Proteomics Analysis of Plasma-Derived Exosomes Unveils the Aberrant Complement and Coagulation Cascades in Dermatomyositis/Polymyositis

Extracellular Vesicles
/References

Dermatomyositis and polymyositis (DM/PM) are systemic autoimmune diseases characterized by proximal muscle weakness. The underlying pathogenetic mechanism of this disease remains under-researched. Here, using proteomics analysis, a great overlap of differentially expressed plasma exosomal proteins involved in the complement and coagulation cascade pathway, including FGA, FGB, FGG, C1QB, C1QC, and VWF, was identified in DM/PM patients versus healthy controls. Correlation analysis showed that the expression levels of complement-associated proteins (C1QB and C1QC) correlated positively with CRP, ESR, and platelet count. ROC curve analysis demonstrated that complement and coagulation cascade-associated proteins could be strong predictors for DM/PM. In addition, we also identified several other proteins that were differentially expressed in DM and PM. The selected candidate proteins were further validated by parallel reaction monitoring (PRM) and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Together, our findings indicate that these exosome-derived proteins might participate in microvascular damage in DM/PM through the activation of the complement and coagulation cascade pathway and function as biomarkers for the clinical diagnosis of DM/PM.

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Background Previous studies found that cigarette smoke (CS) exposure could induce NSCLC malignancy and miRNA dysregulation. Yet, the association of CS-induced miRNA dysregulation and NSCLC malignancy has not been clearly understood. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of CS exposure in smokers on the expression of miR-10b-5p and miR-320b in extracellular vesicles (EVs) from NSCLC patients. Material and methods Bioinformatic analysis was conducted to validate miRNA candidates. Blood and tissue samples were collected from NSCLC patients (n = 21) with smoking and non-smoking history. EVs were isolated from plasma and miRNAs were extracted from the isolated EVs. The miRNAs relative expression was analyzed and compared. Results In silico analysis identified miR-320b and miR-10b-5p as potential biomarkers for diagnosing NSCLC in smokers. Experimental analysis revealed differential expression of EVs-associated miRNAs in NSCLC patients with smoking and non-smoking histories. EVs-associated miR-10b-5p was significantly overexpressed in smoker NSCLC patients (p = 0.000), while miR-320b expression was significantly lower in this group (p = 0.018). Additionally, smoking intensity influenced miRNA expression, with higher smoking intensity correlating with increased miR-10b-5p expression and decreased miR-320b expression. ROC analysis demonstrated that EVs were a superior source of miRNAs compared to plasma for NSCLC diagnostics. miR-10b-5p and miR-320b in EVs showed higher diagnostic performance (AUC 0.878; 0.739) compared to plasma (AUC 0.628; 0.559). Conclusion CS exposure induces different expression of miR-10b-5p and miR-320b in EVs of NSCLC patients with smoking history. EV-related miR-10b-5p and miR-320b showed potential to be utilized as prognostic biomarker for smokers NSCLC patients.

2025

Extracellular vesicles (EVs) have emerged as promising therapeutics with broad clinical applications as diagnostic biomarkers and therapeutic drug delivery systems. Yet, these biopharmaceuticals pose a challenge in terms of manufacturing due to their complexity and heterogeneity. Despite advancements in the field, current purification technologies lack scalability and/or selectivity. Affinity chromatography (AC) − coupling unmatched specificity and scalability − could be used to simplify purification processing and generate clinical-grade EVs with higher titers and purity. In the present work, we report the implementation of an immuno-AC resin to capture and purify EVs directly from clarified cellular feedstocks. Firstly, to guide and support marker selection, vesicle phenotype characterization was conducted using single particle interferometric reflectance image sensing (SP-IRIS) coupled with immunofluorescence. CD81 was the marker which shown to be more present and more likely to have the other markers (CD63 and CD9). Thus, anti-CD81 VHH ligand was generated and evaluated towards recombinant CD81 protein and CD81 bearing EV particles using surface plasmon resonance (SPR). Different chromatographic studies with Anti-CD81 ligand immobilized onto agarose beads resin were conducted to optimize the process parameters (residence time, dynamic binding capacity and impurity clearance). At residence time of 2 min, on average 40 % of pure triple tetraspanin-positive EV fraction was recovered. The enrichment in EV particles herein obtained, based on scale-up calculations, it would be possible to produce 1 × 1013 EVs from a 1L cell culture, while meeting impurity requirements in a single-step purification process (impurity removal over 2 log reduction value). A single-step purification process is possible, enabling the successful isolation of homogeneous EVs population, counting with a final HCP titer of 60 ng/mL and 9 ng/mL of dsDNA impurities. EV’s morphological integrity and internalization ability were also demonstrated, showcasing elution’s efficiency under mild conditions. Overall, this work contributes to the development of a novel, highly specific, AC technology using a camelid-derived affinity ligand which, bridging the scalability requirements demanded of large-scale production, could potentiate the advent of EV-based therapies.

2025

Extracellular vesicles (EVs) have emerged as promising therapeutics with broad clinical applications as diagnostic biomarkers and therapeutic drug delivery systems. Yet, these biopharmaceuticals pose a challenge in terms of manufacturing due to their complexity and heterogeneity. Despite advancements in the field, current purification technologies lack scalability and/or selectivity. Affinity chromatography (AC) − coupling unmatched specificity and scalability − could be used to simplify purification processing and generate clinical-grade EVs with higher titers and purity. In the present work, we report the implementation of an immuno-AC resin to capture and purify EVs directly from clarified cellular feedstocks. Firstly, to guide and support marker selection, vesicle phenotype characterization was conducted using single particle interferometric reflectance image sensing (SP-IRIS) coupled with immunofluorescence. CD81 was the marker which shown to be more present and more likely to have the other markers (CD63 and CD9). Thus, anti-CD81 VHH ligand was generated and evaluated towards recombinant CD81 protein and CD81 bearing EV particles using surface plasmon resonance (SPR). Different chromatographic studies with Anti-CD81 ligand immobilized onto agarose beads resin were conducted to optimize the process parameters (residence time, dynamic binding capacity and impurity clearance). At residence time of 2 min, on average 40 % of pure triple tetraspanin-positive EV fraction was recovered. The enrichment in EV particles herein obtained, based on scale-up calculations, it would be possible to produce 1 × 1013 EVs from a 1L cell culture, while meeting impurity requirements in a single-step purification process (impurity removal over 2 log reduction value). A single-step purification process is possible, enabling the successful isolation of homogeneous EVs population, counting with a final HCP titer of 60 ng/mL and 9 ng/mL of dsDNA impurities. EV’s morphological integrity and internalization ability were also demonstrated, showcasing elution’s efficiency under mild conditions. Overall, this work contributes to the development of a novel, highly specific, AC technology using a camelid-derived affinity ligand which, bridging the scalability requirements demanded of large-scale production, could potentiate the advent of EV-based therapies.

2025
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