scholarly journals Semaphorin 7A plays a critical role in TGF-β1–induced pulmonary fibrosis

2007 ◽  
Vol 204 (5) ◽  
pp. 1083-1093 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hye-Ryun Kang ◽  
Chun Geun Lee ◽  
Robert J. Homer ◽  
Jack A. Elias

Semaphorin (SEMA) 7A regulates neuronal and immune function. In these studies, we tested the hypothesis that SEMA 7A is also a critical regulator of tissue remodeling. These studies demonstrate that SEMA 7A and its receptors, plexin C1 and β1 integrins, are stimulated by transforming growth factor (TGF)-β1 in the murine lung. They also demonstrate that SEMA 7A plays a critical role in TGF-β1–induced fibrosis, myofibroblast hyperplasia, alveolar remodeling, and apoptosis. TGF-β1 stimulated SEMA 7A via a largely Smad 3–independent mechanism and stimulated SEMA 7A receptors, matrix proteins, CCN proteins, fibroblast growth factor 2, interleukin 13 receptor components, proteases, antiprotease, and apoptosis regulators via Smad 2/3–independent and SEMA 7A–dependent mechanisms. SEMA 7A also played an important role in the pathogenesis of bleomycin-induced pulmonary fibrosis. TGF-β1 and bleomycin also activated phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K) and protein kinase B (PKB)/AKT via SEMA 7A–dependent mechanisms, and PKB/AKT inhibition diminished TGF-β1–induced fibrosis. These observations demonstrate that SEMA 7A and its receptors are induced by TGF-β1 and that SEMA 7A plays a central role in a PI3K/PKB/AKT-dependent pathway that contributes to TGF-β1–induced fibrosis and remodeling. They also demonstrate that the effects of SEMA 7A are not specific for transgenic TGF-β1, highlighting the importance of these findings for other fibrotic stimuli.

2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (5) ◽  
pp. 2580
Author(s):  
Won Kil Lee ◽  
Yeongyeong Kim ◽  
Heejin Jang ◽  
Joo Hye Sim ◽  
Hye Jin Choi ◽  
...  

Myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME)/chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) is one of the most refractory diseases in humans and is characterized by severe central fatigue accompanied with various symptoms that affect daily life, such as impaired memory, depression, and somatic pain. However, the etiology and pathophysiological mechanisms of CFS remain unknown. To investigate the pathophysiological role of transforming growth factor (TGF)-β1, we injected a cytokine into the lateral ventricle of a C57BL/6 mouse. The intracranial injection of TGF-β1 increased the immobility duration in a forced swimming test (FST) and time spent at the closed arm in elevated plus maze (EPM) analysis. The mice injected with TGF-β1 into their brain showed increased sensitivity to pain in a von Frey test, and had a decreased retention time on rotarod and latency time in a bright box in a passive avoidance test. In addition, the serum levels of muscle fatigue biomarkers, lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) and creatine kinase (CK), were significantly increased after administration of TGF-β1. Intracranial injection of TGF-β1 significantly reduced the production of tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) in the ventral tegmental area, accompanied by a decreased level of dopamine in the striatum. The suppression of TH expression by TGF-β1 was confirmed in the human neuroblastoma cell line, SH-SY5Y. These results, which show that TGF-β1 induced fatigue-like behaviors by suppressing dopamine production, suggest that TGF-β1 plays a critical role in the development of central fatigue and is, therefore, a potential therapeutic target of the disease.


2019 ◽  
Vol 39 (12) ◽  
Author(s):  
Xi Wang ◽  
Zhe Cheng ◽  
Lingling Dai ◽  
Tianci Jiang ◽  
Liuqun Jia ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) are involved in various human diseases. Recently, H19 was reported to be upregulated in fibrotic rat lung and play a stimulative role in bleomycin (BLM)-induced pulmonary fibrosis in mice. However, its expression in human fibrotic lung tissues and mechanism of action remain unclear. Here, our observations showed that H19 expression was significantly upregulated and that of microRNA 140 (miR-140) was markedly reduced in pulmonary fibrotic tissues from idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) patients and transforming growth factor β1 (TGF-β1)-induced HBE and A549 cells. Moreover, the expression of H19 was negatively correlated with the expression of miR-140 in IPF tissues. H19 knockdown attenuated TGF-β1-induced pulmonary fibrosis in vitro. Furthermore, animal experiments showed that H19 knockdown attenuated BLM-induced pulmonary fibrosis in mice. The study of molecular mechanisms showed that H19 functioned via reduction of miR-140 expression by binding to miR-140. The increase of miR-140 inhibited TGF-β1-induced pulmonary fibrosis, and H19 upregulation diminished the inhibitory effects of miR-140 on TGF-β1-induced pulmonary fibrosis, which was involved in the TGF-β/Smad3 pathway. Taken together, our findings showed that H19 knockdown attenuated pulmonary fibrosis via the regulatory network of lncRNA H19–miR-140–TGF-β/Smad3 signaling, and H19 and miR-140 might represent therapeutic targets and early diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers for patients with pulmonary fibrosis.


2020 ◽  
Vol 34 ◽  
pp. 205873842092391 ◽  
Author(s):  
Min-na Dong ◽  
Yun Xiao ◽  
Yun-fei Li ◽  
Dong-mei Wang ◽  
Ya-ping Qu ◽  
...  

Intravenous Xuebijing (XBJ) therapy suppresses paraquat (PQ)-induced pulmonary fibrosis. However, the mechanism underlying this suppression remains unknown. This work aimed to analyze the miR-140-5p-induced effects of XBJ injection on PQ-induced pulmonary fibrosis in mice. The mice were arbitrarily assigned to four groups. The model group was administered with PQ only. The PQ treatment group was administered with PQ and XBJ. The control group was administered with saline only. The control treatment group was administered with XBJ only. The miR-140-5p and miR-140-5p knockout animal models were overexpressed. The gene expression levels of miR-140-5p, transglutaminase-2 (TG2), β-catenin, Wnt-1, connective tissue growth factor (CTGF), mothers against decapentaplegic homolog (Smad), and transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1) in the lungs were assayed with quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) and Western blot analysis. The levels of TGF-β1, CTGF, and matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9) in the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid were assessed by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Hydroxyproline (Hyp) levels and pulmonary fibrosis were also scored. After 14 days of PQ induction of pulmonary fibrosis, AdCMV-miR-140-5p, and XBJ upregulated miR-140-5p expression; blocked the expressions of TG2, Wnt-1, and β-catenin; and decreased p-Smad2, p-Smad3, CTGF, MMP-9, and TGF-β1 expressions. In addition, Hyp and pulmonary fibrosis scores in XBJ-treated mice decreased. Histological results confirmed that PQ-induced pulmonary fibrosis in XBJ-treated lungs was attenuated. TG2 expression and the Wnt-1/β-catenin signaling pathway were suppressed by the elevated levels of miR-140-5p expression. This inhibition was pivotal in the protective effect of XBJ against PQ-induced pulmonary fibrosis. Thus, XBJ efficiently alleviated PQ-induced pulmonary fibrosis in mice.


2013 ◽  
Vol 288 (38) ◽  
pp. 27159-27171 ◽  
Author(s):  
Meenakshi Maitra ◽  
Moushumi Dey ◽  
Wen-Cheng Yuan ◽  
Peter W. Nathanielsz ◽  
Christine Kim Garcia

Missense mutations of surfactant proteins are recognized as important causes of inherited lung fibrosis. Here, we study rare and common surfactant protein (SP)-A1 and SP-C variants, either discovered in our familial pulmonary fibrosis cohort or described by others. We show that expression of two SP-A1 (R219W and R242*) and three SP-C (I73T, M71V, and L188Q) variant proteins lead to the secretion of the profibrotic latent transforming growth factor (TGF)-β1 in lung epithelial cell lines. The secreted TGF-β1 is capable of autocrine and paracrine signaling and is dependent upon expression of the latent TGF-β1 binding proteins. The dependence upon unfolded protein response (UPR) mediators for TGF-β1 induction differs for each variant. TGF-β1 secretion induced by the expression of the common SP-A1 R219W variant is nearly completely blocked by silencing the UPR transducers IRE-1α and ATF6. In contrast, the secretion of TGF-β1 induced by two rare SP-C mutant proteins (I73T and M71V), is largely unaffected by UPR silencing or by the addition of the small molecular chaperone 4-phenylbutyric acid, implicating a UPR-independent mechanism for these variants. Blocking TGF-β1 secretion reverses cell death of RLE-6TN cells expressing these SP-A1 and SP-C variants suggesting that anti-TGF-β therapeutics may be beneficial to this molecularly defined subgroup of pulmonary fibrosis patients.


2013 ◽  
Vol 25 (1) ◽  
pp. 162 ◽  
Author(s):  
Q. Meng ◽  
J. Hall ◽  
H. Rutigliano ◽  
X. Zhou ◽  
B. R. Sessions ◽  
...  

Transforming growth factor β1 (TGF-β1) has a potent profibrotic function and is central to signaling cascades involved in interstitial fibrosis, which plays a critical role in the pathobiology of cardiomyopathy and contributes to diastolic and systolic dysfunction. In addition, fibrotic remodeling is responsible for generation of re-entry circuits that promote arrhythmias (Bujak and Frangogiannis 2007 Cardiovasc. Res. 74, 184–195). Due to the small size of the heart, functional electrophysiology of transgenic mice is problematic. Large transgenic animal models have the potential to offer insights into conduction heterogeneity associated with fibrosis and the role of fibrosis in cardiovascular diseases. The goal of this study was to generate transgenic goats overexpressing an active form of TGFβ-1 under control of the cardiac-specific α-myosin heavy chain promoter (α-MHC). A pcDNA3.1DV5-MHC-TGF-β1cys33ser vector was constructed by subcloning the MHC-TGF-β1 fragment from the plasmid pUC-BM20-MHC-TGF-β1 (Nakajima et al. 2000 Circ. Res. 86, 571–579) into the pcDNA3.1D V5 vector. The Neon transfection system was used to electroporate primary goat fetal fibroblasts. After G418 selection and PCR screening, transgenic cells were used for SCNT. Oocytes were collected by slicing ovaries from an abattoir and matured in vitro in an incubator with 5% CO2 in air. Cumulus cells were removed at 21 to 23 h post-maturation. Oocytes were enucleated by aspirating the first polar body and nearby cytoplasm by micromanipulation in Hepes-buffered SOF medium with 10 µg of cytochalasin B mL–1. Transgenic somatic cells were individually inserted into the perivitelline space and fused with enucleated oocytes using double electrical pulses of 1.8 kV cm–1 (40 µs each). Reconstructed embryos were activated by ionomycin (5 min) and DMAP and cycloheximide (CHX) treatments. Cloned embryos were cultured in G1 medium for 12 to 60 h in vitro and then transferred into synchronized recipient females. Pregnancy was examined by ultrasonography on day 30 post-transfer. A total of 246 cloned embryos were transferred into 14 recipients that resulted in production of 7 kids. The pregnancy rate was higher in the group cultured for 12 h compared with those cultured 36 to 60 h [44.4% (n = 9) v. 20% (n = 5)]. The kidding rates per embryo transferred of these 2 groups were 3.8% (n = 156) and 1.1% (n = 90), respectively. The PCR results confirmed that all the clones were transgenic. Phenotype characterization [e.g. gene expression, electrocardiogram (ECG), and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)] is underway. We demonstrated successful production of transgenic goat via SCNT. To our knowledge, this is the first transgenic goat model produced for cardiovascular research. This work was supported by the Utah Science Technology and Research Initiative, Utah Multidisciplinary Arrhythmia Consortium.


2004 ◽  
Vol 78 (4) ◽  
pp. 1697-1705 ◽  
Author(s):  
Makoto Fukuda ◽  
Richard Longnecker

ABSTRACT Latent membrane protein 2A (LMP2A) blocks B-cell receptor signal transduction in vitro by binding the Syk and Lyn protein tyrosine kinases. As well as blocking B-cell signal transduction, LMP2A has been shown to activate the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3-K)/Akt pathway, which acts as a survival signal in both B cells and epithelial cells. Transforming growth factor β1 (TGF-β1) is a multifunctional cytokine that plays important roles in regulating cell growth and differentiation in many biological systems. The loss of the growth-inhibitory response to the TGF-β1 signal is found in many cancers and is widely thought to promote tumor development. In this study, we found that LMP2A induced the phosphorylation of Akt (serine 473) in Burkitt's lymphoma cell line Ramos and in gastric carcinoma cell line HSC-39 and partially enhanced cell viability following TGF-β1 treatment. In addition, LMP2A partially inhibited TGF-β1-induced DNA fragmentation and cleavage of poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP). In the presence of LY294002, an inhibitor of PI3-K, the LMP2A-mediated inhibitory effects on TGF-β1-induced DNA fragmentation and cleavage of PARP were alleviated. Furthermore, LMP2A did not alter the levels of expression of type I and type II TGF-β1 receptors. Taken together, these results suggest that LMP2A may inhibit TGF-β1-mediated apoptosis through activation of the PI3-K/Akt pathway.


2000 ◽  
Vol 192 (5) ◽  
pp. 695-704 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maria R. DiChiara ◽  
Jeanne Marie Kiely ◽  
Michael A. Gimbrone ◽  
Mu-En Lee ◽  
Mark A. Perrella ◽  
...  

Transforming growth factor (TGF)-β1 is a pleiotropic cytokine/growth factor that is thought to play a critical role in the modulation of inflammatory events. We demonstrate that exogenous TGF-β1 can inhibit the expression of the proinflammatory adhesion molecule, E-selectin, in vascular endothelium exposed to inflammatory stimuli both in vitro and in vivo. This inhibitory effect occurs at the level of transcription of the E-selectin gene and is dependent on the action of Smad proteins, a class of intracellular signaling proteins involved in mediating the cellular effects of TGF-β1. Furthermore, we demonstrate that these Smad-mediated effects in endothelial cells result from a novel competitive interaction between Smad proteins activated by TGF-β1 and nuclear factor κB (NFκB) proteins activated by inflammatory stimuli (such as cytokines or bacterial lipopolysaccharide) that is mediated by the transcriptional coactivator cyclic AMP response element–binding protein (CREB)-binding protein (CBP). Augmentation of the limited amount of CBP present in endothelial cells (via overexpression) or selective disruption of Smad–CBP interactions (via a dominant negative strategy) effectively antagonizes the ability of TGF-β1 to block proinflammatory E-selectin expression. These data thus demonstrate a novel mechanism of interaction between TGF-β1–regulated Smad proteins and NFκB proteins regulated by inflammatory stimuli in vascular endothelial cells. This type of signaling mechanism may play an important role in the immunomodulatory actions of this cytokine/growth factor in the cardiovascular system.


2015 ◽  
Vol 308 (5) ◽  
pp. C362-C371 ◽  
Author(s):  
Konstantinos A. Papadakis ◽  
James Krempski ◽  
Jesse Reiter ◽  
Phyllis Svingen ◽  
Yuning Xiong ◽  
...  

KLF10 has recently elicited significant attention as a transcriptional regulator of transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1) signaling in CD4+ T cells. In the current study, we demonstrate a novel role for KLF10 in the regulation of TGF-β receptor II (TGF-βRII) expression with functional relevance in antiviral immune response. Specifically, we show that KLF10-deficient mice have an increased number of effector/memory CD8+ T cells, display higher levels of the T helper type 1 cell-associated transcription factor T-bet, and produce more IFN-γ following in vitro stimulation. In addition, KLF10−/− CD8+ T cells show enhanced proliferation in vitro and homeostatic proliferation in vivo. Freshly isolated CD8+ T cells from the spleen of adult mice express lower levels of surface TGF-βRII (TβRII). Congruently, in vitro activation of KLF10-deficient CD8+ T cells upregulate TGF-βRII to a lesser extent compared with wild-type (WT) CD8+ T cells, which results in attenuated Smad2 phosphorylation following TGF-β1 stimulation compared with WT CD8+ T cells. Moreover, we demonstrate that KLF10 directly binds to the TGF-βRII promoter in T cells, leading to enhanced gene expression. In vivo viral infection with Daniel's strain Theiler's murine encephalomyelitis virus (TMEV) also led to lower expression of TGF-βRII among viral-specific KLF10−/− CD8+ T cells and a higher percentage of IFN-γ-producing CD8+ T cells in the spleen. Collectively, our data reveal a critical role for KLF10 in the transcriptional activation of TGF-βRII in CD8+ T cells. Thus, KLF10 regulation of TGF-βRII in this cell subset may likely play a critical role in viral and tumor immune responses for which the integrity of the TGF-β1/TGF-βRII signaling pathway is crucial.


2018 ◽  
Vol 27 (148) ◽  
pp. 180033 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chandak Upagupta ◽  
Chiko Shimbori ◽  
Rahmah Alsilmi ◽  
Martin Kolb

Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a devastating, progressive disease, marked by excessive scarring, which leads to increased tissue stiffness, loss in lung function and ultimately death. IPF is characterised by progressive fibroblast and myofibroblast proliferation, and extensive deposition of extracellular matrix (ECM). Myofibroblasts play a key role in ECM deposition. Transforming growth factor (TGF)-β1 is a major growth factor involved in myofibroblast differentiation, and the creation of a profibrotic microenvironment. There is a strong link between increased ECM stiffness and profibrotic changes in cell phenotype and differentiation. The activation of TGF-β1 in response to mechanical stress from a stiff ECM explains some of the influence of the tissue microenvironment on cell phenotype and function. Understanding the close relationship between cells and their surrounding microenvironment will ultimately facilitate better management strategies for IPF.


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