Syncytialization alters the extracellular matrix and barrier function of placental trophoblasts

Author(s):  
Kyle H. Moore ◽  
Hayley A. Murphy ◽  
Heather Chapman ◽  
Eric M. George

The human placenta is of vital importance for proper nutrient and waste exchange, immune regulation, and overall fetal health and growth. Specifically, the extracellular matrix (ECM) of placental syncytiotrophoblasts, which extends outward from the placental chorionic villi into maternal blood, acts on a molecular level to regulate and maintain this barrier. Importantly, placental barrier dysfunction has been linked to diseases of pregnancy such as preeclampsia and intrauterine growth restriction. To help facilitate our understanding of the interface, and develop therapeutics to repair or prevent dysfunction of the placental barrier, in vitro models of the placental ECM would be of great value. In this study we aimed to characterize the ECM of an in vitro model of the placental barrier using syncytialized BeWo choriocarcinoma cells. Syncytialization caused a marked change in syndecans, integral proteoglycans of the ECM, which matched observations of in vivo placental ECM. Syndecan-1 expression increased greatly and predominated the other variants. Barrier function of the ECM, as measured by electrical impedance, increased significantly during and after syncytialization, while the ability of THP-1 monocytes to adhere to syncytialized BeWos was greatly reduced compared to non-syncytialized controls. Furthermore, ECIS measurements indicated that ECM degradation with MMP-9, but not heparanase, decreased barrier function. This decrease in ECIS-measured barrier function was not associated with any changes in THP-1 adherence to syncytialized BeWos treated with heparanase or MMP9. Thus, syncytialization of BeWos provides a physiologically accurate placental ECM with a barrier function matching that seen in vivo.

Author(s):  
Bo-Wen Xu ◽  
Zhi-Qiang Cheng ◽  
Xu-Ting Zhi ◽  
Xiao-Mei Yang ◽  
Zhi-Bo Yan

Abstract Endothelial barrier integrity requires recycling of VE-cadherin to adherens junctions. Both p18 and Rab11a play significant roles in VE-cadherin recycling. However, the underlying mechanism and the role of p18 in activating Rab11a have yet to be elucidated. Performing in vitro and in vivo experiments, we showed that p18 protein bound to VE-cadherin before Rab11a through its VE-cadherin-binding domain (aa 1–39). Transendothelial resistance showed that overexpression of p18 promoted the circulation of VE-cadherin to adherens junctions and the recovery of the endothelial barrier. Silencing of p18 caused endothelial barrier dysfunction and prevented Rab11a-positive recycling endosome accumulation in the perinuclear recycling compartments. Furthermore, p18 knockdown in pulmonary microvessels markedly increased vascular leakage in mice challenged with lipopolysaccharide and cecal ligation puncture. This study showed that p18 regulated the pulmonary endothelial barrier function in vitro and in vivo by regulating the binding of Rab11a to VE-cadherin and the activation of Rab11a.


2019 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Cuiping Ye ◽  
Chaowen Huang ◽  
Mengchen Zou ◽  
Yahui Hu ◽  
Lishan Luo ◽  
...  

Abstract Background The dysfunction of airway epithelial barrier is closely related to the pathogenesis of asthma. Secreted Hsp90α participates in inflammation and Hsp90 inhibitor protects endothelial dysfunction. In the current study, we aimed to explore the role of secreted Hsp90α in asthmatic airway epithelial barrier function. Methods Male BALB/c mice were sensitized and challenged with HDM to generate asthma model. The 16HBE and Hsp90α-knockdown cells were cultured and treated according to the experiment requirements. Transepithelial Electric Resistance (TEER) and permeability of epithelial layer in vitro, distribution and expression of junction proteins both in vivo and in vitro were used to evaluate the epithelial barrier function. Western Blot was used to evaluate the expression of junction proteins and phosphorylated AKT in cells and lung tissues while ELISA were used to evaluate the Hsp90α expression and cytokines release in the lung homogenate. Results HDM resulted in a dysfunction of airway epithelial barrier both in vivo and in vitro, paralleled with the increased expression and release of Hsp90α. All of which were rescued in Hsp90α-knockdown cells or co-administration of 1G6-D7. Furthermore, either 1G6-D7 or PI3K inhibitor LY294002 suppressed the significant phosphorylation of AKT, which caused by secreted and recombinant Hsp90α, resulting in the restoration of epithelial barrier function. Conclusions Secreted Hsp90α medicates HDM-induced asthmatic airway epithelial barrier dysfunction via PI3K/AKT pathway, indicating that anti-secreted Hsp90α therapy might be a potential treatment to asthma in future.


2019 ◽  
Vol 317 (3) ◽  
pp. C544-C555 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zonglong Wu ◽  
Yan Li ◽  
Qinggang Liu ◽  
Yaxiao Liu ◽  
Lipeng Chen ◽  
...  

The specific regulatory mechanism of bladder urothelial barrier dysfunction after infection with uropathogenic Escherichia coli (UPEC) is still unclear. The cross talk between bladder urothelial cells and mast cells may play an important role during UPEC infection. In this study, the pyroptosis of urothelial cells was investigated after UPEC infection both in vivo and in vitro. The levels of IL-1β and IL-18 in exosomes derived from bladder urothelial cells after UPEC infection were detected. The role of these processes in the recruitment and activation of mast cells was measured. The mechanism of mast cell-induced disruption of bladder epithelial barrier function was also assessed. We found that UPEC infection induced pyroptosis of bladder urothelial cells and led to the release of IL-1β and IL-18 in the form of exosomes, which promoted the migration of mast cells. Tryptase secreted by mast cells aggravated the damage to the barrier function of the bladder urothelium by acting on protease-activated receptor 2 (PAR2). Inhibition of pyroptosis or the tryptase-PAR2 axis reduced the disruption of bladder urothelial barrier function and decreased the bacterial burden. The present study supports a novel mechanism by which pyroptosis-dependent release of exosomes from bladder urothelial cells activates mast cells and regulates bladder urothelial barrier function during UPEC infection.


2020 ◽  
Vol 2020 ◽  
pp. 1-16
Author(s):  
Anja Jäckle ◽  
Focke Ziemssen ◽  
Eva-Maria Kuhn ◽  
Jürgen Kampmeier ◽  
Gerhard K. Lang ◽  
...  

Inhibitors of dipeptidyl peptidase-4 (DPP-4) are widely used to treat diabetes mellitus, but data concerning their effects on the barrier stability of retinal endothelial cells (REC) in vivo and in vitro are inconsistent. Therefore, we studied whether the barrier properties of immortalized endothelial cells of the bovine retina (iBREC) were affected by the inhibitors of DPP-4 sitagliptin (10-1000 nM) and diprotin A (1-25 μM). Their effects were also investigated in the presence of VEGF-A165 because diabetic patients often develop macular edema caused by VEGF-A-induced permeability of REC. To detect even transient or subtle changes of paracellular and transcellular flow as well as adhesion of the cells to the extracellular matrix, we continuously monitored the cell index (CI) of confluent iBREC grown on gold electrodes. Initially, the CI remained stable but started to decline significantly and persistently at 40 h or 55 h after addition of sitagliptin or diprotin A, respectively. Both inhibitors did not modulate, prevent, or revert the persistent VEGF-A165-induced reduction of the CI. Interestingly, sitagliptin and diprotin A increased the expression of the tight-junction protein claudin-1 which is an important component of a functional barrier formed by iBREC. In contrast, expressions of CD29—a subunit of the fibronectin receptor—or of the tetraspanin CD9 were lower after extended treatment with the DPP-4 inhibitors; less of the CD9 was seen at the plasma membrane after prolonged exposure to sitagliptin. Because both associated proteins are important for adhesion of iBREC to the extracellular matrix, the observed low CI might be caused by weakened attachment of the cells. From our results, we conclude that extended inhibition of DPP-4 destabilizes the barrier formed by microvascular REC and that DPP-4 inhibitors like sitagliptin do not counteract or enhance a VEGF-A165-induced barrier dysfunction as frequently observed in DME.


2013 ◽  
Vol 304 (3) ◽  
pp. G227-G234 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lotta K. Stenman ◽  
Reetta Holma ◽  
Ariane Eggert ◽  
Riitta Korpela

Impairment of gut barrier is associated with a fat-rich diet, but mechanisms are unknown. We have earlier shown that dietary fat modifies fecal bile acids in mice, decreasing the proportion of ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA) vs. deoxycholic acid (DCA). To clarify the potential role of bile acids in fat-induced barrier dysfunction, we here investigated how physiological concentrations of DCA and UDCA affect barrier function in mouse intestinal tissue. Bile acid experiments were conducted in vitro in Ussing chambers using 4- and 20-kDa FITC-labeled dextrans. Epithelial integrity and inflammation were assayed by histology and Western blot analysis for cyclooxygenase-2. LPS was studied in DCA-induced barrier dysfunction. Finally, we investigated in a 10-wk in vivo feeding trial in mice the barrier-disrupting effect of a diet containing 0.1% DCA. DCA disrupted epithelial integrity dose dependently at 1–3 mM, which correspond to physiological concentrations on a high-fat diet. Low-fat diet-related concentrations of DCA had no effect. In vivo, the DCA-containing diet increased intestinal permeability 1.5-fold compared with control ( P = 0.016). Hematoxylin-eosin staining showed a clear disruption of the epithelial barrier by 3 mM DCA in vitro. A short-term treatment by DCA did not increase cyclooxygenase-2 content in colon preparations. UDCA did not affect barrier function itself, but it ameliorated DCA-induced barrier disruption at a 0.6 mM concentration. LPS had no significant effect on barrier function at 0.5–4.5 μg/ml concentrations. We suggest a novel mechanism for barrier dysfunction on a high-fat diet involving the effect of hydrophobic luminal bile acids.


2009 ◽  
Vol 297 (2) ◽  
pp. F272-F281 ◽  
Author(s):  
Matijs van Meurs ◽  
Neng F. Kurniati ◽  
Francis M. Wulfert ◽  
Sigridur A. Asgeirsdottir ◽  
Inge A. de Graaf ◽  
...  

Both hemorrhagic shock and endotoxemia induce a pronounced vascular activation in the kidney which coincides with albuminuria and glomerular barrier dysfunction. We hypothesized that changes in Tie2, a vascular restricted receptor tyrosine kinase shown to control microvascular integrity and endothelial inflammation, underlie this loss of glomerular barrier function. In healthy murine and human kidney, Tie2 is heterogeneously expressed in all microvascular beds, although to different extents. In mice subjected to hemorrhagic and septic shock, Tie2 mRNA and protein were rapidly, and temporarily, lost from the renal microvasculature, and normalized within 24 h after initiation of the shock insult. The loss of Tie2 protein could not be attributed to shedding as both in mice and healthy volunteers subjected to endotoxemia, sTie2 levels in the systemic circulation did not change. In an attempt to identify the molecular control of Tie2, we activated glomerular endothelial cell cultures and human kidney slices in vitro with LPS or TNF-α, but did not observe a change in Tie2 mRNA levels. In parallel to the loss of Tie2 in vivo, an overt influx of neutrophils in the glomerular compartment, which coincided with proteinuria, was seen. As neutrophil-endothelial cell interactions may play a role in endothelial adaptation to shock, and these effects cannot be mimicked in vitro, we depleted neutrophils before shock induction. While this neutrophil depletion abolished proteinuria, Tie2 was not rescued, implying that Tie2 may not be a major factor controlling maintenance of the glomerular filtration barrier in this model.


2007 ◽  
Vol 103 (6) ◽  
pp. 2084-2094 ◽  
Author(s):  
James R. Klinger ◽  
Josh D. Murray ◽  
Brian Casserly ◽  
Diego F. Alvarez ◽  
Judy A. King ◽  
...  

In the present study, we assessed the effects of chemical inhibitors shown to be selective for protein kinase C (PKC) isoforms on lung barrier function both in vitro and in vivo. Rottlerin, a purported inhibitor of PKCδ, but not other chemical inhibitors, dose dependently promoted barrier dysfunction in lung endothelial cells in vitro. This barrier dysfunction correlated with structural changes in focal adhesions and stress fibers, which were consistent with functional changes in cell stiffness. To determine whether the effects noted in vitro correlated with changes in intact lungs, we tested the effects of rottlerin in the formation of pulmonary edema in rats using both ex vivo and in vivo models. Isolated, perfused lungs demonstrated a significant increase in filtration coefficients on exposure to rottlerin, compared with vehicle-treated lungs, an effect that correlated with increased extravasation of Evan's blue dye (EBD)-conjugated albumin. Additionally, compared with vehicle, the ratio of the wet lung weights to dry lung weights was significantly greater on exposure of animals to rottlerin; rottlerin also produced a dose-dependent increase in EBD extravasation into the lungs. These effects on lung edema occurred without any increase in right ventricular pressures. Microscopic assessment of edema in the ex vivo lungs demonstrated perivascular cuffing, with no evidence of septal capillary leak, in rottlerin-exposed lungs. Taken together, rottlerin increases barrier dysfunction in pulmonary endothelial cell monolayers and causes pulmonary edema in rats; results suggestive of an important role for PKCδ in maintaining lung endothelial barrier function.


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