Muc5b overexpression causes mucociliary dysfunction and enhances lung fibrosis in mice.

Nat Commun. 2018 Dec 18;9(1):5363.

2018 Dec 18

Hancock LA, Hennessy CE, Solomon GM, Dobrinskikh E, Estrella A, Hara N, Hill DB, Kissner WJ, Markovetz MR, Grove Villalon DE, Voss ME, Tearney GJ, Carroll KS, Shi Y, Schwarz MI, Thelin WR, Rowe SM, Yang IV, Evans CM, Schwartz DA.
PMID: 30560893 | DOI: 10.1038/s41467-018-07768-9

The gain-of-function MUC5B promoter variant rs35705950 is the dominant risk factor for developing idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). Here we show in humans that MUC5B, a mucin thought to be restricted to conducting airways, is co-expressed with surfactant protein C (SFTPC) in type 2 alveolar epithelia and in epithelial cells lining honeycomb cysts, indicating that cell types involved in lung fibrosis in distal airspace express MUC5B. In mice, we demonstrate that Muc5b concentration in bronchoalveolar epithelia is related to impaired mucociliary clearance (MCC) and to the extent and persistence of bleomycin-induced lung fibrosis. We also establish the ability of the mucolytic agent P-2119 to restore MCC and to suppress bleomycin-induced lung fibrosis in the setting of Muc5b overexpression. Our findings suggest that mucociliary dysfunction might play a causative role in bleomycin-induced pulmonary fibrosis in mice overexpressing Muc5b, and that MUC5B in distal airspaces is a potential therapeutic target in humans with IPF.

Functional Expression of FSH Receptor in Endometriotic Lesions.

J Clin Endocrinol Metab.

2016 May 25

Ponikwicka-Tyszko D, Chrusciel M, Stelmaszewska J, Bernaczyk P, Sztachelska M, Sidorkiewicz I, Doroszko M, Tomaszewski J, Tapanainen J, Huhtaniemi I, Wolczynski S, Rahman NA.
PMID: 27224263 | DOI: -

Abstract

CONTEXT:

FSH receptor (FSHR), besides being expressed in gonads, is also expressed in some extragonadal tissues at low levels.

OBJECTIVE:

We examined the functional expression of FSHR in different types of endometriotic lesions.

DESIGN:

Extensive studies were carried out to detect functional FSHR expression and FSH-stimulated estrogen production in ovarian endometriomas and recto-vaginal endometriotic nodules (RVEN). Normal endometrium, ovary, and myometrium tissues from nonpregnant cycling women served as controls.

SETTINGS:

This laboratory-based study was carried out on tissue specimens from patients with endometriosis and healthy donors.

RESULTS:

Endometriotic lesions and normal secretory-phase endometrium showed FSHR expression at both mRNA and protein level. RVEN and ovarian endometrioma demonstrated up-regulated CYP19A1, dependent on the activation of CYP19A1 proximal promoter II. Estrogen receptor-β (ESR2) expression was significantly increased in RVEN vs normal endometrium. Recombinant human FSH stimulation of RVEN explants significantly increased estradiol production and CYP19A1 and ESR2 expression. FSHR was up-regulated in recombinant human FSH-stimulated endometrial and decidualized stromal cells with increased CYP19A1 expression.

CONCLUSIONS:

We described a novel functional FSHR expression, where FSH-stimulated CYP19A1 expression and estrogen production in RVEN are demonstrated. This locally FSH-induced estrogen production may contribute to the pathology, development, progression, and severity of RVEN.

Revisiting the expression and function of follicle-stimulation hormone receptor in human umbilical vein endothelial cells.

Sci Rep.

2016 Nov 16

Stelmaszewska J, Chrusciel M, Doroszko M, Akerfelt M, Ponikwicka-Tyszko D, Nees M, Frentsch M, Li X, Kero J, Huhtaniemi I, Wolczynski S, Rahman NA.
PMID: 27848975 | DOI: 10.1038/srep37095

Expression of follicle-stimulation hormone receptor (FSHR) is confined to gonads and at low levels to some extragonadal tissues like human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVEC). FSH-FSHR signaling was shown to promote HUVEC angiogenesis and thereafter suggested to have an influential role in pregnancy. We revisited hereby the expression and functionality of FSHR in HUVECs angiogenesis, and were unable to reproduce the FSHR expression in human umbilical cord, HUVECs or immortalized HUVECs (HUV-ST). Positive controls as granulosa cells and HEK293 cells stably transfected with human FSHR cDNA expressed FSHR signal. In contrast to positive control VEGF, FSH treatment showed no effects on tube formation, nitric oxide production, wound healing or cell proliferation in HUVEC/HUV-ST. Thus, it remains open whether the FSH-FSHR activation has a direct regulatory role in the angiogenesis of HUVECs.

Single-Cell Transcriptomic Analysis of Human Lung Provides Insights into the Pathobiology of Pulmonary Fibrosis.

Am J Respir Crit Care Med. 2018 Dec 15.

2018 Dec 15

Reyfman PA, Walter JM, Joshi N, Anekalla KR, McQuattie-Pimentel AC, Chiu S, Fernandez R, Akbarpour M, Chen CI, Ren Z, Verma R, Abdala-Valencia H, Nam K, Chi M, Han S, Gonzalez-Gonzalez FJ, Soberanes S, Watanabe S, Williams KJN, Flozak AS, Nicholson TT, Morgan VK, Winter DR, Hinchcliff M, Hrusch CL, Guzy RD, Bonham CA, Sperling AI, Bag R, Hamanaka RB, Mutlu GM, Yeldandi AV, Marshall SA, Shilatifard A, Amaral LAN, Perlman H, Sznajder JI, Argento AC, Gillespie CT, Dematte J, Jain M, Singer BD, Ridge KM, Lam AP, Bharat A, Bhorade SM, Gottardi CJ, Budinger GRS, Misharin AV.
PMID: 30554520 | DOI: 10.1164/rccm.201712-2410OC

Abstract RATIONALE: The contributions of diverse cell populations in the human lung to pulmonary fibrosis pathogenesis are poorly understood. Single-cell RNA sequencing can reveal changes within individual cell populations during pulmonary fibrosis that are important for disease pathogenesis. OBJECTIVES: To determine whether single-cell RNA sequencing can reveal disease-related heterogeneity within alveolar macrophages, epithelial cells or other cell types in lung tissue from subjects with pulmonary fibrosis compared with controls. METHODS: We performed single-cell RNA sequencing on lung tissue obtained from eight transplant donors and eight recipients with pulmonary fibrosis and on one bronchoscopic cryobiospy sample from a patient with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. We validated these data in using in situ RNA hybridization, immunohistochemistry, and bulk RNA-sequencing on flow-sorted cells from 22 additional subjects. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: We identified a distinct, novel population of profibrotic alveolar macrophages exclusively in patients with fibrosis. Within epithelial cells, the expression of genes involved in Wnt secretion and response was restricted to non-overlapping cells. We identified rare cell populations including airway stem cells and senescent cells emerging during pulmonary fibrosis. We developed a web-based tool to explore these data. CONCLUSIONS: We generated a single cell atlas of pulmonary fibrosis. Using this atlas we demonstrated heterogeneity within alveolar macrophages and epithelial cells from subjects with pulmonary fibrosis. These results support the feasibility of discovery-based approaches using next generation sequencing technologies to identify signaling pathways for targeting in the development of personalized therapies for patients with pulmonary fibrosis.

Constitutively active follicle-stimulating hormone receptor enables androgen-independent spermatogenesis

J. Clin. Investig

2018 Mar 26

Oduwole OO, Peltoketo H, Poliandri A, Vengadabady L, Chrusciel M, Doroszko M, Samanta L, Owen L, Keevil B, Rahman NA, Huhtaniemi IT.
PMID: 29584617 | DOI: 10.1172/JCI96794

Spermatogenesis is regulated by the 2 pituitary gonadotropins, luteinizing hormone (LH) and follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH). This process is considered impossible without the absolute requirement of LH-stimulated testicular testosterone (T) production. The role of FSH remains unclear because men and mice with inactivating FSH receptor (FSHR) mutations are fertile. We revisited the role of FSH in spermatogenesis using transgenic mice expressing a constitutively strongly active FSHR mutant in a LH receptor-null (LHR-null) background. The mutant FSHR reversed the azoospermia and partially restored fertility of Lhr-/- mice. The finding was initially ascribed to the residual Leydig cell T production. However, when T action was completely blocked with the potent antiandrogen flutamide, spermatogenesis persisted. Hence, completely T-independent spermatogenesis is possible through strong FSHR activation, and the dogma of T being a sine qua non for spermatogenesis may need modification. The mechanism for the finding appeared to be that FSHR activation maintained the expression of Sertoli cell genes considered androgen dependent. The translational message of our findings is the possibility of developing a new strategy of high-dose FSH treatment for spermatogenic failure. Our findings also provide an explanation of molecular pathogenesis for Pasqualini syndrome (fertile eunuchs; LH/T deficiency with persistent spermatogenesis) and explain how the hormonal regulation of spermatogenesis has shifted from FSH to T dominance during evolution.

Single-cell Wnt signaling niches maintain stemness of alveolar type 2 cells.

Science.

2018 Feb 01

Nabhan A, Brownfield DG, Harbury PB, Krasnow MA, Desai TJ.
PMID: 29420258 | DOI: 10.1126/science.aam6603

Alveoli, the lung's respiratory units, are tiny sacs where oxygen enters the bloodstream. They are lined by flat AT1 cells, which mediate gas exchange, and AT2 cells, which secret surfactant. Rare AT2s also function as alveolar stem cells. We show that AT2 lung stem cells display active Wnt signaling and many of them are near single, Wnt-expressing fibroblasts. Blocking Wnt secretion depletes these stem cells. Daughter cells leaving the Wnt niche transdifferentiate into AT1s: maintaining Wnt signaling prevents transdifferentiation whereas abrogating Wnt signaling promotes it. Injury induces AT2 autocrine Wnts, recruiting 'bulk' AT2s as progenitors. Thus, individual AT2 stem cells reside in single cell fibroblast niches providing juxtacrine Wnts that maintain them, whereas injury induces autocrine Wnts that transiently expand the progenitor pool. This simple niche maintains the gas exchange surface, and is coopted in cancer.

	Description
sense Example: Hs-LAG3-sense	Standard probes for RNA detection are in antisense. Sense probe is reverse complent to the corresponding antisense probe.
Intron# Example: Mm-Htt-intron2	Probe targets the indicated intron in the target gene, commonly used for pre-mRNA detection
Pool/Pan Example: Hs-CD3-pool (Hs-CD3D, Hs-CD3E, Hs-CD3G)	A mixture of multiple probe sets targeting multiple genes or transcripts
No-XSp Example: Hs-PDGFB-No-XMm	Does not cross detect with the species (Sp)
XSp Example: Rn-Pde9a-XMm	designed to cross detect with the species (Sp)
O# Example: Mm-Islr-O1	Alternative design targeting different regions of the same transcript or isoforms
CDS Example: Hs-SLC31A-CDS	Probe targets the protein-coding sequence only
EnEm	Probe targets exons n and m
En-Em	Probe targets region from exon n to exon m
Retired Nomenclature
tvn Example: Hs-LEPR-tv1	Designed to target transcript variant n
ORF Example: Hs-ACVRL1-ORF	Probe targets open reading frame
UTR Example: Hs-HTT-UTR-C3	Probe targets the untranslated region (non-protein-coding region) only
5UTR Example: Hs-GNRHR-5UTR	Probe targets the 5' untranslated region only
3UTR Example: Rn-Npy1r-3UTR	Probe targets the 3' untranslated region only
Pan Example: Pool	A mixture of multiple probe sets targeting multiple genes or transcripts

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