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Mason EC, Menon S, Schneider BR, Gaskill CF, Dawson MM, Moore CM, Armstrong LC, Cho O, Richmond BW, Kropski JA, West JD, Geraghty P, Gomperts BN, Ess KC, Gally F, Majka SM. Activation of mTOR signaling in adult lung microvascular progenitor cells accelerates lung aging. J Clin Invest 2023; 133:e171430. [PMID: 37874650 PMCID: PMC10721153 DOI: 10.1172/jci171430] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/12/2023] [Accepted: 10/20/2023] [Indexed: 10/26/2023] Open
Abstract
Reactivation and dysregulation of the mTOR signaling pathway are a hallmark of aging and chronic lung disease; however, the impact on microvascular progenitor cells (MVPCs), capillary angiostasis, and tissue homeostasis is unknown. While the existence of an adult lung vascular progenitor has long been hypothesized, these studies show that Abcg2 enriches for a population of angiogenic tissue-resident MVPCs present in both adult mouse and human lungs using functional, lineage, and transcriptomic analyses. These studies link human and mouse MVPC-specific mTORC1 activation to decreased stemness, angiogenic potential, and disruption of p53 and Wnt pathways, with consequent loss of alveolar-capillary structure and function. Following mTOR activation, these MVPCs adapt a unique transcriptome signature and emerge as a venous subpopulation in the angiodiverse microvascular endothelial subclusters. Thus, our findings support a significant role for mTOR in the maintenance of MVPC function and microvascular niche homeostasis as well as a cell-based mechanism driving loss of tissue structure underlying lung aging and the development of emphysema.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emma C. Mason
- Department of Medicine, Division of Pulmonary, Critical Care and Sleep Medicine, National Jewish Health, Denver, Colorado, USA
| | - Swapna Menon
- Pulmonary Vascular Research Institute Kochi and AnalyzeDat Consulting Services, Kerala, India
| | - Benjamin R. Schneider
- Department of Medicine, Division of Pulmonary, Critical Care and Sleep Medicine, National Jewish Health, Denver, Colorado, USA
| | - Christa F. Gaskill
- Department of Dermatology, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee, USA
| | - Maggie M. Dawson
- Department of Medicine, Division of Pulmonary, Critical Care and Sleep Medicine, National Jewish Health, Denver, Colorado, USA
| | - Camille M. Moore
- Department of Immunology and Genomic Medicine, Center for Genes, Environment and Health, National Jewish Health, Denver, Colorado, USA
- Department of Biostatistics and Informatics, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, Colorado, USA
| | - Laura Craig Armstrong
- Division of Pediatric Neurology, Department of Pediatrics, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee, USA
| | - Okyong Cho
- Genomics and Microarray Core, University of Colorado Cancer Center, Anschutz Medical Center, Aurora, Colorado, USA
| | - Bradley W. Richmond
- Department of Medicine, Division of Allergy, Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Vanderbilt University Medical Center and Department of Veterans Affairs, Nashville, Tennessee, USA
| | - Jonathan A. Kropski
- Department of Medicine, Division of Allergy, Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Vanderbilt University Medical Center and Department of Veterans Affairs, Nashville, Tennessee, USA
| | - James D. West
- Department of Medicine, Division of Allergy, Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Vanderbilt University Medical Center and Department of Veterans Affairs, Nashville, Tennessee, USA
| | - Patrick Geraghty
- Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, SUNY Downstate Medical Center, Brooklyn, New York, USA
| | - Brigitte N. Gomperts
- Translational Research, UCLA Broad Stem Cell Research Center; Pediatrics Division of Pulmonary Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, California, USA
| | - Kevin C. Ess
- Division of Pediatric Neurology, Department of Pediatrics, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee, USA
| | - Fabienne Gally
- Department of Immunology and Genomic Medicine, Center for Genes, Environment and Health, National Jewish Health, Denver, Colorado, USA
- Department of Biostatistics and Informatics, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, Colorado, USA
| | - Susan M. Majka
- Department of Medicine, Division of Pulmonary, Critical Care and Sleep Medicine, National Jewish Health, Denver, Colorado, USA
- Gates Center for Regenerative Medicine and Stem Cell Biology, University of Colorado, Aurora, Colorado, USA
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