American journal of respiratory cell and molecular biology
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Am. J. Respir. Cell Mol. Biol. · Mar 2016
Role of Transient Receptor Potential Vanilloid 4 in Neutrophil Activation and Acute Lung Injury.
The cation channel transient receptor potential vanilloid (TRPV) 4 is expressed in endothelial and immune cells; however, its role in acute lung injury (ALI) is unclear. The functional relevance of TRPV4 was assessed in vivo, in isolated murine lungs, and in isolated neutrophils. Genetic deficiency of TRPV4 attenuated the functional, histological, and inflammatory hallmarks of acid-induced ALI. ⋯ TRPV4 deficiency prevented neutrophil responses to proinflammatory stimuli, including the formation of reactive oxygen species, neutrophil adhesion, and chemotaxis, putatively due to reduced activation of Rac. In chimeric mice, however, the majority of protective effects in acid-induced ALI were attributable to genetic deficiency of TRPV4 in parenchymal tissue, whereas TRPV4 deficiency in circulating blood cells primarily reduced lung myeloperoxidase activity. Our findings identify TRPV4 as novel regulator of neutrophil activation and suggest contributions of both parenchymal and neutrophilic TRPV4 in the pathophysiology of ALI.
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Am. J. Respir. Cell Mol. Biol. · Mar 2016
Review Historical ArticleSleep Apnea Research in Animals. Past, Present, and Future.
Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a common disorder that describes recurrent collapse of the upper airway during sleep. Animal models have been pivotal to the understanding of OSA pathogenesis, consequences, and treatment. In this review, we highlight the history of OSA research in animals and include the discovery of animals with spontaneous OSA, the induction of OSA in animals, and the emulation of OSA using exposures to intermittent hypoxia and sleep fragmentation.
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Am. J. Respir. Cell Mol. Biol. · Mar 2016
Activation of Calpain-2 by Mediators in Pulmonary Vascular Remodeling of Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension.
Calpain mediates collagen synthesis and cell proliferation and plays an important role in pulmonary vascular remodeling in pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH). In the present study, we investigated whether and how calpain is activated by PAH mediators in pulmonary artery smooth muscle cells (PASMCs). These data show that smooth muscle-specific knockout of calpain attenuated and knockout of calpastatin potentiated pulmonary vascular remodeling and pulmonary hypertension. ⋯ Furthermore, smooth muscle of pulmonary arteries in PAH animal models and patients with PAH showed higher levels of phospho-Ser50-calpain-2 (P-Ser50) and lower levels of phospho-Ser369-calpain-2 (P-Ser369). These data support that calpain modulates pulmonary vascular remodeling in PAH. PAH mediator-induced activation of calpain is caused by ERK1/2-dependent phosphorylation of calpain-2 at Ser50 and protein phosphatase 2A-dependent dephosphorylation of calpain-2 at Ser369 in pulmonary vascular remodeling of PAH.
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Am. J. Respir. Cell Mol. Biol. · Mar 2016
Alpha-1 Antitrypsin Mitigates the Inhibition of Airway Epithelial Cell Repair by Neutrophil Elastase.
Neutrophil elastase (NE) activity is associated with many destructive lung diseases and is a predictor for structural lung damage in early cystic fibrosis (CF), which suggests normal maintenance of airway epithelium is prevented by uninhibited NE. However, limited data exist on how the NE activity in airways of very young children with CF affects function of the epithelia. The aim of this study was to determine if NE activity could inhibit epithelial homeostasis and repair and whether any functional effect was reversible by antiprotease alpha-1 antitrypsin (α1AT) treatment. ⋯ Similar concentrations of NE also significantly inhibited wound repair of pAECCF, but this effect was reversed by the addition of α1AT. Collectively, our results demonstrate free NE activity is deleterious for epithelial homeostasis and support the hypothesis that proteases in the airway contribute directly to CF structural lung disease. Our results also highlight the need to investigate antiprotease therapies in early CF disease in more detail.
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Am. J. Respir. Cell Mol. Biol. · Mar 2016
Increased Myeloid Cell Production and Lung Bacterial Clearance in Mice Exposed to Cigarette Smoke.
Pneumonia is a leading cause of hospitalization in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Although most patients with COPD are smokers, the effects of cigarette smoke exposure on clearance of lung bacterial pathogens and on immune and inflammatory responses are incompletely defined. Here, clearance of Streptococcus pneumoniae and Pseudomonas aeruginosa and associated immune responses were examined in mice exposed to cigarette smoke or after smoking cessation. ⋯ Comparing cytokine levels and myeloid cell production before infection in mice exposed to cigarette smoke with mice never exposed or after smoke cessation revealed that reduced bacterial burden was most strongly associated with higher levels of IL-1β and granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor in the lungs and with increased neutrophil reserve and monocyte turnover in the bone marrow. Using Serpinb1a-deficient mice with reduced neutrophil numbers and treatment with granulocyte colony-stimulating factor showed that increased neutrophil numbers contribute only in part to the effect of smoke on infection. Our findings indicate that cigarette smoke induces a temporary and reversible increase in clearance of lung pathogens, which correlates with local inflammation and increased myeloid cell output from the bone marrow.