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Zhang H, Li M, Hu CJ, Stenmark KR. Fibroblasts in Pulmonary Hypertension: Roles and Molecular Mechanisms. Cells 2024; 13:914. [PMID: 38891046 PMCID: PMC11171669 DOI: 10.3390/cells13110914] [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: 04/26/2024] [Revised: 05/17/2024] [Accepted: 05/22/2024] [Indexed: 06/20/2024] Open
Abstract
Fibroblasts, among the most prevalent and widely distributed cell types in the human body, play a crucial role in defining tissue structure. They do this by depositing and remodeling extracellular matrixes and organizing functional tissue networks, which are essential for tissue homeostasis and various human diseases. Pulmonary hypertension (PH) is a devastating syndrome with high mortality, characterized by remodeling of the pulmonary vasculature and significant cellular and structural changes within the intima, media, and adventitia layers. Most research on PH has focused on alterations in the intima (endothelial cells) and media (smooth muscle cells). However, research over the past decade has provided strong evidence of the critical role played by pulmonary artery adventitial fibroblasts in PH. These fibroblasts exhibit the earliest, most dramatic, and most sustained proliferative, apoptosis-resistant, and inflammatory responses to vascular stress. This review examines the aberrant phenotypes of PH fibroblasts and their role in the pathogenesis of PH, discusses potential molecular signaling pathways underlying these activated phenotypes, and highlights areas of research that merit further study to identify promising targets for the prevention and treatment of PH.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hui Zhang
- Cardiovascular Pulmonary Research Laboratories, Departments of Pediatrics and Medicine, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO 80045, USA
| | - Min Li
- Cardiovascular Pulmonary Research Laboratories, Departments of Pediatrics and Medicine, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO 80045, USA
| | - Cheng-Jun Hu
- Cardiovascular Pulmonary Research Laboratories, Departments of Pediatrics and Medicine, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO 80045, USA
- Department of Craniofacial Biology, University of Colorado School of Dental Medicine, Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO 80045, USA
| | - Kurt R. Stenmark
- Cardiovascular Pulmonary Research Laboratories, Departments of Pediatrics and Medicine, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO 80045, USA
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Wan JJ, Yi J, Wang FY, Zhang C, Dai AG. Expression and regulation of HIF-1a in hypoxic pulmonary hypertension: Focus on pathological mechanism and Pharmacological Treatment. Int J Med Sci 2024; 21:45-60. [PMID: 38164358 PMCID: PMC10750340 DOI: 10.7150/ijms.88216] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/18/2023] [Accepted: 10/20/2023] [Indexed: 01/03/2024] Open
Abstract
Hypoxia inducible factor-1(HIF-1), a heterodimeric transcription factor, is composed of two subunits (HIF-1α and HIF-1β). It is considered as an important transcription factor for regulating oxygen changes in hypoxic environment, which can regulate the expression of various hypoxia-related target genes and play a role in acute and chronic hypoxia pulmonary vascular reactions. In this paper, the function and mechanism of HIF-1a expression and regulation in hypoxic pulmonary hypertension (HPH) were reviewed, and current candidate schemes for treating pulmonary hypertension by using HIF-1a as the target were introduced, so as to provide reference for studying the pathogenesis of HPH and screening effective treatment methods.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jia-Jing Wan
- School of Integrated Chinese and Western Medicine, Hunan University of Chinese Medicine, Changsha 410208, Hunan, People's Republic of China
- Department of Respiratory Diseases, Medical School, Hunan University of Chinese Medicine, Changsha 410208, Hunan, People's Republic of China
- Hunan Provincial Key Laboratory of Vascular Biology and Translational Medicine, Changsha 410208, Hunan, People's Republic of China
| | - Jian Yi
- The First Affiliated Hospital of Hunan University of Chinese Medicine, Changsha 410021, Hunan, People's Republic of China
| | - Fei-Ying Wang
- Department of Respiratory Diseases, Medical School, Hunan University of Chinese Medicine, Changsha 410208, Hunan, People's Republic of China
- Hunan Provincial Key Laboratory of Vascular Biology and Translational Medicine, Changsha 410208, Hunan, People's Republic of China
| | - Chao Zhang
- Department of Respiratory Diseases, Medical School, Hunan University of Chinese Medicine, Changsha 410208, Hunan, People's Republic of China
- Hunan Provincial Key Laboratory of Vascular Biology and Translational Medicine, Changsha 410208, Hunan, People's Republic of China
| | - Ai-Guo Dai
- Department of Respiratory Diseases, Medical School, Hunan University of Chinese Medicine, Changsha 410208, Hunan, People's Republic of China
- Hunan Provincial Key Laboratory of Vascular Biology and Translational Medicine, Changsha 410208, Hunan, People's Republic of China
- Department of Respiratory Medicine, First Affiliated Hospital, Hunan University of Chinese Medicine, Changsha 410021, Hunan, People's Republic of China
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Li C, Lv J, Wumaier G, Zhao Y, Dong L, Zeng Y, Zhu N, Zhang X, Wang J, Xia J, Li S. NDRG1 promotes endothelial dysfunction and hypoxia-induced pulmonary hypertension by targeting TAF15. PRECISION CLINICAL MEDICINE 2023; 6:pbad024. [PMID: 37885911 PMCID: PMC10599394 DOI: 10.1093/pcmedi/pbad024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/19/2023] [Revised: 09/26/2023] [Accepted: 10/07/2023] [Indexed: 10/28/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Pulmonary hypertension (PH) represents a threatening pathophysiologic state that can be induced by chronic hypoxia and is characterized by extensive vascular remodeling. However, the mechanism underlying hypoxia-induced vascular remodeling is not fully elucidated. Methods and Results By using quantitative polymerase chain reactions, western blotting, and immunohistochemistry, we demonstrate that the expression of N-myc downstream regulated gene-1 (NDRG1) is markedly increased in hypoxia-stimulated endothelial cells in a time-dependent manner as well as in human and rat endothelium lesions. To determine the role of NDRG1 in endothelial dysfunction, we performed loss-of-function studies using NDRG1 short hairpin RNAs and NDRG1 over-expression plasmids. In vitro, silencing NDRG1 attenuated proliferation, migration, and tube formation of human pulmonary artery endothelial cells (HPAECs) under hypoxia, while NDRG1 over-expression promoted these behaviors of HPAECs. Mechanistically, NDRG1 can directly interact with TATA-box binding protein associated factor 15 (TAF15) and promote its nuclear localization. Knockdown of TAF15 abrogated the effect of NDRG1 on the proliferation, migration and tube formation capacity of HPAECs. Bioinformatics studies found that TAF15 was involved in regulating PI3K-Akt, p53, and hypoxia-inducible factor 1 (HIF-1) signaling pathways, which have been proved to be PH-related pathways. In addition, vascular remodeling and right ventricular hypertrophy induced by hypoxia were markedly alleviated in NDRG1 knock-down rats compared with their wild-type littermates. Conclusions Taken together, our results indicate that hypoxia-induced upregulation of NDRG1 contributes to endothelial dysfunction through targeting TAF15, which ultimately contributes to the development of hypoxia-induced PH.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chengwei Li
- Department of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Huashan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai 200040, China
| | - Junzhu Lv
- Department of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Huashan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai 200040, China
| | - Gulinuer Wumaier
- Department of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Huashan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai 200040, China
| | - Yu Zhao
- Department of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Huashan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai 200040, China
| | - Liang Dong
- Department of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Huashan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai 200040, China
| | - Yuzhen Zeng
- Department of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Huashan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai 200040, China
| | - Ning Zhu
- Department of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Huashan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai 200040, China
| | - Xiujuan Zhang
- Department of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Huashan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai 200040, China
| | - Jing Wang
- Department of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Huashan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai 200040, China
| | - Jingwen Xia
- Department of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Huashan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai 200040, China
| | - Shengqing Li
- Department of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Huashan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai 200040, China
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Crnkovic S, Kwapiszewska G. Guilt by Association: Stepwise Entanglement of the Role of Hypoxia-inducible Factor in Pulmonary Hypertension. Am J Respir Cell Mol Biol 2023; 69:6-7. [PMID: 37075325 PMCID: PMC10324046 DOI: 10.1165/rcmb.2023-0103ed] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/21/2023] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Slaven Crnkovic
- Ludwig Boltzmann Institute for Lung Vascular Research Graz, Austria
- Division of Physiology Medical University of Graz Graz, Austria
- Institute for Lung Health Member of the German Lung Center Giessen, Germany
| | - Grazyna Kwapiszewska
- Ludwig Boltzmann Institute for Lung Vascular Research Graz, Austria
- Division of Physiology Medical University of Graz Graz, Austria
- Institute for Lung Health Member of the German Lung Center Giessen, Germany
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