title: Proteomics-based network analysis characterizes biological processes and pathways activated by preconditioned mesenchymal stem cells in cardiac repair mechanisms.
abstract: We have demonstrated that intramyocardial delivery of human mesenchymal stem cells preconditioned with a hyaluronan mixed ester of butyric and retinoic acid (MSCp+) is more effective in preventing the decay of regional myocardial contractility in a swine model of myocardial infarction (MI). However, the understanding of the role of MSCp+in proteomic remodeling of cardiac infarcted tissue is not complete. We therefore sought to perform a comprehensive analysis of the proteome of infarct remote (RZ) and border zone (BZ) of pigs treated with MSCp+or unconditioned stem cells.
  
  
  
  Heart tissues were analyzed by MudPIT and differentially expressed proteins were selected by a label-free approach based on spectral counting. Protein profiles were evaluated by using PPI networks and their topological analysis.
  
  
  
  The proteomic remodeling was largely prevented in MSCp+group. Extracellular proteins involved in fibrosis were down-regulated, while energetic pathways were globally up-regulated. Cardioprotectant pathways involved in the production of keto acid metabolites were also activated. Additionally, we found that new hub proteins support the cardioprotective phenotype characterizing the left ventricular BZ treated with MSCp+. In fact, the up-regulation of angiogenic proteins NCL and RAC1 can be explained by the increase of capillary density induced by MSCp+.
  
  
  
  Our results show that angiogenic pathways appear to be uniquely positioned to integrate signaling with energetic pathways involving cardiac repair.
  
  
  
  Our findings prompt the use of proteomics-based network analysis to optimize new approaches preventing the post-ischemic proteomic remodeling that may underlie the limited self-repair ability of adult heart.
authors.affiliation: Institute for Biomedical Technologies - National Research Council (ITB-CNR), F.lli Cervi 93, 20090 Segrate, Milan, Italy.
authors.forename: Dario
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Di Silvestre
authors.affiliation: Institute for Biomedical Technologies - National Research Council (ITB-CNR), F.lli Cervi 93, 20090 Segrate, Milan, Italy.
authors.forename: Francesca
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Brambilla
authors.affiliation: University of Verona, Center for BioMedical Computing (CBMC), Strada le Grazie 8, 37134 Verona, Italy.
authors.forename: Giovanni
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Scardoni
authors.affiliation: Institute for Biomedical Technologies - National Research Council (ITB-CNR), F.lli Cervi 93, 20090 Segrate, Milan, Italy.
authors.forename: Pietro
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Brunetti
authors.affiliation: Institute for Biomedical Technologies - National Research Council (ITB-CNR), F.lli Cervi 93, 20090 Segrate, Milan, Italy.
authors.forename: Sara
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Motta
authors.affiliation: Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna, Institute of Life Sciences, Laboratory of Medical Science, Piazza Martiri della Libertà, 33, 56127 Pisa, Italy.
authors.forename: Marco
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Matteucci
authors.affiliation: University of Verona, Center for BioMedical Computing (CBMC), Strada le Grazie 8, 37134 Verona, Italy.
authors.forename: Carlo
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Laudanna
authors.affiliation: Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna, Institute of Life Sciences, Laboratory of Medical Science, Piazza Martiri della Libertà, 33, 56127 Pisa, Italy.
authors.forename: Fabio A
authors.initials: FA
authors.lastname: Recchia
authors.affiliation: Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna, Institute of Life Sciences, Laboratory of Medical Science, Piazza Martiri della Libertà, 33, 56127 Pisa, Italy; Fondazione Toscana "G. Monasterio", via G. Moruzzi, 1, 56124 Pisa, Italy.
authors.forename: Vincenzo
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Lionetti
authors.affiliation: Institute for Biomedical Technologies - National Research Council (ITB-CNR), F.lli Cervi 93, 20090 Segrate, Milan, Italy. Electronic address: pierluigi.mauri@itb.cnr.it.
authors.forename: Pierluigi
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Mauri
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001686:Biological Phenomena / Q000187:drug effects*; D015536:Down-Regulation / Q000187:drug effects; D005355:Fibrosis / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D007651:Keto Acids / Q000378:metabolism; D008297:Male; D059630:Mesenchymal Stem Cells / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism*; D009203:Myocardial Infarction / Q000378:metabolism; D009206:Myocardium / Q000378:metabolism*; D032383:Myocytes, Cardiac / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism; D009389:Neovascularization, Pathologic / Q000378:metabolism; D040901:Proteomics / Q000379:methods; D015398:Signal Transduction / Q000187:drug effects*; D013552:Swine; D014212:Tretinoin / Q000494:pharmacology; D015854:Up-Regulation / Q000187:drug effects; D016277:Ventricular Function, Left / Q000187:drug effects*; D020257:Ventricular Remodeling / Q000187:drug effects*
chemical_list: D007651:Keto Acids; D014212:Tretinoin
keywords: MudPIT; Myocardial infarction; PPI network; Proteomics; Stem cells; Sus scrofa