Assembly of fibronectin fibrils selectively attenuates platelet-derived growth factor-induced intracellular calcium release in fibroblasts

Cellular responses to platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF) are altered in a variety of pathological conditions, including cancers, fibroses, and vascular diseases, making PDGF-induced signaling pathways important therapeutic targets. The limited success of therapies designed to impact PDGF pathways may be overcome with a clearer understanding of how cells integrate signals from PDGF and the extracellular matrix (ECM). Here, we assessed the effects of fibronectin matrix assembly on the responsiveness of mesenchymal cells to PDGF. Our results indicate that fibroblast-mediated assembly of fibronectin fibrils attenuates intracellular calcium release in response to PDGF. The dose-dependent inhibition of PDGF-induced intracellular calcium release was specific to the ECM form of fibronectin. Further, a recombinant protein engineered to mimic ECM fibronectin similarly attenuated intracellular calcium release in response to PDGF. Of note, fibronectin attenuated the PDGF-calcium signaling axis at the level of phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K) activation. Interestingly, ECM fibronectin did not alter other intracellular signals activated by PDGF, including activation of PDGF receptor beta, AKT Ser/Thr kinase, phospholipase C gamma 1, and extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1/2 (ERK1/2). Rather, fibronectin inhibited activation of the p55 regulatory subunit of PI3K in response to a variety of stimuli, indicating that ECM fibronectin selectively attenuates the intracellular calcium release cascade while leaving intact other PDGF signaling pathways. Selective regulation of calcium signaling by ECM fibronectin via the p55 regulatory subunit of PI3K represents a mechanism by which cells tune their response to PDGF and may therefore serve as a target to selectively regulate one branch of PDGF signaling.