Up-regulation and activation of proteinase-activated receptor 2 in early and delayed radiation injury in the rat intestine: influence of biological activators of proteinase-activated receptor 2.

Proteinase-activated receptor 2 (Par2, F2rl1, also designated PAR-2 or PAR2) is prominently expressed in the intestine and has been suggested as a mediator of inflammatory, mitogenic and fibrogenic responses to injury. Mast cell proteinases and pancreatic trypsin, both of which have been shown to affect the intestinal radiation response, are the major biological activators of Par2. Conventional Sprague-Dawley rats, mast cell-deficient rats, and rats in which pancreatic exocrine secretion was blocked pharmacologically by octreotide underwent localized irradiation of a 4-cm loop of small bowel. Radiation injury was assessed 2 weeks after irradiation (early, inflammatory phase) and 26 weeks after irradiation (chronic, fibrotic phase). Par2 expression and activation were assessed by in situ hybridization and immunohistochemistry, using antibodies that distinguished between total (preactivated and activated) Par2 and preactivated Par2. Compared to unirradiated intestine, irradiated intestine exhibited increased Par2 expression, particularly in areas of myofibroblast proliferation and collagen accumulation, after both single-dose and fractionated irradiation. The majority of Par2 expressed in fibrotic areas was activated. Postirradiation Par2 overexpression was greatly attenuated in both mast cell-deficient and octreotide-treated rats. The severity of acute mucosal injury did not affect postirradiation Par2 expression. Mast cells and pancreatic proteinases may exert their fibro-proliferative effects partly through activation of Par2. Par2 may be a potential target for modulating the intestinal radiation response, particularly delayed intestinal wall fibrosis.

Proteinase-activated receptor 2: differential activation of the receptor by tethered ligand and soluble peptide analogs.

Activation of rat proteinase-activated receptor 2 (PAR2) by trypsin involves the unmasking of the tethered sequence S(37)LIGRL(42) that either tethered or on its own as a free peptide, activates PAR2. We aimed to determine whether different peptide sequences acting either as trypsin-revealed tethered ligands or as soluble peptides had the same relative activities for triggering the receptor. A comparison was also made between the different soluble and tethered receptor activating sequences in receptor constructs with extracellular loop 2 (ECL2) residues E(232)E(233) (PAR2SR/EE) mutated to R(232)R(233) (PAR2SR/RR). Using site-directed mutagenesis, we prepared PAR2 constructs with trypsin-revealed tethered ligand sequences corresponding to the synthetic receptor-activating peptides (PAR2APs): SLIGRL-NH(2) (SR-NH(2)), SLIGAL-NH(2) (SA-NH(2)), and SLIGEL-NH(2) (SE-NH(2)). Kirsten virus-transformed rat kidney cells stably expressing 1) wild-type PAR2 with site-mutated tethered ligands (PAR2SA/EE and PAR2SE/EE); 2) wild-type PAR2 with ECL2 mutated to R(232)R(233) (PAR2SR/RR); and 3) PAR2 constructs with both the RR mutation in ECL2 and a mutation in the tethered ligand (PAR2SA/RR and PAR2SE/RR) were assessed for receptor-mediated calcium signaling and cell growth inhibition, upon activation either by trypsin or the above-mentioned PAR2APs. Trypsin exerted equivalent and full agonist activity on the PAR2 constructs, causing a maximum response between 20 to 80 nM. In contrast, the PAR2APs as free peptide agonists showed marked potency differences in all wild-type receptors with mutated tethered ligands (SR-NH(2) >> SA-NH(2) >> SE-NH(2)) and in all ECL2 RR mutated constructs (SE-NH(2) > SR-NH(2) >> SA-NH(2)). We conclude that for receptor activation, the trypsin-revealed PAR2 tethered ligand sequence interacts differently for receptor activation than does the same peptide sequence as a free peptide.

Glycosylation of human proteinase-activated receptor-2 (hPAR2): role in cell surface expression and signalling.

We have analysed the role of N-linked glycosylation in regulating human proteinase-activated receptor-2 (hPAR(2)) expression and function. Epitope-tagged wild-type hPAR(2) (wt-hPAR(2)) or hPAR(2) that lacked glycosylation sequons (following site-directed mutagenesis) in either the N-terminus [hPAR(2)N30A (Asn(30)-->Ala)], extracellular loop 2 [ECL2; hPAR(2)N222Q (Asn(222)-->Gln) or hPAR(2)N222A (Asn(222)-->Ala)] or both (hPAR(2)N30A,N222A or hPAR(2)N30A,N222Q) were expressed in the Chinese-hamster ovary (CHO) fibroblast cell line, Pro5. Western blot analysis of wt-hPAR(2) showed mature wt-hPAR(2) to have a molecular mass of 55-100 kDa, and 33-48 kDa following N -glycosidase F deglycosylation. FACS analysis and immunocytochemistry of the wt-hPAR(2) and PAR(2) mutant cell lines revealed that removal of both glycosylation sequons decreases (50% of wt-hPAR(2)) cell surface expression. Western blot analysis indicated that both N-linked sites are glycosylated. In functional studies, hPAR(2)N30A displayed a selective and significant increase in sensitivity towards tryptase. Interestingly, hPAR(2)N222A displayed a loss in sensitivity towards all PAR(2) agonists tested. However, further analysis revealed receptor sensitivity to alanine mutations in this domain, as the more conservative substitution hPAR(2)N222Q displayed no change in response to PAR(2) agonists. hPAR(2)N30A,N222Q displayed increased sensitivity towards tryptase, but a loss in sensitivity towards trypsin and the synthetic peptide SLIGRL-NH(2), although this loss in sensitivity towards trypsin and SLIGRL-NH(2) was secondary to changes in cell-surface expression. Finally, expression of sialic-acid-deficient wt-hPAR(2) in the CHO Lec2 glycosylation-deficient mutant cell line, showed a 40 kDa loss in molecular mass, in addition to a marked and selective increase in sensitivity towards tryptase. We conclude that hPAR(2) N-linked glycosylation and sialylation regulates receptor expression and/or signalling.

Modified proteinase-activated receptor-1 and -2 derived peptides inhibit proteinase-activated receptor-2 activation by trypsin.

Trypsin activates proteinase-activated receptor-2 (PAR(2)) by a mechanism that involves the release of a tethered receptor-activating sequence. We have identified two peptides, FSLLRY-NH(2) (FSY-NH(2)) and LSIGRL-NH(2) (LS-NH(2)) that block the ability of trypsin to activate PAR(2) either in PAR(2)-expressing Kirsten virus-transformed kidney (KNRK) cell lines or in a rat aorta ring preparation. The reverse PAR(2) peptide, LRGILS-NH(2) (LRG-NH(2)) did not do so and FSY-NH(2) failed to block thrombin activation of PAR(1) in the aorta ring or in PAR(1)-expressing human embryonic kidney cells. Half-maximal inhibition (IC(50)) by FSY-NH(2) and LS-NH(2) of the activation of PAR(2) by trypsin in a PAR(2) KNRK calcium-signaling assay was observed at about 50 and 200 microM, respectively. In contrast, the activation of PAR(2) by the PAR(2)-activating peptide, SLIGRL-NH(2) (SL-NH(2)) was not inhibited by FSY-NH(2), LS-NH(2), or LRG-NH(2). In a casein proteolysis assay, neither FSY-NH(2) nor LS-NH(2) inhibited the proteolytic action of trypsin on its substrate. In addition, FSY-NH(2) and LS-NH(2) were unable to prevent trypsin from hydrolyzing a 20-amino acid peptide, GPNSKGR/SLIGRLDTPYGGC representing the trypsin cleavage/activation site of rat PAR(2). Similarly, FSY-NH(2) and LS-NH(2) failed to block the ability of trypsin to release the PAR(2) N-terminal epitope that is cleaved from the receptor upon proteolytic activation of receptor-expressing KNRK cells. We conclude that the peptides FSY-NH(2) and LS-NH(2) block the ability of trypsin to activate PAR(2) by a mechanism that does not involve a simple inhibition of trypsin proteolytic activity, but possibly by interacting with a tethered ligand receptor-docking site.