Myofibroblasts are crucial to the pathogenesis of tissue fibrosis. Their formation of stress fibers results in the release of myocardin-related transcription factor (MRTF), a transcriptional coactivator of serum response factor (SRF). MRTF-A (Mkl1)-deficient mice are protected from lung fibrosis. We hypothesized that the SRF/MRTF pathway inhibitor CCG-203971 would modulate myofibroblast function in vitro and limit lung fibrosis in vivo. Normal and idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis lung fibroblasts were treated with/without CCG-203971 (N-[4-chlorophenyl]-1-[3-(2-furanyl)benzoyl]-3-piperidine carboxamide) and/or Fas-activating antibody in the presence/absence of transforming growth factor (TGF)-β1, and apoptosis was assessed. In vivo studies examined the effect of therapeutically administered CCG-203971 on lung fibrosis in two distinct murine models of fibrosis induced by bleomycin or targeted type II alveolar epithelial injury. In vitro, CCG-203971 prevented nuclear localization of MRTF-A; increased the apoptotic susceptibility of normal and idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis fibroblasts; blocked TGF-β1-induced myofibroblast differentiation; and inhibited TGF-β1-induced expression of fibronectin, X-linked inhibitor of apoptosis, and plasminogen activator inhibitor-1. TGF-β1 did not protect fibroblasts or myofibroblasts from apoptosis in the presence of CCG-203971. In vivo, CCG-203971 significantly reduced lung collagen content in both murine models while decreasing alveolar plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 and promoting myofibroblast apoptosis. These data support a central role of the SRF/MRTF pathway in the pathobiology of lung fibrosis and suggest that its inhibition can help resolve lung fibrosis by promoting fibroblast apoptosis.

The accumulation of apoptosis-resistant fibroblasts within fibroblastic foci is a characteristic feature of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), but the mechanisms underlying apoptosis resistance remain unclear. A role for the inhibitor of apoptosis (IAP) protein family member X-linked inhibitor of apoptosis (XIAP) has been suggested by prior studies showing that (1) XIAP is localized to fibroblastic foci in IPF tissue and (2) prostaglandin E 2 suppresses XIAP expression while increasing fibroblast susceptibility to apoptosis. Based on these observations, we hypothesized that XIAP would be regulated by the profibrotic mediators transforming growth factor (TGF)b-1 and endothelin (ET)-1 and that increased XIAP would contribute to apoptosis resistance in IPF fibroblasts. To address these hypotheses, we examined XIAP expression in normal and IPF fibroblasts at baseline and in normal fibroblasts after treatment with TGF-b1 or ET-1. The role of XIAP in the regulation of fibroblast susceptibility to Fas-mediated apoptosis was examined using functional XIAP antagonists and siRNA silencing. In concordance with prior reports, fibroblasts from IPF lung tissue had increased resistance to apoptosis compared with normal lung fibroblasts. Compared with normal fibroblasts, IPF fibroblasts had significantly but heterogeneously increased basal XIAP expression. Additionally, TGF-b1 and ET-1 induced XIAP protein expression in normal fibroblasts. Inhibition or silencing of XIAP enhanced the sensitivity of lung fibroblasts to Fasmediated apoptosis without causing apoptosis in the absence of Fas activation. Collectively, these findings support a mechanistic role for XIAP in the apoptosis-resistant phenotype of IPF fibroblasts.Keywords: myofibroblast; idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis; inhibitor of apoptosis; lung fibrosis; apoptosis Mesenchymal cells display a dynamic spectrum of phenotypes ranging between an undifferentiated state (fibroblast) and a differentiated state (myofibroblast) (1, 2). Although these effector cells are essential for the homeostatic reestablishment of normal architecture and function after tissue injury, the persistence of these cells is associated with fibrosis (3, 4). The resolution phase of normal wound repair coincides with the reduction of fibroblast numbers by apoptosis, but the triggers of apoptosis in normal wound repair and the mechanisms underlying the persistence of fibroblasts during fibrotic wound repair remain poorly understood (5, 6). The profibrotic mediators transforming growth factor (TGF)b-1 and endothelin (ET)-1 have been found to promote resistance to apoptotic stimuli in fibroblasts, and the antifibrotic lipid mediator prostaglandin (PG)E 2 has been shown to increase the responsiveness of these cells to apoptotic stimuli, supporting a role for dysregulation of fibroblast apoptosis in the pathogenesis of fibrosis (7-12).Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a chronic lung disease of unknown etiology that is characterized by progressive alveolar fibrosis (13,14). The overall prognosis of patie...

Fibrosis of the lungs and other organs is characterized by the accumulation of myofibroblasts, effectors of wound-repair that are responsible for the deposition and organization of new extracellular matrix (ECM) in response to tissue injury. During the resolution phase of normal wound repair, myofibroblast apoptosis limits the continued deposition of ECM. Mounting evidence suggests that myofibroblasts from fibrotic wounds acquire resistance to apoptosis, but the mechanisms regulating this resistance have not been fully elucidated. Endothelin-1 (ET-1), a soluble peptide strongly associated with fibrogenesis, decreases myofibroblast susceptibility to apoptosis through activation of phosphatidylinositol 3′-OH kinase (PI3K)/AKT. Focal adhesion kinase (FAK) also promotes myofibroblast resistance to apoptosis through PI3K/AKT-dependent and – independent mechanisms, although the role of FAK in ET-1 mediated resistance to apoptosis has not been explored. The goal of this study was to investigate whether FAK contributes to ET-1 mediated myofibroblast resistance to apoptosis and to examine potential mechanisms downstream of FAK and PI3K/AKT by which ET-1 regulates myofibroblast survival. Here, we show that ET-1 regulates myofibroblast survival by Rho/ROCK-dependent activation of FAK. The anti-apoptotic actions of FAK are, in turn, dependent on activation of PI3K/AKT and the subsequent increased expression of Survivin, a member of the inhibitor of apoptosis protein (IAP) family. Collectively, these studies define a novel mechanism by which ET-1 promotes myofibroblast resistance to apoptosis through upregulation of Survivin.

Fibroblasts perform critical functions during the normal host response to tissue injury, but the inappropriate accumulation and persistent activation of these cells results in the development of tissue fibrosis. The mechanisms accounting for the aberrant accumulation of fibroblasts during fibrotic repair are poorly understood, although evidence supports a role for fibroblast resistance to apoptosis as a contributing factor. We have shown that TGF-β1 and endothelin-1 (ET-1), soluble mediators implicated in fibrogenesis, promote fibroblast resistance to apoptosis. Moreover, we recently found that ET-1 induced apoptosis resistance in normal lung fibroblasts through the upregulation of survivin, a member of the Inhibitor of Apoptosis (IAP) protein family. In the current study, we sought to determine the role of survivin in the apoptosis resistance of primary fibroblasts isolated from the lungs of patients with Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis (IPF), a fibrotic lung disease of unclear etiology for which there is no definitive therapy. First, we examined survivin expression in lung tissue from patients with IPF and found that there is robust expression in the fibroblasts residing within fibroblastic foci (the “active” lesions in IPF which correlate with mortality). Next, we show that survivin expression is increased in fibroblasts isolated from IPF lung tissue compared to cells from normal lung tissue. Consistent with a role in fibrogenesis, we demonstrate that TGF-β1 increases survivin expression in normal lung fibroblasts. Finally, we show that inhibition of survivin enhances susceptibility of a subset of IPF fibroblasts to apoptosis. Collectively, these findings suggest that increased survivin expression represents one mechanism contributing an apoptosis-resistant phenotype in IPF fibroblasts.

Accumulation of apoptosis-resistant fibroblasts is a hallmark of pulmonary fibrosis. We hypothesized that disruption of inhibitor of apoptosis protein (IAP) family proteins would limit lung fibrosis. We first show that transforming growth factor-β1 and bleomycin increase X-linked IAP (XIAP) and cellular IAP (cIAP)-1 and -2 in murine lungs and mesenchymal cells. Functional blockade of XIAP and the cIAPs with AT-406, an orally bioavailable second mitochondria-derived activator of caspases (Smac) mimetic, abrogated bleomycin-induced lung fibrosis when given both prophylactically and therapeutically. To determine whether the reduction in fibrosis was predominantly due to AT-406-mediated inhibition of XIAP, we compared the fibrotic response of XIAP-deficient mice (XIAP(-/y)) with littermate controls and found no difference. We found no alterations in total inflammatory cells of either wild-type mice treated with AT-406 or XIAP(-/y) mice. AT-406 treatment limited CCL12 and IFN-γ production, whereas XIAP(-/y) mice exhibited increased IL-1β expression. Surprisingly, XIAP(-/y) mesenchymal cells had increased resistance to Fas-mediated apoptosis. Functional blockade of cIAPs with AT-406 restored sensitivity to Fas-mediated apoptosis in XIAP(-/y) mesenchymal cells in vitro and increased apoptosis of mesenchymal cells in vivo, indicating that the increased apoptosis resistance in XIAP(-/y) mesenchymal cells was the result of increased cIAP expression. Collectively, these results indicate that: (1) IAPs have a role in the pathogenesis of lung fibrosis; (2) a congenital deficiency of XIAP may be overcome by compensatory mechanisms of other IAPs; and (3) broad functional inhibition of IAPs may be an effective strategy for the treatment of lung fibrosis by promoting mesenchymal cell apoptosis.