mTOR signaling regulates aberrant epithelial cell proliferative and migratory behaviors characteristic of airway mucous metaplasia in asthma.

In asthma, the airway epithelium is hyperplastic, hypertrophied, and lined with numerous large MUC5AC-containing goblet cells (GC). Furthermore, the normal epithelial architecture is disorganized with numerous, what we here describe as, ectopic goblet cells (eGC) deep within the thickened epithelial layer disconnected from the lumenal surface. mTOR is a highly conserved pathway that regulates cell size and proliferation. We hypothesized that the balance between mTOR and autophagy signaling regulates key features of the asthma epithelial layer. Airway histological sections from subjects with asthma had increased frequency of eGC and increased levels of mTOR phosphorylation target-Ribosomal S6. Using human airway epithelial cells (hAECs) with IL-13 stimulation and timed withdrawal to stimulate resolution, we found that multiple key downstream phosphorylation targets downstream from the mTOR complex were increased during early IL-13-mediated mucous metaplasia, and then significantly declined during resolution. The IL-13-mediated changes in mTOR signaling were paralleled by morphologic changes with airway epithelial hypertrophy, hyperplasia, and frequency of eGC. We then examined the relationship between mTOR and autophagy using mice deficient in autophagy protein Atg16L1. Despite having increased cytoplasmic mucins, mouse AECs from Atg16L1 deficient mice had no significant difference in mTOR downstream signaling. mTOR inhibition with rapamycin led to a loss of IL-13-mediated epithelial hypertrophy, hyperplasia, ectopic GC distribution, and reduction in cytoplasmic MUC5AC levels. mTOR inhibition was also associated with a reduction in aberrant IL-13-mediated hAEC proliferation and migration. Our findings demonstrate that mTOR signaling is associated with mucous metaplasia and is crucial to the disorganized airway epithelial structure and function characteristic of muco-obstructive airway diseases such as asthma. Graphical Abstract Key Concepts: The airway epithelium in asthma is disorganized and characterized by cellular proliferation, aberrant migration, and goblet cell mucous metaplasia.mTOR signaling is a dynamic process during IL-13-mediated mucous metaplasia, increasing with IL-13 stimulation and declining during resolution.mTOR signaling is strongly increased in the asthmatic airway epithelium.mTOR signaling is associated with the development of key features of the metaplastic airway epithelium including cell proliferation and ectopic distribution of goblet cells and aberrant cellular migration.Inhibition of mTOR leads to decreased epithelial hypertrophy, reduced ectopic goblet cells, and cellular migration.

MyD88 controls airway epithelial Muc5ac expression during TLR activation conditions from agricultural organic dust exposure.

Inflammation from airborne microbes can overwhelm compensatory mucociliary clearance mechanisms, leading to mucous cell metaplasia. Toll-like receptor (TLR) activation via myeloid differentiation factor 88 (MyD88) signaling is central to pathogen responses. We have previously shown that agricultural organic dust extract (ODE), with abundant microbial component diversity, activates TLR-induced airway inflammation. With the use of an established model, C57BL/6J wild-type (WT) and global MyD88 knockout (KO) mice were treated with intranasal inhalation of ODE or saline, daily for 1 wk. ODE primarily increased mucin (Muc)5ac levels relative to Muc5b. Compared with ODE-challenged WT mice, ODE-challenged, MyD88-deficient mice demonstrated significantly increased Muc5ac immunostaining, protein levels by immunoblot, and expression by quantitative PCR. The enhanced Muc5ac levels in MyD88-deficient mice were not explained by differences in the differentiation program of airway secretory cells in naïve mice. Increased Muc5ac levels in MyD88-deficient mice were also not explained by augmented inflammation, IL-17A, or neutrophil elastase levels. Furthermore, the enhanced airway mucins in the MyD88-deficient mice were not due to defective secretion, as the mucin secretory capacity of MyD88-KO mice remained intact. Finally, ODE-induced Muc5ac levels were enhanced in MyD88-deficient airway epithelial cells in vitro. In conclusion, MyD88 deficiency enhances airway mucous cell metaplasia under environments with high TLR activation.

Asymmetric dimethyl-arginine metabolism in a murine model of cigarette smoke-mediated lung inflammation.

There is increasing evidence that the endogenous nitric oxide synthase (NOS) inhibitor asymmetric dimethyl-arginine (ADMA) is involved in the pathogenesis of chronic lung diseases. One important regulator of this molecule is the ADMA-metabolizing enzyme dimethyl-arginine dimethyl-aminohydrolase (DDAH). The objective of this study was to determine whether perturbation of the ADMA-DDAH pathway contributes to lung inflammation following exposure to cigarette smoke (CS). For these studies, wild-type and DDAH transgenic mice were sham or CS-exposed. Serum ADMA levels were determined by mass spectrometry. ADMA content and DDAH expression were also visualized in mouse lung tissue by immunohistochemistry. DDAH expression was determined by real-time quantitative PCR (qPCR). Inflammation was assessed by H&E staining and analyses of total cell counts and fluid tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α levels (using ELISA) in lung lavage fluid. NF-κB binding activity in mouse lung epithelial (LA-4) cells was assessed by a transcription factor-binding assay. The results indicated that the concentration of serum ADMA was increased following exposure to CS, and this corresponded with increased ADMA content in bronchial epithelial cells in lung tissue. Total lung DDAH expression was significantly decreased in lung tissue and cultured LA-4 cells following CS exposure. Addition of exogenous ADMA increased CSE-mediated NF-κB binding activity and TNFα production in LA-4 cells more than 2-fold compared to that in CSE-exposed controls. CS-mediated lung inflammation was significantly attenuated in DDAH transgenic mice compared to in wild-type controls. These findings demonstrated that lung ADMA metabolism was altered in mice following CS exposure and suggested that ADMA played a role in CS-mediated inflammation through increasing the presence of inflammatory mediators in lung epithelial cells.

Vitamin D supplementation protects against bone loss following inhalant organic dust and lipopolysaccharide exposures in mice.

Systemic bone loss is associated with airway inflammatory diseases; yet, strategies to halt disease progression from inhalant exposures are not clear. Vitamin D might be a potentially protective approach against noxious respirable environmental exposures. We sought to determine whether vitamin D supplementation represents a viable lung- and bone-protective strategy following repetitive inhalant treatments with organic dust extract (ODE) or lipopolysaccharide (LPS) in mice. C57BL/5 mice were maintained on diets with low (1 IU/D/g) or high (10 IU/D/g) vitamin D for 5 weeks and treated with ODE from swine confinement facilities, LPS, or saline daily for 3 weeks per established intranasal inhalation protocol. Lungs, hind limbs, and sera were harvested for experimental outcomes. Serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels were tenfold different between low and high vitamin D treatment groups with no differences between inhalant agents and saline treatments. Serum calcium levels were not affected. There was no difference in the magnitude of ODE- or LPS-induced inflammatory cell influx or lung histopathology between high and low vitamin D treatment groups. However, high vitamin D treatment reversed the loss of bone mineral density, bone volume, and bone micro-architecture deterioration induced by ODE or LPS as determined by micro-CT analysis. Bone-resorbing osteoclasts were also reduced by high vitamin D treatment. In the low vitamin D treatment groups, ODE induced the greatest degree of airway inflammatory consequences, and LPS induced the greatest degree of bone loss. Collectively, high-concentration vitamin D was protective against systemic bone loss, but not airway inflammation, resulting from ODE- or LPS-induced airway injury.

Treatment with the C5a receptor/CD88 antagonist PMX205 reduces inflammation in a murine model of allergic asthma.

Allergic asthma is a chronic inflammatory airway disease arising from an aberrant immune response following exposure to environmental stimuli in genetically susceptible persons. The complement component 5 (C5)/C5a Receptor (C5aR/CD88) signaling pathway has been implicated in both experimental allergic asthma and human asthmatic disease. Targeting the C5a/C5aR signaling pathway in rodent models has been shown to either enhance or reduce allergic asthma consequences. Treatment with a recombinant humanized monoclonal antibody directed against C5 has shown unclear results in patients with asthma. The objective of this proof-of-concept animal study was to determine whether the low molecular weight C5aR peptidomimetic antagonist, PMX205, would reduce experimental allergic asthma consequences in mice. PMX205 or vehicle control was administered subcutaneously to BALB/c mice prior to and during standard ovalbumin (OVA) allergen sensitization and aerosolized challenge phases. PMX205 substantially reduced OVA-induced total cell (60%), neutrophil (66%) and eosinophil (65%) influxes in lavage fluid sampling. There were also significant reductions in OVA-induced lavage fluid IL-13 protein and lung Th2 cytokine gene expression with PMX205 administration. PMX205 treatment also diminished OVA-induced lung parenchyma cellular infiltration. PMX205 administration did not reduce OVA-induced serum IgE levels or epithelial mucous/goblet cell generation. There was no evidence of toxicity observed with PMX205 treatment in saline or OVA-challenged animals. These data provide evidence that pharmacologic blockade of C5aR by a low molecular weight antagonist (PMX205) reduces airway inflammatory cell and cytokine responses in experimental allergic asthma, and suggests that PMX205 might represent a novel therapeutic agent for reducing asthmatic outcomes.