repair and regeneration. Despite its key roles in cell behavior and regeneration efficacy, our understanding of chirality-biased protein profile in vivo remains unclear. Methods: In this study, we characterized the proteomic profile of proteins extracted from bone defect areas implanted with left-handed and right-handed scaffold matrices during the early healing stage. We identified differentially-expressed proteins between the two groups and detected heterogenic characteristic signatures on day 3 and day 7 time points. Results: Proteomic analysis showed that left-handed chirality could upregulate cell adhesion-related and GTPase-related proteins on day 3 and day 7. Besides, interaction analysis and in vitro verification results indicated that the left-handed chiral scaffold material activated Rho GTPase and Akt1, ultimately leading to M2 polarization of macrophages. Discussion: In summary, our study thus improved understanding of the regenerative processes facilitated by chiral materials by characterizing the protein atlas in the context of bone defect repair and exploring the underlying molecular mechanisms of chirality-mediated polarization differences in macrophages.

Keywords: bone regeneration; chiral matrix; differentially-expressed proteins; macrophages; protein-protein interaction.

Grants and funding

This research was funded by the National Key Research and Development Program of China (2022YFB3804300 and 2020YFA0710401), the National Natural Science Foundation of China (82221003, 82225012, 82071161, 82101072, 82100979, U22A20160), Beijing Municipal Science and Technology Commission (221100007422088) and China Postdoctoral Science Foundation (2022T150024).