Affiliations: [a] Silk Materials Research Group, Division of Silk-Producing Insect Biotechnology, Institute of Agrobiological Sciences, National Agriculture and Food Research Organization (NARO), Ibaraki, Japan | [b] Adan Company, Ltd., Kagoshima, Japan
Correspondence:
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Corresponding author: Yusuke Kambe, Ph.D., Silk Materials Research Group, Division of Silk-Producing Insect Biotechnology, Institute of Agrobiological Sciences, NARO, 1-2 Owashi, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8634, Japan. Tel.: +81 29 838 6247; E-mail: kambey698@affrc.go.jp
Abstract: BACKGROUND:Collagen production in fibroblasts is important for skin tissue repair. Cell-adhesive Arg-Gly-Asp (RGD) peptides immobilized on scaffolds stimulate fibroblast collagen production, but RGD peptides in solution exhibit opposite effects. Transgenic silkworm technology enables the design of fusion positions for RGD peptides in silk fibroin molecules. The effect of RGD-fused silk fibroin in solution on fibroblast cell activity remains unclear. OBJECTIVE:To clarify the effects of RGD peptides fused to silk fibroin heavy (H)-chain or light (L)-chain on fibroblast proliferation and collagen production when RGD-fused silk fibroin proteins were added to the culture medium. METHODS:Silk fibers with RGD-fused H-chains (H-RGD) or L-chains (L-RGD) were degummed, dissolved, and dialyzed to prepare H-RGD or L-RGD aqueous solutions, respectively. These solutions were added to the fibroblast medium, and their proliferation and collagen production were quantified. RESULTS:Both L- and H-RGD stimulated fibroblast proliferation at a similar level, even in a solution format, but L-RGD promoted fibroblast collagen production significantly, indicating the synergistic effect of the native H-chain and RGD-fused L-chain. CONCLUSION:RGD-fused silk fibroin in solution stimulated fibroblast proliferation and collagen production, depending on the fusion position of the peptides.
Keywords: Silk fibroin, solution format, collagen production, RGD, transgenic silkworm
