Bleomycin induces alveolar epithelial cell death through JNK-dependent activation of the mitochondrial death pathway

2005 ◽  
Vol 289 (4) ◽  
pp. L521-L528 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vivian Y. Lee ◽  
Clara Schroedl ◽  
Joslyn K. Brunelle ◽  
Leonard J. Buccellato ◽  
Ozkan I. Akinci ◽  
...  

Exposure to bleomycin in rodents induces lung injury and fibrosis. Alveolar epithelial cell death has been hypothesized as an initiating mechanism underlying bleomycin-induced lung injury and fibrosis. In the present study we evaluated the contribution of mitochondrial and receptor-meditated death pathways in bleomycin-induced death of mouse alveolar epithelial cells (MLE-12 cells) and primary rat alveolar type II cells. Control MLE-12 cells and primary rat alveolar type II cells died after 48 h of exposure to bleomycin. Both MLE-12 cells and rat alveolar type II cells overexpressing Bcl-XLdid not undergo cell death in response to bleomycin. Dominant negative Fas-associating protein with a death domain failed to prevent bleomycin-induced cell death in MLE-12 cells. Caspase-8 inhibitor CrmA did not prevent bleomycin-induced cell death in primary rat alveolar type II cells. Furthermore, fibroblast cells deficient in Bax and Bak, but not Bid, were resistant to bleomycin-induced cell death. To determine whether the stress kinase JNK was an upstream regulator of Bax activation, MLE-12 cells were exposed to bleomycin in the presence of an adenovirus encoding a dominant negative JNK. Bleomycin-induced Bax activation was prevented by the expression of a dominant negative JNK in MLE-12 cells. Dominant negative JNK prevented cell death in MLE-12 cells and in primary rat alveolar type II cells exposed to bleomycin. These data indicate that bleomycin induces cell death through a JNK-dependent mitochondrial death pathway in alveolar epithelial cells.

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.


2000 ◽  
Vol 279 (6) ◽  
pp. L1110-L1119 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ralf Wodopia ◽  
Hyun Soo Ko ◽  
Javiera Billian ◽  
Rudolf Wiesner ◽  
Peter Bärtsch ◽  
...  

Fluid reabsorption from alveolar space is driven by active Na reabsorption via epithelial Na channels (ENaCs) and Na-K-ATPase. Both are inhibited by hypoxia. Here we tested whether hypoxia decreases Na transport by decreasing the number of copies of transporters in alveolar epithelial cells and in lungs of hypoxic rats. Membrane fractions were prepared from A549 cells exposed to hypoxia (3% O2) as well as from whole lung tissue and alveolar type II cells from rats exposed to hypoxia. Transport proteins were measured by Western blot analysis. In A549 cells, α1- and β1-Na-K-ATPase, Na/K/2Cl cotransport, and ENaC proteins decreased during hypoxia. In whole lung tissue, α1-Na-K-ATPase and Na/K/2Cl cotransport decreased. α- and β-ENaC mRNAs also decreased in hypoxic lungs. Similar results were seen in alveolar type II cells from hypoxic rats. These results indicate a slow decrease in the amount of Na-transporting proteins in alveolar epithelial cells during exposure to hypoxia that also occurs in vivo in lungs from hypoxic animals. The reduced number of transporters might account for the decreased transport activity and impaired edema clearance in hypoxic lungs.


1991 ◽  
Vol 260 (4) ◽  
pp. L318-L325 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. H. Simon ◽  
J. A. Edwards ◽  
M. M. Reza ◽  
R. G. Kunkel

In a variety of inflammatory lung diseases, type I alveolar epithelial cells are more likely to be injured than are type II cells. Because oxidants have been implicated as a cause of injury in various inflammatory lung diseases, we evaluated the effects of differentiation on alveolar epithelial cell susceptibility to H2O2-induced injury. With the use of isolated rat type II cells in culture, we found that the cytotoxic effect of H2O2 increased between days 2 and 7, when type II cells are known to lose their distinctive type II properties and assume a more type I-like appearance. We previously reported that type II cells utilized both intracellular catalase and glutathione-dependent reactions to protect against H2O2. We therefore examined whether alterations in either of these protective mechanisms were responsible for the differentiation-dependent changes in sensitivity to H2O2. We found that catalase activity within alveolar epithelial cells decreased between 2 and 7 days in culture, whereas no changes were detected in glutathione-dependent systems. We then used a histochemical technique that detects catalase activity and found that type II cells within rat lungs possessed numerous catalase-containing peroxisomes, whereas very few were detected in type I cells. These findings demonstrate that as type II cells assume a type I-like phenotype, they become more susceptible to H2O2-induced injury. This increased susceptibility is associated with reductions in intracellular catalase activity, both in vitro and in vivo.


2002 ◽  
Vol 283 (2) ◽  
pp. L452-L459 ◽  
Author(s):  
Boris W. Kramer ◽  
Susanne Kramer ◽  
Machiko Ikegami ◽  
Alan H. Jobe

Chorioamnionitis is frequent in preterm labor and increases the risk of bronchopulmonary dysplasia. We hypothesized that intra-amniotic endotoxin injures the lung in utero, causing a sequence of inflammation and tissue injury similar to that which occurs in the injured adult lung. Preterm lamb lungs at 125 days gestational age were evaluated for indicators of inflammation, injury, and repair 5 h, 24 h, 72 h, and 7 days after 4 mg of intra-amniotic endotoxin injection. At 5 h, the epithelial cells in large airways expressed heat shock protein 70, and alveolar interleukin-8 was increased. Surfactant protein B (SP-B) decreased in alveolar type II cells at 5 h, and SP-B in lung tissue and alveolar lavage fluid increased by 72 h. By 24 h, neutrophils were recruited into the large airways, and cell death was the highest. Alveolar type II cells decreased by 25% at 24 h, and proliferation was highest at 72 h, consistent with tissue remodeling. Intra-amniotic endotoxin caused surfactant secretion, inflammation, cell death, and remodeling as indications of lung injury. The recovery phase was accompanied by maturational changes in the fetal lung.


2005 ◽  
Vol 98 (1) ◽  
pp. 322-328 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephen P. Chen ◽  
Beiyun Zhou ◽  
Brigham C. Willis ◽  
Argelia J. Sandoval ◽  
Janice M. Liebler ◽  
...  

Rat alveolar epithelial type II cells grown on polycarbonate filters form high-resistance monolayers and concurrently acquire many phenotypic properties of type I cells. Treatment with EGF has previously been shown to increase transepithelial resistance across alveolar epithelial cell (AEC) monolayers. We investigated changes in claudin expression in primary cultured AEC during transdifferentiation to the type I cell-like phenotype ( days 0, 1, and 8), and on day 5 in culture ± EGF (10 ng/ml) from day 0 or day 4. Claudins 4 and 7 were increased, whereas claudins 3 and 5 were decreased, on later compared with earlier days in culture. Exposure to EGF led to increases in claudins 4 and 7 and decreases in claudins 3 and 5. Claudin 1 was only faintly detectable in freshly isolated type II cells and remained unchanged over time in culture and after exposure to EGF. These results suggest that increases in transepithelial resistance accompanying AEC transdifferentiation and/or EGF exposure are mediated, at least in part, by changes in the pattern of expression of specific claudin isoforms.


1996 ◽  
Vol 271 (5) ◽  
pp. L707-L718 ◽  
Author(s):  
W. W. Barton ◽  
S. E. Wilcoxen ◽  
P. J. Christensen ◽  
R. Paine

Intercellular adhesion molecule-1 ICAM-1) is a transmembrane adhesion protein that is expressed constitutively on the apical surface of type I cells in vivo and on type II cells in vitro as they spread in culture, assuming type I cell-like characteristics. To investigate the possible interaction of ICAM-1 with the alveolar epithelial cell cytoskeleton, rat type II cells in primary culture were extracted with nonionic detergent, and residual ICAM-1 associated with the cytoskeletal remnants was determined using immunofluorescence microscopy, immunoprecipitation, and cell-based enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. A large fraction of alveolar epithelial cell ICAM-1 remained associated with the cytoskeleton after detergent extraction, whereas two other transmembrane molecules, transferrin receptor and class II major histocompatibility complex, were completely removed. ICAM-1 was redistributed on the cell surface after the disruption of actin filaments with cytochalasin B, suggesting interaction with the actin cytoskeleton. In contrast, ICAM-1 was completely detergent soluble in rat pulmonary artery endothelial cells, human umbilical vein endothelial cells, and rat alveolar macrophages. The association of ICAM-1 with the alveolar epithelial cell cytoskeleton was not altered after stimulation with inflammatory cytokines. However, detergent resistant ICAM-1 was significantly increased after crosslinking of ICAM-1 on the cell surface, suggesting that this cytoskeletal association may be modulated by interactions of alveolar epithelial cells with inflammatory cells. The association of ICAM-1 with the cytoskeleton in alveolar epithelial cells may provide a fixed intermediary between mobile inflammatory cells and the alveolar surface.


2007 ◽  
Vol 293 (1) ◽  
pp. L105-L113 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ashish K. Sharma ◽  
Lucas G. Fernandez ◽  
Alaa S. Awad ◽  
Irving L. Kron ◽  
Victor E. Laubach

Pulmonary ischemia-reperfusion (IR) injury entails acute activation of alveolar macrophages followed by neutrophil sequestration. Although proinflammatory cytokines and chemokines such as TNF-α and monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1) from macrophages are known to modulate acute IR injury, the contribution of alveolar epithelial cells to IR injury and their intercellular interactions with other cell types such as alveolar macrophages and neutrophils remain unclear. In this study, we tested the hypothesis that following IR, alveolar macrophage-produced TNF-α further induces alveolar epithelial cells to produce key chemokines that could then contribute to subsequent lung injury through the recruitment of neutrophils. Cultured RAW264.7 macrophages and MLE-12 alveolar epithelial cells were subjected to acute hypoxia-reoxygenation (H/R) as an in vitro model of pulmonary IR. H/R (3 h/1 h) significantly induced KC, MCP-1, macrophage inflammatory protein-2 (MIP-2), RANTES, and IL-6 (but not TNF-α) by MLE-12 cells, whereas H/R induced TNF-α, MCP-1, RANTES, MIP-1α, and MIP-2 (but not KC) by RAW264.7 cells. These results were confirmed using primary murine alveolar macrophages and primary alveolar type II cells. Importantly, using macrophage and epithelial coculture methods, the specific production of TNF-α by H/R-exposed RAW264.7 cells significantly induced proinflammatory cytokine/chemokine expression (KC, MCP-1, MIP-2, RANTES, and IL-6) by MLE-12 cells. Collectively, these results demonstrate that alveolar type II cells, in conjunction with alveolar macrophage-produced TNF-α, contribute to the initiation of acute pulmonary IR injury via a proinflammatory cascade. The release of key chemokines, such as KC and MIP-2, by activated type II cells may thus significantly contribute to neutrophil sequestration during IR injury.


2012 ◽  
Vol 2012 ◽  
pp. 1-9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yan Liang ◽  
Samantha M. Yeligar ◽  
Lou Ann S. Brown

Chronic alcohol ingestion increases the risk of developing acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), a severe form of acute lung injury, characterized by alveolar epithelial and endothelial barrier disruption and intense inflammation. Alcohol abuse is also associated with a higher incidence of sepsis or pneumonia resulting in a higher rate of admittance to intensive care, longer inpatient stays, higher healthcare costs, and a 2–4 times greater mortality rate. Chronic alcohol ingestion induced severe oxidative stress associated with increased ROS generation, depletion of the critical antioxidant glutathione (GSH), and oxidation of the thiol/disulfide redox potential in the alveolar epithelial lining fluid and exhaled breath condensate. Across intracellular and extracellular GSH pools in alveolar type II cells and alveolar macrophages, chronic alcohol ingestion consistently induced a 40–60 mV oxidation of GSH/GSSG suggesting that the redox potentials of different alveolar GSH pools are in equilibrium. Alcohol-induced GSH depletion or oxidation was associated with impaired functions of alveolar type II cells and alveolar macrophages but could be reversed by restoring GSH pools in the alveolar lining fluid. The aims of this paper are to address the mechanisms for alcohol-induced GSH depletion and oxidation and the subsequent effects in alveolar barrier integrity, modulation of the immune response, and apoptosis.


1999 ◽  
Vol 87 (5) ◽  
pp. 1852-1860 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yibing Wang ◽  
Hans G. Folkesson ◽  
Christian Jayr ◽  
Lorraine B. Ware ◽  
Michael A. Matthay

Although keratinocyte growth factor (KGF) protects against experimental acute lung injury, the mechanisms for the protective effect are incompletely understood. Therefore, the time-dependent effects of KGF on alveolar epithelial fluid transport were studied in rats 48–240 h after intratracheal administration of KGF (5 mg/kg). There was a marked proliferative response to KGF, measured both by in vivo bromodeoxyuridine staining and by staining with an antibody to a type II cell antigen. In controls, alveolar liquid clearance (ALC) was 23 ± 3%/h. After KGF pretreatment, ALC was significantly increased to 30 ± 2%/h at 48 h, to 39 ± 2%/h at 72 h, and to 36 ± 3%/h at 120 h compared with controls ( P < 0.05). By 240 h, ALC had returned to near-control levels (26 ± 2%/h). The increase in ALC was explained primarily by the proliferation of alveolar type II cells, since there was a good correlation between the number of alveolar type II cells and the increase in ALC ( r = 0.92, P = 0.02). The fraction of ALC inhibited by amiloride was similar in control rats (33%) as in 72-h KGF-pretreated rats (38%), indicating that there was probably no major change in the apical pathways for Na uptake in the KGF-pretreated rats at this time point. However, more rapid ALC at 120 h, compared with 48 h after KGF treatment, may be explained by greater maturation of α-epithelial Na channel, since its expression was greater at 120 than at 48 h, whereas the number of type II cells was the same at these two time points. β-Adrenergic stimulation with terbutaline 72 h after KGF pretreatment further increased ALC to 50 ± 7%/h ( P < 0.5). In summary, KGF induced a sustained increase over 120 h in the fluid transport capacity of the alveolar epithelium. This impressive upregulation in fluid transport was further enhanced with β-adrenergic agonist therapy, thus providing evidence that two different treatments can simultaneously increase the fluid transport capacity of the alveolar epithelium.


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