PMA stimulates MUC5B gene expression through an Sp1-based mechanism in airway epithelial cells

Genomic Fingerprint Associated with Familial Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis: A Review

Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a severe interstitial lung disease; although the recent introduction of two anti-fibrosis drugs, pirfenidone and Nidanib, have resulted in a significant reduction in lung function decline, IPF is still not curable. Approximately 2-20% of patients with IPF have a family history of the disease, which is considered the strongest risk factor for idiopathic interstitial pneumonia. However, the genetic predispositions of familial IPF (f-IPF), a particular type of IPF, remain largely unknown. Genetics affect the susceptibility and progression of f-IPF. Genomic markers are increasingly being recognized for their contribution to disease prognosis and drug therapy outcomes. Existing data suggest that genomics may help identify individuals at risk for f-IPF, accurately classify patients, elucidate key pathways involved in disease pathogenesis, and ultimately develop more effective targeted therapies. Since several genetic variants associated with the disease have been found in f-IPF, this review systematically summarizes the latest progress in the gene spectrum of the f-IPF population and the underlying mechanisms of f-IPF. The genetic susceptibility variation related to the disease phenotype is also illustrated. This review aims to improve the understanding of the IPF pathogenesis and facilitate his early detection.

The MUC5B-associated variant rs35705950 resides within an enhancer subject to lineage- and disease-dependent epigenetic remodeling

The G/T transversion rs35705950, located approximately 3 kb upstream of the MUC5B start site, is the cardinal risk factor for idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). Here, we investigate the function and chromatin structure of this –3 kb region and provide evidence that it functions as a classically defined enhancer subject to epigenetic programming. We use nascent transcript analysis to show that RNA polymerase II loads within 10 bp of the G/T transversion site, definitively establishing enhancer function for the region. By integrating Assay for Transposase-Accessible Chromatin using sequencing (ATAC-seq) analysis of fresh and cultured human airway epithelial cells with nuclease sensitivity data, we demonstrate that this region is in accessible chromatin that affects the expression of MUC5B. Through applying paired single-nucleus RNA- and ATAC-seq to frozen tissue from IPF lungs, we extend these findings directly to disease, with results indicating that epigenetic programming of the –3 kb enhancer in IPF occurs in both MUC5B-expressing and nonexpressing lineages. In aggregate, our results indicate that the MUC5B-associated variant rs35705950 resides within an enhancer that is subject to epigenetic remodeling and contributes to pathologic misexpression in IPF.

Transgenic Mouse Reporter to Study Muc5b In Vivo

Dysregulation of gel-forming mucins is associated with many airway diseases. Better knowledge of the pathophysiological mechanisms linking mucins and respiratory diseases will advance the understanding of their pathogenesis and should provide opportunities to develop new therapeutic compounds for treatment. MUC5B and MUC5AC are the two main gel-forming mucins in the respiratory tract. The organization in domains and the expression profile of mouse Muc5b are very similar to those in humans, which makes the mouse a relevant model for studies of the translational activities of human mucins. To assess the in vivo biological functions of Muc5b, a mouse reporter tagged in frame with the green fluorescent protein marker has been engineered by homologous recombination. The proof of concept that this reporter model may be informative for translational studies was confirmed by the finding that interleukin-13 administration in living mice upregulated Muc5b production.

Expression of TMBIM6 in Cancers: The Involvement of Sp1 and PKC

Transmembrane Bax Inhibitor Motif-containing 6 (TMBIM6) is upregulated in several cancer types and involved in the metastasis. Specific downregulation of TMBIM6 results in cancer cell death. However, the TMBIM6 gene transcriptional regulation in normal and cancer cells is least studied. Here, we identified the core promoter region (−133/+30 bp) sufficient for promoter activity of TMBIM6 gene. Reporter gene expression with mutations at transcription factor binding sites, EMSA, supershift, and ChIP assays demonstrated that Sp1 is an essential transcription factor for basal promoter activity of TMBIM6. The TMBIM6 mRNA expression was increased with Sp1 levels in a concentration dependent manner. Ablation of Sp1 through siRNA or inhibition with mithramycin-A reduced the TMBIM6 mRNA expression. We also found that the protein kinase-C activation stimulates promoter activity and endogenous TMBIM6 mRNA by 2- to 2.5-fold. Additionally, overexpression of active mutants of PKCι, PKCε, and PKCδ increased TMBIM6 expression by enhancing nuclear translocation of Sp1. Immunohistochemistry analyses confirmed that the expression levels of PKCι, Sp1, and TMBIM6 were correlated with one another in samples from human breast, prostate, and liver cancer patients. Altogether, this study suggests the involvement of Sp1 in basal transcription and PKC in the enhanced expression of TMBIM6 in cancer.

The Possible Pathogenesis of Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis considering MUC5B

Background

Overexpression of the MUC5B protein is associated with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), but little information is available regarding the pathogenic effects and regulatory mechanisms of overexpressed MUC5B in IPF.

Main Body

The overexpression of MUC5B in terminal bronchi and honeycomb cysts produces mucosal host defensive dysfunction in the distal airway which may play an important role in the development of IPF. This review addresses the possible association of overexpression of MUC5B, with MUC5B promoter polymorphism, MUC5B gene epigenetic changes, effects of some transcriptional factors, and inflammatory mediators in IPF. In addition, the associated signaling pathways which may influence the expression of MUC5B are also discussed.

Conclusion

This work has important implications for further exploration of the mechanisms of overexpression of MUC5B in IPF, and future personalized treatment.

Role of Proteases in Lung Disease: A Brief Overview

Proteases play an important role in health and disease of the lung. In the normal lungs, proteases maintain their homeostatic functions that regulate processes like its regeneration and repair. Dysregulation of proteases–antiproteases balance is crucial in the manifestation of different types of lung diseases. Chronic inflammatory lung pathologies are associated with a marked increase in protease activities. Thus, in addition to protease activities, inhibition of anti-proteolytic control mechanisms are also important for effective microbial infection and inflammation in the lung. Herein, we briefly summarize the role of different proteases and to some extent antiproteases in regulating a variety of lung diseases.

Effect of Epigallocatechin-3-Gallate on PMA-Induced MUC5B Expression in Human Airway Epithelial Cells

Objectives

Among the inflammatory mediators, phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA) is associated with the regulation of MUC5B expression in the airway epithelial cells. Epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG) is the major component of green tea extract. The biological activity of EGCG includes reduction of cholesterol and antioxidant activity, as well as anti-inflammatory effect. However, the precise action mechanism of anti-inflammatory effect of EGCG in the airway epithelial cells has not been fully defined. This study investigates the effect and the brief signaling pathway of EGCG on PMA-induced MUC5B expression in the airway epithelial cells.

Methods

In NCI-H292 airway epithelial cells, the effect and signaling pathway of EGCG on MUC5B expression were investigated using real-time polymerase chain reaction analysis, enzyme immunoassay, immunohistochemical analysis, gelatin zymography assay, and immunoblot analysis.

Results

In NCI-H292 airway epithelial cells, PMA induced MUC5B expression, phosphorylation of p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK), and matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9) expression and protein activity. EGCG significantly decreased PMA-induced MUC5B expression, phosphorylation of p38 MAPK, and MMP-9 expression and protein activity. SB203580 (p38 MAPK inhibitor) significantly decreased PMA-induced MMP-9 expression. In addition, SB203580 and MMP-9 I (MMP-9 inhibitor) significantly decreased PMA-induced MUC5B expression.

Conclusion

These results suggest that EGCG down-regulates PMA-induced MUC5B expression through the p38 MAPK dependent MMP-9 signaling pathway in human airway epithelial cells.

CFTR, mucins, and mucus obstruction in cystic fibrosis

Mucus pathology in cystic fibrosis (CF) has been known for as long as the disease has been recognized and is sometimes called mucoviscidosis. The disease is marked by mucus hyperproduction and plugging in many organs, which are usually most fatal in the airways of CF patients, once the problem of meconium ileus at birth is resolved. After the CF gene, CFTR, was cloned and its protein product identified as a cAMP-regulated Cl(-) channel, causal mechanisms underlying the strong mucus phenotype of the disease became obscure. Here we focus on mucin genes and polymeric mucin glycoproteins, examining their regulation and potential relationships to a dysfunctional cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR). Detailed examination of CFTR expression in organs and different cell types indicates that changes in CFTR expression do not always correlate with the severity of CF disease or mucus accumulation. Thus, the mucus hyperproduction that typifies CF does not appear to be a direct cause of a defective CFTR but, rather, to be a downstream consequence. In organs like the lung, up-regulation of mucin gene expression by inflammation results from chronic infection; however, in other instances and organs, the inflammation may have a non-infectious origin. The mucus plugging phenotype of the β-subunit of the epithelial Na(+) channel (βENaC)-overexpressing mouse is proving to be an archetypal example of this kind of inflammation, with a dehydrated airway surface/concentrated mucus gel apparently providing the inflammatory stimulus. Data indicate that the luminal HCO(3)(-) deficiency recently described for CF epithelia may also provide such a stimulus, perhaps by causing a mal-maturation of mucins as they are released onto luminal surfaces. In any event, the path between CFTR dysfunction and mucus hyperproduction has proven tortuous, and its unraveling continues to offer its own twists and turns, along with fascinating glimpses into biology.

Phorbol 12-Myristate 13-Acetate Induces MUC16 Expression via PKCδ and p38 in Human Airway Epithelial Cells

Objectives

Phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA) is widely used as a protein kinase C (PKC) activator, PKC is involved in the secretion of mucins. MUC16, one of the membrane-bound mucins, is produced in human airway epithelial cells. However, the effect and signaling pathway of PMA on MUC16 expression in human airway epithelial cells has not been reported. Therefore, the effect and brief signaling pathway of PMA on MUC16 expression were investigated in human airway epithelial cells in this study.

Methods

In the mucin-producing human NCI-H292 airway epithelial cells and the primary cultures of normal nasal epithelial cells, the effect and signaling pathway of PMA on MUC16 expression were investigated using reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), real-time PCR, enzyme immunoassay, and immunoblot analysis with several specific inhibitors and small interfering RNA (siRNA) for p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK).

Results

PMA increased MUC16 expression, and activated phosphorylation of p38 MAPK. However, it did not activate phosphorylation of extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1/2 (ERK1/2). SB203580 (p38 MAPK inhibitor) inhibited PMA-induced MUC16 expression, while U0126 (ERK1/2 inhibitor) did not. In addition, the knockdown of p38 MAPK by p38 MAPK siRNA significantly blocked PMA-induced MUC16 mRNA expression. Rottlerin (PKCδ inhibitor) inhibited PMA-induced MUC16 expression, and also inhibited the phosphorylation of activated p38 MAPK by PMA.

Conclusion

These results show for the first time that PMA-induced MUC16 expression is regulated by activation of the PKCδ and p38 MAPK signaling pathway in human airway epithelial cells.

Influenza A induces the major secreted airway mucin MUC5AC in a protease-EGFR-extracellular regulated kinase-Sp1-dependent pathway

Mucins, the main glycoproteins present within mucus, modulate the rheologic properties of airways and participate in lung defense. They are thought to be able to trap and eliminate microorganisms from the lung. Among the mucins secreted in the lung, MUC5AC is the most prominent factor secreted by surface epithelial cells. Although much is known about the signaling pathways involved in the regulation of MUC5AC by host factors such as cytokines or proteases, less is known about the pathways triggered by microorganisms and, specifically, by influenza A virus (IAV). We therefore set up experiments to dissect the molecular mechanisms responsible for the potential modulation of MUC5AC by IAV. Using epithelial cells, C57/Bl6 mice, and IAV strains, we measured MUC5AC expression at the RNA and protein levels, specificity protein 1 (Sp1) activation, and protease activity. Intermediate molecular partners were confirmed using pharmacological inhibitors, blocking antibodies, and small interfering (si)RNAs. We showed in vitro and in vivo that IAV up-regulates epithelial cell-derived MUC5AC and Muc5ac expression in mice, both at transcriptional (through the induction of Sp1) and translational levels. In addition, we determined that this induction was dependent on a protease-epithelial growth factor receptor-extracellular regulated kinase-Sp1 signaling cascade, involving in particular the human airway trypsin. Our data point to MUC5AC as a potential modulatory mechanism by which the lung epithelia respond to IAV infection, and we dissect, for the first time to the best of our knowledge, the molecular partners involved. Future experiments using MUC5AC-targeted strategies should help further unravel the pathophysiological consequences of IAV-induced MUC5AC expression for lung homeostasis.

The Effect of Doxycycline on PMA-Induced MUC5B Expression via MMP-9 and p38 in NCI-H292 Cells

Objectives

Doxycycline is commonly used in medicine for its bacteriostatic antimicrobial properties. Recent studies have reported that doxycycline also has anti-inflammatory effects. Matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-9 has been found to be involved in the physiological and pathological process of inflammatory airway disease. Phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA), a protein kinase C activator, is known to stimulate the expression of MMP and mucin genes in the airway and intestinal epithelial cells. Therefore, the effects and signal pathways of doxycycline on PMA-induced MUC5B expression dependent MMP-9 in human airway epithelial cells were investigated.

Methods

In human NCI-H292 airway epithelial cells, MUC5B and MMP-9 mRNA expression, MUC5B protein expression, and MMP-9 protein activity after the treatment with PMA, MMP-9 or doxycycline were determined by reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction, enzyme immunoassay, gelatin zymography, and Western blot analysis.

Results

PMA increased MMP-9 and MUC5B expression. MMP-9 increased MUC5B expression. Doxycycline inhibited PMA-induced MUC5B expression, and PMA-induced MMP-9 mRNA expression and protein activity. Doxycycline inhibited phosphorylation of p38 induced by PMA and MMP-9.

Conclusion

The results of this study suggest that doxycycline inhibited PMA-induced MUC5B mRNA expression and protein production through the MMP-9 and p38 pathways in human NCI-H292 airway epithelial cells.

SP1 suppresses phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate induced up-regulation of human regucalcin expression in liver cancer cells

There is a growing evidence that regucalcin (RGN) plays a multifunctional role in liver cancer cells. Previous reports showed that the presence of phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA) caused a significant increase in RGN mRNA expression and promoter activity in rat hepatoma cells. In this study, we confirmed that human RGN is also up-regulated by PMA treatment independent of translation, and we identified the mechanism by which PMA up-regulates the expression of human RGN via driving SP1 away from a SP1 motif located within -188/-180 of the promoter in HepG2 cells. Overexpression of SP1 dramatically reduces PMA-induced up-regulation of both internal expression of mRNA and promoter activity, whereas knockdown of SP1 has the opposite effect. Therefore, the present study delineates the fundamental elements in the promoter which will be helpful in the future studies on the regulation of RGN expression in liver cancer.

A common MUC5B promoter polymorphism and pulmonary fibrosis

BACKGROUND

The mutations that have been implicated in pulmonary fibrosis account for only a small proportion of the population risk.

METHODS

Using a genomewide linkage scan, we detected linkage between idiopathic interstitial pneumonia and a 3.4-Mb region of chromosome 11p15 in 82 families. We then evaluated genetic variation in this region in gel-forming mucin genes expressed in the lung among 83 subjects with familial interstitial pneumonia, 492 subjects with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, and 322 controls. MUC5B expression was assessed in lung tissue.

RESULTS

Linkage and fine mapping were used to identify a region of interest on the p-terminus of chromosome 11 that included gel-forming mucin genes. The minor-allele of the single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) rs35705950, located 3 kb upstream of the MUC5B transcription start site, was present at a frequency of 34% among subjects with familial interstitial pneumonia, 38% among subjects with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, and 9% among controls (allelic association with familial interstitial pneumonia, P=1.2×10(-15); allelic association with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, P=2.5×10(-37)). The odds ratios for disease among subjects who were heterozygous and those who were homozygous for the minor allele of this SNP were 6.8 (95% confidence interval [CI], 3.9 to 12.0) and 20.8 (95% CI, 3.8 to 113.7), respectively, for familial interstitial pneumonia and 9.0 (95% CI, 6.2 to 13.1) and 21.8 (95% CI, 5.1 to 93.5), respectively, for idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. MUC5B expression in the lung was 14.1 times as high in subjects who had idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis as in those who did not (P<0.001). The variant allele of rs35705950 was associated with up-regulation in MUC5B expression in the lung in unaffected subjects (expression was 37.4 times as high as in unaffected subjects homozygous for the wild-type allele, P<0.001). MUC5B protein was expressed in lesions of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis.

CONCLUSIONS

A common polymorphism in the promoter of MUC5B is associated with familial interstitial pneumonia and idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. Our findings suggest that dysregulated MUC5B expression in the lung may be involved in the pathogenesis of pulmonary fibrosis. (Funded by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute and others.).

AP2alpha is essential for MUC8 gene expression in human airway epithelial cells

Mucins are high molecular weight proteins that make up the major components of mucus. Hypersecretion of mucus is a feature of several chronic inflammatory airway diseases. MUC8 is an important component of airway mucus, and its gene expression is upregulated in nasal polyp epithelium. Little is known about the molecular mechanisms of MUC8 gene expression. We first observed overexpression of activator protein-2 alpha (AP2 alpha) in human nasal polyp epithelium. We hypothesized that AP2 alpha overexpression in nasal polyp epithelium correlates closely with MUC8 gene expression. We demonstrated that phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA) treatment of the airway epithelial cell line NCI-H292 increases MUC8 gene and AP2 alpha expression. In this study, we sought to determine which signal pathway is involved in PMA-induced MUC8 gene expression. The results show that the protein kinase C and mitogen-activating protein/ERK kinase (MAPK) pathways modulate MUC8 gene expression. PD98059 or ERK1/2 siRNA and RO-31-8220 or PKC siRNA significantly suppress AP2 alpha as well as MUC8 gene expression in PMA-treated cells. To verify the role of AP2 alpha, we specifically knocked down AP2 alpha expression with siRNA. A significant AP2 alpha knock-down inhibited PMA-induced MUC8 gene expression. While dominant negative AP2 alpha decreased PMA-induced MUC8 gene expression, overexpressing wildtype AP2 alpha increased MUC8 gene expression. Furthermore, using lentiviral vectors for RNA interference in human nasal polyp epithelial cells, we confirmed an essential role for AP2 alpha in MUC8 gene expression. From these results, we concluded that PMA induces MUC8 gene expression through a mechanism involving PKC, ERK1/2, and AP2 alpha activation in human airway epithelial cells.

2,3,7,8-Tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin-induced MUC5AC expression: aryl hydrocarbon receptor-independent/EGFR/ERK/p38-dependent SP1-based transcription

2,3,7,8-Tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD) is a potent environmental toxicant. Epidemiological studies have associated TCDD exposure with the development of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, which is manifested by mucous/goblet cell hyperplasia. The purpose of this research was to elucidate the pathway/mechanisms that lead to TCDD-induced gene expression in both primary normal human bronchial epithelial cells and an immortalized cell line, HBE1, under air-liquid interface conditions. TCDD exposure induced a time-dependent elevation of MUC5AC mRNA and protein synthesis, and cytochrome p450 1A1 (CYP1A1) expression in these cells. Treatment with an aryl hydrocarbon receptor antagonist had no effect on TCDD-induced MUC5AC expression, but significantly suppressed CYP1A1 induction. However, treatments with inhibitors of signaling pathways and the expression of dominant negative mutants of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) and p38, but not the inhibition of c-Jun N-terminal kinase pathway, abrogated MUC5AC induction, but not that of CYP1A1. These effects also occurred at the MUC5AC promoter-reporter level using the chimeric construct for a transient transfection study. Western blot analysis confirmed the phosphorylation of activated EGFR, ERK, and p38 signaling molecules, but not the c-Jun N-terminal kinase, in cells after TCDD exposure. Specificity protein 1 (Sp1) phosphorylation also occurred in cells after TCDD exposure. Both MUC5AC expression and the promoter activity were inhibited by mithramycin A, an inhibitor specific to Sp1-based transcription. These results lead to the conclusion that TCDD induced MUC5AC expression through a noncanonical aryl hydrocarbon receptor-independent, EGFR/ERK/p38-mediated signaling pathway-mediated/Sp1-based transcriptional mechanism.

NF-κB mediates IL-1β- and IL-17A-induced MUC5B expression in airway epithelial cells

A major pathological feature of chronic airway diseases is the elevated expression of gel-forming mucins. NF-κB activation in airway epithelial cells has been shown to play a proinflammatory role in chronic airway diseases; however, the specific role of NF-κB in mucin gene expression has not been characterized. In this study, we show that the proinflammatory cytokines, IL-1β and IL-17A, both of which use the NF-κB pathway, are potent inducers of MUC5B mRNA expression in both well differentiated primary normal human bronchial epithelial cells and the human bronchial epithelial cell line, HBE1. MUC5B induction by these cytokines was both time- and dose-dependent, and was attenuated by the small molecule inhibitor, NF-κB inhibitor III, as well as p65 small interfering RNA, suggesting that the regulation of MUC5B expression by these cytokines is via an NF-κB-based transcriptional mechanism. Deletion analysis of the MUC5B promoter demonstrated that IL-1β- and IL-17A-induced promoter activity resides within the -4.17-kb to -2.56-kb region relative to the transcriptional start site. This region contains three putative κB-binding sites (NF-κB-1, -3,786/-3,774; NF-κB-2, -3,173/-3,161; and NF-κB-3, -2,921/-2,909). Chromatin immunoprecipitation analysis confirmed enhanced binding of the p50 NF-κB subunit to the NF-κB-3 site after cytokine stimulation. We conclude that an NF-κB-based transcriptional mechanism is involved in MUC5B regulation by IL-1β and IL-17A in airway epithelium. This is the first demonstration of the participation of NF-κB and its specific binding site in cytokine-mediated airway MUC5B expression.