Modulation of smooth muscle phenotype in vitro by homologous cell substrate

2003 ◽  
Vol 284 (6) ◽  
pp. C1531-C1541 ◽  
Author(s):  
F. Tao ◽  
S. Chaudry ◽  
B. Tolloczko ◽  
J. G. Martin ◽  
S. M. Kelly

We have developed a novel cell culture system that supports the shortening of smooth muscle cells. Primary rat airway smooth muscle cells were plated on an ethanol-fixed, confluent monolayer of homologous smooth muscle cells (homologous cell substrate, HCS). Cells grown on HCS exhibited morphological and functional characteristics consistent with a differentiated phenotype. Cells on HCS were spindle shaped with a well-defined long axis, whereas cells grown on glass were larger and irregularly shaped. Smooth muscle-specific α-actin immunostained diffusely in cells on HCS, whereas it appeared as stress fibers in cells on glass. Agonists recruited a greater fraction of HCS cells to contract, resulting in greater changes in cell area or length on average, but the maximal capacity of shortening of individual cells was similar between the groups. Unlike cells on glass, cells on HCS shortened to methacholine. HCS was reversible and persisted over several passages. Agonists stimulated intracellular Ca2+ oscillations in cells on HCS, whereas they elicited biphasic peak and plateau transients in cells on glass. HCS modulates smooth muscle cell phenotype in vitro.

1999 ◽  
Vol 277 (3) ◽  
pp. L653-L661 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carol A. Hirshman ◽  
Charles W. Emala

Extracellular stimuli induce cytoskeleton reorganization (stress-fiber formation) in cells and Ca2+ sensitization in intact smooth muscle preparations by activating signaling pathways that involve Rho proteins, a subfamily of the Ras superfamily of monomeric G proteins. In airway smooth muscle, the agonists responsible for cytoskeletal reorganization via actin polymerization are poorly understood. Carbachol-, lysophosphatidic acid (LPA)-, and endothelin-1-induced increases in filamentous actin staining are indicative of actin reorganization (filamentous-to-globular actin ratios of 2.4 ± 0.3 in control cells, 6.7 ± 0.8 with carbachol, 7.2 ± 0.8 with LPA, and 7.4 ± 0.9 with endothelin-1; P < 0.001; n = 14 experiments). Although the effect of all agonists was blocked by C3 exoenzyme (inactivator of Rho), only carbachol was blocked by pertussis toxin. Although carbachol-induced actin reorganization was blocked in cells pretreated with antisense oligonucleotides directed against Gαi-2 alone, LPA- and endothelin-1-induced actin reorganization were only blocked when both Gαi-2 and Gqα were depleted. These data indicate that in human airway smooth muscle cells, carbachol induces actin reorganization via a Gαi-2pathway, whereas LPA or endothelin-1 induce actin reorganization via either a Gαi-2 or a Gqα pathway.


2013 ◽  
Vol 32 (3) ◽  
pp. 629-636 ◽  
Author(s):  
XIN ZENG ◽  
YING CHENG ◽  
YUEJUN QU ◽  
JIDE XU ◽  
ZHIYUAN HAN ◽  
...  

1995 ◽  
Vol 269 (2) ◽  
pp. L234-L240 ◽  
Author(s):  
B. Tolloczko ◽  
Y. L. Jia ◽  
J. G. Martin

Serotonin (5-HT) is an important mediator of allergic airway narrowing in several animal species. The present study was designed to characterize the receptor subtypes that mediate 5-HT-induced airway responses in the rat. To do this, we measured Ca2+ transients and adenosine 3',5'-cyclic monophosphate (cAMP) production evoked by 5-HT in cultured rat tracheal smooth muscle cells as well as 5-HT-induced contractions of isolated tracheal rings. 5-HT (10(-6) to 10(-4) M) triggered a rapid increase in intracellular Ca2+ concentration ([Ca2+]i) followed by a second phase of sustained, elevated, and sometimes oscillating levels of [Ca2+]i. Sustained but not peak [Ca2+]i levels were dependent on Ca2+ influx but were not attenuated by nifedipine (10(-5) M). Oscillations were observed in cells in Ca2+ -free medium, suggesting Ca2+ -induced Ca2+ release independent of Ca2+ influx. The effects of 5-HT were inhibited by thapsigargin (10(-6) M) and ketanserin (10(-7) M). In cells incubated with LY-278,584 (5-HT3 antagonist) and (-)pindolol (5-HT1 antagonist), 5-HT-evoked responses were not significantly different from the control values. 5-methyltryptamine (5-MT), a ligand with higher affinity for 5-HT2C receptors than "classical" 5-HT2 receptors, elicited higher responses than dipropyl-5-carboxamidotryptamine (DP-5-CT), which possesses lower affinity for 5-HT2C receptors than 5-MT, but an affinity for the classical 5-HT2 receptor similar to 5-MT, but an affinity for the classical 5-HT2 receptor similar to 5-MT.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)


2007 ◽  
Vol 292 (1) ◽  
pp. L258-L266 ◽  
Author(s):  
Debbie Clements ◽  
R. John Mayer ◽  
Simon R. Johnson

The products of the tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC) genes, hamartin and tuberin (TSC1 and 2), form a heteromer, which represses the kinase mammalian target of rapamycin. Loss of TSC1 or 2 results in diseases characterized by loss of cell-cycle control, including TSC and lymphangioleiomyomatosis. As tuberin has multiple signaling inputs, including phosphatidylinositide-3-OH kinase, mitogen-activated protein kinase, and adenosine monophosphate kinase, we postulated tuberin would have multiple protein interactions governed by subcellular localization and cellular status and examined this in primary human airway smooth muscle cells. Using immunofluorescence and confocal microscopy, tuberin was detected in cytoplasm, nucleus, nucleoli, and mitochondria. Fractionation of synchronized airway smooth cells showed that tuberin enters the nucleus in late G1, and passage through the cell cycle is necessary for nuclear entry. Deletion constructs showed localization sequences for the nucleus between amino acids 1351 and 1807, for mitochondria between 901 and 1350, and for cytoplasmic speckles between 1 and 450. Using fluorophore-tagged proteins, we observed fluorescence resonance energy transfer between tuberin and hamartin within these speckles, indicating a direct interaction between the proteins at this site. The observations that tuberin is localized to mitochondria and translocated to the nucleus in G1 are novel and consistent with interactions with proteins within multiple signaling pathways. Dynamic relocalization of tuberin may control these interactions to integrate these pathways. As tuberin has potential roles in proliferation, migration, and cell phenotype, it therefore warrants further investigation in diseases categorized by abnormalities in airway smooth muscle.


Author(s):  
Yue Wang ◽  
Yifan Zhang ◽  
Ming Zhang ◽  
Jingjing Li ◽  
Yan Pan ◽  
...  

Airway hyperresponsiveness (AHR) is one of the main pathologic features of bronchial asthma, which is largely attributable to enhanced contractile response of asthmatic airway smooth muscle. Although β2 adrenergic receptor agonists are commonly used to relax airway smooth muscle for treating AHR, there are side effects such as desensitization of long-term use. Therefore, it is desirable to develop alternative relaxant for airway smooth muscle, preferably based on natural products. One potential candidate is the inexpensive and widely available natural herb saponins of Dioscorea nipponicae (SDN), which has recently been reported to suppress the level of inflammatory factor IL-17A in ovalbumin-induced mice, thereby alleviating the inflammation symptoms of asthma. Here, we evaluated the biomechanical effect of SDN on IL-17A-mediated changes of cultured human airway smooth muscle cells (HASMCs) in vitro. The stiffness and traction force of the cells were measured by optical magnetic twisting cytometry (OMTC), and Fourier transform traction microscopy (FTTM), respectively. The cell proliferation was evaluated using 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) colorimetry, the cell migration was measured by cell scratch test, and the changes of cell cytoskeleton were assessed by laser confocal microscopy. We found that the stiffness and traction force of HASMCs were enhanced along with the increases of IL-17A concentration and exposure time, and SDN treatment dose-dependently reduced these IL-17A-induced changes in cell mechanical properties. Furthermore, SDN alleviated IL-17A-mediated effects on HASMCs proliferation, migration, and cytoskeleton remodeling. These results demonstrate that SDN could potentially be a novel drug candidate as bronchodilator for treating asthma-associated AHR.


2003 ◽  
Vol 94 (4) ◽  
pp. 1596-1601 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lynn M. Iwamoto ◽  
Kenneth T. Nakamura ◽  
Randal K. Wada

Inhibition of the Na-K-2Cl (NKCC) cotransporter by loop diuretics is associated with airway relaxation, but there has been no direct evidence for the expression of this protein in airway smooth muscle. Thus we hypothesized that a NKCC cotransporter is present and functional in airway smooth muscle cells. Monoclonal and polyclonal antibodies were used first to demonstrate the presence of a NKCC cotransporter protein in isolated human fetal trachea and normal human bronchial smooth muscle cells (BSMC) by Western blotting. The cotransporter protein was then localized by immunohistochemical staining to airway smooth muscle cells in culture and in situ. The localization was confirmed by indirect immunofluorescence and laser confocal microscopy in the BSMC. Cotransporter function in BSMC was also confirmed in vitro by bumetanide-mediated inhibition of rubidium uptake. Our present findings thus document the presence of a functional NKCC cotransporter in human airway smooth muscle, providing a basis for defining the role of this ion cotransporter in airway smooth muscle function.


1998 ◽  
Vol 274 (6) ◽  
pp. L951-L957 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael J. Maxwell ◽  
Roy G. Goldie ◽  
Peter J. Henry

The possibility that significant changes in endothelin (ET)A- and ETB-receptor density and function occur in airway smooth muscle cells (ASMCs) during cell growth and extended cell culture was investigated in sheep tracheal ASMCs. As in intact tracheal smooth muscle tissue from this species, early-passage sheep ASMCs contained a homogeneous population of ETA receptors. However, growth of ASMCs from seeding to postconfluence and repeated passage of ASMCs (6th to 14th passages) was associated with a substantial increase in ETB-receptor density, with no change in ETA-receptor density. ET-1-induced stimulation of ETBreceptors increased the intracellular Ca2+ concentration in single ASMCs. Interestingly, a 2-day period of serum deprivation completely eliminated the increase in ETB-receptor density and the ETB receptor-mediated change in intracellular Ca2+ concentration. In summary, growth and repeated passage of sheep ASMCs were associated with a profound and selective increase in the density and function of the ETB receptor, a receptor subtype not present in early-passage ASMCs and not detected in intact sheep tracheal airway smooth muscle.


1995 ◽  
Vol 268 (3) ◽  
pp. C771-C779 ◽  
Author(s):  
H. Yamaguchi ◽  
J. Kajita ◽  
J. M. Madison

The effects of isoproterenol (Iso) or photolysis of caged adenosine 3',5'-cyclic monophosphate (cAMP) on intracellular Ca2+ concentration ([Ca2+]i) were studied in single airway smooth muscle cells. Changes in [Ca2+]i were measured ratiometrically. In cells loaded with 10 microM fura 2-acetoxymethyl ester (AM), superfusion of Iso (10 microM) increased [Ca2+]i in 20 of 22 cells from 153.2 +/- 21.3 to 252.8 +/- 38.3 nM, and this increase depended on extracellular Ca2+ and was blocked by ryanodine (50 microM). Photolysis of intracellular caged cAMP increased [Ca2+]i by 104.0 +/- 17.3 nM in 20 cells and decreased [Ca2+]i by 49.3 +/- 9.4 nM in 10 cells. With modified confocal microscopy, peripheral [Ca2+]i was increased and inner cytosolic [Ca2+]i was decreased during stimulation with Iso. Iso-induced decreases in [Ca2+]i were also observed with conventional optics in cells loaded with 0.5 microM fura 2-AM. However, in these same cells, Iso increased [Ca2+]i in the presence of low concentrations of ryanodine (1-20 microM). We concluded that Iso decreased [Ca2+]i in the inner cytosol but increased [Ca2+]i in the peripheral cytosol by mechanisms that depended on both extracellular and sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca2+ release channels. Our study suggests that fluorescence from a peripheral cytosol with high [Ca2+]i can sometimes confound the measurement of “cytosolic” [Ca2+]i with conventional optics.


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