scholarly journals Na+/H+ Exchangers Are Required for the Development and Function of Vertebrate Mucociliary Epithelia

2018 ◽  
Vol 205 (5-6) ◽  
pp. 279-292 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dingyuan I. Sun ◽  
Alexia Tasca ◽  
Maximilian Haas ◽  
Grober Baltazar ◽  
Richard M. Harland ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Wnt Signaling ◽  
Wnt Signaling Pathway ◽  
Airway Epithelial Cells ◽  
Airway Epithelial ◽  
Ph Homeostasis ◽  
Human Respiratory Tract ◽  
Airway Infections ◽  
Cilia Formation ◽  
And Function ◽  
Mucociliary Epithelia

Na+/H+ exchangers (NHEs) represent a highly conserved family of ion transporters that regulate pH homeostasis. NHEs as well as other proton transporters were previously linked to the regulation of the Wnt signaling pathway, cell polarity signaling, and mucociliary function. Furthermore, mutations in the gene SLC9A3 (encoding NHE3) were detected as additional risk factors for airway infections in cystic fibrosis patients. Here, we used the Xenopus embryonic mucociliary epidermis as well as human airway epithelial cells (HAECs) as models to investigate the functional roles of NHEs in mucociliary development and regeneration. In Xenopus embryos, NHEs 1–3 were expressed during epidermal development, and loss of NHE function impaired mucociliary clearance in tadpoles. Clearance defects were caused by reduced cilia formation, disrupted alignment of basal bodies in multiciliated cells (MCCs), and dysregulated mucociliary gene expression. These data also suggested that NHEs may contribute to the activation of Wnt signaling in mucociliary epithelia. In HAECs, pharmacological inhibition of NHE function also caused defective ciliation and regeneration in airway MCCs. Collectively, our data revealed a requirement for NHEs in vertebrate mucociliary epithelia and linked NHE activity to cilia formation and function in differentiating MCCs. Our results provide an entry point for the understanding of the contribution of NHEs to signaling, development, and pathogenesis in the human respiratory tract.

scholarly journals Wnt Signaling in Vascular Calcification

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kaylee Bundy ◽  
Jada Boone ◽  
C. LaShan Simpson
Keyword(s):  
Cardiovascular Disease ◽  
Wnt Signaling ◽  
Signaling Pathway ◽  
Vascular Calcification ◽  
Arterial Wall ◽  
Wnt Signaling Pathway ◽  
Phenotypic Switch ◽  
Wnt Ligands ◽  
And Function ◽  
Canonical Wnt

Cardiovascular disease is a worldwide epidemic and considered the leading cause of death globally. Due to its high mortality rates, it is imperative to study the underlying causes and mechanisms of the disease. Vascular calcification, or the buildup of hydroxyapatite within the arterial wall, is one of the greatest contributors to cardiovascular disease. Medial vascular calcification is a predictor of cardiovascular events such as, but not limited to, hypertension, stiffness, and even heart failure. Vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs), which line the arterial wall and function to maintain blood pressure, are hypothesized to undergo a phenotypic switch into bone-forming cells during calcification, mimicking the manner by which mesenchymal stem cells differentiate into osteoblast cells throughout osteogenesis. RunX2, a transcription factor necessary for osteoblast differentiation and a target gene of the Wnt signaling pathway, has also shown to be upregulated when calcification is present, implicating that the Wnt cascade may be a key player in the transdifferentiation of VSMCs. It is important to note that the phenotypic switch of VSMCs from a healthy, contractile state to a proliferative, synthetic state is necessary in response to the vascular injury surrounding calcification. The lingering question, however, is if VSMCs acquire this synthetic phenotype through the Wnt pathway, how and why does this signaling occur? This review seeks to highlight the potential role of the canonical Wnt signaling pathway within vascular calcification based on several studies and further discuss the Wnt ligands that specifically aid in VSMC transdifferentiation.

scholarly journals mTORC1 activation in lung mesenchyme drives sex- and age-dependent pulmonary structure and function decline

2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Kseniya Obraztsova ◽  
Maria C. Basil ◽  
Ryan Rue ◽  
Aravind Sivakumar ◽  
Susan M. Lin ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Gene Expression ◽  
Wnt Signaling ◽  
Wnt Signaling Pathway ◽  
Mesenchymal Cell ◽  
Mouse Lung ◽  
Specific Gene ◽  
Alveolar Epithelial ◽  
Cystic Lung ◽  
Age Dependent ◽  
And Function

Abstract Lymphangioleiomyomatosis (LAM) is a rare fatal cystic lung disease due to bi-allelic inactivating mutations in tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC1/TSC2) genes coding for suppressors of the mechanistic target of rapamycin complex 1 (mTORC1). The origin of LAM cells is still unknown. Here, we profile a LAM lung compared to an age- and sex-matched healthy control lung as a hypothesis-generating approach to identify cell subtypes that are specific to LAM. Our single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) analysis reveals novel mesenchymal and transitional alveolar epithelial states unique to LAM lung. This analysis identifies a mesenchymal cell hub coordinating the LAM disease phenotype. Mesenchymal-restricted deletion of Tsc2 in the mouse lung produces a mTORC1-driven pulmonary phenotype, with a progressive disruption of alveolar structure, a decline in pulmonary function, increase of rapamycin-sensitive expression of WNT ligands, and profound female-specific changes in mesenchymal and epithelial lung cell gene expression. Genetic inactivation of WNT signaling reverses age-dependent changes of mTORC1-driven lung phenotype, but WNT activation alone in lung mesenchyme is not sufficient for the development of mouse LAM-like phenotype. The alterations in gene expression are driven by distinctive crosstalk between mesenchymal and epithelial subsets of cells observed in mesenchymal Tsc2-deficient lungs. This study identifies sex- and age-specific gene changes in the mTORC1-activated lung mesenchyme and establishes the importance of the WNT signaling pathway in the mTORC1-driven lung phenotype.

scholarly journals The Virulence Potential of Livestock-Associated Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus Cultured from the Airways of Cystic Fibrosis Patients

Toxins ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (6) ◽  
pp. 360
Author(s):  
Janina Treffon ◽  
Sarah Ann Fotiadis ◽  
Sarah van Alen ◽  
Karsten Becker ◽  
Barbara C. Kahl
Keyword(s):  
Cystic Fibrosis ◽  
Staphylococcus Aureus ◽  
Airway Epithelial Cells ◽  
Farm Animals ◽  
Airway Epithelial ◽  
Methicillin Resistant ◽  
Virulence Potential ◽  
Airway Infections ◽  
Severe Infections

Staphylococcus aureus is one of the most common pathogens that infects the airways of patients with cystic fibrosis (CF) and contributes to respiratory failure. Recently, livestock-associated methicillin-resistant S. aureus (LA-MRSA), usually cultured in farm animals, were detected in CF airways. Although some of these strains are able to establish severe infections in humans, there is limited knowledge about the role of LA-MRSA virulence in CF lung disease. To address this issue, we analyzed LA-MRSA, hospital-associated (HA-) MRSA and methicillin-susceptible S. aureus (MSSA) clinical isolates recovered early in the course of airway infection and several years after persistence in this hostile environment from pulmonary specimens of nine CF patients regarding important virulence traits such as their hemolytic activity, biofilm formation, invasion in airway epithelial cells, cytotoxicity, and antibiotic susceptibility. We detected that CF LA-MRSA isolates were resistant to tetracycline, more hemolytic and cytotoxic than HA-MRSA, and more invasive than MSSA. Despite the residence in the animal host, LA-MRSA still represent a serious threat to humans, as such clones possess a virulence potential similar or even higher than that of HA-MRSA. Furthermore, we confirmed that S. aureus individually adapts to the airways of CF patients, which eventually impedes the success of antistaphylococcal therapy of airway infections in CF.

scholarly journals LasR-deficient Pseudomonas aeruginosa variants increase airway epithelial mICAM-1 expression and enhance neutrophilic lung inflammation

2021 ◽  
Vol 17 (3) ◽  
pp. e1009375
Author(s):  
Lisa C. Hennemann ◽  
Shantelle L. LaFayette ◽  
Julien K. Malet ◽  
Perrine Bortolotti ◽  
Tianxiao Yang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Pseudomonas Aeruginosa ◽  
Lung Inflammation ◽  
Airway Epithelial Cells ◽  
Model Systems ◽  
Infection Model ◽  
Airway Epithelial ◽  
Loss Of Function ◽  
Lung Function Decline ◽  
Neutrophilic Inflammation ◽  
Airway Infections

Pseudomonas aeruginosa causes chronic airway infections, a major determinant of lung inflammation and damage in cystic fibrosis (CF). Loss-of-function lasR mutants commonly arise during chronic CF infections, are associated with accelerated lung function decline in CF patients and induce exaggerated neutrophilic inflammation in model systems. In this study, we investigated how lasR mutants modulate airway epithelial membrane bound ICAM-1 (mICAM-1), a surface adhesion molecule, and determined its impact on neutrophilic inflammation in vitro and in vivo. We demonstrated that LasR-deficient strains induce increased mICAM-1 levels in airway epithelial cells compared to wild-type strains, an effect attributable to the loss of mICAM-1 degradation by LasR-regulated proteases and associated with enhanced neutrophil adhesion. In a subacute airway infection model, we also observed that lasR mutant-infected mice displayed greater airway epithelial ICAM-1 expression and increased neutrophilic pulmonary inflammation. Our findings provide new insights into the intricate interplay between lasR mutants, LasR-regulated proteases and airway epithelial ICAM-1 expression, and reveal a new mechanism involved in the exaggerated inflammatory response induced by lasR mutants.

The rescue of F508del-CFTR by elexacaftor/tezacaftor/ivacaftor (Trikafta) in human airway epithelial cells is underestimated due to the presence of ivacaftor

2021 ◽  
pp. 2100671
Author(s):  
Frédéric Becq ◽  
Sandra Mirval ◽  
Thomas Carrez ◽  
Manuella Lévêque ◽  
Arnaud Billet ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Epithelial Cells ◽  
Short Circuit ◽  
Ussing Chamber ◽  
Short Circuit Current ◽  
Airway Epithelial Cells ◽  
Airway Epithelial ◽  
Triple Combination Therapy ◽  
Whole Cell Patch Clamp ◽  
Membrane Location ◽  
And Function

Trikafta, currently the leading therapeutic in Cystic Fibrosis (CF), has demonstrated a real clinical benefit. This treatment is the triple combination therapy of two folding correctors elexacaftor/tezacaftor (VX445/VX661) plus the gating potentiator ivacaftor (VX770). In this study, our aim was to compare the properties of F508del-CFTR in cells treated with either lumacaftor (VX809), tezacaftor, elexacaftor, elexacaftor/tezacaftor with or without ivacaftor. We studied F508del-CFTR function, maturation and membrane localisation by Ussing chamber and whole-cell patch clamp recordings, Western blot and immunolocalization experiments. With human primary airway epithelial cells and the cell lines CFBE and BHK expressing F508del, we found that, whereas the combination elexacaftor/tezacaftor/ivacaftor was efficient in rescuing F508del-CFTR abnormal maturation, apical membrane location and function, the presence of ivacaftor limits these effects. The basal F508del-CFTR short-circuit current was significantly increased by elexacaftor/tezacaftor/ivacaftor and elexacaftor/tezacaftor compared to other correctors and non-treated cells, an effect dependent on ivacaftor and cAMP. These results suggest that the level of the basal F508del-CFTR current might be a marker for correction efficacy in CF cells. When cells were treated with ivacaftor combined to any correctors, the F508del-CFTR current was unresponsive to the subsequently acute addition of ivacaftor unlike the CFTR potentiators genistein and Cact-A1 which increased elexacaftor/tezacaftor/ivacaftor and elexacaftor/tezacaftor-corrected F508del-CFTR currents. These findings show that ivacaftor reduces the correction efficacy of Trikafta. Thus, combining elexacaftor/tezacaftor with a different potentiator might improve the therapeutic efficacy for treating CF patients.

Dynamic interaction between airway epithelial cells andStaphylococcus aureus

2004 ◽  
Vol 287 (3) ◽  
pp. L543-L551 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mauricio C. A. da Silva ◽  
Jean-Marie Zahm ◽  
Delphine Gras ◽  
Odile Bajolet ◽  
Michel Abely ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Epithelial Cells ◽  
Pulmonary Infection ◽  
Airway Epithelial Cell ◽  
Cell Damage ◽  
Airway Epithelial Cells ◽  
Host Cells ◽  
Airway Epithelial ◽  
Bacterial Concentration ◽  
Airway Infections ◽  
Airway Cells

Staphylococcus aureus is a major cause of pulmonary infection, particularly in cystic fibrosis (CF) patients. However, few aspects of the interplay between S. aureus and host airway epithelial cells have been investigated thus far. We investigated by videomicroscopy the time- and bacterial concentration-dependent (104, 106, and 108CFU/ml) effect of S. aureus on adherence, internalization, and the associated damage of the airway epithelial cells. The balance between the secretion by S. aureus of the α-toxin virulence factor and by the airway cells of the antibacterial secretory leukoproteinase inhibitor (SLPI) was also analyzed. After 1 h of interaction, whatever the initial bacterial concentration, a low percentage of S. aureus (<8%) adhered to airway cells, and no airway epithelial cell damage was observed. In contrast, after 24 h of incubation, more bacteria adhered to airway epithelial cells, internalized bacteria were observed, and a bacterial concentration-dependent effect on airway cell damage was observed. At 24 h, most airway cells incubated with bacteria at 108CFU/ml exhibited a necrotic phenotype. The necrosis was preceded by a transient apoptotic process. In parallel, we observed a time- and bacterial concentration-dependent decrease in SLPI and increase in α-toxin expression. These results suggest that airway cells can defend against S. aureus in the early stages of infection. However, in later phases, there is a marked imbalance between the bactericidal capacity of host cells and bacterial virulence. These findings reinforce the potential importance of S. aureus in the pathogenicity of airway infections, including those observed early in CF patients.

Regulation of TLR2 Expression and Function in Human Airway Epithelial Cells

2009 ◽  
Vol 229 (2) ◽  
pp. 101-113 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tamene Melkamu ◽  
Diane Squillace ◽  
Hirohito Kita ◽  
Scott M. O’Grady
Keyword(s):  
Epithelial Cells ◽  
Airway Epithelial Cells ◽  
Airway Epithelial ◽  
Tlr2 Expression ◽  
Human Airway ◽  
And Function ◽  
Human Airway Epithelial Cells

scholarly journals Expression of IL-4/IL-13 receptors in differentiating human airway epithelial cells

2010 ◽  
Vol 299 (5) ◽  
pp. L681-L693 ◽  
Author(s):  
Steven R. White ◽  
Linda D. Martin ◽  
Randi Stern ◽  
Bharathi Laxman ◽  
Bertha A. Marroquin
Keyword(s):  
Epithelial Cells ◽  
Airway Inflammation ◽  
Ciliated Cell ◽  
Airway Epithelial Cells ◽  
Receptor Expression ◽  
Airway Epithelial ◽  
Functional Responses ◽  
Receptor Complexes ◽  
Differentiated Cells ◽  
And Function

IL-4 and IL-13 elicit several important responses in airway epithelium including chemokine secretion and mucous secretion that may contribute to airway inflammation, cell migration, and differentiation. These cytokines have overlapping but not identical effector profiles likely due to shared subunits in their receptor complexes. These receptors are variably described in epithelial cells, and the relative expression, localization, and function of these receptors in differentiated and repairing epithelial cells are not clear. We examined IL-4/IL-13 receptor expression and localization in primary airway epithelial cells collected from normal human lungs and grown under conditions yielding both undifferentiated and differentiated cells inclusive of basal, goblet, and ciliated cell phenotypes. Gene expression of the IL-4Rα, IL-2Rγc, IL-13Rα1, and IL-13Rα2 receptor subunits increased with differentiation, but different patterns of localization and protein abundance were seen for each subunit based on both differentiation and the cell subtypes present. Increased expression of receptor subunits observed in more differentiated cells was associated with more substantial functional responses to IL-4 stimulation including increased eotaxin-3 expression and accelerated migration after injury. We demonstrate substantial differences in IL-4/IL-13 receptor subunit expression and responsiveness to IL-4 based on the extent of airway epithelial cell differentiation and suggest that these differences may have functional consequences in airway inflammation.

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