Eukaryotic initiation factor subunit I (EIF3i), also called as p36 or TRIP-1, is a component of the translation initiation complex and acts as a modulator of TGF-β signaling. We demonstrated earlier that this intracellular protein is not only exported to the extracellular matrix via exosomes but also binds calcium phosphate and promotes hydroxyapatite nucleation. To assess other functional roles of TRIP-1, we first examined their phylogeny and showed that it is highly conserved in eukaryotes. Comparing human EIF3i sequence with that of 63 other eukaryotic species showed that more than 50% of its sequence is conserved, suggesting the preservation of its important functional role (translation initiation) during evolution. TRIP-1 contains WD40 domains and predicting its function based on this structural motif is difficult as it is present in a vast array of proteins with a wide variety of functions. Therefore, bioinformatics analysis was performed to identify putative regulatory functions for TRIP-1 by examining the structural domains and post-translational modifications and establishing an interactive network using known interacting partners such as type I collagen. Insight into the function of TRIP-1 was also determined by examining structurally similar proteins such as Wdr5 and GPSß, which contain a ß-propeller structure which has been implicated in the calcification process. Further, proteomic analysis of matrix vesicles isolated from TRIP-1-overexpressing preosteoblastic MC3T3-E1 cells demonstrated the expression of several key biomineralization-related proteins, thereby confirming its role in the calcification process. Finally, we demonstrated that the proteomic signature in TRIP1-OE MVs facilitated osteogenic differentiation of stem cells. Overall, we demonstrated by bioinformatics that TRIP-1 has a unique structure and proteomic analysis suggested that the unique osteogenic cargo within the matrix vesicles facilitates matrix mineralization.
Keywords: EIF3i; MC3T3; TRIP-1; calcification; exosomes; mineralization; osteogenic; preosteoblast.