技术资料

BACKGROUND: The cadmium (Cd) present in air pollutants and cigarette smoke has the potential of causing multiple adverse health outcomes involving damage to pulmonary and cardiovascular tissue. Injury to pulmonary epithelium may include alterations in tight junction (TJ) integrity,resulting in impaired epithelial barrier function and enhanced penetration of chemicals and biomolecules. Herein,we investigated mechanisms involved in the disruption of TJ integrity by Cd exposure using an in vitro human air-liquid-interface (ALI) airway tissue model derived from normal primary human bronchial epithelial cells. METHODS: ALI cultures were exposed to noncytotoxic doses of CdCl2 basolaterally and TJ integrity was measured by Trans-Epithelial Electrical Resistance (TEER) and immunofluorescence staining with TJ markers. PCR array analysis was used to identify genes involved with TJ collapse. To explore the involvement of kinase signaling pathways,cultures were treated with CdCl2 in the presence of kinase inhibitors specific for cellular Src or Protein Kinase C (PKC). RESULTS: Noncytotoxic doses of CdCl2 resulted in the collapse of barrier function,as demonstrated by TEER measurements and Zonula occludens-1 (ZO-1) and occludin staining. CdCl2 exposure altered the expression of several groups of genes encoding proteins involved in TJ homeostasis. In particular,down-regulation of select junction-interacting proteins suggested that a possible mechanism for Cd toxicity involves disruption of the peripheral junctional complexes implicated in connecting membrane-bound TJ components to the actin cytoskeleton. Inhibition of kinase signaling using inhibitors specific for cellular Src or PKC preserved the integrity of TJs,possibly by preventing occludin tyrosine hyperphosphorylation,rather than reversing the down-regulation of the junction-interacting proteins. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings indicate that acute doses of Cd likely disrupt TJ integrity in human ALI airway cultures both through occludin hyperphosphorylation via kinase activation and by direct disruption of the junction-interacting complex. View Publication

In vitro models of human bronchial epithelium are useful for toxicological testing because of their resemblance to in vivo tissue. We constructed a model of human bronchial tissue which has a fibroblast layer embedded in a collagen matrix directly below a fully-differentiated epithelial cell layer. The model was applied to whole cigarette smoke (CS) exposure repeatedly from an air-liquid interface culture while bronchial epithelial cells were differentiating. The effects of CS exposure on differentiation were determined by histological and gene expression analyses on culture day 21. We found a decrease in ciliated cells and perturbation of goblet cell differentiation. We also analyzed the effects of CS exposure on the inflammatory response,and observed a significant increase in secretion of IL-8,GRO-α,IL-1β,and GM-CSF. Interestingly,secretion of these mediators was augmented with repetition of whole CS exposure. Our data demonstrate the usefulness of our bronchial tissue model for in vitro testing and the importance of exposure repetition in perturbing the differentiation and inflammation processes. View Publication

The combination therapy of lumacaftor and ivacaftor (Orkambi®) is approved for patients bearing the major cystic fibrosis (CF) mutation: ΔF508 It has been predicted that Orkambi® could treat patients with rarer mutations of similar theratype"; however a standardized approach confirming efficacy in these cohorts has not been reported. Here we demonstrate that patients bearing the rare mutation: c.3700 A>G causing protein misprocessing and altered channel function-similar to ΔF508-CFTR are unlikely to yield a robust Orkambi® response. While in silico and biochemical studies confirmed that this mutation could be corrected and potentiated by lumacaftor and ivacaftor respectively this combination led to a minor in vitro response in patient-derived tissue. A CRISPR/Cas9-edited bronchial epithelial cell line bearing this mutation enabled studies showing that an "amplifier" compound effective in increasing the levels of immature CFTR protein augmented the Orkambi® response. Importantly this "amplifier" effect was recapitulated in patient-derived nasal cultures-providing the first evidence for its efficacy in augmenting Orkambi® in tissues harboring a rare CF-causing mutation. We propose that this multi-disciplinary approach including creation of CRISPR/Cas9-edited cells to profile modulators together with validation using primary tissue will facilitate therapy development for patients with rare CF mutations. View Publication

The extracellular matrix (ECM) is an important contributor to the asthmatic phenotype. Recent studies investigating airway inflammation have demonstrated an association between hyaluronan (HA) accumulation and inflammatory cell infiltration of the airways. The ECM proteoglycan versican interacts with HA and is important in the recruitment and activation of leukocytes during inflammation. We investigated the role of versican in the pathogenesis of asthmatic airway inflammation. Using cockroach antigen (CRA)-sensitized murine models of allergic asthma,we demonstrate increased subepithelial versican in the airways of CRA-treated mice that parallels subepithelial increases in HA and leukocyte infiltration. During the acute phase,CRA-treated mice displayed increased gene expression of the four major versican isoforms,as well as increased expression of HA synthases. Furthermore,in a murine model that examines both acute and chronic CRA exposure,versican staining peaked 8 days following CRA challenge and preceded subepithelial leukocyte infiltration. We also assessed versican and HA expression in differentiated primary human airway epithelial cells from asthmatic and healthy children. Increases in the expression of versican isoforms and HA synthases in these epithelial cells were similar to those of the murine model. These data indicate an important role for versican in the establishment of airway inflammation in asthma. View Publication

We inhale respiratory pathogens continuously,and the subsequent signaling events between host and microbe are complex,ultimately resulting in clearance of the microbe,stable colonization of the host,or active disease. Traditional in vitro methods are ill-equipped to study these critical events in the context of the lung microenvironment. Here we introduce a microscale organotypic model of the human bronchiole for studying pulmonary infection. By leveraging microscale techniques,the model is designed to approximate the structure of the human bronchiole,containing airway,vascular,and extracellular matrix compartments. To complement direct infection of the organotypic bronchiole,we present a clickable extension that facilitates volatile compound communication between microbial populations and the host model. Using Aspergillus fumigatus,a respiratory pathogen,we characterize the inflammatory response of the organotypic bronchiole to infection. Finally,we demonstrate multikingdom,volatile-mediated communication between the organotypic bronchiole and cultures of Aspergillus fumigatus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. View Publication