Loss of Fibroblast Growth Factor Receptor 2 (FGFR2) Leads to Defective Bladder Urothelial Regeneration after Cyclophosphamide Injury

Keratin 5 basal cells are temporally regulated developmental and tissue repair progenitors in bladder urothelium

Urothelium forms a distensible yet impermeable barrier, senses and transduces stimuli, and defends the urinary tract from mechanical, chemical, and bacterial injuries. Biochemical and genetic labeling studies support the existence of one or more progenitor populations with the capacity to rapidly regenerate the urothelium following injury, but slow turnover, a low mitotic index, and inconsistent methodologies obscure progenitor identity. The progenitor properties of basal keratin 5 urothelial cells (K5-UCs) have been previously investigated, but those studies focused on embryonic or adult bladder urothelium. Urothelium undergoes desquamation and apoptosis after birth, which requires postnatal proliferation and restoration. Therefore, we mapped the fate of bladder K5-UCs across postnatal development/maturation and following administration of cyclophosphamide to measure homeostatic and reparative progenitor capacities, respectively. In vivo studies demonstrate that basal K5-UCs are age-restricted progenitors in neonates and juveniles, but not in adult mice. Neonatal K5-UCs retain a superior progenitor capacity in vitro, forming larger and more differentiated urothelial organoids than adult K5-UCs. Accordingly, K5-UC transcriptomes are temporally distinct, with enrichment of transcripts associated with cell proliferation and differentiation in neonates. Induction of urothelial proliferation is sufficient to restore adult K5-UC progenitor capacity. Our findings advance the understanding of urothelial progenitors and support a linear model of urothelial formation and regeneration, which may have significant impact on therapeutic development or tissue engineering strategies.NEW & NOTEWORTHY Fate mapping reveals an important linear relationship, whereby bladder basal urothelial cells give rise to intermediate and superficial cells in an age-restricted manner and contribute to tissue repair. Neonatal basal cells reprise their role as superior progenitors in vitro and display distinct transcriptional signatures, which suggest progenitor function is at least partially cell intrinsic. However, the urothelium progenitor niche cannot be overlooked, since FGF7 rescues adult basal cell progenitor function.

Do Fibroblast Growth Factor Receptor (FGFR) 2 and 3 Proteins Play a Role in Prognosis of Invasive Urothelial Bladder Carcinoma?

Background & Objective

Bladder carcinoma ranks second in prevalence among males in Egypt. As a family of tyrosine kinases, fibroblast growth factor receptor (FGFR) dysregulation has been linked to some malignancies in humans. The aim of this study is to analyze the clinicopathological data of patients while investigating FGFR2 and FGFR3 immunohistochemical expression in invasive urothelial bladder carcinoma.

Methods

This retrospective cross-sectional study included 60 invasive urothelial carcinoma (UC) cases in the Pathology department, Faculty of Medicine, Menoufia University, from 2009 to 2020. All biopsies were stained for FGFR2 and FGFR3 antibodies. Complete clinical data were available for 44 patients treated and followed in clinical oncology and nuclear medicine departments.

Results

Advanced stage and high grade are significantly correlated with FGFR2 positivity (P=0.048 and 0.044, respectively). Cases presented with Perineural invasion showed a higher percentage of FGFR2 (P=0.023). There is a significant indirect linear correlation between FGFR3 expression and lymph node positivity (r= -0.265, P=0.041).

Conclusion

A high FGFR2 expression could be associated with poor prognostic parameters, while high FGFR3 expression would be associated with good prognostic parameters. These findings might highlight the importance of FGFR-targeted therapy as a FGFR2 antagonist and FGFR3 agonist for the treatment of urothelial carcinoma patients.

FGFR2 modulates the Akt/Nrf2/ARE signaling pathway to improve angiotensin II-induced hypertension-related endothelial dysfunction

BACKGROUND

Fibroblast growth factor receptor (FGFR)2 expression was decreased in hypertension patients while its role in hypertension was not explored. This experiment aimed to investigate the expression ofFGFR2 in angiotensin II (Ang II)-induced human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) and the role of FGFR2 in improving AngII-induced hypertension-related endothelial dysfunction.

METHODS

AngII-induced HUVECs simulated the hypertension model in vitro. The expression of FGFR2 in Ang II-induced HUVECs and transfected HUVECswas detected by RT-qPCR and western blot. The viability, apoptosis, migration and tube formation ability of Ang II-induced HUVECs were analyzed by Methyl Thiazolyl Tetrazolium (MTT) assay, flow cytometry analysis, wound healing assay and tube formation assay.Detectionof lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), caspase 3, Nitric Oxide (NO) and oxidative stress levels was conducted by assay kits and reactive oxygen species (ROS) level was detected by DCFH-DA assay. The expression of apoptosis-related proteins, protein kinase B(Akt)/nuclear factor E2-related factor 2 (Nrf2)/antioxidant response element (ARE) signaling pathway-related proteins, phospho(p)-endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) and eNOS was determined by western blot.

RESULTS

The expression of FGFR2 was decreased in Ang II-induced HUVECs. FGFR2overexpression increased viability, suppressed apoptosis and oxidative stress, and improve endothelial dysfunction of AngII-induced HUVECs through activating the Akt/Nrf2/ARE signaling pathway. MK-2206 (Akt inhibitor) could weaken the effect of FGFR2overexpression to reduce viability, promote apoptosis and oxidative stress, and aggravate endothelial dysfunction of Ang II-inducedHUVECs.

CONCLUSION

Inconclusion, FGFR2activated the Akt/Nrf2/ARE signaling pathway to improve AngII-induced hypertension-related endothelial dysfunction.

Defining the molecular fingerprint of bladder and kidney fibroblasts

Fibroblasts are integral to the organization and function of all organs and play critical roles in pathologies such as fibrosis; however, we have limited understanding of the fibroblasts that populate the bladder and kidney. In this review, I describe how transcriptomics is leading to a revolution in our understanding of fibroblast biology by defining the molecular fingerprint (i.e., transcriptome) of universal and specialized fibroblast types, revealing gene signatures that allows one to resolve fibroblasts from other mesenchymal cell types, and providing a new comprehension of the fibroblast lineage. In the kidney, transcriptomics is giving us new insights into the molecular fingerprint of kidney fibroblasts, including those for cortical fibroblasts, medullary fibroblasts, and erythropoietin (EPO)-producing Norn fibroblasts, as well as new information about the gene signatures of kidney myofibroblasts and the transition of kidney fibroblasts into myofibroblasts. Transcriptomics has also revealed that the major cell type in the bladder interstitium is the fibroblast, and that multiple fibroblast types, each with their own molecular fingerprint, are found in the bladder wall. Interleaved throughout is a discussion of how transcriptomics can drive our future understanding of fibroblast identification, diversity, function, and their roles in bladder and kidney biology and physiology in health and in disease states.

Adipose stem cells in tissue regeneration and repair: From bench to bedside

ADSCs are a large number of mesenchymal stem cells in Adipose tissue, which can be applied to tissue engineering. ADSCs have the potential of multi-directional differentiation, and can differentiate into bone tissue, cardiac tissue, urothelial cells, skin tissue, etc. Compared with other mesenchymal stem cells, ADSCs have a multitude of promising advantages, such as abundant number, accessibility in cell culture, stable function, and less immune rejection. There are two main methods to use ADSCs for tissue repair and regeneration. One is to implant the "ADSCs-scaffold composite" into the injured site to promote tissue regeneration. The other is cell-free therapy: using ADSC-exos or ADSC-CM alone to release a large number of miRNAs, cytokines and other bioactive substances to promote tissue regeneration. The tissue regeneration potential of ADSCs is regulated by a variety of cytokines, signaling molecules, and external environment. The differentiation of ADSCs into different tissues is also induced by growth factors, ions, hormones, scaffold materials, physical stimulation, and other factors. The specific mechanisms are complex, and most of the signaling pathways need to be further explored. This article reviews and summarizes the mechanism and clinical application of ADSCs in tissue injury repair so far, and puts forward further problems that need to be solved in this field, hoping to provide directions for further research in this field.

Urothelial progenitors in development and repair

Urothelium is a specialized multilayer epithelium that lines the urinary tract from the proximal urethra to the kidney. In addition to proliferation and differentiation during development, urothelial injury postnatally triggers a robust regenerative capacity to restore the protective barrier between the urine and tissue. Mounting evidence supports the existence of dedicated progenitor cell populations that give rise to urothelium during development and in response to injury. Understanding the cellular and molecular basis for urothelial patterning and repair will inform tissue regeneration therapies designed to ameliorate a number of structural and functional defects of the urinary tract. Here, we review the current understanding of urothelial progenitors and the signaling pathways that govern urothelial development and repair. While most published studies have focused on bladder urothelium, we also discuss literature on upper tract urothelial progenitors. Furthermore, we discuss evidence supporting existence of context-specific progenitors. This knowledge is fundamental to the development of strategies to regenerate or engineer damaged or diseased urothelium.

New developments in the biology of fibroblast growth factors

The fibroblast growth factor (FGF) family is composed of 18 secreted signaling proteins consisting of canonical FGFs and endocrine FGFs that activate four receptor tyrosine kinases (FGFRs 1-4) and four intracellular proteins (intracellular FGFs or iFGFs) that primarily function to regulate the activity of voltage-gated sodium channels and other molecules. The canonical FGFs, endocrine FGFs, and iFGFs have been reviewed extensively by us and others. In this review, we briefly summarize past reviews and then focus on new developments in the FGF field since our last review in 2015. Some of the highlights in the past 6 years include the use of optogenetic tools, viral vectors, and inducible transgenes to experimentally modulate FGF signaling, the clinical use of small molecule FGFR inhibitors, an expanded understanding of endocrine FGF signaling, functions for FGF signaling in stem cell pluripotency and differentiation, roles for FGF signaling in tissue homeostasis and regeneration, a continuing elaboration of mechanisms of FGF signaling in development, and an expanding appreciation of roles for FGF signaling in neuropsychiatric diseases. This article is categorized under: Cardiovascular Diseases > Molecular and Cellular Physiology Neurological Diseases > Molecular and Cellular Physiology Congenital Diseases > Stem Cells and Development Cancer > Stem Cells and Development.

Role of ERK signaling in bladder urothelium in response to cyclophosphamide injury

Mice with inducible urothelial deletion of fibroblast growth factor receptor 2 (ShhCreERT2;Fgfr2Fl/Fl ) injured with cyclophosphamide had aberrant basal cell endoreplication and poor regeneration. The endoreplication correlated with an absence of phosphorylated (activated) ERK expression in urothelium. We assessed whether inhibiting ERK activity phenocopied the urothelial defects in injured Fgfr2 mutant mice. We co-administered cyclophosphamide and an ERK inhibitor (ERKi) systemically in mice and assessed general histology and immunofluorescence for various markers post injury. Since AKT also signals downstream of FGFR2, we assessed effects of an AKT inhibitor (AKTi) on cyclophosphamide injury. ERK knockdown did not affect urothelial injury or proliferation 24 h after cyclophosphamide. Conversely, ERK inhibition led to larger basal cell nuclei, more submucosal hemorrhage and attenuated uroplakin staining 3 days after injury versus vehicle-treated mice. Compared to vehicle-treated mice, ERKi-treated mice had a trend for more Ki67+ urothelial cells and had statistically fewer phospho-Histone H3+ cells normalized to Ki67 and higher basal cell DNA content, consistent with endoreplication 3 days after injury. Ten days after injury, ERKi-treated mice still had signs of poor urothelial regeneration with absent or aberrant expression of differentiation markers and ectopic lumenal expression of keratin 14 (basal progenitor marker). Co-administration of the AKTi led to no apparent urothelial defects 3 days after cyclophosphamide. Thus, ERK knockdown (but not AKT knockdown) leads to urothelial regenerative responses after cyclophosphamide reminiscent of Fgfr2 mutant mice. Together, it appears that FGFR2 acts through ERK to prevent aberrant urothelial basal cell endoreplication and ensure normal regeneration after cyclophosphamide.

Durability of and role of AKT in FGF7p urothelial protection against cyclophosphamide

We previously identified a peptide derived from human fibroblast growth factor 7 (FGF7p) that blocks urothelial apoptosis similar to full-length FGF7, although effects of FGF7p on urothelial repair are unknown. Also, while urothelial AKT activation downstream of FGF7p correlated with the anti-apoptotic effects, we have not directly interrogated the role of AKT in mediating the cytoprotection. Our goal was to assess effects of FGF7p on urothelial repair and the role of AKT signaling in mediating the cytoprotective effects of FGF7p. We performed hematoxylin and eosin (H&E), TUNEL, and/or immunofluorescence (IF) staining for various markers in FGF7p-treated mice 28 days after giving cyclophosphamide or after co-administering a systemic AKT antagonist with FGF7p 24 h after cyclophosphamide. Vehicle-treated and injured mice had hyperplastic urothelium, incomplete return of mature superficial cell markers, ongoing proliferation, and continued presence of basal progenitor markers 28 days after injury; conversely, FGF7p-treated mice had normal numbers of urothelial cell layers, nearly complete return of superficial cell markers, limited proliferation and fewer basal progenitor cells 28 days post-injury. Vehicle-treated mice also had ectopic lumenal basal progenitor cell markers, while FGF7p had none 28 days after cyclophosphamide. Co-administration of an AKT inhibitor largely abrogated FGF7p-driven AKT activation and cytoprotection in urothelium 24 h after injury. Thus, FGF7p drives faster and higher fidelity urothelial repair by limiting apoptotic injury via AKT signaling, similar to full-length FGF7. Finally, FGF7p is much less expensive to synthesize and has a longer shelf life and higher purity than FGF7.

Development, regeneration and tumorigenesis of the urothelium

The urothelium of the bladder functions as a waterproof barrier between tissue and outflowing urine. Largely quiescent during homeostasis, this unique epithelium rapidly regenerates in response to bacterial or chemical injury. The specification of the proper cell types during development and injury repair is crucial for tissue function. This Review surveys the current understanding of urothelial progenitor populations in the contexts of organogenesis, regeneration and tumorigenesis. Furthermore, we discuss pathways and signaling mechanisms involved in urothelial differentiation, and consider the relevance of this knowledge to stem cell biology and tissue regeneration.

FGFR2 signaling enhances the SHH-BMP4 signaling axis in early ureter development

The patterned array of basal, intermediate and superficial cells in the urothelium of the mature ureter arises from uncommitted epithelial progenitors of the distal ureteric bud. Urothelial development requires signaling input from surrounding mesenchymal cells, which, in turn, depend on cues from the epithelial primordium to form a layered fibro-muscular wall. Here, we have identified FGFR2 as a crucial component in this reciprocal signaling crosstalk in the murine ureter. Loss of Fgfr2 in the ureteric epithelium led to reduced proliferation, stratification, intermediate and basal cell differentiation in this tissue, and affected cell survival and smooth muscle cell differentiation in the surrounding mesenchyme. Loss of Fgfr2 impacted negatively on epithelial expression of Shh and its mesenchymal effector gene Bmp4. Activation of SHH or BMP4 signaling largely rescued the cellular defects of mutant ureters in explant cultures. Conversely, inhibition of SHH or BMP signaling in wild-type ureters recapitulated the mutant phenotype in a dose-dependent manner. Our study suggests that FGF signals from the mesenchyme enhance, via epithelial FGFR2, the SHH-BMP4 signaling axis to drive urothelial and mesenchymal development in the early ureter.

The Role of Fibroblast Growth Factor (FGF) Signaling in Tissue Repair and Regeneration

Fibroblast growth factors (FGFs) are a large family of secretory molecules that act through tyrosine kinase receptors known as FGF receptors. They play crucial roles in a wide variety of cellular functions, including cell proliferation, survival, metabolism, morphogenesis, and differentiation, as well as in tissue repair and regeneration. The signaling pathways regulated by FGFs include RAS/mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK), phosphatidylinositol-4,5-bisphosphate 3-kinase (PI3K)–protein kinase B (AKT), phospholipase C gamma (PLCγ), and signal transducer and activator of transcription (STAT). To date, 22 FGFs have been discovered, involved in different functions in the body. Several FGFs directly or indirectly interfere with repair during tissue regeneration, in addition to their critical functions in the maintenance of pluripotency and dedifferentiation of stem cells. In this review, we summarize the roles of FGFs in diverse cellular processes and shed light on the importance of FGF signaling in mechanisms of tissue repair and regeneration.

Pparg signaling controls bladder cancer subtype and immune exclusion

Pparg, a nuclear receptor, is downregulated in basal subtype bladder cancers that tend to be muscle invasive and amplified in luminal subtype bladder cancers that tend to be non-muscle invasive. Bladder cancers derive from the urothelium, one of the most quiescent epithelia in the body, which is composed of basal, intermediate, and superficial cells. We find that expression of an activated form of Pparg (VP16;Pparg) in basal progenitors induces formation of superficial cells in situ, that exit the cell cycle, and do not form tumors. Expression in basal progenitors that have been activated by mild injury however, results in luminal tumor formation. We find that these tumors are immune deserted, which may be linked to down-regulation of Nf-kb, a Pparg target. Interestingly, some luminal tumors begin to shift to basal subtype tumors with time, down-regulating Pparg and other luminal markers. Our findings have important implications for treatment and diagnosis of bladder cancer.

PPARg is differentially expressed in bladder cancer subtypes. Here, the authors show in mice that when an activated form of PPARg is expressed in basal bladder cells tumours do not form, however in the presence of injury the basal cells differentiate into luminal cells.

Cellular Mechanisms of FGF-Stimulated Tissue Repair

Growth factors belonging to the FGF family play important roles in tissue and organ repair after trauma. In this review, I discuss the regulation by FGFs of the aspects of cellular behavior important for reparative processes. In particular, I focus on the FGF-dependent regulation of cell proliferation, cell stemness, de-differentiation, inflammation, angiogenesis, cell senescence, cell death, and the production of proteases. In addition, I review the available literature on the enhancement of FGF expression and secretion in damaged tissues resulting in the increased FGF supply required for tissue repair.