• Am. J. Respir. Cell Mol. Biol. · May 2010

    Transcription factor GATA-6 is expressed in quiescent myofibroblasts in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis.

    • Outi Leppäranta, Ville Pulkkinen, Katri Koli, Riika Vähätalo, Kaisa Salmenkivi, Vuokko L Kinnula, Markku Heikinheimo, and Marjukka Myllärniemi.
    • Department of Medicine, Pulmonary Division, FI-00014 University of Helsinki and Helsinki University Central Hospital, Helsinki, Finland. outi.lepparanta@helsinki.fi
    • Am. J. Respir. Cell Mol. Biol. 2010 May 1;42(5):626-32.

    AbstractIdiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) (histopathology of usual interstitial pneumonia [UIP]) is a progressive disease with poor prognosis. Characteristic features of IPF/UIP include fibroblastic foci, which are patchy lesions of focal, disarranged myofibroblasts. GATA-6 is a transcription factor linked with cell differentiation. Its role in the development of IPF has not previously been investigated. We hypothesized that GATA-6 participates in the differentiation of fibroblasts into myofibroblasts in IPF/UIP lungs. The expression patterns of GATA-6, the mesenchymal marker alpha-smooth muscle actin (alpha-SMA), and markers for proliferation (Ki67) and apoptosis (caspase-3) were analyzed in human IPF/UIP tissue samples. The effects of GATA-6 overexpression and silencing were studied in cell cultures. The results show that the alpha-SMA-positive fibroblastic foci in IPF/UIP lungs are positive for GATA-6, but negative for Ki67 and caspase-3. Cultured human IPF/UIP fibroblasts expressed GATA-6 mRNA, whereas cells from the normal adult lung did not. In cultured A549 lung epithelial cells, the induction of GATA-6 by transforming growth factor-beta1 resulted in simultaneous expression of alpha-SMA and decrease of E-cadherin. The inhibition of GATA-6 expression in fibroblasts showed that GATA-6 mediates the alpha-SMA-inducing signal of transforming growth factor-beta1. In conclusion, the hallmark of IPF/UIP histopathology, the fibroblast focus, consists of differentiated, quiescent cells that prominently express GATA-6.

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