ATF3 promotes endothelial cell response to acute lung injury
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ABSTRACT: Following acute injury, the capillary vascular bed in the lung must be repaired to reestablish gas exchange between pulmonary endothelial cells (ECs) lining these vessels and the alveolar epithelium. However, the factors that control EC stress response and drive regeneration of pulmonary capillaries remain incompletely understood. Viral infections such as influenza and COVID-19 may indirectly damage lung vasculature through loss of epithelial gas exchange partners or through signaling from infiltrating immune cells. To prevent excessive tissue damage and to renew the endothelium, ECs must both withstand cellular stress and proliferate after injury. Here, we show that the transcription factor and immediate early gene Atf3 is essential for both responses in the mouse lung after influenza infection. Atf3 expression defines a subpopulation of capillary ECs enriched in genes involved in cellular response to stress, angiogenesis, and vascular development. Endothelial loss of ATF3 results in defective alveolar regeneration: in the absence of ATF3, ECs exhibit increased apoptosis and decreased proliferation, resulting in an emphysema-like phenotype with enlarged alveolar airspaces lined with regions of lost vasculature. These data implicate ATF3 as an essential component of the vascular response to acute lung injury that is required for successful lung regeneration.
ORGANISM(S): Mus musculus
PROVIDER: GSE213475 | GEO | 2023/05/19
REPOSITORIES: GEO
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