The influence of synthetic peptides derived from the laminin α1 chain on hepatocyte adhesion and gene expression

Laminin-111, a heterotrimer composed of the laminin α1, β1, and γ1 chains, has been used as a biomaterial for primary cell culture to maintain cellular functions. Our previous studies have reported that synthetic peptides derived from laminin α1 exhibit biological functions such as influencing cell adhesion, migration, angiogenesis, and tumor metastasis. In this study we screened hepatocyte attachment peptides using twenty-five biologically active peptides from laminin α1 and examined the maintenance of hepatic function on the peptides using primary rat hepatocytes. Peptide A13 (RQVFQVAYIIIKA), mouse laminin α1 chain residues 121–133, exhibited the strongest activity. Furthermore, primary hepatocytes on A13 peptide maintained expression of hepatic differentiation markers such as tyrosine aminotransferase, tryptophan-2,3-dioxygenase, and cytochrome P450. We also determined the active core sequence of A13 using systematically truncated N- and C-terminal peptides. The results indicated that the nine-amino acid sequence RQVFQVAYI was critical for A13's hepatocyte adhesion activity. However, the truncated peptides could not interact with β1-intgerin and maintain expression of hepatic differentiation markers. The amino acid sequence of A13 peptide was required for regulating hepatocyte behavior. The hepatocyte adhesive peptides can be utilized in tailoring synthetic biomaterials in order to achieve a specific cellular response.