1
|
Cai Q, Luo M, Tang Y, Yu M, Yuan F, Gasser GN, Liu X, Engelhardt JF. Sonic Hedgehog Signaling Is Essential for Pulmonary Ionocyte Specification in Human and Ferret Airway Epithelia. Am J Respir Cell Mol Biol 2023; 69:295-309. [PMID: 37141531 PMCID: PMC10503308 DOI: 10.1165/rcmb.2022-0280oc] [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: 07/18/2022] [Accepted: 05/03/2023] [Indexed: 05/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Pulmonary ionocytes express high levels of cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR), an anion channel that is critical for hydration of the airways and mucociliary clearance. However, the cellular mechanisms that govern ionocyte specification and function remain unclear. We observed that increased abundance of ionocytes in cystic fibrosis (CF) airway epithelium was associated with enhanced expression of Sonic Hedgehog (SHH) effectors. In this study, we evaluated whether the SHH pathway directly impacts ionocyte differentiation and CFTR function in airway epithelia. Pharmacological HPI1-mediated inhibition of SHH signaling component GLI1 significantly impaired human basal cell specification of ionocytes and ciliated cells but significantly enhanced specification of secretory cells. By contrast, activation of the SHH pathway effector smoothened (SMO) with the chemical agonist SAG significantly enhanced ionocyte specification. The abundance of CFTR+ BSND+ ionocytes under these conditions had a direct relationship with CFTR-mediated currents in differentiated air-liquid interface (ALI) airway cultures. These findings were corroborated in ferret ALI airway cultures generated from basal cells in which the genes encoding the SHH receptor PTCH1 or its intracellular effector SMO were genetically ablated using CRISPR-Cas9, causing aberrant activation or suppression of SHH signaling, respectively. These findings demonstrate that SHH signaling is directly involved in airway basal cell specification of CFTR-expressing pulmonary ionocytes and is likely responsible for enhanced ionocyte abundance in the CF proximal airways. Pharmacologic approaches to enhance ionocyte and reduce secretory cell specification after CFTR gene editing of basal cells may have utility in the treatment of CF.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Qian Cai
- Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, Carver College of Medicine, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa
- Key Laboratory of Ministry of Education for Conservation and Utilization of Special Biological Resources in Western China, Ningxia University, Yinchuan, China; and
- School of Public Health and Management, Ningxia Medical University, Yinchuan, China
| | - Meihui Luo
- Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, Carver College of Medicine, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa
| | - Yinghua Tang
- Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, Carver College of Medicine, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa
| | - Miao Yu
- Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, Carver College of Medicine, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa
- Key Laboratory of Ministry of Education for Conservation and Utilization of Special Biological Resources in Western China, Ningxia University, Yinchuan, China; and
| | - Feng Yuan
- Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, Carver College of Medicine, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa
| | - Grace N. Gasser
- Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, Carver College of Medicine, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa
| | - Xiaoming Liu
- Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, Carver College of Medicine, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa
| | - John F. Engelhardt
- Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, Carver College of Medicine, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Miserocchi G. The impact of heterogeneity of the air-blood barrier on control of lung extravascular water and alveolar gas exchange. FRONTIERS IN NETWORK PHYSIOLOGY 2023; 3:1142245. [PMID: 37251706 PMCID: PMC10213913 DOI: 10.3389/fnetp.2023.1142245] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/11/2023] [Accepted: 04/28/2023] [Indexed: 05/31/2023]
Abstract
The architecture of the air-blood barrier is effective in optimizing the gas exchange as long as it retains its specific feature of extreme thinness reflecting, in turn, a strict control on the extravascular water to be kept at minimum. Edemagenic conditions may perturb this equilibrium by increasing microvascular filtration; this characteristically occurs when cardiac output increases to balance the oxygen uptake with the oxygen requirement such as in exercise and hypoxia (either due to low ambient pressure or reflecting a pathological condition). In general, the lung is well equipped to counteract an increase in microvascular filtration rate. The loss of control on fluid balance is the consequence of disruption of the integrity of the macromolecular structure of lung tissue. This review, merging data from experimental approaches and evidence in humans, will explore how the heterogeneity in morphology, mechanical features and perfusion of the terminal respiratory units might impact on lung fluid balance and its control. Evidence is also provided that heterogeneities may be inborn and they could actually get worse as a consequence of a developing pathological process. Further, data are presented how in humans inter-individual heterogeneities in morphology of the terminal respiratory hinder the control of fluid balance and, in turn, hamper the efficiency of the oxygen diffusion-transport function.
Collapse
|
3
|
Ievlev V, Pai AC, Dillon DS, Kuhl S, Lynch TJ, Freischlag KW, Gries CB, Engelhardt JF, Parekh KR. Development and characterization of ferret ex vivo tracheal injury and cell engraftment model. Front Med (Lausanne) 2023; 10:1144754. [PMID: 37113613 PMCID: PMC10126424 DOI: 10.3389/fmed.2023.1144754] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/15/2023] [Accepted: 03/15/2023] [Indexed: 04/29/2023] Open
Abstract
The field of airway biology research relies primarily on in vitro and in vivo models of disease and injury. The use of ex vivo models to study airway injury and cell-based therapies remains largely unexplored although such models have the potential to overcome certain limitations of working with live animals and may more closely replicate in vivo processes than in vitro models can. Here, we characterized a ferret ex vivo tracheal injury and cell engraftment model. We describe a protocol for whole-mount staining of cleared tracheal explants, and showed that it provides a more comprehensive structural overview of the surface airway epithelium (SAE) and submucosal glands (SMGs) than 2D sections, revealing previously underappreciated structural anatomy of tracheal innervation and vascularization. Using an ex vivo model of tracheal injury, we evaluated the injury responses in the SAE and SMGs that turned out to be consistent with published in vivo work. We used this model to assess factors that influence engraftment of transgenic cells, providing a system for optimizing cell-based therapies. Finally, we developed a novel 3D-printed reusable culture chamber that enables live imaging of tracheal explants and differentiation of engrafted cells at an air-liquid interface. These approaches promise to be useful for modeling pulmonary diseases and testing therapies. Graphical abstract1,2. We describe here a method for differential mechanical injury of ferret tracheal explants that can be used to evaluate airway injury responses ex vivo. 3. Injured explants can be cultured at ALI (using the novel tissue-transwell device on the right) and submerged long-term to evaluate tissue-autonomous regeneration responses. 4. Tracheal explants can also be used for low throughput screens of compounds to improve cell engraftment efficiency or can be seeded with particular cells to model a disease phenotype. 5. Lastly, we demonstrate that ex vivo-cultured tracheal explants can be evaluated by various molecular assays and by immunofluorescent imaging that can be performed live using our custom-designed tissue-transwell.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Vitaly Ievlev
- Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, Carver College of Medicine, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, United States
| | - Albert C. Pai
- Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery, Carver College of Medicine, University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics, Iowa City, IA, United States
| | - Drew S. Dillon
- Protostudios, Carver College of Medicine, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, United States
| | - Spencer Kuhl
- Protostudios, Carver College of Medicine, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, United States
| | - Thomas J. Lynch
- Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery, Carver College of Medicine, University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics, Iowa City, IA, United States
| | - Kyle W. Freischlag
- Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery, Carver College of Medicine, University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics, Iowa City, IA, United States
| | - Caitlyn B. Gries
- Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery, Carver College of Medicine, University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics, Iowa City, IA, United States
| | - John F. Engelhardt
- Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, Carver College of Medicine, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, United States
| | - Kalpaj R. Parekh
- Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery, Carver College of Medicine, University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics, Iowa City, IA, United States
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Adamič N, Vengust M. Regenerative medicine in lung diseases: A systematic review. Front Vet Sci 2023; 10:1115708. [PMID: 36733636 PMCID: PMC9887049 DOI: 10.3389/fvets.2023.1115708] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/04/2022] [Accepted: 01/02/2023] [Indexed: 01/18/2023] Open
Abstract
Regenerative medicine has opened the door to the exploration of new therapeutic methods for the treatment of various diseases, especially those associated with local or general disregulation of the immune system. In pulmonary diseases, new therapeutic strategies have emerged that are aimed at restoring functional lung tissue rather than alleviating symptoms. These strategies focus on tissue regeneration using stem cells and/or their derivatives or replacement of dysfunctional tissue using biomedical engineering. Animal health can directly benefit from regenerative therapy strategies and also serve as a translational experimental model for human disease. Several clinical trials have been conducted to evaluate the effects of cellular treatment on inflammatory lung disease in animals. Data reported to date show several beneficial effects in ex vivo and in vivo models; however, our understanding of the mechanisms that regenerative therapies exert on diseased tissues remains incomplete.
Collapse
|
5
|
Huang Q, Wang Y, Zhang L, Qian W, Shen S, Wang J, Wu S, Xu W, Chen B, Lin M, Wu J. Single-cell transcriptomics highlights immunological dysregulations of monocytes in the pathobiology of COPD. Respir Res 2022; 23:367. [PMID: 36539833 PMCID: PMC9764587 DOI: 10.1186/s12931-022-02293-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/05/2022] [Accepted: 12/13/2022] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a common respiratory disease, whose pathogenetic complexity was strongly associated with aging/smoking and poorly understood. METHODS Here we performed single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) analysis of 66,610 cells from COPD and age-stratified control lung tissues of donors with different smoking histories to prioritize cell types most perturbed in COPD lungs in aging/smoking dependent or independent manner. By performing an array of advanced bioinformatic analyses, such as gene set enrichment analysis, trajectory analysis, cell-cell interactions analysis, regulatory potential analysis, weighted correlation network analysis, functional interaction analysis, and gene set variation analysis, we integrated cell-type-level alterations into a system-level malfunction and provided a more clarified COPD pathological model containing specific mechanisms by which aging and smoking facilitate COPD development. Finally, we integrated the publicly available scRNA-seq data of 9 individuals, resulting in a total of 110,931 cells, and replicated the analyses to enhance the credibility of our findings. RESULTS Our study pointed to enrichment of COPD molecular alteration in monocytes, which further induced a previously unrecognized pro-inflammatory effect on alveolar epithelial cells. In addition, aged monocytes and club cells facilitated COPD development via maintaining an autoimmune airway niche. Unexpectedly, macrophages, whose defect to resolve inflammation was long-recognized in COPD pathogenesis, primarily induced an imbalance of sphingolipids rheostat in a smoking-dependent way. These findings were validated in a meta-analysis including other public single-cell transcriptomic data. CONCLUSIONS In sum, our study provided a clarified view of COPD pathogenesis and demonstrated the potential of targeting monocytes in COPD diagnosis and treatment.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Qiqing Huang
- grid.412676.00000 0004 1799 0784Key Laboratory of Geriatrics of Jiangsu Province, Department of Geriatrics, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, 300 Guangzhou Road, Nanjing, 210029 Jiangsu China
| | - Yuanyuan Wang
- grid.89957.3a0000 0000 9255 8984State Key Laboratory of Reproductive Medicine, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, 211166 Jiangsu China
| | - Lili Zhang
- grid.412676.00000 0004 1799 0784Key Laboratory of Geriatrics of Jiangsu Province, Department of Geriatrics, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, 300 Guangzhou Road, Nanjing, 210029 Jiangsu China
| | - Wei Qian
- grid.89957.3a0000 0000 9255 8984Department of Neurobiology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Nanjing Medical University, 101 Longmian Avenue, Nanjing, 211166 Jiangsu China
| | - Shaoran Shen
- grid.412676.00000 0004 1799 0784Key Laboratory of Geriatrics of Jiangsu Province, Department of Geriatrics, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, 300 Guangzhou Road, Nanjing, 210029 Jiangsu China
| | - Jingshen Wang
- grid.89957.3a0000 0000 9255 8984Department of Neurobiology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Nanjing Medical University, 101 Longmian Avenue, Nanjing, 211166 Jiangsu China
| | - Shuangshuang Wu
- grid.412676.00000 0004 1799 0784Key Laboratory of Geriatrics of Jiangsu Province, Department of Geriatrics, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, 300 Guangzhou Road, Nanjing, 210029 Jiangsu China
| | - Wei Xu
- grid.412676.00000 0004 1799 0784Key Laboratory of Geriatrics of Jiangsu Province, Department of Geriatrics, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, 300 Guangzhou Road, Nanjing, 210029 Jiangsu China
| | - Bo Chen
- grid.412676.00000 0004 1799 0784Key Laboratory of Geriatrics of Jiangsu Province, Department of Geriatrics, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, 300 Guangzhou Road, Nanjing, 210029 Jiangsu China
| | - Mingyan Lin
- grid.89957.3a0000 0000 9255 8984Department of Neurobiology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Nanjing Medical University, 101 Longmian Avenue, Nanjing, 211166 Jiangsu China
| | - Jianqing Wu
- grid.412676.00000 0004 1799 0784Key Laboratory of Geriatrics of Jiangsu Province, Department of Geriatrics, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, 300 Guangzhou Road, Nanjing, 210029 Jiangsu China
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
Parekh KR, Nawroth J, Pai A, Busch SM, Senger CN, Ryan AL. Stem cells and lung regeneration. Am J Physiol Cell Physiol 2020; 319:C675-C693. [PMID: 32783658 PMCID: PMC7654650 DOI: 10.1152/ajpcell.00036.2020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 45] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/30/2020] [Revised: 08/03/2020] [Accepted: 08/03/2020] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
The ability to replace defective cells in an airway with cells that can engraft, integrate, and restore a functional epithelium could potentially cure a number of lung diseases. Progress toward the development of strategies to regenerate the adult lung by either in vivo or ex vivo targeting of endogenous stem cells or pluripotent stem cell derivatives is limited by our fundamental lack of understanding of the mechanisms controlling human lung development, the precise identity and function of human lung stem and progenitor cell types, and the genetic and epigenetic control of human lung fate. In this review, we intend to discuss the known stem/progenitor cell populations, their relative differences between rodents and humans, their roles in chronic lung disease, and their therapeutic prospects. Additionally, we highlight the recent breakthroughs that have increased our understanding of these cell types. These advancements include novel lineage-traced animal models and single-cell RNA sequencing of human airway cells, which have provided critical information on the stem cell subtypes, transition states, identifying cell markers, and intricate pathways that commit a stem cell to differentiate or to maintain plasticity. As our capacity to model the human lung evolves, so will our understanding of lung regeneration and our ability to target endogenous stem cells as a therapeutic approach for lung disease.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Kalpaj R Parekh
- Department Surgery, Division of Cardiothoracic Surgery, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa
| | - Janna Nawroth
- Hastings Center for Pulmonary Research, Division of Pulmonary, Critical Care and Sleep Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California
| | - Albert Pai
- Department Surgery, Division of Cardiothoracic Surgery, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa
| | - Shana M Busch
- Hastings Center for Pulmonary Research, Division of Pulmonary, Critical Care and Sleep Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California
| | - Christiana N Senger
- Hastings Center for Pulmonary Research, Division of Pulmonary, Critical Care and Sleep Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California
| | - Amy L Ryan
- Hastings Center for Pulmonary Research, Division of Pulmonary, Critical Care and Sleep Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California
- Department of Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California
| |
Collapse
|