scholarly journals A Profibrotic Phenotype in Naïve and in Fibrotic Lung Myofibroblasts Is Governed by Modulations in Thy-1 Expression and Activation

2018 ◽  
Vol 2018 ◽  
pp. 1-14 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pazit Y. Cohen ◽  
Raphael Breuer ◽  
Shulamit B. Wallach-Dayan

Lung fibrosis is characterized by abnormal accumulation of Thy-deficient fibroblasts in the interstitium of the alveolar space. We have previously shown in bleomycin-treated chimeric Thy1-deficient mice with wild-type lymphocytes that Thy1-deficient fibroblasts accumulate and promote fibrosis and an “inflammation-free” environment. Here, we aimed to identify the critical effects of Thy1, or the absence of Thy1, in lung myofibroblast profibrotic functions, particularly proliferation and collagen deposition. Using specific Thy1 siRNA in Thy1-positive cells, Thy1 knockout cells, Thy1 cDNA expression vector in Thy1-deficient cells, and Thy1 cross-linking, we evaluated cell proliferation (assessed by cell mass and BrdU uptake), differentiation (using immunofluorescence), and collagen deposition (using Sircol assay). We found that myofibroblast Thy1 cross-linking and genetic manipulation modulate cell proliferation and expression of Fgf (fibroblast growth factor) and Angtl (angiotensin) receptors (using qPCR) that are involved in myofibroblast proliferation, differentiation, and collagen deposition. In conclusion, lung myofibroblast downregulation of Thy1 expression is critical to increase proliferation, differentiation, and collagen deposition.

2016 ◽  
Vol 9 (411) ◽  
pp. ec10-ec10
Author(s):  
Annalisa M. VanHook

Pancreatic β cells adjust the secretion of insulin in response to acute changes in plasma glucose concentration. These cells also compensate for long-term changes in insulin sensitivity by adjusting their activity or numbers, or both (see Tarasov and Rorsman). In addition to being insulin resistant, mice lacking the liver insulin receptor (LIRKO mice) also exhibit β cell hyperplasia that depends on factors released from the liver. Using a proteomic approach, El Ouaamari etal. found that the abundance of the protease inhibitor serpinB1 was greater in liver extracts, liver explant–conditioned medium, and serum from LIRKO mice than in those from wild-type mice. SerpinB1 abundance correlated inversely with insulin sensitivity in human patients with risk factors for type 2 diabetes. Recombinant human serpinB1 stimulated the proliferation of β cells in cultured mouse and human islets in a dose-dependent manner. Elastase is a protease inhibited by serpinB1, and forms of serpinB1 that do not inhibit elastase activity did not stimulate proliferation of cultured mouse β cells. Compounds that inhibit elastase also promoted the proliferation of cultured mouse β cells. In mice, elastase inhibitors stimulated the proliferation of both endogenous β cells and the β cells of human islet grafts. Furthermore, overexpression of serpinb1 increased the regeneration of β cells following β cell ablation in zebrafish embryos. In several models of acute and chronic insulin resistance, serpinb1 knockout mice exhibited reduced β cell proliferation compared with wild-type controls. However, β cell proliferation was not abolished in serpinb1 knockouts, indicating that additional factors can induce compensatory proliferation of β cells. Phosphoproteomic analyses demonstrated that treatment of cultured mouse β cells with human serpinB1 stimulated signaling through several pathways that promote cell proliferation and survival. Commentary by Tarasov and Rorsman considers how these findings might be put to clinical use.A. El Ouaamari, E. Dirice, N. Gedeon, J. Hu, J.-Y. Zhou, J. Shirakawa, L. Hou, J. Goodman, C. Karampelias, G. Qiang, J. Boucher, R. Martinez, M. A. Gritsenko, D. F. De Jesus, S. Kahraman, S. Bhatt, R. D. Smith, H.-D. Beer, P. Jungtrakoon, Y. Gong, A. B. Goldfine, C. W. Liew, A. Doria, O. Andersson, W.-J. Qian, E. Remold-O’Donnell, R. N. Kulkarni, SerpinB1 promotes pancreatic β cell proliferation. CellMetab. 23, 194–205 (2016). [PubMed] A. I. Tarasov, P. Rorsman, Dramatis personae in β-cell mass regulation: Enter SerpinB1. CellMetab. 23, 8–10 (2016). [Online Journal]


2015 ◽  
Vol 26 (13) ◽  
pp. 2475-2490 ◽  
Author(s):  
Galina Schevzov ◽  
Anthony J. Kee ◽  
Bin Wang ◽  
Vanessa B. Sequeira ◽  
Jeff Hook ◽  
...  

ERK-regulated cell proliferation requires multiple phosphorylation events catalyzed first by MEK and then by casein kinase 2 (CK2), followed by interaction with importin7 and subsequent nuclear translocation of pERK. We report that genetic manipulation of a core component of the actin filaments of cancer cells, the tropomyosin Tm5NM1, regulates the proliferation of normal cells both in vitro and in vivo. Mouse embryo fibroblasts (MEFs) lacking Tm5NM1, which have reduced proliferative capacity, are insensitive to inhibition of ERK by peptide and small-molecule inhibitors, indicating that ERK is unable to regulate proliferation of these knockout (KO) cells. Treatment of wild-type MEFs with a CK2 inhibitor to block phosphorylation of the nuclear translocation signal in pERK resulted in greatly decreased cell proliferation and a significant reduction in the nuclear translocation of pERK. In contrast, Tm5NM1 KO MEFs, which show reduced nuclear translocation of pERK, were unaffected by inhibition of CK2. This suggested that it is nuclear translocation of CK2-phosphorylated pERK that regulates cell proliferation and this capacity is absent in Tm5NM1 KO cells. Proximity ligation assays confirmed a growth factor–stimulated interaction of pERK with Tm5NM1 and that the interaction of pERK with importin7 is greatly reduced in the Tm5NM1 KO cells.


Endocrinology ◽  
2008 ◽  
Vol 150 (3) ◽  
pp. 1147-1154 ◽  
Author(s):  
Akinobu Nakamura ◽  
Yasuo Terauchi ◽  
Sumika Ohyama ◽  
Junko Kubota ◽  
Hiroko Shimazaki ◽  
...  

We investigated the effect of glucokinase activator (GKA) on glucose metabolism and β-cell mass. We analyzed four mouse groups: wild-type mice and β-cell-specific haploinsufficiency of glucokinase gene (Gck+/−) mice on a high-fat (HF) diet. Each genotype was also treated with GKA mixed in the HF diet. Rodent insulinoma cells and isolated islets were used to evaluate β-cell proliferation by GKA. After 20 wk on the above diets, there were no differences in body weight, lipid profiles, and liver triglyceride content among the four groups. Glucose tolerance was improved shortly after the GKA treatment in both genotypes of mice. β-Cell mass increased in wild-type mice compared with Gck+/− mice, but a further increase was not observed after the administration of GKA in both genotypes. Interestingly, GKA was able to up-regulate insulin receptor substrate-2 (Irs-2) expression in insulinoma cells and isolated islets. The administration of GKA increased 5-bromo-2-deoxyuridine (BrdU) incorporation in insulinoma cells, and 3 d administration of GKA markedly increased BrdU incorporation in mice treated with GKA in both genotypes, compared with those without GKA. In conclusion, GKA was able to chronically improve glucose metabolism for mice on the HF diet. Although chronic GKA administration failed to cause a further increase in β-cell mass in vivo, GKA was able to increase beta cell proliferation in vitro and with a 3-d administration in vivo. This apparent discrepancy can be explained by a chronic reduction in ambient blood glucose levels by GKA treatment. Glucokinase activator is able to improve glucose metabolism and has an effect on β cell proliferation.


2010 ◽  
Vol 207 (11) ◽  
pp. 2521-2532 ◽  
Author(s):  
Francis A. Flomerfelt ◽  
Nahed El Kassar ◽  
Chandra Gurunathan ◽  
Kevin S. Chua ◽  
Stacy C. League ◽  
...  

Niche availability provided by stromal cells is critical to thymus function. Thymi with diminished function contain fewer stromal cells, whereas thymi with robust function contain proliferating stromal cell populations. Here, we show that the thymus, brain, and testes–associated gene (Tbata; also known as SPATIAL) regulates thymic epithelial cell (TEC) proliferation and thymus size. Tbata is expressed in thymic stromal cells and interacts with the enzyme Uba3, thereby inhibiting the Nedd8 pathway and cell proliferation. Thymi from aged Tbata-deficient mice are larger and contain more dividing TECs than wild-type littermate controls. In addition, thymic reconstitution after bone marrow transplantation occurred more rapidly in Rag2−/−Tbata−/− mice than in Rag2−/−Tbata+/+ littermate controls. These findings suggest that Tbata modulates thymus function by regulating stromal cell proliferation via the Nedd8 pathway.


2018 ◽  
Vol 238 (2) ◽  
pp. 151-163 ◽  
Author(s):  
Juan Sun ◽  
Liqun Mao ◽  
Hongyan Yang ◽  
Decheng Ren

Mutations in the pancreatic duodenal homeobox (PDX1) gene are associated with diabetes in humans. Pdx1-haploinsufficient mice also develop diabetes, but the molecular mechanism is unknown. To this end, we knocked down Pdx1 gene expression in mouse MIN6 insulinoma cells. Pdx1 suppression not only increased apoptotic cell death but also decreased cell proliferation, which was associated with a decrease in activity of mechanistic target of rapamycin complex 1 (mTORC1). We found that in Pdx1-deficient mice, tuberous sclerosis 1 (Tsc1) ablation in pancreatic β-cells restores β-cell mass, increases β-cell proliferation and size, decreases the number of TUNEL-positive cells and restores glucose tolerance after glucose challenge. In addition, Tsc1 ablation in pancreatic β-cells increases phosphorylation of initiation factor 4E-binding protein 1 (4E-BP1) phosphorylation and 40S ribosomal protein S6, two downstream targets of mTORC1 indicating that Tsc1 mediates mTORC1 downregulation induced by Pdx1 suppression. These results suggest that the Tsc1-mTORC1 pathway plays an important role in mediating the decrease in β-cell proliferation and growth and the reduction in β-cell mass that occurs in Pdx1-deficient diabetes. Thus, mTORC1 may be target for therapeutic interventions in diabetes associated with reductions in β-cell mass.


1994 ◽  
Vol 180 (2) ◽  
pp. 471-476 ◽  
Author(s):  
S A Berger ◽  
T W Mak ◽  
C J Paige

We demonstrate using primary mast cell cultures derived from wild-type and CD45-deficient mice that mast cell triggering through the high-affinity immunoglobulin E (IgE) receptor requires the cell surface tyrosine phosphatase CD45. Unlike wild-type cells, cross-linking of surface-bound IgE in mast cells deficient in CD45 does not induce degranulation. Degranulation in these mutant cells does occur after treatment with the calcium ionophore A23187 indicating that the degranulation machinery is intact in these cells. We also demonstrate that the tyrosine phosphatase inhibitors orthoVanadate and perVanadate inhibit degranulation in wild-type mast cells, as does cross-linking of CD45 by anti-CD45 antibodies. Finally, we show that CD45-deficient mice are resistant to IgE-dependent systemic anaphylaxis. These results show that, like the T cell receptor and the antigen receptor on B cells, there is an absolute requirement for CD45 in signaling via the high affinity IgE receptor, expanding the number of receptors for which CD45 is an essential component.


2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Yuzuru Ito ◽  
Mitsuyo Kaji ◽  
Eri Sakamoto ◽  
Yasuo Terauchi

Abstract The brain and nervous system play an important role in pancreatic β-cell function. This study investigated the role of muscarinic agonists or acetylcholine, which is the major neurotransmitter in the vagal nerve, in regulating pancreatic β-cell mass and glucose homeostasis. Administration of the muscarinic agonist bethanechol increased insulin secretion and improved glucose tolerance in insulin-receptor substrate 2 (IRS2)-knockout (IRS-2−/−) mice and diet-induced obesity mice. Oral administration of bethanechol increased β-cell mass and proliferation in wild-type mice, but not IRS-2−/− mice. The muscarinic agonist also increased the incorporation of 5-bromo-2′-deoxyuridine (BrdU) into islets isolated from wild-type mice and pancreatic β-cell line MIN6. The phosphorylation of protein kinase B (Akt) induced by oral administration of bethanechol was observed in wild-type mice, but not IRS-2−/− mice. The secretion of glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) was also stimulated by bethanechol in wild-type mice, and a GLP-1 antagonist partially inhibited the bethanechol-induced increase in β-cell mass. These results suggest that the muscarinic agonist exerted direct and indirect effects on β-cell proliferation that were dependent on the IRS-2/Akt pathway. The bethanechol-stimulated release of GLP-1 may be indirectly associated with β-cell proliferation.


Endocrinology ◽  
2002 ◽  
Vol 143 (4) ◽  
pp. 1378-1385 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael Freemark ◽  
Isabelle Avril ◽  
Don Fleenor ◽  
Phyllis Driscoll ◽  
Ann Petro ◽  
...  

Abstract PRL and placental lactogen (PL) stimulate β-cell proliferation and insulin gene transcription in isolated islets and rat insulinoma cells, but the roles of the lactogenic hormones in islet development and insulin production in vivo remain unclear. To clarify the roles of the lactogens in pancreatic development and function, we measured islet density (number of islets/cm2) and mean islet size, β-cell mass, pancreatic insulin mRNA levels, islet insulin content, and the insulin secretory response to glucose in an experimental model of lactogen resistance: the PRL receptor (PRLR)-deficient mouse. We then measured plasma glucose concentrations after ip injections of glucose or insulin. Compared with wild-type littermates, PRLR-deficient mice had 26–42% reductions (P < 0.01) in islet density and β-cell mass. The reductions in islet density and β-cell mass were noted as early as 3 wk of age and persisted through 8 months of age and were observed in both male and female mice. Pancreatic islets of PRLR-deficient mice were smaller than those of wild-type mice at weaning but not in adulthood. Pancreatic insulin mRNA levels were 20–30% lower (P < 0.05) in adult PRLR-deficient mice than in wild-type mice, and the insulin content of isolated islets was reduced by 16–25%. The insulin secretory response to ip glucose was blunted in PRLR-deficient males in vivo (P < 0.05) and in isolated islets of PRLR-deficient females and males in vitro (P < 0.01). Fasting blood glucose concentrations in PRLR-deficient mice were normal, but glucose levels after an ip glucose load were 10–20% higher (P < 0.02) than those in wild-type mice. On the other hand, the glucose response to ip insulin was normal. Our observations establish a physiologic role for lactogens in islet development and function.


2001 ◽  
Vol 120 (5) ◽  
pp. A728-A728
Author(s):  
D CHEN ◽  
L FRIISHANSEN ◽  
X WANG ◽  
C ZHAO ◽  
H WALDUM ◽  
...  

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