Project description:Pulmonary fibrosis (PF) is associated with many chronic lung diseases including Systemic sclerosis (SSc), Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis (IPF) and Cystic Fibrosis (CF) which are characterized by the progressive accumulation of mesenchymal cells and formation of scar tissue. Th2 T cell-derived cytokines including IL-4 and IL-13 have been shown to contribute to inflammation and fibrotic remodeling in multiple tissues. Interleukin-31 (IL-31) is a newly identified cytokine that is predominantly produced by CD4 Th2 T cells, but its signaling receptor IL-31RA is primarily expressed by non-hematopoietic cells. However, the potential role of the IL-31-IL31RA axis in pulmonary inflammation and fibrosis has remained largely unknown. To determine the role of IL-31 signaling in pulmonary fibrosis, wildtype, and IL-31RA knockout mice were treated with bleomycin and measured changes in total lung transcripts using RNA-seq. The total lung transcriptome analysis showed a significant reduction in fibrosis-associated gene transcripts including extracellular matrix and epithelial cell-associated gene networks.
Project description:The pathogenesis of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis is multifactorial and characterized by progressive fibrosis and excessive accumulation of extracellular matrix in the interstitium of the lung, and driven by an imbalance between anti-fibrotic and pro-fibrotic factors leading to collagen deposition. In the present study we wanted to identify proteins involved in these processes, and performed high-resolution proteomic profiling of bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) from IPF patients and controls. The proteomic analysis of BAL demonstrated that the complement system was highly differentially regulated in IPF patients as compared with controls.
Project description:To investigate the differential genes associated with mitochondria in pulmonary fibrosis mice, we established pulmonary fibrosis mice and applied mitochondrial replenishment therapy.
Project description:Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis is a chronic devastating disease of unknown etiology. No therapy is currently available. A growing body of evidence supports the role of TGFβ1 as the major player in the pathogenesis of the disease. This study designed novel human- and mouse-specific siRNAs and siRNA/DNA chimeras targeting both human and mouse common sequences and evaluated their inhibitory activity in pulmonary fibrosis induced by bleomycin and lung-specific transgenic expression of human TGFβ1. Selective novel sequences of siRNA and siRNA/DNA chimeras efficiently inhibited pulmonary fibrosis, indicating their applicability as tools for treating fibrotic disease in humans. Total RNA was extracted from lung tissue from mice with bleomycin (BLM)-induced lung fibrosis treated with mouse TGFβ1 siRNAs or vehicle on different days after BLM infusion.
Project description:microRNAs (miRNAs) play a critical biological role in a variety of pathophysiological processes by suppressing their target genes. However, little is known on the miRNAs expression profiles of lung tissues in silica-induced pulmonary fibrosis. To investigate miRNAs of interest in regulation of pulmonary fibrosis, total RNA was isolated from mice lungs collected at day 0, day 3, day 7, day 14, day 28 and day 56 after silica exposure. Then, miRNA microarray was performed with one mouse lung at each time point. miRNA microarray was performed with one mouse lung at day 0, day 3, day 7, day 14, day 28 and day 56 after silica exposure to investigate the miRNAs expression profiles of lung tissues in silica-induced pulmonary fibrosis. Mouse lung tissues were selected at each time point after treatment for RNA extraction and hybridization on Affymetrix microarrays. We sought to obtain homogeneous populations of lungs at each fibrotic stage in order to increase the temporal resolution of expression profiles. To that end, we hand-selected lung tissues according to morphological criteria at five time-points: before silica exposure, i.e. day 0 (D0), the early inflammation phase day 3 (D3) and day 7 (D7), the late inflammation phase, day 14 (D14), the fibrosis phase,i.e. day 28 (D28) and day (D56).
Project description:microRNAs (miRNAs) play a critical biological role in a variety of pathophysiological processes by suppressing their target genes. However, little is known on the miRNAs expression profiles of lung tissues in silica-induced pulmonary fibrosis. To investigate miRNAs of interest in regulation of pulmonary fibrosis, total RNA was isolated from mice lungs collected at day 0, day 3, day 7, day 14, day 28 and day 56 after silica exposure. Then, miRNA microarray was performed with one mouse lung at each time point. miRNA microarray was performed with one mouse lung at day 0, day 3, day 7, day 14, day 28 and day 56 after silica exposure to investigate the miRNAs expression profiles of lung tissues in silica-induced pulmonary fibrosis.