Pore-forming proteins are a class of non-classical membrane proteins, which can exist in the soluble form of secretory monomers and insert into the cell membrane after oligomerization under specific conditions.
The current understanding of numerous pore-forming proteins in plants and animals mainly focuses on their cytotoxicity. However, their physiological and pathological functions are still unknown.
The team led by Prof. ZHANG Yun at Kunming Institute of Zoology (KIZ) of Chinese Academy of Sciences found the first novel pore-forming protein and trefoil factor complex betagamma-CAT in Bombina maxima in the previous research. This endogenous pore-forming protein complex can stimulate vesicle formation, form membrane channels in endolysosome and regulate its function.
In a recent study published online in The FASEB Journal, GAO Zhenhua's group at KIZ further revealed that this complex can stimulate tissue repair.
Compared with epidermal growth factor (EGF) widely used in clinic, the complex can not only promote wound healing by accelerating the re-epithelialization of skin wound, but also reduce traumatic edema, promote scar-free healing and resist drug-resistant bacterial infection.
The study found unknown effector protein complexes and novel cellular pathways in wound repair of vertebrates. It provided new clues for the understanding of molecular pathological mechanism of tissue regeneration and repair and scar formation, which facilitates the development of novel drugs for disease treatment.
Tissue repair is a common problem during animal survival. Scar tissue formation is a common by-product of human wound healing, which can lead to severe clinical dysfunction. It is of great significance to promote tissue regeneration and repair while reducing scar formation.
This work was supported by grants from the National Natural Science Foundation of China, the “Yunling Scholars” Program and the Western Light Talents Training Program of Chinese Academy of Sciences.
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