Hyaluronan synthase 2 and CD44 are required for severe lung fibrosis in response to bleomycin.

Accumulation of hyaluronan has been demonstrated in the peritumoral breast cancer stroma and nests of tumor cells. In this study, we have quantified the production of hyaluronan and the expression of mRNAs encoding hyaluronan synthesizing (HAS) and hyaluronan degrading (HYAL) enzymes in a panel of breast cancer cell lines. The analysis revealed that highly invasive breast cancer cells produce high amounts of hyaluronan and express preferentially HAS2 mRNA, whereas less invasive breast cancer cells produce low amount of hyaluronan and express HAS1 and HYAL1 mRNAs. We explored the importance of HAS2 expression for breast cancer tumorigenicity, by specifically silencing the HAS2 gene using RNA interference (RNAi)-mediated suppression in the invasive breast cancer cell line Hs578T. This led to a less aggressive phenotype of the breast tumor cells, as assessed by cell growth, both in anchorage-dependent and anchorage-independent cultures. siRNA-mediated knock down of HAS2 in Hs578T breast tumor cells led to an up-regulation of HAS1, HAS3 and HYAL1 mRNAs, resulting in only a 50% decrease in the net hyaluronan production; however, the synthesized hyaluronan was of lower size and more polydisparse compared to control siRNA-treated cells. Interestingly, Hs578T cells deprived of HAS2 migrated only half as efficiently as HAS2 expressing cells through cell-free areas in a culture wounding assay and through Transwell polycarbonate membrane as well as invaded a Matrigel layer. These results imply that alterations in HAS2 expression and endogenously synthesized hyaluronan affect the malignant phenotype of Hs578T breast cancer cells. ' 2007 Wiley-Liss, Inc.Key words: migration; hyaluronidase; hyaluronan synthase; CD44; breast carcinomas; hyaluronan Breast cancer progression correlates with altered hyaluronan metabolism, including increased deposition of hyaluronan in the nests of carcinoma cells, and especially in the stromal tissue in the invading edges of breast carcinomas.1,2 Stromal fibroblasts activated by the breast cancer cells most likely contribute to the enrichment of hyaluronan in the immediate peritumoral stroma. 3In vitro studies revealed that the most aggressive breast carcinoma cell lines both synthesize high amounts of hyaluronan and express the cell surface hyaluronan receptors, CD44 and RHAMM, unlike the less aggressive cell lines. [4][5][6] Hyaluronan is synthesized by hyaluronan synthases, which exist in 3 isoforms (HAS1, HAS2 and HAS3), and is degraded by hyaluronidases (HYAL1, HYAL2 and HYAL3, and PH-20). 7,8 Although each of the HAS isoforms is capable of hyaluronan synthesis, they synthesize hyaluronan of different lengths. The HAS2 isoform synthesizes hyaluronan molecules larger than 3.9 3 10 6 , HAS3 synthesizes polydisperse hyaluronan (M w of 0.12-1 3 10 6 ) and HAS1 synthesizes much smaller chains (M w of 0.12 3 10 6 ). Moreover, the HAS isoforms exhibit different catalytic activities; HAS3 is catalytically more active than HAS2, which in turn is more active than HAS1.9 Disruption of the HAS2 gene ca...

Pulmonary fibrosis is a progressive, dysregulated response to injury culminating in compromised lung function due to excess extracellular matrix production. The heparan sulfate proteoglycan syndecan-4 is important in mediating fibroblast-matrix interactions, but its role in pulmonary fibrosis has not been explored. To investigate this issue, we used intratracheal instillation of bleomycin as a model of acute lung injury and fibrosis. We found that bleomycin treatment increased syndecan-4 expression. Moreover, we observed a marked decrease in neutrophil recruitment and an increase in both myofibroblast recruitment and interstitial fibrosis in bleomycin-treated syndecan-4-null (Sdc4 -/-) mice. Subsequently, we identified a direct interaction between CXCL10, an antifibrotic chemokine, and syndecan-4 that inhibited primary lung fibroblast migration during fibrosis; mutation of the heparin-binding domain, but not the CXCR3 domain, of CXCL10 diminished this effect. Similarly, migration of fibroblasts from patients with pulmonary fibrosis was inhibited in the presence of CXCL10 protein defective in CXCR3 binding. Furthermore, administration of recombinant CXCL10 protein inhibited fibrosis in WT mice, but not in Sdc4 -/-mice. Collectively, these data suggest that the direct interaction of syndecan-4 and CXCL10 in the lung interstitial compartment serves to inhibit fibroblast recruitment and subsequent fibrosis. Thus, administration of CXCL10 protein defective in CXCR3 binding may represent a novel therapy for pulmonary fibrosis.

Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a progressive disease causing unremitting extracellular matrix deposition with resultant distortion of pulmonary architecture and impaired gas exchange. β-arrestins regulate G-protein-coupled receptors through receptor desensitization while acting as signaling scaffolds that facilitate numerous effector pathways. Here we examine the role of β-arrestin1 and β-arrestin2 in the pathobiology of pulmonary fibrosis. In the bleomycin-induced mouse lung fibrosis model, loss of eitherβ-arrestin1 or β-arrestin2 results in protection from mortality, inhibition of matrix deposition, and protected lung function. Fibrosis is prevented despite preserved recruitment of inflammatory cells and fibroblast chemotaxis. However, isolated lung fibroblasts from bleomycin-treated β-arrestin null mice fail to invade extracellular matrix while displaying altered expression of genes involved in matrix production and degradation. Furthermore, knockdown of β-arrestin2 in fibroblasts from IPF patients attenuated the invasive phenotype. These data implicate β-arrestins as mediators of fibroblast invasion and development of pulmonary fibrosis, thus representing a potential target for therapeutic intervention for patients with IPF.

Hyaluronan (HA) is a linear glycosaminoglycan that accumulates in the interstitium of injured lung and inhibits gas exchange between air and blood. In the present study we investigated the molecular mechanisms behind the local turnover of HA during the early phase of irradiation-evoked lung fibrosis in rats. Irradiation with a single dose of 30 Gy to the lower part of the right lung of rats induced an accumulation of HA in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid 6 wk after irradiation, followed by return to almost normal levels at 10 wk after irradiation. This was parallelled with a transient downregulation of HA receptors on alveolar macrophages (AMs); 4 and 6 wk after irradiation the binding of [(3)H]HA to AMs was decreased to about 50% of that of AMs from nonirradiated control rats, returning to almost normal level at 10 wk after irradiation. Analysis of the expression of rat HA synthase (HAS) isoforms (rHAS1, rHAS2, and rHAS3) and rat hyaluronidases (rHYAL1 and rHYAL2) by Northern blotting revealed an upregulation of rHAS2 messenger RNA at 4, 6, and 10 wk after irradiation, but a progressive decrease in the constitutive expression of rHYAL2 at 6 and 10 wk after irradiation; rHAS1 was undetectable, whereas rHAS3 and rHYAL1 were faintly detectable. Although transforming growth factor-beta1 stimulated HA production by normal lung fibroblasts, it inhibited HYAL activity in lysosomes and HYAL activity released into the culture media. Another interesting observation was that HA fragments, which likely result from the action of HYAL, induced expression of types I and III collagen genes. Our results indicate that rHAS2 and rHYAL2 are involved in the turnover of HA during the early phase of lung injury and that rHAS2 and rHYAL2 as well as HA fragments may play important roles in the pathogenesis of lung fibrosis.

Dysregulated repair of lung injury often results in lung fibrosis characterized by unremitting deposition of matrix components including the glycosaminoglycan hyaluronan (HA). HA is mainly produced by hyaluronan synthases (HAS) in mesenchymal cells. We previously demonstrated that over-expression of HAS2 in mesenchymal cells in mice regulates the invasiveness of fibroblasts and promotes severe lung fibrosis. The mechanisms that control the resolution of lung fibrosis are unknown. We propose that a critical step in resolving fibrosis is the induction of senescence in fibrotic fibroblasts and hyaluronan synthase 2 may regulate this process. We found that fibrotic fibroblasts developed the characteristics of replicative senescence in culture and that HAS2 expression was dramatically down-regulated. Furthermore, down-regulation of HAS2 initiated and regulated fibroblast senescence through a p27-CDK2-SKP2 pathway. Deletion of HAS2 in mouse mesenchymal cells increased the cellular senescence of fibroblasts in bleomycin-induced mouse lung fibrosis in vivo. These data suggest that HAS2 may be a critical regulator of the fate of pulmonary fibrosis and we propose a model where over-expression of HAS2 promotes an invasive phenotype resulting in severe fibrosis and down-regulation of HAS2 promotes resolution. Targeting HAS2 to induce fibroblast senescence could be an attractive approach to resolve tissue fibrosis.

Quercus is an economically important and phylogenetically complex genus in the family Fagaceae. Due to extensive hybridization and introgression, it is considered to be one of the most challenging plant taxa, both taxonomically and phylogenetically. Quercus aquifolioides is an evergreen sclerophyllous oak species that is endemic to, but widely distributed across, the Hengduanshan Biodiversity Hotspot in the Eastern Himalayas. Here, we compared the fully assembled chloroplast (cp) genome of Q. aquifolioides with those of three closely related species. The analysis revealed a cp genome ranging in size from 160,415 to 161,304 bp and with a typical quadripartite structure, composed of two inverted repeats (IRs) separated by a small single copy (SSC) and a large single copy (LSC) region. The genome organization, gene number, gene order, and GC content of these four Quercus cp genomes are similar to those of many angiosperm cp genomes. We also analyzed the Q. aquifolioides repeats and microsatellites. Investigating the effects of selection events on shared protein-coding genes using the Ka/Ks ratio showed that significant positive selection had acted on the atpF gene of Q. aquifolioides compared to two deciduous oak species, and that there had been significant purifying selection on the atpF gene in the chloroplast of evergreen sclerophyllous oak trees. In addition, site-specific selection analysis identified positively selected sites in 12 genes. Phylogenetic analysis based on shared protein-coding genes from 14 species defined Q. aquifolioides as belonging to sect. Heterobalanus and being closely related to Q. rubra and Q. aliena. Our findings provide valuable genetic information for use in accurately identifying species, resolving taxonomy, and reconstructing the phylogeny of the genus Quercus.

Rationale: Invasive cell phenotypes have been demonstrated in malignant transformation, but not in other diseases, such as asthma. Cellular invasiveness is thought to be mediated by transforming growth factor (TGF)-b1 and matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs). IL-13 is a key T H 2 cytokine that directs many features of airway remodeling through TGF-b1 and MMPs. Objectives: We hypothesized that, in human asthma, IL-13 stimulates increased airway fibroblast invasiveness via TGF-b1 and MMPs in asthma compared with normal controls. Methods: Fibroblasts were cultured from endobronchial biopsies in 20 subjects with mild asthma (FEV 1 : 90 6 3.6% pred) and 17 normal control subjects (FEV 1 : 102 6 2.9% pred) who underwent bronchoscopy. Airway fibroblast invasiveness was investigated using Matrigel chambers. IL-13 or IL-13 with TGF-b1 neutralizing antibody or pan-MMP inhibitor (GM6001) was added to the lower chamber as a chemoattractant. Flow cytometry and immunohistochemistry were performed in a subset of subjects to evaluate IL-13 receptor levels. Measurements and Main Results: IL-13 significantly stimulated invasion in asthmatic airway fibroblasts, compared with normal control subjects. Inhibitors of both TGF-b1 and MMPs blocked IL-13-induced invasion in asthma, but had no effect in normal control subjects. At baseline, in airway tissue, IL-13 receptors were expressed in significantly higher levels in asthma, compared with normal control subjects. In airway fibroblasts, baseline IL-13Ra2 was reduced in asthma compared with normal control subjects. Conclusions: IL-13 potentiates airway fibroblast invasion through a mechanism involving TGF-b1 and MMPs. IL-13 receptor subunits are differentially expressed in asthma. These effects may result in IL-13-directed airway remodeling in asthma.