Cell cycle kinetics in the alveolar epithelium

1997 ◽  
Vol 272 (6) ◽  
pp. L1031-L1045 ◽  
Author(s):  
B. D. Uhal

The type II alveolar epithelial cell has important metabolic and biosynthetic functions but also serves as the stem cell of the alveolar epithelium. Much of the evidence underlying this premise was obtained before 1980 and provided the basis for a working model that has not been reconsidered for more than fifteen years. With the exceptions to be discussed below, little evidence has accumulated in the interim to suggest that the model requires significant alteration. Important questions remain unanswered, however, and some components of the model need to be supplemented, particularly in light of recent investigations that have provided insights not possible in earlier work. In particular, in vitro studies have suggested that the relationship between the parent type II cell and its progeny may not be as straightforward as originally thought. In addition, the rate of epithelial cell loss was recognized long ago to be an important factor in the regulation of this system, but its kinetics and mechanisms have received little attention. These and other unresolved issues are critical to our understanding of the homeostasis of the alveolar epithelium under normal and pathological conditions.

1999 ◽  
Vol 112 (2) ◽  
pp. 243-252
Author(s):  
E. Planus ◽  
S. Galiacy ◽  
M. Matthay ◽  
V. Laurent ◽  
J. Gavrilovic ◽  
...  

Type II pneumocytes are essential for repair of the injured alveolar epithelium. The effect of two MMP collagenases, MMP-1 and MMP-13 on alveolar epithelial repair was studied in vitro. The A549 alveolar epithelial cell line and primary rat alveolar epithelial cell cultures were used. Cell adhesion and cell migration were measured with and without exogenous MMP-1. Wound healing of a cell monolayer of rat alveolar epithelial cell after a mechanical injury was evaluated by time lapse video analysis. Cell adhesion on type I collagen, as well as cytoskeleton stiffness, was decreased in the presence of exogenous collagenases. A similar decrease was observed when cell adhesion was tested on collagen that was first incubated with MMP-1 (versus control on intact collagen). Cell migration on type I collagen was promoted by collagenases. Wound healing of an alveolar epithelial cell monolayer was enhanced in the presence of exogenous collagenases. Our results suggest that collagenases could modulate the repair process by decreasing cell adhesion and cell stiffness, and by increasing cell migration on type I collagen. Collagen degradation could modify cell adhesion sites and collagen degradation peptides could induce alveolar type II pneumocyte migration. New insights regarding alveolar epithelial cell migration are particularly relevant to investigate early events during alveolar epithelial repair following lung injury.


1994 ◽  
Vol 266 (1) ◽  
pp. L92-L100 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. Lannan ◽  
K. Donaldson ◽  
D. Brown ◽  
W. MacNee

The oxidant-antioxidant balance in the airspaces of the lungs may be critical in protecting the lungs from the effects of cigarette smoke. We studied the effect of cigarette smoke and its condensates on the detachment, attachment, and proliferation of the A549 human alveolar epithelial cell line, in an in vitro model of cell injury and regeneration and the protective effects of antioxidants. Whole and vapor phase cigarette smoke decreased 51Cr-labeled A549 cell attachment, increased cell detachment, and decreased cell proliferation, as assessed by [3H]thymidine uptake. Freshly isolated rat type II alveolar epithelial cells showed an enhanced susceptibility to smoke-induced cell lysis when compared with the A549 cell line. Reduced glutathione (GSH) (400 microM) protected against the effects of cigarette smoke exposure on cell attachment, proliferation, and detachment. Depletion of intracellular GSH with buthionine sulfoxamine enhanced the epithelial cell detachment injury produced by smoke condensates. We conclude that cigarette smoke and its condensates cause an oxidant-induced injury to A549 human type II alveolar epithelial cells. Both intra- and extracellular GSH have important roles in protecting epithelial cells from the injurious effects of cigarette smoke.


2018 ◽  
Vol 315 (6) ◽  
pp. L921-L932 ◽  
Author(s):  
Luca Tamò ◽  
Youssef Hibaoui ◽  
Sampada Kallol ◽  
Marco P. Alves ◽  
Christiane Albrecht ◽  
...  

Differentiation of primary alveolar type II epithelial cells (AEC II) to AEC type I in culture is a major barrier in the study of the alveolar epithelium in vitro. The establishment of an AEC II cell line derived from induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSC) represents a novel opportunity to study alveolar epithelial cell biology, for instance, in the context of lung injury, fibrosis, and repair. In the present study, we generated long-lasting AEC II from iPSC (LL-iPSC-AEC II). LL-iPSC-AEC II displayed morphological characteristics of AEC II, including growth in a cobblestone monolayer, the presence of lamellar bodies, and microvilli, as shown by electron microscopy. Also, LL-iPSC-AEC II expressed AEC type II proteins, such as cytokeratin, surfactant protein C, and LysoTracker DND 26 (a marker for lamellar bodies). Furthermore, the LL-iPSC-AEC II exhibited functional properties of AEC II by an increase of transepithelial electrical resistance over time, secretion of inflammatory mediators in biologically relevant quantities (IL-6 and IL-8), and efficient in vitro alveolar epithelial wound repair. Consistent with the AEC II phenotype, the cell line showed the ability to uptake and release surfactant protein B, to secrete phospholipids, and to differentiate into AEC type I. In summary, we established a long-lasting, but finite AEC type II cell line derived from iPSC as a novel cellular model to study alveolar epithelial cell biology in lung health and disease.


1998 ◽  
Vol 275 (6) ◽  
pp. L1192-L1199 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bruce D. Uhal ◽  
Iravati Joshi ◽  
W. Frank Hughes ◽  
Carlos Ramos ◽  
Annie Pardo ◽  
...  

Earlier work from this laboratory showed that abnormal fibroblast phenotypes isolated from fibrotic human lung produce factor(s) capable of inducing apoptosis and necrosis of alveolar epithelial cells in vitro [B. D. Uhal, I. Joshi, A. True, S. Mundle, A. Raza, A. Pardo, and M. Selman. Am. J. Physiol. 269 ( Lung Cell. Mol. Physiol. 13): L819–L828, 1995]. To determine whether epithelial cell death is associated with proximity to abnormal fibroblasts in vivo, the spatial distribution of epithelial cell loss, DNA fragmentation, and myofibroblasts was examined in the same tissue specimens used previously for fibroblast isolation. Paraffin sections of normal and fibrotic human lung were subjected to in situ end labeling (ISEL) of fragmented DNA and simultaneous immunolabeling of α-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA); replicate samples were subjected to electron microscopy and detection of collagens by the picrosirius red technique. Normal human lung exhibited very little labeling except for positive α-SMA immunoreactivity of smooth muscle surrounding bronchi and vessels. In contrast, fibrotic human lung exhibited moderate to heavy ISEL of interstitial, cuboidal epithelial, and free alveolar cells. ISEL of the alveolar epithelium was not distributed uniformly but was most intense immediately adjacent to underlying foci of α-SMA-positive fibroblast-like interstitial cells. Both electron microscopy and picrosirius red confirmed epithelial cell apoptosis, necrosis, and cell loss adjacent to foci of collagen accumulation surrounding fibroblast-like cells. These results demonstrate that the cuboidal epithelium of the fibrotic lung contains dying as well as proliferating cells and support the hypothesis that alveolar epithelial cell death is induced by abnormal lung fibroblasts in vivo as it is in vitro.


2009 ◽  
Vol 297 (1) ◽  
pp. L134-L142 ◽  
Author(s):  
Richard L. Auten ◽  
S. Nicholas Mason ◽  
Kathryn M. Auten ◽  
Mulugu Brahmajothi

Hyperoxia disrupts postnatal lung development in part through inducing inflammation. To determine the contribution of leukocyte-derived reactive oxygen species, we exposed newborn wild-type and NADPH oxidase p47 phox subunit null (p47 phox−/−) mice to air or acute hyperoxia (95% O2) for up to 11 days. Hyperoxia-induced pulmonary neutrophil influx was similar in wild-type and p47−/− mice at postnatal days (P) 7 and 11. Macrophages were decreased in wild-type hyperoxia-exposed mice compared with p47 phox−/− mice at P11. Hyperoxia impaired type II alveolar epithelial cell and bronchiolar epithelial cell proliferation, but depression of type II cell proliferation was significantly less in p47−/− mice at P3 and P7, when inflammation was minimal. We found reciprocal results for the expression of the cell cycle inhibitor p21 cip/waf in type II cells, which was induced in 95% O2-exposed wild-type mice, but significantly less in p47 phox−/− littermates at P7. Despite partial preservation of type II cell proliferation, deletion of p47 phox did not prevent the major adverse effects of hyperoxia on alveolar development estimated by morphometry at P11, but hyperoxia impairment of elastin deposition at alveolar septal crests was significantly worse in wild-type vs. p47 phox−/− mice at P11. Since we found that p47 phox is expressed in a subset of alveolar epithelial cells, its deletion may protect postnatal type II alveolar epithelial proliferation from hyperoxia through effects on epithelial as well as phagocyte-generated superoxide.


1994 ◽  
Vol 267 (6) ◽  
pp. L728-L738 ◽  
Author(s):  
F. Kheradmand ◽  
H. G. Folkesson ◽  
L. Shum ◽  
R. Derynk ◽  
R. Pytela ◽  
...  

Alveolar epithelial type II cells are essential for regenerating an intact alveolar barrier after destruction of type I cells in vivo. The first objective of these experimental studies was to develop an in vitro model to quantify alveolar epithelial cell wound repair. The second objective was to investigate mechanisms of alveolar epithelial cell wound healing by studying the effects of serum and transforming growth factor-alpha (TGF-alpha) on wound closure. Primary cultures of rat alveolar type II cells were prepared by standard methods and grown to form confluent monolayers in 48 h. Then a wound was made by denuding an area (mean initial area of 2.1 +/- 0.6 mm2) of the monolayer. Re-epithelialization of the denuded area over time in the presence or absence of serum was measured using quantitative measurements from time-lapse video microscopy. The half time of wound healing was significantly enhanced in the presence of serum compared with serum-free conditions (2.4 +/- 0.2 vs. 17.4 +/- 0.8 h, P < 0.001). We then tested the hypothesis that TGF-alpha is an important growth factor for stimulating wound repair of alveolar epithelial cells. Exogenous addition of TGF-alpha in serum-free medium resulted in a significantly more rapid wound closure, and, furthermore, the addition of a monoclonal antibody to TGF-alpha in the presence of serum significantly decreased fourfold the rate of wound closure. Measurement of internuclear cell distance confirmed that both cell motility and cell spreading were responsible for closure of the wound. These data demonstrate that 1) the mechanisms of alveolar cell repair can be studied in vitro and that 2) TGF-alpha is a potent growth factor that enhances in vitro alveolar epithelial cell wound closure.


2005 ◽  
Vol 31 (5) ◽  
pp. 461-482 ◽  
Author(s):  
Colin E. Olsen ◽  
Brant E. Isakson ◽  
Gregory J. Seedorf ◽  
Richard L. Lubman ◽  
Scott Boitano

PLoS ONE ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (9) ◽  
pp. e0257281
Author(s):  
Silvia Speca ◽  
Caroline Dubuquoy ◽  
Christel Rousseaux ◽  
Philippe Chavatte ◽  
Pierre Desreumaux ◽  
...  

The development of more effective, better tolerated drug treatments for progressive pulmonary fibrosis (of which idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis is the most common and severe form) is a research priority. The peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPAR-γ) is a key regulator of inflammation and fibrosis and therefore represents a potential therapeutic target. However, the use of synthetic PPAR-γ agonists may be limited by their potentially severe adverse effects. In a mouse model of bleomycin (BLM)-induced pulmonary fibrosis, we have demonstrated that the non-racemic selective PPAR-γ modulator GED-0507 is able to reduce body weight loss, ameliorate clinical and histological features of pulmonary fibrosis, and increase survival rate without any safety concerns. Here, we focused on the biomolecular effects of GED-0507 on various inflammatory/fibrotic pathways. We demonstrated that preventive and therapeutic administration of GED-0507 reduced the BLM-induced mRNA expression of several markers of fibrosis, including transforming growth factor (TGF)-β, alpha-smooth muscle actin, collagen and fibronectin as well as epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) and expression of mucin 5B. The beneficial effect of GED-0507 on pulmonary fibrosis was confirmed in vitro by its ability to control TGFβ-induced myofibroblast activation in the A549 human alveolar epithelial cell line, the MRC-5 lung fibroblast line, and primary human lung fibroblasts. Compared with the US Food and Drug Administration-approved antifibrotic drugs pirfenidone and nintedanib, GED-0507 displayed greater antifibrotic activity by controlling alveolar epithelial cell dysfunction, EMT, and extracellular matrix remodeling. In conclusion, GED-0507 demonstrated potent antifibrotic properties and might be a promising drug candidate for the treatment of pulmonary fibrosis.


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