scholarly journals Transitional human alveolar type II epithelial cells suppress extracellular matrix and growth factor gene expression in lung fibroblasts

2019 ◽  
Vol 317 (2) ◽  
pp. L283-L294 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kelly A. Correll ◽  
Karen E. Edeen ◽  
Rachel L. Zemans ◽  
Elizabeth F. Redente ◽  
Karina A. Serban ◽  
...  

Epithelial-fibroblast interactions are thought to be very important in the adult lung in response to injury, but the specifics of these interactions are not well defined. We developed coculture systems to define the interactions of adult human alveolar epithelial cells with lung fibroblasts. Alveolar type II cells cultured on floating collagen gels reduced the expression of type 1 collagen (COL1A1) and α-smooth muscle actin (ACTA2) in fibroblasts. They also reduced fibroblast expression of hepatocyte growth factor (HGF), fibroblast growth factor 7 (FGF7, KGF), and FGF10. When type II cells were cultured at an air-liquid interface to maintain high levels of surfactant protein expression, this inhibitory activity was lost. When type II cells were cultured on collagen-coated tissue culture wells to reduce surfactant protein expression further and increase the expression of some type I cell markers, the epithelial cells suppressed transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β)-stimulated ACTA2 and connective tissue growth factor (CTGF) expression in lung fibroblasts. Our results suggest that transitional alveolar type II cells and likely type I cells but not fully differentiated type II cells inhibit matrix and growth factor expression in fibroblasts. These cells express markers of both type II cells and type I cells. This is probably a normal homeostatic mechanism to inhibit the fibrotic response in the resolution phase of wound healing. Defining how transitional type II cells convert activated fibroblasts into a quiescent state and inhibit the effects of TGF-β may provide another approach to limiting the development of fibrosis after alveolar injury.

2020 ◽  
Vol 34 (9) ◽  
pp. 12785-12804 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kathrin Diem ◽  
Michael Fauler ◽  
Giorgio Fois ◽  
Andreas Hellmann ◽  
Natalie Winokurow ◽  
...  

1997 ◽  
Vol 273 (4) ◽  
pp. L840-L847 ◽  
Author(s):  
Philip L. Sannes ◽  
Jody Khosla ◽  
Barry P. Peters

The aim of this study was to determine the extent to which sulfate incorporated into biosynthesized basement membrane (BM) components increased as isolated type II cells progress toward a more type I cell-like phenotype from 7 to 21 days in culture. Specific sulfate cytochemistry, using high iron diamine, showed that type I-like cells in 21-day cultures deposited a more highly sulfated extracellular matrix. Biosynthetic labeling experiments using [35S]cysteine or [35S]sulfate as precursors confirmed the increased capacity of 21-day type I-like cells to biosynthesize sulfated BM components compared with type II-like cells in 7-day cultures, including a novel sulfated laminin. These biochemical changes in sulfation of BM components coincide with the established phenotypic transition from type II to type I cells during prolonged culture. More importantly, the data suggest that regulation of sulfation constitutes a potential mechanism by which type I and type II cells alter their environment in such a manner as to stabilize phenotype and modulate responses to growth factors.


2011 ◽  
Vol 301 (1) ◽  
pp. L71-L78 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cecilia Marmai ◽  
Rachel E. Sutherland ◽  
Kevin K. Kim ◽  
Gregory M. Dolganov ◽  
Xiaohui Fang ◽  
...  

Prior work has shown that transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β) can mediate transition of alveolar type II cells into mesenchymal cells in mice. Evidence this occurs in humans is limited to immunohistochemical studies colocalizing epithelial and mesenchymal proteins in sections of fibrotic lungs. To acquire further evidence that epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition occurs in the lungs of patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), we studied alveolar type II cells isolated from fibrotic and normal human lung. Unlike normal type II cells, type II cells isolated from the lungs of patients with IPF express higher levels of mRNA for the mesenchymal proteins type I collagen, α-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA), and calponin. When cultured on Matrigel/collagen, human alveolar type II cells maintain a cellular morphology consistent with epithelial cells and expression of surfactant protein C (SPC) and E-cadherin. In contrast, when cultured on fibronectin, the human type II cells flatten, spread, lose expression of pro- SPC, and increase expression of vimentin, N-cadherin, and α-SMA; markers of mesenchymal cells. Addition of a TGF-β receptor kinase inhibitor (SB431542) to cells cultured on fibronectin inhibited vimentin expression and maintained pro-SPC expression, indicating persistence of an epithelial phenotype. These data suggest that alveolar type II cells can acquire features of mesenchymal cells in IPF lungs and that TGF-β can mediate this process.


1996 ◽  
Vol 271 (5) ◽  
pp. L688-L697 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. L. Sannes ◽  
J. Khosla ◽  
P. W. Cheng

The pulmonary alveolar basement membrane (BM) associated with alveolar type II cells has been shown to be significantly less sulfated than that of type I cells. To examine the biological significance of this observation, we measured the incorporation of 5-bromodeoxyuridine (BrdU) as an indicator of DNA synthesis in isolated rat type II cells cultured for 72-120 h on substrata that were naturally sulfated, not sulfated, or chemically desulfated in serum-free, hormonally defined media, with and without selected growth factors. The percentage of cells incorporating BrdU was significantly elevated by desulfated chondroitin sulfate in the presence of fibroblast growth factor-2 (FGF-2 or basic FGF) and depressed by heparin in the presence of either FGF-1 or acidic FGF or FGF-2. This depressive effect was lost by removing sulfate from the heparin. Some responses were dependent on the period of time in culture and concentration and molecular weight of the substrata. These observations support the notion that sulfation per se of certain components of BM is a key determinant of type II cell responses to select growth factors that may define patterns of proliferation and differentiation.


1994 ◽  
Vol 266 (2) ◽  
pp. L148-L155 ◽  
Author(s):  
H. Blau ◽  
S. Riklis ◽  
V. Kravtsov ◽  
M. Kalina

Cultured alveolar type II cells and pulmonary epithelial (PE) cells in long-term culture were found to secrete colony-stimulating factors (CSF) into the medium in similar fashion to alveolar macrophages. CSF activity was determined by using the in vitro assay for myeloid progenitor cells [colony-forming units in culture (CFU-C)]. Both lipopolisaccharide (LPS) and interleukin-1 alpha (IL-1 alpha) were found to upregulate the secretion 6.5- to 8-fold from alveolar type II cells and macrophages. However, no stimulatory effect of these factors was observed in PE cells that release CSF into the medium constitutively, possibly due to the conditions of long-term culture. The CSF activity was partially neutralized (70% inhibition) by antibodies against murine granulocyte/macrophage (GM)-CSF and IL-3, thus indicating the presence of both GM-CSF and IL-3-like factors in the CSF. However, the presence of other cytokines in the CSF is highly probable. Surfactant-associated protein A (SP-A), which is known to play a central role in surfactant homeostasis and function, was also found to upregulate secretion of CSF (at concentrations of 0.1-5 micrograms/ml) from alveolar type II cells and macrophages. Control cells such as rat peritoneal macrophages, alveolar fibroblasts, and 3T3/NIH cell line could not be elicited by SP-A to release CSF. The results are discussed in relation to the possible participation of the alveolar epithelial cells in various intercellular signaling networks. Our studies suggest that alveolar type II cells and SP-A may play an important regulatory role in the modulation of immune and inflammatory effector cells within the alveolar space.


1995 ◽  
Vol 269 (3) ◽  
pp. L344-L350 ◽  
Author(s):  
K. Sugahara ◽  
J. S. Rubin ◽  
R. J. Mason ◽  
E. L. Aronsen ◽  
J. M. Shannon

The production of pulmonary surfactant, a complex of phospholipids and lung-specific surfactant proteins, is a primary function of alveolar type II cells. Although previous studies have demonstrated a role for cell-extracellular matrix interactions and normal cell shape in the maintenance of differentiated function in primary cultures of adult rat type II cells, a positive role for growth factors in surfactant protein gene expression in isolated normal adult type II cells has not been reported. In the present study, we have examined the effects of a panel of hormones, growth factors, and cytokines on the expression of mRNAs for surfactant proteins A, B, and C (SP-A, SP-B, and SP-C). Our results show that keratinocyte growth factor (KGF) induced a two- to threefold increase in steady-state levels of mRNAs for SP-A and SP-B, but had no effect on or decreased SP-C mRNA. The increase in SP-A mRNA was accompanied by an increase in SP-A protein. The effects of KGF were both dose and time dependent, and they could be neutralized by a monoclonal antibody against KGF. The effects of KGF were mimicked by acidic fibroblast growth factor, which will bind the KGF receptor. We conclude that KGF can support differentiation of alveolar type II cells as well as act as a mitogen, thus suggesting an important role for KGF in maintenance of the alveolar epithelium.


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