Lysophosphatidic acid stimulates epidermal growth factor-family ectodomain shedding and paracrine signaling from human lung fibroblasts

Inhibition of LPA-LPAR1 and VEGF-VEGFR2 Signaling in IPF Treatment

Due to the complex mechanism and limited treatments available for pulmonary fibrosis, the development of targeted drugs or inhibitors based on their molecular mechanisms remains an important strategy for prevention and treatment. In this paper, the downstream signaling pathways mediated by VEGFR and LPAR1 in pulmonary cells and the role of these pathways in pulmonary fibrosis, as well as the current status of drug research on the targets of LPAR1 and VEGFR2, are described. The mechanism by which these two pathways regulate vascular leakage and collagen deposition leading to the development of pulmonary fibrosis are analyzed, and the mutual promotion of the two pathways is discussed. Here we propose the development of drugs that simultaneously target LPAR1 and VEGFR2, and discuss the important considerations in targeting and safety.

Role of lysophosphatidic acid in proliferation and differentiation of intestinal epithelial cells

Intestinal epithelial cells (IECs) are regenerated continuously from intestinal stem cells (ISCs) near the base of intestinal crypts in order to maintain homeostasis and structural integrity of intestinal epithelium. Epidermal growth factor (EGF) is thought to be important to drive the proliferation and differentiation of IECs from ISCs, it remains unknown whether other growth factors or lipid mediators are also important for such regulation, however. Here we show that lysophosphatidic acid (LPA), instead of EGF, robustly promoted the development of intestinal organoids prepared from the mouse small intestine. Indeed, LPA exhibited the proliferative activity of IECs as well as induction of differentiation of IECs into goblet cells, Paneth cells, and enteroendocrine cells in intestinal organoids. Inhibitors for LPA receptor 1 markedly suppressed the LPA-promoted development of intestinal organoids. LPA also promoted the phosphorylation of extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) 1/2 in intestinal organoids, whereas inhibition of mitogen-activated protein kinase/ERK kinase (MEK) 1/2 significantly suppressed the development of, as well as the proliferative activity and differentiation of, intestinal organoids in response to LPA. Our results thus suggest that LPA is a key factor that drives the proliferation and differentiation of IECs.

Heparin-Binding Epidermal Growth Factor-Like Growth Factor as a Critical Mediator of Tissue Repair and Regeneration

Heparin-binding epidermal growth factor-like growth factor (HB-EGF) is a member of the EGF family. It contains an EGF-like domain as well as a heparin-binding domain that allows for interactions with heparin and cell-surface heparan sulfate. Soluble mature HB-EGF, a ligand of human epidermal growth factor receptors 1 and 4, is cleaved from the membrane-associated pro-HB-EGF by matrix metalloproteinase or a disintegrin and metalloproteinase in a process called ectodomain shedding. Signaling through human epidermal growth factor receptors 1 and 4 results in a variety of effects, including cellular proliferation, migration, adhesion, and differentiation. HB-EGF levels increase in response to different forms of injuries as well as stimuli, such as lysophosphatidic acid, retinoic acid, and 17β-estradiol. Because it is widely expressed in many organs, HB-EGF plays a critical role in tissue repair and regeneration throughout the body. It promotes cutaneous wound healing, hepatocyte proliferation after partial hepatectomy, intestinal anastomosis strength, alveolar regeneration after pneumonectomy, neurogenesis after ischemic injury, bladder wall thickening in response to urinary tract obstruction, and protection against ischemia/reperfusion injury to many cell types. Additionally, innovative strategies to deliver HB-EGF to sites of organ injury or to increase the endogenous levels of shed HB-EGF have been attempted with promising results. Harnessing the reparatory properties of HB-EGF in the clinical setting, therefore, may produce therapies that augment the treatment of various organ injuries.

Regulation of silicosis formation by lysophosphatidic acid and its receptors

Silicosis is a serious occupational disease characterized by lung fibrosis that is caused by long-term inhalation of silica-containing fine particles. Lysophosphatidic acid (LPA) and LPA1/3 plays a role in lung fibrosis. Until recently, there has been little research investigating the role of LPA and LPA receptors (LPAR) in silica-induced development of pulmonary fibrosis. In this study, we evaluated the hypothesis that LPA and LPA1/3 may play a role in silicosis pathogenesis using rat silicosis models induced by intratracheal instillation of silica, and randomly divided into control, silica, and VPC-12249 groups. LPA serum and bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) levels were quantified by ELISA. α-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA), type I and III collagen protein expression was quantified by western blotting (WB), and type I and III collagen mRNAs detected by reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). Lung hydroxyproline (HYP) levels were detected using alkaline hydrolysis, with hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) and picrosirius red staining used for pathological examination. In vitro experiments showed that LPA stimulated fibroblasts proliferated in a time and dose-dependent manner and promoted expression of α-SMA, and type I and III collagen. Moreover, LPA serum and BALF levels increased in silica-instilled rats. In vivo and in vitro experiments revealed that α-SMA expression and collagen deposition reduced significantly after VPC-12249 treatment, and histopathological results show VPC-12249 alleviates silicosis progression. In conclusion, our findings suggest that LPA promotes the proliferation, transformation, and collagen synthesis of fibroblasts, and that LPA-LPA1/3 are involved in the development of silicosis and may serve as novel therapeutic targets for treatment.

Lysophosphatidic acid receptor-2 deficiency confers protection against bleomycin-induced lung injury and fibrosis in mice

Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis is a devastating disease characterized by alveolar epithelial cell injury, the accumulation of fibroblasts/myofibroblasts, and the deposition of extracellular matrix proteins. Lysophosphatidic acid (LPA) signaling through its G protein-coupled receptors is critical for its various biological functions. Recently, LPA and LPA receptor 1 were implicated in lung fibrogenesis. However, the role of other LPA receptors in fibrosis remains unclear. Here, we use a bleomycin-induced pulmonary fibrosis model to investigate the roles of LPA2 in pulmonary fibrogenesis. In the present study, we found that LPA2 knockout (Lpar2(-/-)) mice were protected against bleomycin-induced lung injury, fibrosis, and mortality, compared with wild-type control mice. Furthermore, LPA2 deficiency attenuated the bleomycin-induced expression of fibronectin (FN), α-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA), and collagen in lung tissue, as well as levels of IL-6, transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β), and total protein in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid. In human lung fibroblasts, the knockdown of LPA2 attenuated the LPA-induced expression of TGF-β1 and the differentiation of lung fibroblasts to myofibroblasts, resulting in the decreased expression of FN, α-SMA, and collagen, as well as decreased activation of extracellular regulated kinase 1/2, Akt, Smad3, and p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase. Moreover, the knockdown of LPA2 with small interfering RNA also mitigated the TGF-β1-induced differentiation of lung fibroblasts. In addition, LPA2 deficiency significantly attenuated the bleomycin-induced apoptosis of alveolar and bronchial epithelial cells in the mouse lung. Together, our data indicate that the knockdown of LPA2 attenuated bleomycin-induced lung injury and pulmonary fibrosis, and this may be related to an inhibition of the LPA-induced expression of TGF-β and the activation and differentiation of fibroblasts.

Autotaxin and lysophosphatidic acid signalling in lung pathophysiology

Autotaxin (ATX or ENPP2) is a secreted glycoprotein widely present in biological fluids. ATX primarily functions as a plasma lysophospholipase D and is largely responsible for the bulk of lysophosphatidic acid (LPA) production in the plasma and at inflamed and/or malignant sites. LPA is a phospholipid mediator produced in various conditions both in cells and in biological fluids, and it evokes growth-factor-like responses, including cell growth, survival, differentiation and motility, in almost all cell types. The large variety of LPA effector functions is attributed to at least six G-protein coupled LPA receptors (LPARs) with overlapping specificities and widespread distribution. Increased ATX/LPA/LPAR levels have been detected in a large variety of cancers and transformed cell lines, as well as in non-malignant inflamed tissues, suggesting a possible involvement of ATX in chronic inflammatory disorders and cancer. In this review, we focus exclusively on the role of the ATX/LPA axis in pulmonary pathophysiology, analysing the effects of ATX/LPA on pulmonary cells and leukocytes in vitro and in the context of pulmonary pathophysiological situations in vivo and in human diseases.

The role of LPA and YAP signaling in long-term migration of human ovarian cancer cells

BACKGROUND

The Hippo-YAP signaling pathway is altered and implicated as oncogenic in many human cancers. However, extracellular signals that regulate the mammalian Hippo pathway have remained elusive until very recently when it was shown that the Hippo pathway is regulated by G-protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) ligands including lysophosphatidic acid (LPA) and sphingosine 1-phosphophate (S1P). LPA inhibits Lats kinase activity in HEK293 cells, but the potential involvement of a protein phosphatase was not investigated. The extracellular regulators of YAP dephosphorylation (dpYAP) and nuclear translocation in epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) are essentially unknown.

RESULTS

We showed here that LPA dose- and time-dependently induced dpYAP in human EOC cell lines OVCA433, OVCAR5, CAOV3, and Monty-1, accompanied by increased YAP nuclear translocation. YAP was involved in LPA-induced migration and invasion of EOC cells and LPA3 was a major LPA receptor mediating the migratory effect. We demonstrated that G13, but not or to a lesser extent G12, Gi or Gq, was necessary for LPA-induced dpYAP and its nuclear translocation and that RhoA-ROCK, but not RhoB, RhoC, Rac1, cdc42, PI3K, ERK, or AKT, were required for the LPA-dpYAP effect. In contrast to results in HEK293 cells, LPA did not inhibit Mst and Lats kinase in OVCA433 EOC cells. Instead, protein phosphatase 1A (PP1A) acted down-stream of RhoA in LPA-induction of dpYAP. In addition, we identified that amphiregulin (AREG), a down-stream target of YAP which activated EGF receptors (EGFR), mediated an LPA-stimulated and EGFR-dependent long-term (16 hr) cell migration. This process was transcription- and translation-dependent and was distinct from a transcription- and YAP-independent short-term (4 hr) cell migration. EOC tissues had reduced pYAP levels compared to normal and benign ovarian tissues, implying the involvement of dpYAP in EOC pathogenesis, as well as its potential marker and/or target values.

CONCLUSIONS

A novel LPA-LPA3-G13-RhoA-ROCK-PP1A-dpYAP-AREG-EGFR signaling pathway was linked to LPA-induced migration of EOC cells. Reduced pYAP levels were demonstrated in human EOC tumors as compared to both normal ovarian tissues and benign gynecologic masses. Our findings support that YAP is a potential marker and target for developing novel therapeutic strategies against EOC.

Spatiotemporal visualization of proHB-EGF ectodomain shedding in living cells

Heparin-binding epidermal growth factor (EGF)-like growth factor (HB-EGF) is a member of the EGF family, each of which is produced as a type I transmembrane precursor. The juxtamembrane domain of proHB-EGF, a precursor of HB-EGF, is cleaved by a disintegrin and metalloproteases. HB-EGF is released into the extracellular space and strongly activates EGF receptor. The relevance of better understanding proHB-EGF shedding relates to the importance of the process in the proliferation, differentiation and survival of various types of cells. Shedding of proHB-EGF is normally evaluated using an alkaline phosphatase-tagged proHB-EGF assay or a western blotting assay that involves multiple cells, which makes it difficult to observe spatiotemporal differences in the activities of the individual cells. In this study, we developed a fluorescent proHB-EGF-based metalloprotease biosensor, named Fluhemb, to visualize spatiotemporal regulation of proHB-EGF shedding in individual cells using a simple method that measures changes in fluorescence ratios. Fluhemb might be very useful for detecting the activity of proHB-EGF shedding in various types of cells under different conditions in vitro and in vivo.

Maternal allergen exposure reprograms the developmental lung transcriptome in atopic and normoresponsive rat pups

The "fetal origins hypothesis" argued that physiological changes consequent to in utero exposures ultimately contribute to disease susceptibility in later life. The dramatic increase in asthma prevalence is attributed to early exposures acting on preexisting asthma-susceptible genotypes. We showed previously that distinct transcriptome signatures distinguish the developmental respiratory phenotype of atopic (Brown Norway, BN) and normoresponsive (Lewis) rats. We aimed to determine whether maternal allergen exposure would influence asthma pathogenesis by reprogramming primary patterns of developmental lung gene expression. Postnatal offspring of dams sensitized to ovalbumin before mating and challenged during pregnancy were assessed for lung function, inflammatory biomarkers, and respiratory gene expression. Although maternal ovalbumin exposure resulted in characteristic features of an allergic response (bronchoalveolar lavage neutrophils, IgE, methacholine-induced lung resistance) in offspring of both strains, substantial strain-specific differences were observed in respiratory gene expression. Of 799 probes representing the top 5% of transcriptomic variation, only 112 (14%) were affected in both strains. Strain-specific gene signatures also exhibited marked differences in enrichment for gene ontologies, with immune regulation and cell proliferation being prominent in the BN strain, cell cycle and microtubule assembly gene sets in the Lewis strain. Multiple ovalbumin-specific probes in both strains were also differentially expressed in lymphoblastoid cell lines from human asthmatic vs. nonasthmatic sibling pairs. Our data point to the existence of distinct, genetically programmed responses to maternal exposures in developing lung. These different response patterns, if recapitulated in human fetal development, can contribute to long-term pulmonary health including interindividual susceptibility to asthma.

[Relationship of epidermal growth factor receptor in lung development]

The epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), a transmembrane protein receptor, is a member of ErbB family with signal-transducing tyrosine kinase activity. After combined with the ligand, EGFR homologous or heterologous dimers are formed to induce intracellular signal transduction, activate downstream signal transduction pathways, and then produce a series of biological effects. RAF/MEK/RAS/ERK pathway is relevant to cell proliferation, differentiation and apoptosis; while PDK1/AKT /PI3K pathway is involved in cell migration and adhesion. EGFR can promote the maturity of pulmonary type II epithelial cells and the synthesis and secretion of pulmonary surfactant. EGFR shows the effect on mammal lungs in a time-space and dose-dependent manner. The down-regulated expression of it will lead to immature lung development, while the over-expression can promote the cell proliferation, invasion and metastasis of the lung cancer cells. This paper reviewed advances in the study for EGFR and its signal pathway, as well as the relationship among EGFR, atelectasis and lung cancer.