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ResearchIn-Press PreviewOncology Open Access | 10.1172/JCI168227

Basement membrane proteins in extracellular matrix characterize NF1 neurofibroma development and response to MEK inhibitor

Chunhui Jiang,1 Ashwani Kumar,2 Ze Yu,2 Tracey Shipman,1 Yong Wang,1 Renee M. McKay,1 Chao Xing,2 and Lu Q. Le1

1Department of Dermatology, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, United States of America

2Eugene McDermott Center for Human Growth and Development, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, United States of America

Find articles by Jiang, C. in: JCI | PubMed | Google Scholar

1Department of Dermatology, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, United States of America

2Eugene McDermott Center for Human Growth and Development, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, United States of America

Find articles by Kumar, A. in: JCI | PubMed | Google Scholar

1Department of Dermatology, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, United States of America

2Eugene McDermott Center for Human Growth and Development, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, United States of America

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1Department of Dermatology, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, United States of America

2Eugene McDermott Center for Human Growth and Development, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, United States of America

Find articles by Shipman, T. in: JCI | PubMed | Google Scholar

1Department of Dermatology, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, United States of America

2Eugene McDermott Center for Human Growth and Development, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, United States of America

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1Department of Dermatology, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, United States of America

2Eugene McDermott Center for Human Growth and Development, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, United States of America

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1Department of Dermatology, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, United States of America

2Eugene McDermott Center for Human Growth and Development, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, United States of America

Find articles by Xing, C. in: JCI | PubMed | Google Scholar |

1Department of Dermatology, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, United States of America

2Eugene McDermott Center for Human Growth and Development, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, United States of America

Find articles by Le, L. in: JCI | PubMed | Google Scholar |

Published May 4, 2023 - More info

J Clin Invest. https://doi.org/10.1172/JCI168227.
Copyright © 2023, Jiang et al. This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. To view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/.
Published May 4, 2023 - Version history
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Abstract

Neurofibromatosis Type 1 (NF1) is one of the most common tumor-predisposing genetic disorders. Neurofibromas are NF1-associated benign tumors. A hallmark feature of neurofibromas is an abundant collagen-rich extracellular matrix (ECM) that constitutes >50% of the tumor dry weight. However, little is known about the mechanism underlying ECM deposition during neurofibroma development and treatment response. We performed a systematic investigation of ECM enrichment during plexiform neurofibroma (pNF) development, and identified basement membrane (BM) proteins, rather than major collagen isoforms, as the most upregulated ECM component. Following MEK inhibitor treatment, the ECM profile displayed an overall down-regulation signature, suggesting ECM reduction as a therapeutic benefit of MEK inhibition. Through these proteomic studies, TGF-β1 signaling was identified as playing a role in ECM dynamics. Indeed, TGF-β1 overexpression promoted pNF progression in vivo. Furthermore, by integrating single-cell RNA-sequencing, we found that immune cells including macrophages and T cells produce TGF-β1 to induce Schwann cells to produce and deposit BM proteins for ECM remodeling. Following Nf1 loss, neoplastic Schwann cells further increased BM protein deposition in response to TGF-β1. Our data delineate the regulation governing ECM dynamics in pNF and suggest that BM proteins could serve as markers for disease diagnosis and treatment response.

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