scholarly journals Attenuated pulmonary fibrosis in sialidase-3 knockout (Neu3−/−) mice

2020 ◽  
Vol 318 (1) ◽  
pp. L165-L179 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tejas R. Karhadkar ◽  
Wensheng Chen ◽  
Richard H. Gomer

Pulmonary fibrosis involves the formation of inappropriate scar tissue in the lungs, but what drives fibrosis is unclear. Sialidases (also called neuraminidases) cleave terminal sialic acids from glycoconjugates. In humans and mice, pulmonary fibrosis is associated with desialylation of glycoconjugates and upregulation of sialidases. Of the four mammalian sialidases, we previously detected only NEU3 in the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid from mice with bleomycin-induced pulmonary fibrosis. In this report, we show that NEU3 upregulates extracellular accumulation of the profibrotic cytokines IL-6 and IL-1β, and IL-6 upregulates NEU3 in human peripheral blood mononuclear cells, suggesting that NEU3 may be part of a positive feedback loop potentiating fibrosis. To further elucidate the role of NEU3 in fibrosis, we used bleomycin to induce lung fibrosis in wild-type C57BL/6 and Neu3−/− mice. At 21 days after bleomycin, compared with male and female C57BL/6 mice, male and female Neu3−/− mice had significantly less inflammation, less upregulation of other sialidases and the profibrotic cytokine active transforming growth factor β1, and less fibrosis in the lungs. Our results suggest that NEU3 participates in fibrosis and that NEU3 could be a target to develop treatments for fibrosis.

2022 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jia He ◽  
Yue Du ◽  
Gaopeng Li ◽  
Peng Xiao ◽  
Xingzheng Sun ◽  
...  

Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a group of chronic interstitial pulmonary diseases characterized by an inexorable decline in lung function with limited treatment options. The abnormal expression of transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β) in profibrotic macrophages is linked to severe pulmonary fibrosis, but the regulation mechanisms of TGF-β expression are incompletely understood. We found that decreased expression of E3 ubiquitin ligase Fbxw7 in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) was significantly related to the severity of pulmonary fibrosis in IPF patients. Fbxw7 is identified to be a crucial suppressing factor for pulmonary fibrosis development and progression in a mouse model induced by intratracheal bleomycin treatment. Myeloid cell-specific Fbxw7 deletion increases pulmonary monocyte-macrophages accumulation in lung tissue, and eventually promotes bleomycin-induced collagen deposition and progressive pulmonary fibrosis. Notably, the expression of TGF-β in profibrotic macrophages was significantly upregulated in myeloid cell-specific Fbxw7 deletion mice after bleomycin treatment. C-Jun has long been regarded as a critical transcription factor of Tgfb1, we clarified that Fbxw7 inhibits the expression of TGF-β in profibrotic macrophages by interacting with c-Jun and mediating its K48-linked ubiquitination and degradation. These findings provide insight into the role of Fbxw7 in the regulation of macrophages during the pathogenesis of pulmonary fibrosis.


2003 ◽  
Vol 228 (1) ◽  
pp. 93-99 ◽  
Author(s):  
T.K. Mao ◽  
J. Van De Water ◽  
C.L. Keen ◽  
H.H. Schmitz ◽  
M.E. Gershwin

Evidence suggests that certain flavan-3-ols and procyanidins (FP) can have a positive influence on cardiovascular health. It has been previously reported that FP isolated from cocoa can potentially modulate the level and production of several signaling molecules associated with immune function and inflammation, including several cytokines and eicosanoids. In the present study, we examined whether FP fractions monomers through decamers modulate secretion of the cytokine transforming growth factor (TGF)-β1 from resting human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC). A total of 13 healthy subjects were studied and grouped according to their baseline production of TGF-β1. When cells from individuals with low baseline levels of TGF-β1 (n = 7) were stimulated by individual FP fractions (25 μg/ml), TGF-β1 release was enhanced in the range of 15%–66% over baseline (P < 0.05; monomer, dimer, and tetramer). The low-molecular-weight FP fractions (≤pentamer) were more effective at augmenting TGF-β1 secretion than their larger counterparts (≥hexamer), with the monomer and dimer inducing the greatest increases (66% and 68%, respectively). In contrast to the above, TGF-β1 secretion from high TGF-β1 baseline subjects (n = 6) was inhibited by individual FP fractions (P < 0.05; trimer through decamer). The inhibition was most pronounced with trimeric through decameric fractions (28%–42%), and monomers and dimers moderately inhibited TGF-β1 release (17% and 23%, respectively). Given the vascular actions associated with TGF-β1, we suggest that in healthy individuals, homeostatic modulation of its production by FP offers an additional mechanism by which FP-rich foods can potentially benefit cardiovascular health.


2000 ◽  
Vol 279 (6) ◽  
pp. L1129-L1136 ◽  
Author(s):  
Darren D. Browning ◽  
Wade C. Diehl ◽  
Matthew H. Hsu ◽  
Ingrid U. Schraufstatter ◽  
Richard D. Ye

Interleukin (IL)-8 is a C-X-C chemokine that plays an important role in acute inflammation through its G protein-coupled receptors CXCR1 and CXCR2. In this study, we investigated the role of IL-8 as an autocrine regulator of IL-8 production and the signaling mechanisms involved in human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (MNCs). Sepharose-immobilized IL-8 stimulated a sevenfold increase in IL-8 production within 2 h. IL-8 induced the expression of its own message, and IL-8 biosynthesis was inhibited by cycloheximide and actinomycin D, indicating de novo RNA and protein synthesis. In contrast to MNCs, polymorphonuclear neutrophils did not respond to the immobilized IL-8 with IL-8 production despite cell surface expression of CXCR1 and CXCR2. Melanoma growth-stimulatory activity/growth-related protein-α (MGSA/GROα), which binds CXCR2 but not CXCR1, was unable to either stimulate IL-8 secretion in MNCs or desensitize these cells to respond to immobilized IL-8. The involvement of mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) in IL-8-induced IL-8 biosynthesis was suggested by the ability of PD-98059, an inhibitor of MAPK kinase, to block this function. Furthermore, IL-8 induced a significant increase in extracellular signal-regulated kinase 2 phosphorylation, whereas MGSA/GROα was much less effective. These findings support the role of IL-8 as an autocrine regulator of IL-8 production and suggest that this function is mediated by CXCR1 through activation of MAPK.


1987 ◽  
Vol 104 (2) ◽  
pp. 183-187 ◽  
Author(s):  
L Kaczmarek ◽  
B Calabretta ◽  
H T Kao ◽  
N Heintz ◽  
J Nevins ◽  
...  

The expression of a hsp70 gene in human cells has previously been shown to be related to the growth state of the cells. As an alternative to in vitro synchronization procedures, we have measured steady-state levels of the RNA for a heat-shock protein 70 (hsp70) in human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) that are naturally quiescent in a G0 state. The probe used recognized, on RNA blots, one single band. The levels of this hsp70 RNA are elevated in circulating PBMC and decrease when the cells are incubated with serum, or phytohemagglutinin, or simply when they are incubated in culture medium. The levels of hsp70 RNA decrease within 30 min after in vitro culture, and are accompanied by an increase in the levels of c-fos RNA. These findings, together with other recent reports in the literature, suggest a possible role of the hsp70 proteins in the regulation of cell growth.


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