Laminin 2 attachment selects myofibroblasts from fetal mouse lung

1998 ◽  
Vol 275 (3) ◽  
pp. L622-L630
Author(s):  
Guillermo Flores-Delgado ◽  
Pablo Bringas ◽  
David Warburton

Laminins (LNs) are extracellular matrix glycoproteins that are involved in cell adhesion, proliferation, and differentiation. So far, 11 LN variants (LN1 to LN11) have been described. In the lung, at least six LN variants have been identified. However, only the role of LN1 has been characterized to any extent. In this study, we hypothesized that the LN2 variant may play a role during lung development. We identified, by RT-PCR analysis, that the α2-chain mRNA of LN2 is expressed during mouse lung development. LN2 adhesion assays were then performed with cells from fetal mouse lung primary cultures. Our results showed that a specific subpopulation of fetal lung cells that expressed vimentin, α-smooth muscle actin, and desmin attached onto LN2, whereas the cells that did not adhere to LN2 as well as the total cell population were able to adhere readily on fibronectin. Cell attachment onto LN2 was inhibited by EDTA. In addition, we demonstrated, by RT-PCR and Western analysis, that the LN2-adherent cells autoexpressed the α2-chain of LN2. In the late pseudoglandular period, LN2 was localized by immunohistochemistry in the basement membrane of airways and blood vessels and around mesenchymal cells. We conclude that LN2 is expressed during lung development and that a specific subpopulation of fetal lung mesenchymal cells expressing a myofibroblastic phenotype can be selected by attachment to LN2 in primary culture. These findings lead us to speculate that LN2 may play a key role in the cell biology of myofibroblasts during lung development.

1993 ◽  
Vol 265 (3) ◽  
pp. L250-L259
Author(s):  
E. H. Webster ◽  
S. R. Hilfer ◽  
R. L. Searls ◽  
J. Kornilow

The mesodermal capsule of the fetal lung plays a role in differentiation of the respiratory region. It has been proposed for other epithelial organs that the mesodermal capsule influences development by modifying the basal lamina or the extended extracellular matrix. The effect could be on deposition or turnover of collagens, proteoglycans, and/or glycoproteins. This study tests the role of glycoproteins in differentiation of respiratory endings by inhibiting their synthesis with the antibiotic tunicamycin (TM). Lungs at 16 and 18 days gestation and 3 days after birth were cultured with TM and examined for morphological and biochemical differences from normal controls. With TM, alveolar regions did not expand properly and formed fewer type I pneumocytes, although type II pneumocytes were unaffected. The epithelium of untreated respiratory regions showed greater incorporation of radioactive mannose than the airways region or mesenchyme. This incorporation was diminished in TM, but the pattern persisted. Comparison with the results obtained with beta-xyloside suggested that differentiation of type I and type II pneumocytes is under separate control.


2002 ◽  
Vol 103 (6) ◽  
pp. 613-621 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yuichiro KIMURA ◽  
Takashi SUZUKI ◽  
Chika KANEKO ◽  
Andrew D. DARNEL ◽  
Takuya MORIYA ◽  
...  

Nuclear receptors and their ligands are known to play very important roles in lung development. Among these receptors, retinoid receptors, members of the steroid/thyroid hormone receptor superfamily, are classified into retinoic acid receptor (RAR) isoforms α, β, and γ and retinoid X receptor (RXR) isoforms α, β, and γ. In addition, isoforms I and II of the orphan receptor chicken ovalbumin upstream promoter-transcription factor (COUP-TF) have been shown to negatively regulate the activation of retinoid receptors. Both of these receptors have been shown to regulate lung development in the mouse. In the present study we utilized immunohistochemistry and real-time quantitative PCR to examine the expression of RAR-α, -β and -γ, RXR-α, -β and -γ and COUP-TFII in the human fetal lung at 13–16 gestational weeks, a very critical stage of human pulmonary development, in order to study possible roles in pulmonary morphogenesis by comparing these findings with those of the adult lung. RXR-γ immunoreactivity was detected at both proximal (epithelia and mesenchyme of the trachea and bronchi associated with cartilage) and distal (epithelia and mesenchyme of smaller distal bronchi) sites in the fetal lung, but was markedly weaker in the adult lung. RAR-β immunoreactivity was detected in distal mesenchymal cells of the fetal lung, but was not discernible in distal mesenchymal cells in the adult lung (bronchioles, alveolar ducts and alveolus). Relatively intense RAR-γ immunoreactivity was detected in the chondrocytes of bronchial cells. COUP-TFII immunoreactivity was detected with a similar pattern to that of RAR-β. Real-time quantitative PCR analyses revealed that mRNA levels of RXR-γ at proximal and distal sites (ratio of fetal lung/adult lung: 3.4±0.05-fold and 3.1±0.03-fold respectively; P<0.01), RAR-β at distal sites (2.4±0.01-fold; P<0.05) and RAR-γ at proximal sites (2.2±0.11-fold; P<0.05) were significantly higher in the fetus than in the adult.


2010 ◽  
Vol 298 (5) ◽  
pp. L637-L645 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. Davin Miller ◽  
John T. Benjamin ◽  
David R. Kelly ◽  
David B. Frank ◽  
Lawrence S. Prince

The fetal lung vasculature forms in tandem with developing airways. Whereas saccular airway morphogenesis is arrested in bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD), the potential vascular phenotype in BPD at this stage of development is less well-understood. As inflammation increases the risk of BPD and induces arrest of saccular airway morphogenesis, we tested the effects of Escherichia coli LPS on fetal mouse lung vascular development. Injecting LPS into the amniotic fluid of Tie2- lacZ endothelial reporter mice at embryonic day 15 stimulated angiogenesis in the saccular stage fetal lung mesenchyme. LPS also increased the number of endothelial cells in saccular stage fetal mouse lung explants. Inflammation appeared to directly promote vascular development, as LPS stimulated pulmonary microvascular endothelial cell angiogenesis, cell migration, and proliferation in vitro. Whereas LPS did not increase expression of VEGF, angiopoietin-1 (Ang-1), Tie2, fetal liver kinase-1 (Flk-1), fms-like tyrosine kinase-1 (Flt-1), PDGFA, PDGFB, heparin-binding EGF-like growth factor (HB-EGF), or connective tissue growth factor (CTGF), LPS did stimulate the production of the angiogenic CC chemokines macrophage inflammatory protein-1α (MIP-1α) and monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1). Both MIP-1α and MCP-1 increased angiogenesis in fetal mouse lung explants. In addition, inhibitory antibodies against MIP-1α and MCP-1 blocked the effects of LPS on fetal lung vascular development, suggesting these chemokines are downstream mediators of LPS-induced angiogenesis. We speculate that an inflammation-mediated surge in angiogenesis could lead to formation of aberrant alveolar capillaries in the lungs of patients developing BPD.


2009 ◽  
Vol 3 (4) ◽  
pp. 194-204 ◽  
Author(s):  
T. Svingen ◽  
C.M. Spiller ◽  
K. Kashimada ◽  
V.R. Harley ◽  
P. Koopman

Healthcare ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (4) ◽  
pp. 536
Author(s):  
Sunita Sharma ◽  
Alvin T. Kho ◽  
Divya Chhabra ◽  
Kathleen Haley ◽  
Carrie Vyhlidal ◽  
...  

Background: In utero smoke (IUS) exposure is associated with asthma susceptibility. Objective: We sought to test the hypothesis that changes in miRNA expression by IUS exposure during human lung development is associated with asthma susceptibility. Methods: Gene expression was profiled from 53 IUS unexposed and 51 IUS exposed human fetal lung tissues. We tested for the differential expression of miRNAs across post-conception age and by IUS using linear models with covariate adjustment. We tested the IUS-associated miRNAs for association with their gene expression targets using pair-wise inverse correlation. Using our mouse model, we investigated the persistence of the IUS-associated miRNA signature using RT-PCR from the lungs of mouse pups with and without IUS at postnatal day 14. MiRNAs were then tested for association with asthma and exacerbations using whole blood gene expression profiles from Asthma BRIDGE. Results: Five miRNAs were differentially expressed across post-conception age (adjusted p < 0.0002) including two that were differentially expressed by IUS exposure in human fetal lung (p < 0.05). MiR-15a was differentially expressed by post-conception age (p = 0.00002), IUS exposure in human fetal lung (p = 0.005), and in the post-natal mouse lung (p = 0.01). MiR-15a was also associated with the in utero expression of GSDMB (adjusted p = 0.0002), a known childhood asthma gene and with asthma exacerbations (p = 0.0009) in Asthma BRIDGE. Thus, miR-15a is expressed during human lung development, is impacted by IUS exposure, regulates the intrauterine expression of asthma genes, and is associated with asthma severity. Conclusions: These results provide evidence for the role of miR-15a in the fetal origin of asthma.


2020 ◽  
Vol 318 (4) ◽  
pp. L705-L722 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alexandra Noël ◽  
Shannon Hansen ◽  
Anusha Zaman ◽  
Zakia Perveen ◽  
Rakeysha Pinkston ◽  
...  

Currently, more than 9 million American adults, including women of childbearing age, use electronic-cigarettes (e-cigs). Further, the prevalence of maternal vaping now approaching 10% is similar to that of maternal smoking. Little, however, is known about the effects of fetal exposures to nicotine-rich e-cig aerosols on lung development. In this study, we assessed whether in utero exposures to e-cig aerosols compromised lung development in mice. A third-generation e-cig device was used to expose pregnant BALB/c mice by inhalation to 36 mg/mL of nicotine cinnamon-flavored e-cig aerosols for 14–31 days. This included exposures for either 12 days before mating plus during gestation (preconception groups) or only during gestation (prenatal groups). Respective control mice were exposed to filtered air. Subgroups of offspring were euthanized at birth or at 4 wk of age. Compared with respective air-exposed controls, both preconception and prenatal exposures to e-cig aerosols significantly decreased the offspring birth weight and body length. In the preconception group, 7 inflammation-related genes were downregulated, including 4 genes common to both dams and fetuses, denoting an e-cig immunosuppressive effect. Lung morphometry assessments of preconception e-cig-exposed offspring showed a significantly increased tissue fraction at birth. This result was supported by the downregulation of 75 lung genes involved in the Wnt signaling, which is essential to lung organogenesis. Thus, our data indicate that maternal vaping impairs pregnancy outcomes, alters fetal lung structure, and dysregulates the Wnt signaling. This study provides experimental evidence for future regulations of e-cig products for pregnant women and developmentally vulnerable populations.


2005 ◽  
Vol 288 (1) ◽  
pp. L43-L51 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bernadette Chailley-Heu ◽  
Olivier Boucherat ◽  
Anne-Marie Barlier-Mur ◽  
Jacques R. Bourbon

The fibroblast growth factors (FGFs) are key players in fetal lung development, but little is known about their status in postnatal lung. Here, we investigated the expression pattern of FGF-18 transcripts through the perinatal period and evidenced a sevenfold increase after birth that paralleled changes in elastin expression. In vitro, recombinant human (rh)FGF-18 had a mitogenic activity on day 21 fetal rat lung fibroblasts and stimulated its own expression in the latter, whereas FGF-2 inhibited it. At 50 or 100 ng/ml, rhFGF-18 increased the expression of α-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA; 2.5-fold), a characteristic marker of myofibroblasts, of tropoelastin (6.5-fold), of lysyl oxidase (2-fold), and of fibulins 1 and 5 (8- and 2.2-fold) in confluent fibroblasts isolated from fetal day 21 lung; similar results were obtained with fibroblasts from day 3 postnatal lungs. Elastin protein expression was also slightly increased in fetal fibroblasts. Lung analysis on day 4 in rat pups that had received rhFGF-18 (3 μg) on days 0 and 1 showed a 1.7-fold increase of tropoelastin transcripts, whereas α-SMA transcripts were unchanged. In contrast, rhFGF-2 markedly decreased expression of elastin in vitro and in vivo and of fibulin 5 in vitro. In addition, vitamin A, which is known to enhance alveolar development, elevated FGF-18 and elastin expressions in day 2 lungs, thus advancing the biological increase. We postulate that FGF-18 is involved in postnatal lung development through stimulating myofibroblast proliferation and differentiation.


2004 ◽  
Vol 286 (1) ◽  
pp. L165-L173 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lin Shan ◽  
Rodica L. Emanuel ◽  
Denise Dewald ◽  
John S. Torday ◽  
Nithiananthan Asokanathan ◽  
...  

Bombesin-peptide (BLP) immunoreactivity occurs at high levels in fetal lung. Previous studies showed that bombesin promotes fetal lung development. To test the hypothesis that such effects are mediated by known mammalian bombesin receptors [gastrin-releasing peptide (GRP)/bombesin-preferring receptor (GRPR), neuromedin B (NMB) receptor (NMBR), and the orphan bombesin receptor subtype-3 (BRS-3)], we analyzed the ontogeny of GRPR, NMBR, and BRS-3 gene expression in mouse lung. We examined the regulation of these three genes by dexamethasone and bombesin, which modulate lung development. Using incorporation of [3H]thymidine and [3H]choline, we then assessed whether GRP, NMB, and Leu8-phyllolitorin modulate lung growth and maturation in fetal lung explants. GRPR gene expression was detected predominantly in utero, whereas NMBR and BRS-3 genes were expressed from embryonic days 13–16 and on multiple postnatal days. All three mRNAs are present in airway epithelium and mesenchymal cells but occur in different relative patterns. These genes were regulated differently. Dexamethasone and bombesin increased GRPR mRNA, bombesin downregulated NMBR, and neither agent affected BRS-3. GRP increased incorporation of [3H]thymidine and [3H]choline in explants, whereas NMB induced cell proliferation and Leu8-phyllolitorin yielded variable results. Cumulative data suggest the involvement of multiple BLP receptors, including novel molecules, and argue against simple functional redundancy within this gene family during lung development.


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