
Elastic fiber assembly requires deposition of elastin monomers onto microfibrils, the mechanism of which is incompletely understood. Here we show that latent TGF-β binding protein 4 (LTBP-4) potentiates formation of elastic fibers through interacting with fibulin-5, a tropoelastin-binding protein necessary for elastogenesis. Decreased expression of LTBP-4 in human dermal fibroblast cells by siRNA treatment abolished the linear deposition of fibulin-5 and tropoelastin on microfibrils. It is notable that the addition of recombinant LTBP-4 to cell culture medium promoted elastin deposition on microfibrils without changing the expression of elastic fiber components. This elastogenic property of LTBP-4 is independent of bound TGF-β because TGF-β–free recombinant LTBP-4 was as potent an elastogenic inducer as TGF-β–bound recombinant LTBP-4. Without LTBP-4, fibulin-5 and tropoelastin deposition was discontinuous and punctate in vitro and in vivo. These data suggest a unique function for LTBP-4 during elastic fibrogenesis, making it a potential therapeutic target for elastic fiber regeneration.
Mice, Knockout, Extracellular Matrix Proteins, Mice, HEK293 Cells, Latent TGF-beta Binding Proteins, Animals, Humans, RNA Interference, Recombinant Proteins, Protein Binding
Mice, Knockout, Extracellular Matrix Proteins, Mice, HEK293 Cells, Latent TGF-beta Binding Proteins, Animals, Humans, RNA Interference, Recombinant Proteins, Protein Binding
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