Objective— Marfan’s syndrome is characterized by the formation of ascending aortic aneurysms resulting from altered assembly of extracellular matrix microfibrils and chronic tissue growth factor (TGF)-β signaling. TGF-β is a potent regulator of the vascular smooth muscle cell (VSMC) phenotype. We hypothesized that as a result of the chronic TGF-β signaling, VSMC would alter their basal differentiation phenotype, which could facilitate the formation of aneurysms. This study explores whether Marfan’s syndrome entails phenotypic alterations of VSMC and possible mechanisms at the subcellular level. Approach and Results— Immunohistochemical and Western blotting analyses of dilated aortas from Marfan patients showed overexpression of contractile protein markers (α-smooth muscle actin, smoothelin, smooth muscle protein 22 alpha, and calponin-1) and collagen I in comparison with healthy aortas. VSMC explanted from Marfan aortic aneurysms showed increased in vitro expression of these phenotypic markers and also of myocardin, a transcription factor essential for VSMC-specific differentiation. These alterations were generally reduced after pharmacological inhibition of the TGF-β pathway. Marfan VSMC in culture showed more robust actin stress fibers and enhanced RhoA-GTP levels, which was accompanied by increased focal adhesion components and higher nuclear localization of myosin-related transcription factor A. Marfan VSMC and extracellular matrix measured by atomic force microscopy were both stiffer than their respective controls. Conclusions— In Marfan VSMC, both in tissue and in culture, there are variable TGF-β-dependent phenotypic changes affecting contractile proteins and collagen I, leading to greater cellular and extracellular matrix stiffness. Altogether, these alterations may contribute to the known aortic rigidity that precedes or accompanies Marfan’s syndrome aneurysm formation.

Objective Enhanced adhesive signaling including activation of the focal adhesion kinase (FAK) is a hallmark of fibroblasts from lung fibrosis patients, and FAK has been therefore hypothesized to be a key mediator of this disease. This study was undertaken to characterize the contribution of FAK to the development of pulmonary fibrosis both in vivo and in vitro. Methods FAK expression and activity were analyzed in lung tissue samples from lung fibrosis patients by immunohistochemistry. Mice orally treated with the FAK inhibitor, PF-562,271, or with siRNA-mediated silencing of FAK, were exposed to intratracheally instilled bleomycin to induce lung fibrosis, and the lungs were harvested for histological and biochemical analysis. Using endothelin-1 (ET-1) as stimulus, cell adhesion and contraction, as well as profibrotic gene expression were studied in fibroblasts isolated from wild type and FAK-deficient mouse embryos. ET-1-mediated FAK activation and gene expression were studied in primary mouse lung fibroblasts, as well as in wild type and integrin β1-deficient fibroblasts. Results Increased FAK expression and activity are upregulated in fibroblast foci and remodeled vessels in lung fibrosis patients. Pharmacological or siRNA-mediated targeting of FAK resulted in marked abrogation of bleomycin-induced lung fibrosis. Loss of FAK impaired the acquisition of a profibrotic phenotype in response to ET-1. Profibrotic gene expression leading to myofibroblast differentiation required cell adhesion, and was driven by Jun N-terminal kinase activation through integrin β1/FAK signaling. Conclusion These results implicate FAK as a central mediator of fibrogenesis, and highlight this kinase as a potential therapeutic target in fibrotic diseases.

Uncontrolled extracellular matrix (ECM) production by fibroblasts in response to injury contributes to fibrotic diseases, including idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). Reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation is involved in the pathogenesis of IPF. Transforming growth factor-b1 (TGF-b1) stimulates the production of NADPH oxidase 4 (NOX4)-dependent ROS, promoting lung fibrosis (LF). Dysregulation of microRNAs (miRNAs) has been shown to contribute to LF. To identify miRNAs involved in redox regulation relevant for IPF, we performed arrays in human lung fibroblasts exposed to ROS. miR-9-5p was selected as the best candidate and we demonstrate its inhibitory effect on TGF-b receptor type II (TGFBR2) and NOX4 expression. Increased expression of miR-9-5p abrogates TGF-b1-dependent myofibroblast phenotypic transformation. In the mouse model of bleomycin-induced LF, miR-9-5p dramatically reduces fibrogenesis and inhibition of miR-9-5p and prevents its antifibrotic effect both in vitro and in vivo. In lung specimens from patients with IPF, high levels of miR-9-5p are found. In omentumderived mesothelial cells (MCs) from patients subjected to peritoneal dialysis (PD), miR-9-5p also inhibits mesothelial to myofibroblast transformation. We propose that TGF-b1 induces miR-9-5p expression as a self-limiting homeostatic response.

The crucial role of tumor-associated fibroblasts (TAF) in cancer progression is now clear in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). However, therapies against TAFs are limited due to a lack of understanding in the subtype-specific mechanisms underlying their accumulation. Here, the mechanical (i.e., matrix rigidity) and soluble mitogenic cues that drive the accumulation of TAFs from major NSCLC subtypes: adenocarcinoma (ADC) and squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) were dissected. Fibroblasts were cultured on substrata engineered to exhibit normal-or tumor-like stiffnesses at different serum concentrations, and critical regulatory processes were elucidated. In control fibroblasts from nonmalignant tissue, matrix stiffening alone increased fibroblast accumulation, and this mechanical effect was dominant or comparable with that of soluble growth factors up to 0.5% serum. The stimulatory cues of matrix rigidity were driven by b1 integrin mechanosensing through FAK (pY397), and were associated with a posttranscriptionally driven rise in b1 integrin expression. The latter mechano-regulatory circuit was also observed in TAFs but in a subtype-specific fashion, because SCC-TAFs exhibited higher FAK (pY397), b1 expression, and ERK1/2 (pT202/Y204) than ADCTAFs. Moreover, matrix stiffening induced a larger TAF accumulation in SCC-TAFs (>50%) compared with ADC-TAFs (10%-20%). In contrast, SCC-TAFs were largely serum desensitized, whereas ADC-TAFs responded to high serum concentration only. These findings provide the first evidence of subtype-specific regulation of NSCLC-TAF accumulation. Furthermore, these data support that therapies aiming to restore normal lung elasticity and/or b1 integrin-dependent mechano regulation may be effective against SCC-TAFs, whereas inhibiting stromal growth factor signaling may be effective against ADC-TAFs.Implications: This study reveals distinct mechanisms underlying the abnormal accumulation of tumor-supporting fibroblasts in two major subtypes of lung cancer, which will assist the development of personalized therapies against these cells.

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Objective. To characterize the pathways induced by transforming growth factor ␤1 (TGF␤1) that lead to the expression of endothelin 1 (ET-1) in human dermal fibroblasts, and to study the effects of TGF␤1 and ET-1 on the acquisition of a profibrotic phenotype and assess the contribution of the TGF␤1/ET-1 axis to skin wound healing and fibrosis in vivo.Methods. The mechanism of induction of ET-1 expression by TGF␤1 and its effect on the expression of ␣-smooth muscle actin and type I collagen were studied in human dermal fibroblasts, in experiments involving the TGF␤ receptor inhibitor GW788388 and the ET receptor antagonist bosentan, by real-time reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, immunofluorescence, Western blotting, and promoter/reporter transient transfection analyses. Experiments assessing dermal wound healing in mice were performed with adenovirus-driven overexpression of active TGF␤1 and ET-1, with or without treatment with bosentan. The contributions of TGF␤1 and ET-1 to the fibrotic response were also assessed in a mouse model of bleomycin-induced skin fibrosis, by histologic, immunohistochemical, RT-PCR, and protein analyses.Results. TGF␤1 induced ET-1 expression in human dermal fibroblasts through Smad-and activator protein 1/JNK-dependent signaling. The ability of TGF␤1 to induce the expression of profibrotic genes was dependent on ET-1. Adenovirus-mediated overexpression of TGF␤1 and ET-1 in mouse skin was associated with accelerated wound closure, increased fibrogenesis, and excessive scarring. Treatment with bosentan prevented the effects of TGF␤1. In the bleomycin-induced fibrosis model, treatment with GW788388 and bosentan prevented the fibrotic response.Conclusion. Our results strongly support the notion that the TGF␤1/ET-1 axis has a role in wound repair and skin fibrosis. ET-1 receptor antagonists, such as bosentan, may represent a useful therapeutic tool in the treatment of excessive scarring and fibrosisrelated diseases.

LOX family members contribute significantly to the detrimental effects of cardiac remodelling, highlighting LOX inhibition as a potential therapeutic strategy for post-infarction recovery.

The endothelin (ET) system consists of two G-protein-coupled receptors (ETA and ETB), three peptide ligands (ET-1, ET-2 and ET-3), and two activating peptidases (endothelin-converting enzyme-, ECE-1 and ECE-2). While initially described as a vasoregulatory factor, shown to influence several cardiovascular diseases, from hypertension to heart failure, ET-1, the predominant form in most cells and tissues, has expanded its pathophysiological relevance by recent evidences implicating this factor in the regulation of fibrosis. In this article, we review the current knowledge of the role of ET-1 in the development of fibrosis, with particular focus on the regulation of its biosynthesis and the molecular mechanisms involved in its profibrotic actions. We summarize also the contribution of ET-1 to fibrotic disorders in several organs and tissues. The development and availability of specific ET receptor antagonists have greatly stimulated a number of clinical trials in these pathologies that unfortunately have so far given negative or inconclusive results. This review finally discusses the circumstances underlying these disappointing results, as well as provides basic and clinical researchers with arguments to keep exploring the complex physiology of ET-1 and its therapeutic potential in the process of fibrosis.