Project description:Chemosensory epithelial cells (EpCs) are specialized cells that promote innate type 2 immunity and protective neurally mediated reflexes in the airway. Their effector programs and modes of activation are not fully understood. Here, we define the transcriptional signature of two choline acetyltransferase-expressing nasal EpC populations. They are found in the respiratory and olfactory mucosa and express key chemosensory cell genes including the transcription factor Pou2f3, the cation channel Trpm5, and the cytokine Il25 Moreover, these cells share a core transcriptional signature with chemosensory cells from intestine, trachea and thymus, and cluster with tracheal brush cells (BrCs) independently from other respiratory EpCs, indicating that they are part of the brush/tuft cell family. Both nasal BrC subsets express high levels of transcripts encoding cysteinyl leukotriene (CysLT) biosynthetic enzymes. In response to ionophore, unfractionated nasal BrCs generate CysLTs at levels exceeding that of the adjacent hematopoietic cells isolated from naïve mucosa. Among activating receptors, BrCs express the purinergic receptor P2Y2. Accordingly, the epithelial stress signal ATP and aeroallergens that elicit ATP release trigger BrC CysLT generation, which is mediated by the P2Y2 receptor. ATP- and aeroallergen-elicited CysLT generation in the nasal lavage is reduced in mice lacking Pou2f3, a requisite transcription factor for BrC development. Last, aeroallergen-induced airway eosinophilia is reduced in BrC-deficient mice. These results identify a previously undescribed BrC sensor and effector pathway leading to generation of lipid mediators in response to luminal signals. Further, they suggest that BrC sensing of local damage may provide an important sentinel immune function.
Project description:BackgroundCysteinyl leukotrienes (CysLTs) are potent prophlogistic mediators in asthmatic patients; however, inhibition of CysLT receptor 1 is not a consistently effective treatment, suggesting additional regulatory mechanisms. Other cysteinyl-containing lipid mediators (LMs) derived from docosahexaenoic acid, namely maresin conjugates in tissue regeneration (MCTRs), were recently discovered. Therefore their production and actions in the lung are of considerable interest.ObjectiveWe sought to determine MCTR production, bioactions, and mechanisms in the human lung and in patients with experimental allergic airway inflammation.MethodsLM metabololipidomic profiling of the lung was performed by using liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry. Donor-derived human precision-cut lung slices were exposed to leukotriene (LT) D4, MCTRs, or both before determination of airway contraction. The actions of exogenous MCTRs on murine allergic host responses were determined in the setting of ovalbumin- and house dust mite-induced lung inflammation.ResultsLipidomic profiling showed that the most abundant cysteinyl LMs in healthy human lungs were MCTRs, whereas CysLTs were most prevalent in patients with disease. MCTRs blocked LTD4-initiated airway contraction in human precision-cut lung slices. In mouse allergic lung inflammation MCTRs were present with temporally regulated production. With ovalbumin-induced inflammation, MCTR1 was most potent for promoting resolution of eosinophils, and MCTR3 potently decreased airway hyperreactivity to methacholine, bronchoalveolar lavage fluid albumin, and serum IgE levels. MCTR1 and MCTR3 inhibited lung eosinophilia after house dust mite-induced inflammation.ConclusionThese results identified lung MCTRs that blocked human LTD4-induced airway contraction and promoted resolution of murine allergic airway responses when added exogenously. Together, these findings uncover proresolving mechanisms for lung responses that can be disrupted in patients with disease.
Project description:Aeroallergen sensing by airway epithelial cells can trigger pathogenic immune responses leading to chronic type 2 inflammation, the hallmark of airway diseases such as asthma. Airway tuft cells are specialized chemosensory epithelial cells and the dominant source of the epithelial cytokine IL-25 in the trachea and of cysteinyl leukotrienes (CysLTs) in the naïve murine nasal mucosa. How IL-25 and CysLTs might cooperatively promote type 2 inflammation in the airways has not been clarified. Here, we showed that inhalation of LTC4 in combination with a subthreshold dose of IL-25 led to dramatic synergistic induction of type 2 inflammation throughout the lungs, causing rapid eosinophilia, inflammatory type 2 innate lymphoid cell (ILC2) proliferation and type 2 cytokine production, dendritic cell (DC) and CD4+ T cell recruitment and goblet cell hyperplasia. While lung eosinophilia was dominantly mediated through the classical CysLT receptor CysLT1R, type 2 cytokines and activation of innate immune cells required signaling through both CysLT1R and CysLT2R. Tuft cell-specific deletion of Ltc4s, the terminal enzyme required for CysLT production, reduced lung inflammation and the systemic immune response after inhalation of the mold aeroallergen Alternaria; this effect was further enhanced by concomitant blockade of IL-25. Our findings identified a potent synergy of CysLTs and IL-25 downstream of aeroallergen-trigged activation of airway tuft cells leading to a highly polarized type 2 immune response and further implicate airway tuft cells as powerful modulators of type 2 immunity in the lungs.
Project description:BACKGROUND:Phospholipase A2s mediate the rate-limiting step in the formation of eicosanoids such as cysteinyl leukotrienes (CysLTs). Group IVA cytosolic PLA2? (cPLA2?) is thought to be the dominant PLA2 in eosinophils; however, eosinophils also have secreted PLA2 (sPLA2) activity that has not been fully defined. OBJECTIVES:To examine the expression of sPLA2 group X (sPLA2-X) in eosinophils, the participation of sPLA2-X in the formation of CysLTs, and the mechanism by which sPLA2-X initiates the synthesis of CysLTs in eosinophils. METHODS:Peripheral blood eosinophils were obtained from volunteers with asthma and/or allergy. A rabbit polyclonal anti-sPLA2-X antibody identified sPLA2-X by Western blot. We used confocal microscopy to colocalize the sPLA2-X to intracellular structures. An inhibitor of sPLA2-X (ROC-0929) that does not inhibit other mammalian sPLA2s, as well as inhibitors of the mitogen-activated kinase cascade (MAPK) and cPLA2?, was used to examine the mechanism of N-formyl-methionyl-leucyl-phenylalanine (fMLP)-mediated formation of CysLT. RESULTS:Eosinophils express the mammalian sPLA2-X gene (PLA2G10). The sPLA2-X protein is located in the endoplasmic reticulum, golgi, and granules of eosinophils and moves to the granules and lipid bodies during fMLP-mediated activation. Selective sPLA2-X inhibition attenuated the fMLP-mediated release of arachidonic acid and CysLT formation by eosinophils. Inhibitors of p38, extracellular-signal-regulated kinases 1/2 (p44/42 MAPK), c-Jun N-terminal kinase, and cPLA2? also attenuated the fMLP-mediated formation of CysLT. The sPLA2-X inhibitor reduced the phosphorylation of p38 and extracellular-signal-regulated kinases 1/2 (p44/42 MAPK) as well as cPLA2? during cellular activation, indicating that sPLA2-X is involved in activating the MAPK cascade leading to the formation of CysLT via cPLA2?. We further demonstrate that sPLA2-X is activated before secretion from the cell during activation. Short-term priming with IL-13 and TNF/IL-1? increased the expression of PLA2G10 by eosinophils. CONCLUSIONS:These results demonstrate that sPLA2-X plays a significant role in the formation of CysLTs by human eosinophils. The predominant role of the enzyme is the regulation of MAPK activation that leads to the phosphorylation of cPLA2?. The sPLA2-X protein is regulated by proteolytic cleavage, suggesting that an inflammatory environment may promote the formation of CysLTs through this mechanism. These results have important implications for the treatment of eosinophilic disorders such as asthma.
Project description:Leukotrienes are biologically active eicosanoid lipid mediators that originate from oxidative metabolism of arachidonic acid. Biosynthesis of leukotrienes involves a set of soluble and membrane-bound enzymes that constitute a machinery complex primarily expressed by cells of myeloid origin. Leukotrienes and their synthetic enzymes are critical immune modulators for leukocyte migration. Increased concentrations of leukotrienes are implicated in a number of inflammatory disorders. More recent work indicates that leukotrienes may also interact with a variety of tissue cells, contributing to the low-grade inflammation of cardiovascular, neurodegenerative, and metabolic conditions, as well as that of cancer. Leukotriene signaling contributes to the active tumor microenvironment, promoting tumor growth and resistance to immunotherapy. This review summarizes recent insights into the intricate roles of leukotrienes in promoting tumor growth and metastasis through shaping the tumor microenvironment. The emerging possibilities for pharmacological targeting of leukotriene signaling in tumor metastasis are considered.
Project description:Multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNT) have been reported to promote lung inflammation and fibrosis. The commercial demand for nanoparticle-based materials has expanded rapidly and as demand for nanomaterials grows, so does the urgency of establishing an appreciation of the degree of health risk associated with their increased production and exposure. In this study, we examined whether MWCNT inhalation elicited pulmonary eosinophilic inflammation and influenced the development of allergic airway inflammatory responses. Our data revealed that instillation of FA21 MWCNT into the airways of mice resulted in a rapid increase, within 24 h, in the number of eosinophils present in the lungs. The inflammatory response elicited was also associated with an increase in the level of cysteinyl leukotrienes (cysLTs) present in the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid. CysLTs were implicated in the airway inflammatory response since pharmacological inhibition of their biosynthesis using the 5-lipoxygenase inhibitor Zileuton resulted in a marked reduction in the severity of inflammation observed. Moreover, FA21 MWCNT entering the airways of mice suffering from house dust mite (HDM)-elicited allergic lung inflammation markedly exacerbated the intensity of the airway inflammation. This response was characterized by a pulmonary eosinophilia, lymphocyte infiltration, and raised cysLT levels. The severity of pulmonary inflammation caused by either inhalation of MWCNT alone or in conjunction with HDM allergen correlated with the level of nickel present in the material, since preparations that contained higher levels of nickel (FA21, 5.54% Ni by weight) were extremely effective at eliciting or exacerbating inflammatory or allergic responses while preparations containing lower amounts of nickel (FA04, 2.54% Ni by weight) failed to initiate or exacerbate pulmonary inflammation. In summary, instillation of high nickel MWCNT into the lungs promoted eosinophilic inflammation and caused an intense exacerbation of pre-existing allergic airway inflammation by facilitating cysLT biosynthesis. These findings suggest that exposure to airborne MWCNT is likely to have adverse inflammatory effects in individuals suffering from atopic asthma and, in this context, further investigation of the therapeutic effects of pharmacological agents that block leukotriene synthesis is warranted.
Project description:Cysteinyl leukotrienes (cys-LTs), LTC?, LTD?, LTE? are potent inflammatory lipid mediators that act through two distinct G-protein-coupled receptors, CysLT?R and CysLT?R. Although cys-LTs are shown to induce vascular leakage and atherosclerosis, the molecular mechanism by which cys-LTs modulate endothelial function is not known. Here, we show that cys-LTs (LTC? and LTD?) induce robust calcium influx in human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) through CysLT?R, but not CysLT?R. Further, cys-LT treatment induced endothelial cell (EC) contraction leading to monolayer disruption via CysLT?R/Rho kinase dependent pathway. Furthermore, stimulation with cys-LTs potentiated TNF?-induced VCAM-1 expression and leukocyte recruitment to ECs through CysLT?R. In contrast, we found that both LTC? and LTD? stimulated EC proliferation through CysLT?R. Taken together, these results suggest that cys-LTs induce endothelial inflammation and proliferation via CysLT?R/Rho kinase and CysLT?R/Erk dependent pathways, respectively, which play critical role in the etiology of cardiovascular diseases such as atherosclerosis and myocardial infarction.
Project description:Nucleotides and cysteinyl-leukotrienes (CysLTs) are unrelated signaling molecules inducing multiple effects through separate G-protein-coupled receptors: the P2Y and the CysLT receptors. Here we show that GPR17, a Gi-coupled orphan receptor at intermediate phylogenetic position between P2Y and CysLT receptors, is specifically activated by both families of endogenous ligands, leading to both adenylyl cyclase inhibition and intracellular calcium increases. Agonist-response profile, as determined by [(35)S]GTPgammaS binding, was different from that of already known CysLT and P2Y receptors, with EC(50) values in the nanomolar and micromolar range, for CysLTs and uracil nucleotides, respectively. Both rat and human receptors are highly expressed in the organs typically undergoing ischemic damage, that is, brain, heart and kidney. In vivo inhibition of GPR17 by either CysLT/P2Y receptor antagonists or antisense technology dramatically reduced ischemic damage in a rat focal ischemia model, suggesting GPR17 as the common molecular target mediating brain damage by nucleotides and CysLTs. In conclusion, the deorphanization of GPR17 revealed a dualistic receptor for two endogenous unrelated ligand families. These findings may lead to dualistic drugs of previously unexplored therapeutic potential.
Project description:Aspirin-exacerbated respiratory disease (AERD) is characterized by asthma, tissue eosinophilia, overproduction of cysteinyl leukotrienes (cysLTs), and respiratory reactions to nonselective cyclooxygenase (COX) inhibitors. Ex vivo studies suggest that functional abnormalities of the COX-2/microsomal prostaglandin (PG)E2 synthase-1 system may underlie AERD. We demonstrate that microsomal PGE2 synthase-1 null mice develop a remarkably AERD-like phenotype in a model of eosinophilic pulmonary inflammation. Lysine aspirin (Lys-ASA)-challenged PGE2 synthase-1 null mice exhibit sustained increases in airway resistance, along with lung mast cell (MC) activation and cysLT overproduction. A stable PGE2 analog and a selective E prostanoid (EP)2 receptor agonist blocked the responses to Lys-ASA by ?90%; EP3 and EP4 agonists were also active. The increases in airway resistance and MC products were blocked by antagonists of the type 1 cysLT receptor or 5-lipoxygenase, implying that bronchoconstriction and MC activation were both cysLT dependent. Lys-ASA-induced cysLT generation and MC activation depended on platelet-adherent granulocytes and T-prostanoid (TP) receptors. Thus, lesions that impair the inducible generation of PGE2 remove control of platelet/granulocyte interactions and TP-receptor-dependent cysLT production, permitting MC activation in response to COX-1 inhibition. The findings suggest applications of antiplatelet drugs or TP receptor antagonists for the treatment of AERD.
Project description:BackgroundEpidemiologic clinical studies suggested that chronic exposure to chlorine products is associated with development of asthma and aggravation of asthmatic symptoms. However, its underlying mechanism was not clearly understood. Studies were undertaken to define the effects and mechanisms of chronic low-dose chlorine exposure in the pathogenesis of airway inflammation and airway hyperresponsiveness (AHR).MethodsSix week-old female BALB/c mice were sensitized and challenged with OVA in the presence and absence of chronic low dose chlorine exposure of naturally vaporized gas of 5% sodium hypochlorite solution. Airway inflammation and AHR were evaluated by bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) cell recovery and non-invasive phlethysmography, respectively. Real-time qPCR, Western blot assay, and ELISA were used to evaluate the mRNA and protein expressions of cytokines and other inflammatory mediators. Human A549 and murine epithelial (A549 and MLE12) and macrophage (AMJ2-C11) cells were used to define the responses to low dose chlorine exposure in vitro.ResultsChronic low dose chlorine exposure significantly augmented airway inflammation and AHR in OVA-sensitized and challenged mice. The expression of Th2 cytokines IL-4 and IL-5 and proinflammatory cytokine IL-1? and IL-33 were significantly increased in OVA/Cl group compared with OVA group. The chlorine exposure also activates the major molecules associated with inflammasome pathway in the macrophages with increased expression of epithelial alarmins IL-33 and TSLP in vitro.ConclusionChronic low dose exposure of chlorine aggravates allergic Th2 inflammation and AHR potentially through activation of inflammasome danger signaling pathways.