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Mukhatayev Z, Adilbayeva A, Kunz J. CTHRC1: An Emerging Hallmark of Pathogenic Fibroblasts in Lung Fibrosis. Cells 2024; 13:946. [PMID: 38891078 PMCID: PMC11171484 DOI: 10.3390/cells13110946] [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: 02/29/2024] [Revised: 05/13/2024] [Accepted: 05/16/2024] [Indexed: 06/21/2024] Open
Abstract
Pulmonary fibrosis is a chronic, progressive, irreversible lung disease characterized by fibrotic scarring in the lung parenchyma. This condition involves the excessive accumulation of extracellular matrix (ECM) due to the aberrant activation of myofibroblasts in the alveolar environment. Transforming growth factor beta (TGF-β) signaling is a crucial driver of fibrogenesis because it promotes excessive ECM deposition, thereby leading to scar formation and lung damage. A primary target of TGF-β signaling in fibrosis is Collagen Triple Helix Repeat Containing 1 (CTHRC1), a secreted glycoprotein that plays a pivotal role in ECM deposition and wound repair. TGF-β transcriptionally regulates CTHRC1 in response to tissue injury and controls the wound healing response through functional activity. CTHRC1 may also play an essential role in re-establishing and maintaining tissue homeostasis after wound closure by modulating both the TGF-β and canonical Wnt signaling pathways. This dual function suggests that CTHRC1 regulates tissue remodeling and homeostasis. However, deregulated CTHRC1 expression in pathogenic fibroblasts has recently emerged as a hallmark of fibrosis in multiple organs and tissues. This review highlights recent studies suggesting that CTHRC1 can serve as a diagnostic and prognostic biomarker for fibrosis in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, systemic sclerosis, and post-COVID-19 lung fibrosis. Notably, CTHRC1 expression is responsive to antifibrotic drugs that target the TGF-β pathway, such as pirfenidone and bexotegrast, indicating its potential as a biomarker of treatment success. These findings suggest that CTHRC1 may present new opportunities for diagnosing and treating patients with lung fibrosis.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Jeannette Kunz
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, School of Medicine, Nazarbayev University, 5/1 Kerey and Zhanibek Khans St., 020000 Astana, Kazakhstan; (Z.M.); (A.A.)
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Sato S, Chong SG, Upagupta C, Yanagihara T, Saito T, Shimbori C, Bellaye PS, Nishioka Y, Kolb MR. Fibrotic extracellular matrix induces release of extracellular vesicles with pro-fibrotic miRNA from fibrocytes. Thorax 2021; 76:895-906. [PMID: 33859055 DOI: 10.1136/thoraxjnl-2020-215962] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/07/2020] [Revised: 01/14/2021] [Accepted: 01/30/2021] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Abstract
RATIONALE Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are small lipid vesicles, and EV-coupled microRNAs (miRNAs) are important modulators of biological processes. Fibrocytes are circulating bone marrow-derived cells that migrate into the injured lungs and contribute to fibrogenesis. The question of whether EV-coupled miRNAs derived from fibrocytes are able to regulate pulmonary fibrosis has not been addressed yet. METHODS Pulmonary fibrosis was induced in rats by intratracheal administration of an adenoviral gene vector encoding active transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1) or control vector. Primary fibrocytes and fibroblasts were cultured from rat lungs and were sorted by anti-CD45 magnetic beads. Human circulating fibrocytes and fibrocytes in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) were isolated by fibronectin-coated dishes. Fibrocytes were cultured on different stiffness plates or decellularised lung scaffolds. We also determined the effects of extracellular matrix (ECM) and recombinant TGF-β1 on the cellular and EV-coupled miRNA expression of fibrocytes. RESULTS The EVs of fibrocytes derived from fibrotic lungs significantly upregulated the expression of col1a1 of fibroblasts. Culturing on rigid plates or fibrotic decellularised lung scaffolds increased miR-21-5 p expression compared with soft plates or normal lung scaffolds. Dissolved ECM collected from fibrotic lungs and recombinant TGF-β1 increased miR-21-5 p expression on fibrocytes, and these effects were attenuated on soft plates. Fibrocytes from BALF collected from fibrotic interstitial pneumonia patients showed higher miR-21-5 p expression than those from other patients. CONCLUSIONS Our results indicate that ECM contributes to fibrogenesis through biomechanical and biochemical effects on miRNA expression in fibrocytes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Seidai Sato
- Firestone Institute for Respiratory Health, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.,Department of Respiratory Medicine and Rheumatology, University of Tokushima Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Tokushima, Tokushima, Japan
| | - Sy Giin Chong
- Firestone Institute for Respiratory Health, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
| | - Chandak Upagupta
- Firestone Institute for Respiratory Health, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
| | - Toyoshi Yanagihara
- Firestone Institute for Respiratory Health, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
| | - Takuya Saito
- Department of Respiratory Medicine and Rheumatology, University of Tokushima Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Tokushima, Tokushima, Japan
| | - Chiko Shimbori
- Firestone Institute for Respiratory Health, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
| | - Pierre-Simon Bellaye
- Firestone Institute for Respiratory Health, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
| | - Yasuhiko Nishioka
- Department of Respiratory Medicine and Rheumatology, University of Tokushima Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Tokushima, Tokushima, Japan
| | - Martin Rj Kolb
- Firestone Institute for Respiratory Health, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
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O'Dwyer DN, Gurczynski SJ, Moore BB. Pulmonary immunity and extracellular matrix interactions. Matrix Biol 2018; 73:122-134. [PMID: 29649546 PMCID: PMC6177325 DOI: 10.1016/j.matbio.2018.04.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/09/2017] [Revised: 04/05/2018] [Accepted: 04/07/2018] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
The lung harbors a complex immune system composed of both innate and adaptive immune cells. Recognition of infection and injury by receptors on lung innate immune cells is crucial for generation of antigen-specific responses by adaptive immune cells. The extracellular matrix of the lung, comprising the interstitium and basement membrane, plays a key role in the regulation of these immune systems. The matrix consists of several hundred assembled proteins that interact to form a bioactive scaffold. This template, modified by enzymes, acts to facilitate cell function and differentiation and changes dynamically with age and lung disease. Herein, we explore relationships between innate and adaptive immunity and the lung extracellular matrix. We discuss the interactions between extracellular matrix proteins, including glycosaminoglycans, with prominent effects on innate immune signaling effectors such as toll-like receptors. We describe the relationship of extracellular matrix proteins with adaptive immunity and leukocyte migration to sites of injury within the lung. Further study of these interactions will lead to greater knowledge of the role of matrix biology in lung immunity. The development of novel therapies for acute and chronic lung disease is dependent on a comprehensive understanding of these complex matrix-immunity interactions.
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Affiliation(s)
- David N O'Dwyer
- Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, USA
| | - Stephen J Gurczynski
- Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, USA
| | - Bethany B Moore
- Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, USA; Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, USA.
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Lassance L, Marino GK, Medeiros CS, Thangavadivel S, Wilson SE. Fibrocyte migration, differentiation and apoptosis during the corneal wound healing response to injury. Exp Eye Res 2018; 170:177-187. [PMID: 29481786 DOI: 10.1016/j.exer.2018.02.018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 62] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/17/2017] [Revised: 01/30/2018] [Accepted: 02/23/2018] [Indexed: 01/03/2023]
Abstract
The aim of this study was to determine whether bone marrow-derived fibrocytes migrate into the cornea after stromal scar-producing injury and differentiate into alpha-smooth muscle actin (αSMA) + myofibroblasts. Chimeric mice expressing green fluorescent protein (GFP) bone marrow cells had fibrosis (haze)-generating irregular phototherapeutic keratectomy (PTK). Multiplex immunohistochemistry (IHC) for GFP and fibrocyte markers (CD34, CD45, and vimentin) was used to detect fibrocyte infiltration into the corneal stroma and the development of GFP+ αSMA+ myofibroblasts. IHC for activated caspase-3, GFP and CD45 was used to detect fibrocyte and other hematopoietic cells undergoing apoptosis. Moderate haze developed in PTK-treated mouse corneas at 14 days after surgery and worsened, and persisted, at 21 days after surgery. GFP+ CD34+ CD45+ fibrocytes, likely in addition to other CD34+ and/or CD45+ hematopoietic and stem/progenitor cells, infiltrated the cornea and were present in the stroma in high numbers by one day after PTK. The fibrocytes and other bone marrow-derived cells progressively decreased at four days and seven days after surgery. At four days after PTK, 5% of the GFP+ cells expressed activated caspase-3. At 14 days after PTK, more than 50% of GFP+ CD45+ cells were also αSMA+ myofibroblasts. At 21 days after PTK, few GFP+ αSMA+ cells persisted in the stroma and more than 95% of those remaining expressed activated caspase-3, indicating they were undergoing apoptosis. GFP+ CD45+ SMA+ cells that developed from 4 to 21 days after irregular PTK were likely developed from fibrocytes. After irregular PTK in the strain of C57BL/6-C57/BL/6-Tg(UBC-GFP)30Scha/J chimeric mice, however, more than 95% of fibrocytes and other hematopoietic cells underwent apoptosis prior to the development of mature αSMA+ myofibroblasts. Most GFP+ CD45+ αSMA+ myofibroblasts that did develop subsequently underwent apoptosis-likely due to epithelial basement membrane regeneration and deprivation of epithelium-derived TGFβ requisite for myofibroblast survival.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luciana Lassance
- Cole Eye Institute, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, OH, United States
| | | | - Carla S Medeiros
- Cole Eye Institute, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, OH, United States; University of Sao Paulo, Sao Paulo, Brazil
| | | | - Steven E Wilson
- Cole Eye Institute, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, OH, United States.
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O'Dwyer DN, Moore BB. The role of periostin in lung fibrosis and airway remodeling. Cell Mol Life Sci 2017; 74:4305-4314. [PMID: 28918442 DOI: 10.1007/s00018-017-2649-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 92] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/24/2017] [Accepted: 09/04/2017] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Periostin is a protein that plays a key role in development and repair within the biological matrix of the lung. As a matricellular protein that does not contribute to extracellular matrix structure, periostin interacts with other extracellular matrix proteins to regulate the composition of the matrix in the lung and other organs. In this review, we discuss the studies exploring the role of periostin to date in chronic respiratory diseases, namely asthma and idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. Asthma is a major health problem globally affecting millions of people worldwide with significant associated morbidity and mortality. Periostin is highly expressed in the lungs of asthmatic patients, contributes to mucus secretion, airway fibrosis and remodeling and is recognized as a biomarker of Th2 high inflammation. Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis is a fatal interstitial lung disease characterized by progressive aberrant fibrosis of the lung matrix and respiratory failure. It predominantly affects adults over 50 years of age and its incidence is increasing worldwide. Periostin is also highly expressed in the lungs of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis patients. Serum levels of periostin may predict clinical progression in this disease and periostin promotes myofibroblast differentiation and type 1 collagen production to contribute to aberrant lung fibrosis. Studies to date suggest that periostin is a key player in several pathogenic mechanisms within the lung and may provide us with a useful biomarker of clinical progression in both asthma and idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- David N O'Dwyer
- Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, University of Michigan, 4053 BSRB, 109 Zina Pitcher Place, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109-2200, USA
| | - Bethany B Moore
- Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, University of Michigan, 4053 BSRB, 109 Zina Pitcher Place, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109-2200, USA. .,Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA.
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Smigiel KS, Parks WC. Matrix Metalloproteinases and Leukocyte Activation. PROGRESS IN MOLECULAR BIOLOGY AND TRANSLATIONAL SCIENCE 2017; 147:167-195. [PMID: 28413028 DOI: 10.1016/bs.pmbts.2017.01.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
As their name implies, matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) are thought to degrade extracellular matrix proteins, a function that is indeed performed by some members. However, regardless of their cell source, matrix degradation is not the only function of these enzymes. Rather, individual MMPs have been shown to regulate specific immune processes, such as leukocyte influx and migration, antimicrobial activity, macrophage activation, and restoration of barrier function, typically by processing a range of nonmatrix protein substrates. Indeed, MMP expression is low under steady-state conditions but is markedly induced during inflammatory processes including infection, wound healing, and cancer. Increasing research is showing that MMPs are not just a downstream consequence of a generalized inflammatory process, but rather are critical factors in the overall regulation of the pattern, type, and duration of immune responses. This chapter outlines the role of leukocytes in tissue remodeling and describes recent progress in our understanding of how MMPs alter leukocyte activity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kate S Smigiel
- Women's Guild Lung Institute, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA, United States
| | - William C Parks
- Women's Guild Lung Institute, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA, United States.
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