FGF-10 is a chemotactic factor for distal epithelial buds during lung development

Fibroblast growth factor (FGF) signaling is required for normal epithelial branching in the respiratory system of several species. Recent studies have shown that FGF-10 may be a key regulator of lung branching morphogenesis, based on its pattern of expression in the early lung and its ability to induce epithelial budding in vitro. In this study we investigate whether FGF-10 is able to direct lung epithelial buds to proper positions during development . We maintained localized high levels of FGF-10 in cultured lungs using FGF-10-soaked heparin beads. FGF-10 exerts a powerful chemoattractant effect on the distal but not on proximal lung epithelium. Epithelial buds grow toward an FGF-10 source within 24 h, and subsequently form concentric layers of epithelium around the bead. BrdU incorporation analysis suggests that FGF-10, in contrast to FGF-7, is a modest proliferation factor for the lung epithelium. In the absence of mesenchyme FGF-10 requires an associated proliferative signal to induce bud migration. This can be provided by extract from lung mesenchyme, or by FGF-7, a growth factor also present in the early embryonic lung. FGF-10 does not seem to interfere with early epithelial cell differentiation. The chemoattractant effect of FGF-10 in the lung epithelium is reminiscent of the patterning effect of the Drosophila FGF ortholog branchless in the developing tracheal epithelium, suggesting that the function of these genes has been conserved during evolution.

FGF-1 and FGF-7 induce distinct patterns of growth and differentiation in embryonic lung epithelium

Fibroblast growth factors (FGFs) and receptors (FGFRs) are expressed in the developing lung and appear to be major regulators of lung growth and differentiation. By using mesenchyme-free lung epithelial cultures we show that FGF-1 (aFGF) and FGF-7 (KGF) produce different effects in the developing lung. FGF-1 stimulates epithelial proliferation that results in bud formation (branching), while FGF-7 promotes epithelial proliferation that leads to formation of cyst-like structures. In addition, FGF-7 stimulates epithelial differentiation, stimulating expression of SP-A and SP-B mRNA throughout the explant, and inducing formation of focal areas of highly differentiated cells. The FGF-1 effects on differentiation are limited to induction of surfactant protein SP-B mRNA at the tips of the explant. The FGF-induced patterns of growth appear to correlate with the distribution of epithelial FGFRs mRNAs; FGFR-2 IIIb (KGFR) is diffusely expressed in the day 11 lung epithelium, while FGFR-4 appears in distal but not in proximal sites. We propose that cyst-like structures may result from FGF-7 binding to the uniformly distributed FGFR-2-IIIb. Lung bud formation may be regulated by FGF-1 and/or other ligands binding to FGFR-2 and a distally located FGFR, such as FGFR-4, leading to an increasing binding and activation of FGFRs at the tips of the explant. Thus, in the embryonic lung epithelium, growth effects of FGFs appear to be dependent on location of FGFRs, while effects on differentiation are ligand-dependent.

Epithelial marker genes are expressed in cultured embryonic rat lung and in vivo with similar spatial and temporal patterns

Explants of embryonic lung are often used to characterize lung growth, bronchial tree pattern, and cell differentiation. Most investigators culture lungs for 3-7 days in defined media lacking, e.g., added growth factors or hormones. If growth and differentiation are comparable to that in vivo, these cultures show considerable promise for identifying developmental regulatory molecules and target genes, and for elucidating molecular responses. We used in situ hybridization and RT-PCR to compare times and sites of expression of mRNAs of six epithelial genes in cultured and uncultured fetal rat lungs. These genes, expressed in distal lung of adult rats, are surfactant proteins (SP) A, B, and C; LAR, a receptor-type tyrosine phosphatase; Clara cell secretory protein (CC10, CCSP); and T1alpha. SP-A, SF-B, LAR, and CC10 are expressed by both Clara and Type II cells in adult animals. SP-C and T1alpha are unique markers for Type II and Type I cells, respectively. SP-C, LAR, and T1alpha are expressed before the lung is explanted (Day 13.5); SP-A, -B, and CC10 mRNAs are first detected later. The onset of expression is similar in vivo and in vitro. Although the patterns of expression differ for each mRNA, their sites of expression in culture match those in vivo relative to the bronchial tree. The explanted embryonic lung appears to be an excellent experimental model.

Retinoic acid alters the expression of pattern-related genes in the developing rat lung

Exogenous retinoids alter pattern formation and differentiation in many developing systems, such as limb, vertebrae, and central nervous system. Many of these effects are mediated by changes in expression of patterning genes such as Hox genes and Sonic hedgehog. We have previously shown that exogenous retinoic acid, administered to the embryonic rat lung in culture alters the structural pattern of the developing lung, suppressing formation of distal lung and favoring growth of proximal tubules. To determine whether these retinoic acid-induced changes in lung development were linked to alterations in pattern-related genes, we characterized the expression of Hoxa-2, Hoxb-6, and Sonic hedgehog mRNAs in vivo and in vitro, with or without 10(-5)M retinoic acid, by in situ hybridization and quantitative polymerase chain reaction. Each of these genes demonstrated unique timing and distribution of expression that was similar in vivo and in control cultured embryonic lungs. Hoxb-6 and Sonic hedgehog mRNAs both decreased during lung development in vivo or in vitro. From the patterns of mRNA expression we propose that Hoxb-6 is involved in distal airway branching while Hoxa-2 is involved in differentiation of proximal mesenchymal derivatives and vasculogenesis in the lung. RA upregulated all three genes, changing their developmental pattern of distribution and preventing the developmental decrease in Sonic hedgehog expression. We propose that RA acts to maintain high levels of expression of these and likely other pattern-related genes in a fashion that is characteristic of the immature lung, promoting continued formation of proximal lung structures and preventing formation of typical distal lung structures of the mature lung.

Transcription factors and pattern formation in the developing lung

During development of the respiratory tract embryonic cells are instructed to organize themselves along an axis and differentiate, such that proximal structures (trachea) greatly differ from those in distal alveoli. Pattern formation relates to this process of organization, and it is believed to be transcriptionally regulated in many developmental systems. Although the lung is the site of expression of many transcription factors, such as Hox, retinoid receptors, hepatocyte nuclear factors, and myc, among others, little information is available on how they influence lung pattern. Functional studies so far have directly implicated the product of the protooncogene N-myc and the retinoic acid receptors as transcriptional regulators of lung patterning, and it is likely that tissue-specific homeobox genes, such as the thyroid transcription factor-1, play an important role in distal lung formation. This review describes several aspects of transcription factors possibly involved in lung patterning, including structure, spatial distribution, and their putative functions.

Pulmonary cytochrome P-450 monooxygenase system and Clara cell differentiation in rats

Because a number of studies suggest that the developmental expression of cytochrome P-450s (CYP) in Clara cells is species specific, this study was designed to compare the developmental patterns of the isoform CYP2B and NADPH reductase protein expression and CYP2B activity with the time course of smooth endoplasmic reticulum (SER) formation in Clara cells of rat lung. Pulmonary CYP2B activity measured as pentoxyresorufin O-dealkylation in lung homogenates was not detectable before 7 days postnatal age, but was detectable at adult levels at 50 days postnatal age. In Clara cells, CYP2B and NADPH reductase were detected immunohistochemically at 4 days postnatal age and at adult levels at 10 days postnatal age. The volume density of SER in Clara cells of terminal bronchioles measured morphometrically increased significantly with postnatal age. We conclude that in the rat 1) CYP2B and NADPH reductase distribution and CYP2B activity are age dependent; 2) the increase in Clara cell SER precedes the expression of CYP2B protein; 3) cellular appearance of CYP2B protein precedes CYP activity; and 4) SER appearance and P-450 protein expression do not occur uniformly in differentiating Clara cells, even within the same bronchiole.

Retinoic acid induces changes in the pattern of airway branching and alters epithelial cell differentiation in the developing lung in vitro

Retinoids have been shown to influence pattern formation during development and regeneration in numerous systems such as limbs, vertebrae, and neural tube although there is little information about the effects of retinoids on pattern formation in visceral organs. We investigated the effects of exogenous retinoic acid on the in vitro pattern of airway branching and on lung epithelial cell differentiation. Histology, [3H]thymidine autoradiographies and reverse transcriptase/polymerase chain reaction (RT/PCR) amplification were used to assess the effects of retinoids and the expression of lung epithelial markers of differentiation. We found that retinoic acid interferes, in a dose-dependent fashion, with the expression of epithelial genes that are found in distal segments of the fetal lung (surfactant-associated proteins SP-A, SP-B, and SP-C). At high concentrations, retinoic acid (RA) dramatically altered the developmental pattern of the lung, favoring growth of structures that resemble proximal airways and concomitantly suppressing distal epithelial buds. We hypothesize that this in vitro "proximalizing" effect on the developing lung may be related to alterations in the expression of pattern-related genes.

Secretory product expression during Clara cell differentiation in the rabbit and rat

One function of the nonciliated (Clara) cells of bronchiolar epithelium is to synthesize, store, and release small-molecular-mass (6-12 kDa) secretory proteins or Clara cell secretory protein (CCSP). This study compares the emergence of this secretory function during Clara cell differentiation in rabbits and rats. Lungs of fetal and postnatal animals were evaluated by ultrastructural morphometry and immunohistochemistry. Secretory granules were rarely seen in perinatal animals and increased to adult levels of abundance earlier in rats (1 wk postnatal) than in rabbits (3-4 wk). In contrast, rough endoplasmic reticulum was abundant in perinatal animals and decreased with age. Antibodies raised against CCSP revealed little CCSP in fetal animals; however, after birth CCSP increased to adult levels earlier in rats (1 wk postnatal) than in rabbits (3 wk). We conclude that the maturation of Clara cell secretory function 1) occurs postnatally, 2) involves a decrease in biosynthetic organelles, 3) shows close association between CCSP expression and secretory granule abundance, and 4) varies by species in timing and cellular abundance of biosynthetic machinery.

Collagen and elastin in human pulmonary emphysema

Studies of collagen and elastin in pulmonary emphysema have been controversial. The problems involve methodologic differences; often whole lungs have been sampled and the types of emphysema have not been classified. Quantification of collagen and elastin is important since the increase in collagen supports the inflammatory-repair hypothesis of emphysema, which has been recently revived. On the other hand, loss of elastin supports the protease-antiprotease hypothesis. Accordingly, we measured collagen (hydroxy-proline) and elastin (desmosine) in 147 small samples of human lungs removed for cancer. The amount and type of collagen were also assessed histochemically in tissue blocks adjacent to the tissue used for the biochemical analysis. We found that collagen in the homogenates was increased only in irregular airspace enlargement, but histochemically, collagen was consistently increased in centriacinar, distal acinar, and irregular air-space enlargement sections. Elastin was decreased in all grades of panacinar air-space enlargement and also in severe centriacinar air-space enlargement. Our data support both the protease-antiprotease imbalance hypothesis in panacinar and the inflammatory-repair hypothesis in centriacinar, distal acinar, and irregular air-space enlargement.

A comparison between the isovolume and the end-inflation occlusion methods for measurement of lung mechanics in rats

The isovolume method is one of the most used techniques to assess the mechanical properties of the lungs in ordinary challenge tests and in toxicological studies. It has been considered that isovolume lung resistance (RL) could assess central airway calibre in such tests, whereas dynamic elastance (EL,dyn) would reflect the elastic properties of lung parenchyma. However, peripheral phenomena, such as Pendelluft and stress relaxation, can interfere with RL measurements, especially in disease. In order to investigate the contribution of such phenomena to isovolume RL and EL,dyn, we compared the results provided by isovolume technique with those given by the end-inflation occlusion method (EIOM) in 12 normal Wistar rats. We found similar values for total lung resistance (RL,max) and isovolume RL. Homogeneous resistance (RL,mm), which describes airway calibre, comprised about 30% of RL in the tidal volume range. Values of EL,dyn calculated by the EIOM were approximately 20% greater than the corresponding value measured during spontaneous breathing. Our data indicate that isovolume RL is significantly affected by tissue forces and cannot be interpreted as a pure index of airway size.

Expiratory mechanics before and after uncomplicated heart surgery

In 12 mechanically ventilated anesthetized paralyzed patients undergoing cardiac surgery for either coronary bypass or for correcting valvular dysfunction volume, airflow, tracheal, esophageal, and transpulmonary pressures were measured. Respiratory system elastance and resistance were partitioned into their lung and chest wall components throughout tidal relaxed expiration. Measurements were performed prior to thoracotomy and just after rib cage closure. Before surgery, patients with valvular disease had significantly higher respiratory system and lung elastances and resistances than those with ischemic heart disease. After surgery, patients with valvular disease showed a decrease in respiratory system and lung resistances. Surgery strikingly modified chest wall resistive properties in both groups. Postoperatively, the mechanical properties of the respiratory system were very similar in valvular and ischemic patients.

Pre- and postoperative inspiratory mechanics in ischemic and valvular heart disease

In 12 mechanically-ventilated, anesthetized, paralyzed patients undergoing cardiac surgery for either coronary bypass (six subjects) or to correct valvular disfunctions, volume, airflow, tracheal, esophageal, and transpulmonary pressures were measured. Respiratory system elastance and resistance were partitioned into lung and chest wall components. Resistances were further split into homogeneous and uneven elements. Measurements were performed prior to thoracotomy and just after rib cage closure. Before surgery, valvular patients had significantly higher elastances and uneven resistances of the respiratory system and lung than those with ischemic heart disease. Postoperatively, the patients presented with an increase in respiratory system and lung elastances, a decrease in pulmonary resistance, and a rise in chest wall resistance. Surgically induced mechanical changes were similar in ischemic and valvular patients.

Mechanics in rats by end-inflation occlusion and single-breath methods

In six mechanically ventilated anesthetized (pentobarbital sodium, 30 mg/kg) paralyzed rats (187-253 g body wt) volume, airflow, and tracheal, esophageal, and transpulmonary pressures were measured. Respiratory system elastic and resistive properties were partitioned into their lung and chest wall components after end-inflation occlusion of the airways subsequent to constant-flow inspirations and during relaxed expiration ensuing release of occlusion. The values provided by both methods were similar. Mean respiratory system, lung, and chest wall elastances amounted to, respectively, 5.536, 3.440, and 2.097 cmH2O.ml-1. Mean values of intrinsic respiratory system, pulmonary, and chest wall resistances (at flows of 3.5 ml.s-1) were 0.235, 0.144, and 0.091 cmH2O.ml-1.s, respectively. Resistive pressure-flow relationships for the respiratory system, lung, and chest wall were also determined during the entire tidal expiration. A linear relationship was found for the former, whereas power functions best described the others: the pulmonary pressure-flow relationship exhibited an upward concavity and that for the chest wall presented an upward convexity.

[Ulerythema ophryogenes and folliculitis ulerythematosa reticulata]

Three fundamental alterations characterize keratosis pilaris syndrome: follicular keratosis, vasodilatation and atrophy. Ulerythema ophryogenes and folliculitis ulerythematosa reticulata are types of the syndrome that localize on the eyebrows and cheeks and sometimes affect the ears and scalp. Punctuate atrophy and hair rarefaction may result. The patients frequently exhibit keratosis simplex as well. The clinical picture is considered to be an autosomal dominant genodermatosis and its treatment is ineffective.