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Allbright K, Villandre J, Crotty Alexander LE, Zhang M, Benam KH, Evankovich J, Königshoff M, Chandra D. The paradox of the safer cigarette: understanding the pulmonary effects of electronic cigarettes. Eur Respir J 2024:2301494. [PMID: 38609098 DOI: 10.1183/13993003.01494-2023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/13/2022] [Accepted: 03/16/2024] [Indexed: 04/14/2024]
Abstract
Electronic cigarette (e-cigarette) use continues to rise globally. E-cigarettes have been presented as safer alternatives to combustion cigarettes that can mitigate the harm associated with tobacco products; however, the degree to which e-cigarette use itself can lead to morbidity and mortality is not fully defined. Herein we describe how e-cigarettes function; discuss the current knowledge of the effects of e-cigarette aerosol on lung cell cytotoxicity, inflammation, anti-pathogen immune response, mucociliary clearance, oxidative stress, DNA damage, carcinogenesis, matrix remodeling, and airway hyperresponsiveness; and summarize the impact on lung diseases, including COPD, respiratory infection, lung cancer, and asthma. We highlight how the inclusion of nicotine or flavoring compounds in e-liquids can impact lung toxicity. Finally, we consider the paradox of the safer cigarette - the toxicities of e-cigarettes that can mitigate their potential to serve as a harm reduction tool in the fight against traditional cigarettes, and we summarize the research needed in this under-investigated area.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kassandra Allbright
- Department of Medicine and the Electronic Cigarette Research Initiative, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA
| | - John Villandre
- Department of Medicine and the Electronic Cigarette Research Initiative, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA
| | - Laura E Crotty Alexander
- VA San Diego Healthcare System, San Diego, CA
- Department of Medicine, University of California San Diego, San Diego, CA
| | - Michael Zhang
- Department of Medicine and the Electronic Cigarette Research Initiative, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA
| | - Kambez H Benam
- Department of Medicine and the Electronic Cigarette Research Initiative, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA
- Department of Bioengineering, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA
- Vascular Medicine Institute, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA
| | - John Evankovich
- Department of Medicine and the Electronic Cigarette Research Initiative, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA
| | - Melanie Königshoff
- Department of Medicine and the Electronic Cigarette Research Initiative, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA
| | - Divay Chandra
- Department of Medicine and the Electronic Cigarette Research Initiative, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA
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Tuncer F, Bulik M, Villandre J, Lear T, Chen Y, Tuncer B, Kass DJ, Valenzi E, Morse C, Sembrat J, Lafyatis R, Chen B, Evankovich J. Fibronectin-EDA accumulates via reduced ubiquitination downstream of Toll-like receptor 9 activation in SSc-ILD fibroblasts. Am J Physiol Lung Cell Mol Physiol 2022; 323:L484-L494. [PMID: 35997276 PMCID: PMC9550569 DOI: 10.1152/ajplung.00019.2022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/18/2022] [Revised: 08/17/2022] [Accepted: 08/18/2022] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Accumulation of excessive extracellular matrix (ECM) components from lung fibroblasts is a feature of systemic sclerosis-associated interstitial lung disease (SSc-ILD), and there is increasing evidence that innate immune signaling pathways contribute to these processes. Toll-like receptors (TLRs) are innate immune sensors activated by danger signals derived from pathogens or host molecular patterns. Several damage-associated molecular pattern (DAMP) molecules are elevated in SSc-ILD plasma, including ligands that activate TLR9, an innate immune sensor recently implicated in driving profibrotic responses in fibroblasts. Fibronectin and the isoform fibronectin-extra domain A (FN-EDA) are prominent in pathological extracellular matrix accumulation, but mechanisms promoting FN-EDA accumulation are only partially understood. Here, we show that TLR9 activation increases FN-EDA accumulation in MRC5 and SSc-ILD fibroblasts, but that this effect is independent of changes in FN-EDA gene transcription. Rather, we describe a novel mechanism where TLR9 activation inhibits FN-EDA turnover via reduced FN-EDA ubiquitination. TLR9 ligand ODN2006 reduces ubiquitinated FN-EDA destined for lysosomal degradation, an effect abrogated with TLR9 knockdown or inhibition. Taken together, these results provide rationale for disrupting the TLR9 signaling axis or FN-EDA degradation pathways to reduce FN-EDA accumulation in SSc-ILD fibroblasts. More broadly, enhancing intracellular degradation of ECM components through TLR9 inhibition or enhanced ECM turnover could be a novel strategy to attenuate pathogenic ECM accumulation in SSc-ILD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ferhan Tuncer
- Aging Institute, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
| | - Melissa Bulik
- Division of Rheumatology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
| | - John Villandre
- Aging Institute, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
- Division of Pulmonary, Allergy, and Critical Care Medicine, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
| | - Travis Lear
- Aging Institute, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
- Vascular Medicine Institute, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
| | - Yanwen Chen
- Aging Institute, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
| | - Beyza Tuncer
- Aging Institute, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
| | - Daniel J Kass
- Division of Pulmonary, Allergy, and Critical Care Medicine, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
- Simmons Center for Interstitial Lung Disease, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
| | - Eleanor Valenzi
- Division of Pulmonary, Allergy, and Critical Care Medicine, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
- Simmons Center for Interstitial Lung Disease, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
| | - Christina Morse
- Division of Rheumatology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
| | - John Sembrat
- Division of Pulmonary, Allergy, and Critical Care Medicine, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
| | - Robert Lafyatis
- Simmons Center for Interstitial Lung Disease, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
- Division of Rheumatology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
| | - Bill Chen
- Aging Institute, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
- Division of Pulmonary, Allergy, and Critical Care Medicine, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
| | - John Evankovich
- Aging Institute, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
- Division of Pulmonary, Allergy, and Critical Care Medicine, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
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Villandre J, White V, Lear TB, Chen Y, Tuncer F, Vaiz E, Tuncer B, Lockwood K, Camarco D, Liu Y, Chen BB, Evankovich J. A Repurposed Drug Screen for Compounds Regulating Aquaporin 5 Stability in Lung Epithelial Cells. Front Pharmacol 2022; 13:828643. [PMID: 35145418 PMCID: PMC8821664 DOI: 10.3389/fphar.2022.828643] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/03/2021] [Accepted: 01/03/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Aquaporin 5 (AQP5) is expressed in several cell types in the lung and regulates water transport, which contributes to barrier function during injury and the composition of glandular secretions. Reduced AQP5 expression is associated with barrier dysfunction during acute lung injury, and strategies to enhance its expression are associated with favorable phenotypes. Thus, pharmacologically enhancing AQP5 expression could be beneficial. Here, we optimized a high-throughput assay designed to detect AQP5 abundance using a cell line stably expressing bioluminescent-tagged AQP5. We then screened a library of 1153 compounds composed of FDA-approved drugs for their effects on AQP5 abundance. We show compounds Niclosamide, Panobinostat, and Candesartan Celexitil increased AQP5 abundance, and show that Niclosamide has favorable cellular toxicity profiles. We determine that AQP5 levels are regulated in part by ubiquitination and proteasomal degradation in lung epithelial cells, and mechanistically Niclosamide increases AQP5 levels by reducing AQP5 ubiquitination and proteasomal degradation. Functionally, Niclosamide stabilized AQP5 levels in response to hypotonic stress, a stimulus known to reduce AQP5 levels. In complementary assays, Niclosamide increased endogenous AQP5 in both A549 cells and in primary, polarized human bronchial epithelial cells compared to control-treated cells. Further, we measured rapid cell volume changes in A549 cells in response to osmotic stress, an effect controlled by aquaporin channels. Niclosamide-treated A549 cell volume changes occurred more rapidly compared to control-treated cells, suggesting that increased Niclosamide-mediated increases in AQP5 expression affects functional water transport. Taken together, we describe a strategy to identify repurposed compounds for their effect on AQP5 protein abundance. We validated the effects of Niclosamide on endogenous AQP5 levels and in regulating cell-volume changes in response to tonicity changes. Our findings highlight a unique approach to screen for drug effects on protein abundance, and our workflow can be applied broadly to study compound effects on protein abundance in lung epithelial cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- John Villandre
- Department of Medicine, Acute Lung Injury Center of Excellence, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, United States
- Aging Institute, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, United States
| | - Virginia White
- Aging Institute, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, United States
| | - Travis B. Lear
- Aging Institute, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, United States
- Vascular Medicine Institute, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, United States
| | - Yanwen Chen
- Aging Institute, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, United States
| | - Ferhan Tuncer
- Aging Institute, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, United States
| | - Emily Vaiz
- Aging Institute, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, United States
| | - Beyza Tuncer
- Aging Institute, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, United States
| | - Karina Lockwood
- Aging Institute, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, United States
| | - Dan Camarco
- Aging Institute, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, United States
| | - Yuan Liu
- Department of Medicine, Acute Lung Injury Center of Excellence, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, United States
- Aging Institute, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, United States
- McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, United States
| | - Bill B. Chen
- Department of Medicine, Acute Lung Injury Center of Excellence, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, United States
- Aging Institute, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, United States
- Vascular Medicine Institute, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, United States
| | - John Evankovich
- Department of Medicine, Acute Lung Injury Center of Excellence, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, United States
- Aging Institute, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, United States
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Evankovich J, Lear T, Baldwin C, Chen Y, White V, Villandre J, Londino J, Liu Y, McVerry B, Kitsios GD, Mallampalli RK, Chen BB. Toll-like Receptor 8 Stability Is Regulated by Ring Finger 216 in Response to Circulating MicroRNAs. Am J Respir Cell Mol Biol 2020; 62:157-167. [PMID: 31385713 PMCID: PMC6993540 DOI: 10.1165/rcmb.2018-0373oc] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/14/2018] [Accepted: 08/01/2019] [Indexed: 01/16/2023] Open
Abstract
TLR8 (Toll-like receptor 8) is an intracellular pattern recognition receptor that senses RNA in endosomes to initiate innate immune signaling through NF-κB, and mechanisms regulating TLR8 protein abundance are not completely understood. Protein degradation is a cellular process controlling protein concentrations, accomplished largely through ubiquitin transfer directed by E3 ligase proteins to substrates. In the present study, we show that TLR8 has a short half-life in THP-1 monocytes (∼1 h) and that TLR8 is ubiquitinated and degraded in the proteasome. Treatment with the TLR8 agonist R848 causes rapid depletion of TLR8 concentrations at early time points, an effect blocked by proteasomal inhibition. We show a novel role for RNF216 (ring finger protein 216), an E3 ligase that targets TLR8 for ubiquitination and degradation. RNF216 overexpression reduces TLR8 concentrations, whereas RNF216 knockdown stabilizes TLR8. We describe a potential role for TLR8 activation by circulating RNA ligands in humans with acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS): Plasma and extracted RNA fractions from subjects with ARDS activated TLR8 in vitro. MicroRNA (miRNA) expression profiling revealed several circulating miRNAs from subjects with ARDS. miRNA mimics promoted TLR8 proteasomal degradation in THP-1 cells. These data show that TLR8 proteasomal disposal through RNF216 in response to RNA ligands regulates TLR8 cellular concentrations and may have implications for innate immune signaling. In addition, TLR8 activation by circulating RNA ligands may be a previously underrecognized stimulus contributing to excessive innate immune signaling characteristic of ARDS.
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Affiliation(s)
- John Evankovich
- Department of Medicine, Acute Lung Injury Center of Excellence
| | - Travis Lear
- Department of Environmental and Occupational Health, School of Public Health
| | | | | | - Virginia White
- Department of Medicine, Acute Lung Injury Center of Excellence
| | - John Villandre
- Department of Medicine, Acute Lung Injury Center of Excellence
| | - James Londino
- Department of Medicine, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio; and
| | - Yuan Liu
- Department of Medicine, Acute Lung Injury Center of Excellence
- Aging Institute
- McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine
| | - Bryan McVerry
- Department of Medicine, Acute Lung Injury Center of Excellence
| | - Georgios D. Kitsios
- Department of Medicine, Acute Lung Injury Center of Excellence
- Center for Medicine and the Microbiome, and
| | - Rama K. Mallampalli
- Department of Medicine, Acute Lung Injury Center of Excellence
- Department of Medicine, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio; and
- Medical Specialty Service Line, Veterans Affairs Pittsburgh Healthcare System, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
| | - Bill B. Chen
- Department of Medicine, Acute Lung Injury Center of Excellence
- Aging Institute
- Vascular Medicine Institute, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
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