1
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Guerra S, Ledford JG, Melén E, Lavi I, Carsin AE, Stern DA, Zhai J, Vidal M, Bustamante M, Addison KJ, Vallecillo RG, Billheimer D, Koppelman GH, Garcia-Aymerich J, Lemonnier N, Fitó M, Dobaño C, Kebede Merid S, Kull I, McEachan RRC, Wright J, Chatzi L, Kogevinas M, Porta D, Narduzzi S, Ballester F, Esplugues A, Zabaleta C, Irizar A, Sunyer J, Halonen M, Bousquet J, Martinez FD, Anto JM. Creatine Kinase Is Decreased in Childhood Asthma. Am J Respir Crit Care Med 2023; 207:544-552. [PMID: 35876143 PMCID: PMC10870915 DOI: 10.1164/rccm.202010-3746oc] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/01/2020] [Accepted: 07/22/2022] [Indexed: 02/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Rationale: The identification of novel molecules associated with asthma may provide insights into the mechanisms of disease and their potential clinical implications. Objectives: To conduct a screening of circulating proteins in childhood asthma and to study proteins that emerged from human studies in a mouse model of asthma. Methods: We included 2,264 children from eight birth cohorts from the Mechanisms of the Development of ALLergy project and the Tucson Children's Respiratory Study. In cross-sectional analyses, we tested 46 circulating proteins for association with asthma in the selection stage and carried significant signals forward to a validation and replication stage. As CK (creatine kinase) was the only protein consistently associated with asthma, we also compared whole blood CK gene expression between subjects with and without asthma (n = 249) and used a house dust mite (HDM)-challenged mouse model to gain insights into CK lung expression and its role in the resolution of asthma phenotypes. Measurements and Main Results: As compared with the lowest CK tertile, children in the highest tertile had significantly lower odds for asthma in selection (adjusted odds ratio, 95% confidence interval: 0.31; 0.15-0.65; P = 0.002), validation (0.63; 0.42-0.95; P = 0.03), and replication (0.40; 0.16-0.97; P = 0.04) stages. Both cytosolic CK forms (CKM and CKB) were underexpressed in blood from asthmatics compared with control subjects (P = 0.01 and 0.006, respectively). In the lungs of HDM-challenged mice, Ckb expression was reduced, and after the HDM challenge, a CKB inhibitor blocked the resolution of airway hyperresponsiveness and reduction of airway mucin. Conclusions: Circulating concentrations and gene expression of CK are inversely associated with childhood asthma. Mouse models support a possible direct involvement of CK in asthma protection via inhibition of airway hyperresponsiveness and reduction of airway mucin.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stefano Guerra
- Asthma and Airway Disease Research Center
- ISGlobal, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Julie G. Ledford
- Asthma and Airway Disease Research Center
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine
| | - Erik Melén
- Department of Clinical Science and Education and
- Sachs’ Children’s and Youth Hospital, Södersjukhuset, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
| | | | - Anne-Elie Carsin
- ISGlobal, Barcelona, Spain
- Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Barcelona, Spain
- CIBER Epidemiología y Salud Pública (CIBERESP), Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain
- Hospital del Mar Medical Research Institute, Barcelona, Spain
| | | | - Jing Zhai
- Asthma and Airway Disease Research Center
| | - Marta Vidal
- ISGlobal, Hospital Clínic, Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
- CIBER de Enfermedades Infecciosas (CIBERINFEC), Barcelona, Spain
| | - Mariona Bustamante
- ISGlobal, Barcelona, Spain
- Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Barcelona, Spain
- CIBER Epidemiología y Salud Pública (CIBERESP), Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain
| | | | | | - Dean Billheimer
- BIO5 Institute, and
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, University of Arizona Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona
| | - Gerard H. Koppelman
- Groningen Research Institute for Asthma and COPD, Groningen, the Netherlands
- Department of Pediatric Pulmonology and Pediatric Allergology, Beatrix Children’s Hospital, University Medical Center Groningen, University of Groningen, Groningen, the Netherlands
| | - Judith Garcia-Aymerich
- ISGlobal, Barcelona, Spain
- Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Barcelona, Spain
- CIBER Epidemiología y Salud Pública (CIBERESP), Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain
| | - Nathanaël Lemonnier
- Institute for Advanced Biosciences, UGA-INSERM U1209-CNRS UMR5309, Site Santé, Allée des Alpes, 38700 La Tronche, France
| | - Montserrat Fitó
- Cardiovascular Risk and Nutrition Group and
- CIBER de Fisiopatología de la Obesidad y Nutricion (CIBEROBN), Institute of Health Carlos III, Madrid, Spain
| | - Carlota Dobaño
- ISGlobal, Hospital Clínic, Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
- CIBER de Enfermedades Infecciosas (CIBERINFEC), Barcelona, Spain
| | | | - Inger Kull
- Department of Clinical Science and Education and
- Sachs’ Children’s and Youth Hospital, Södersjukhuset, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
| | | | - John Wright
- Bradford Institute for Health Research, Bradford, United Kingdom
| | - Leda Chatzi
- Department of Preventive Medicine, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California
| | - Manolis Kogevinas
- ISGlobal, Barcelona, Spain
- Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Barcelona, Spain
- CIBER Epidemiología y Salud Pública (CIBERESP), Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain
- Hospital del Mar Medical Research Institute, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Daniela Porta
- Department of Epidemiology, Lazio Regional Health Service, Rome, Italy
| | - Silvia Narduzzi
- Department of Epidemiology, Lazio Regional Health Service, Rome, Italy
| | - Ferran Ballester
- CIBER Epidemiología y Salud Pública (CIBERESP), Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain
- Nursing School, Universitat de València, Valencia, Spain
- FISABIO–Universitat Jaume I–Universitat de València Joint Research Unit of Epidemiology and Environmental Health, Valencia, Spain
| | - Ana Esplugues
- CIBER Epidemiología y Salud Pública (CIBERESP), Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain
- Nursing School, Universitat de València, Valencia, Spain
- FISABIO–Universitat Jaume I–Universitat de València Joint Research Unit of Epidemiology and Environmental Health, Valencia, Spain
| | - Carlos Zabaleta
- Pediatrics Service, Hospital de Zumárraga, Gipuzkoa, Spain
- Group of Environmental Epidemiology and Child Development, Biodonostia Health Research Institute, San Sebastian, Spain
| | - Amaia Irizar
- CIBER Epidemiología y Salud Pública (CIBERESP), Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain
- Group of Environmental Epidemiology and Child Development, Biodonostia Health Research Institute, San Sebastian, Spain
| | - Jordi Sunyer
- ISGlobal, Barcelona, Spain
- Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Barcelona, Spain
- CIBER Epidemiología y Salud Pública (CIBERESP), Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain
- Hospital del Mar Medical Research Institute, Barcelona, Spain
| | | | - Jean Bousquet
- University Hospital Montpellier, France; and
- Respiratory and Environmental Epidemiology Team, INSERM 1018, CESP Centre, Villejuif, France
| | | | - Josep M. Anto
- ISGlobal, Barcelona, Spain
- Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Barcelona, Spain
- CIBER Epidemiología y Salud Pública (CIBERESP), Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain
- Hospital del Mar Medical Research Institute, Barcelona, Spain
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2
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Francisco D, Wang Y, Marshall C, Conway M, Addison KJ, Billheimer D, Kimura H, Numata M, Chu HW, Voelker DR, Kraft M, Ledford JG. Small Peptide Derivatives Within the Carbohydrate Recognition Domain of SP-A2 Modulate Asthma Outcomes in Mouse Models and Human Cells. Front Immunol 2022; 13:900022. [PMID: 35874703 PMCID: PMC9304716 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2022.900022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/19/2022] [Accepted: 06/16/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Surfactant Protein-A (SP-A) is an innate immune modulator that regulates a variety of pulmonary host defense functions. We have shown that SP-A is dysfunctional in asthma, which could be partly due to genetic heterogeneity. In mouse models and primary bronchial epithelial cells from asthmatic participants, we evaluated the functional significance of a particular single nucleotide polymorphism of SP-A2, which results in an amino acid substitution at position 223 from glutamine (Q) to lysine (K) within the carbohydrate recognition domain (CRD). We found that SP-A 223Q humanized mice had greater protection from inflammation and mucin production after IL-13 exposure as compared to SP-A-2 223K mice. Likewise, asthmatic participants with two copies the major 223Q allele demonstrated better lung function and asthma control as compared to asthmatic participants with two copies of the minor SP-A 223K allele. In primary bronchial epithelial cells from asthmatic participants, full-length recombinant SP-A 223Q was more effective at reducing IL-13-induced MUC5AC gene expression compared to SP-A 223K. Given this activity, we developed 10 and 20 amino acid peptides of SP-A2 spanning position 223Q. We show that the SP-A 223Q peptides reduce eosinophilic inflammation, mucin production and airways hyperresponsiveness in a house dust mite model of asthma, protect from lung function decline during an IL-13 challenge model in mice, and decrease IL-13-induced MUC5AC gene expression in primary airway epithelial cells from asthmatic participants. These results suggest that position 223 within the CRD of SP-A2 may modulate several outcomes relevant to asthma, and that short peptides of SP-A2 retain anti-inflammatory properties similar to that of the endogenous protein.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dave Francisco
- Department of Medicine, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, United States
- Asthma and Airway Disease Research Center, University of Arizona Health Sciences, Tucson, AZ, United States
| | - Ying Wang
- Department of Medicine, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, United States
- Asthma and Airway Disease Research Center, University of Arizona Health Sciences, Tucson, AZ, United States
| | - Craig Marshall
- Department of Medicine, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, United States
| | - Michelle Conway
- Department of Medicine, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, United States
| | - Kenneth J. Addison
- Asthma and Airway Disease Research Center, University of Arizona Health Sciences, Tucson, AZ, United States
| | - Dean Billheimer
- Asthma and Airway Disease Research Center, University of Arizona Health Sciences, Tucson, AZ, United States
| | - Hiroki Kimura
- Department of Medicine, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, United States
- Asthma and Airway Disease Research Center, University of Arizona Health Sciences, Tucson, AZ, United States
| | - Mari Numata
- Department of Medicine, National Jewish Health, Denver, CO, United States
| | - Hong W. Chu
- Department of Medicine, National Jewish Health, Denver, CO, United States
| | - Dennis R. Voelker
- Department of Medicine, National Jewish Health, Denver, CO, United States
| | - Monica Kraft
- Department of Medicine, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, United States
- Asthma and Airway Disease Research Center, University of Arizona Health Sciences, Tucson, AZ, United States
| | - Julie G. Ledford
- Asthma and Airway Disease Research Center, University of Arizona Health Sciences, Tucson, AZ, United States
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, United States
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3
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Rivas CM, Yee MC, Addison KJ, Lovett M, Pal K, Ledford JG, Dussor G, Price TJ, Vagner J, DeFea KA, Boitano S. Proteinase-activated receptor-2 antagonist C391 inhibits Alternaria-induced airway epithelial signalling and asthma indicators in acute exposure mouse models. Br J Pharmacol 2022; 179:2208-2222. [PMID: 34841515 DOI: 10.1111/bph.15745] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/06/2021] [Revised: 10/19/2021] [Accepted: 11/04/2021] [Indexed: 01/28/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Despite the availability of a variety of treatment options, many asthma patients have poorly controlled disease with frequent exacerbations. Proteinase-activated receptor-2 (PAR2) has been identified in preclinical animal models as important to asthma initiation and progression following allergen exposure. Proteinase activation of PAR2 raises intracellular Ca2+ , inducing MAPK and β-arrestin signalling in the airway, leading to inflammatory and protective effects. We have developed C391, a potent PAR2 antagonist effective in blocking peptidomimetic- and trypsin-induced PAR2 signalling in vitro as well as reducing inflammatory PAR2-associated pain in vivo. We hypothesized that PAR2 antagonism by C391 would attenuate allergen-induced acutely expressed asthma indicators in murine models. EXPERIMENTAL APPROACH We evaluated the ability of C391 to alter Alternaria alternata-induced PAR2 signalling pathways in vitro using a human airway epithelial cell line that naturally expresses PAR2 (16HBE14o-) and a transfected embryonic cell line (HEK 293). We next evaluated the ability for C391 to reduce A. alternata-induced acutely expressed asthma indicators in vivo in two murine strains. KEY RESULTS C391 blocked A. alternata-induced, PAR2-dependent Ca2+ and MAPK signalling in 16HBE14o- cells, as well as β-arrestin recruitment in HEK 293 cells. C391 effectively attenuated A. alternata-induced inflammation, mucus production, mucus cell hyperplasia and airway hyperresponsiveness in acute allergen-challenged murine models. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS To our best knowledge, this is the first demonstration of pharmacological intervention of PAR2 to reduce allergen-induced asthma indicators in vivo. These data support further development of PAR2 antagonists as potential first-in-class allergic asthma drugs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Candy M Rivas
- Physiological Sciences Graduate Interdisciplinary Program, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona, USA.,Asthma and Airway Disease Research Center, University of Arizona Health Sciences, Tucson, Arizona, USA
| | - Michael C Yee
- Biomedical Sciences, University of California Riverside, Riverside, California, USA
| | - Kenneth J Addison
- Asthma and Airway Disease Research Center, University of Arizona Health Sciences, Tucson, Arizona, USA.,Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, University of Arizona Health Sciences, Tucson, Arizona, USA
| | - Marissa Lovett
- Physiological Sciences Graduate Interdisciplinary Program, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona, USA
| | - Kasturi Pal
- Biomedical Sciences, University of California Riverside, Riverside, California, USA
| | - Julie G Ledford
- Asthma and Airway Disease Research Center, University of Arizona Health Sciences, Tucson, Arizona, USA.,Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, University of Arizona Health Sciences, Tucson, Arizona, USA
| | - Gregory Dussor
- School of Behavioral and Brain Sciences and Center for Advanced Pain Studies, University of Texas at Dallas, Richardson, Texas, USA
| | - Theodore J Price
- School of Behavioral and Brain Sciences and Center for Advanced Pain Studies, University of Texas at Dallas, Richardson, Texas, USA
| | - Josef Vagner
- Bio5 Collaborative Research Institute, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona, USA
| | - Kathryn A DeFea
- Biomedical Sciences, University of California Riverside, Riverside, California, USA.,Corporate Headquarters, PARMedics, Inc., Temecula, California, USA
| | - Scott Boitano
- Physiological Sciences Graduate Interdisciplinary Program, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona, USA.,Asthma and Airway Disease Research Center, University of Arizona Health Sciences, Tucson, Arizona, USA.,Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, University of Arizona Health Sciences, Tucson, Arizona, USA.,Bio5 Collaborative Research Institute, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona, USA.,Department of Physiology, University of Arizona Health Sciences, Tucson, Arizona, USA
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4
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Dy ABC, Langlais PR, Barker NK, Addison KJ, Tanyaratsrisakul S, Boitano S, Christenson SA, Kraft M, Meyers D, Bleecker ER, Li X, Ledford JG. Myeloid-associated differentiation marker is a novel SP-A-associated transmembrane protein whose expression on airway epithelial cells correlates with asthma severity. Sci Rep 2021; 11:23392. [PMID: 34862427 PMCID: PMC8642528 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-02869-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/17/2021] [Accepted: 11/19/2021] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Surfactant protein A (SP-A) is well-known for its protective role in pulmonary immunity. Previous studies from our group have shown that SP-A mediates eosinophil activities, including degranulation and apoptosis. In order to identify potential binding partners on eosinophils for SP-A, eosinophil lysates were subjected to SP-A pull-down and tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS) analysis. We identified one membrane-bound protein, myeloid-associated differentiation marker (MYADM), as a candidate SP-A binding partner. Blocking MYADM on mouse and human eosinophils ex vivo prevented SP-A from inducing apoptosis; blocking MYADM in vivo led to increased persistence of eosinophilia and airway hyper-responsiveness in an ovalbumin (OVA) allergy model and increased airways resistance and mucus production in a house dust mite (HDM) asthma model. Examination of a subset of participants in the Severe Asthma Research Program (SARP) cohort revealed a significant association between epithelial expression of MYADM in asthma patients and parameters of airway inflammation, including: peripheral blood eosinophilia, exhaled nitric oxide (FeNO) and the number of exacerbations in the past 12 months. Taken together, our studies provide the first evidence of MYADM as a novel SP-A-associated protein that is necessary for SP-A to induce eosinophil apoptosis and we bring to light the potential importance of this previously unrecognized transmembrane protein in patients with asthma.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alane Blythe C Dy
- Clinical Translational Sciences, University of Arizona Health Sciences, Tucson, AZ, 85721, USA
- Asthma and Airway Disease Research Center, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, 85724, USA
| | - Paul R Langlais
- Division of Endocrinology, Department of Medicine, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, 85724, USA
| | - Natalie K Barker
- Division of Endocrinology, Department of Medicine, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, 85724, USA
| | - Kenneth J Addison
- Asthma and Airway Disease Research Center, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, 85724, USA
| | | | - Scott Boitano
- Asthma and Airway Disease Research Center, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, 85724, USA
- Department of Physiology, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, 85724, USA
| | - Stephanie A Christenson
- Division of Pulmonary, Critical Care, Allergy and Sleep Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, 94117, USA
| | - Monica Kraft
- Asthma and Airway Disease Research Center, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, 85724, USA
- Department of Medicine, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, 85724, USA
| | - Deborah Meyers
- Asthma and Airway Disease Research Center, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, 85724, USA
- Division of Genetics, Genomics and Precision Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, USA
| | - Eugene R Bleecker
- Asthma and Airway Disease Research Center, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, 85724, USA
- Division of Genetics, Genomics and Precision Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, USA
| | - Xingnan Li
- Asthma and Airway Disease Research Center, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, 85724, USA
- Division of Genetics, Genomics and Precision Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, USA
| | - Julie G Ledford
- Asthma and Airway Disease Research Center, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, 85724, USA.
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, 85724, USA.
- , 1230 N Cherry Avenue, BSRL Building, Tucson, AZ, 85719, USA.
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5
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Johnson MDL, Younis US, Menghani SV, Addison KJ, Whalen M, Pilon AL, Cress AE, Polverino F, Romanoski CE, Kraft M, Martinez FD, Guerra S, Ledford JG. CC16 Binding to α 4β 1 Integrin Protects against Mycoplasma pneumoniae Infection. Am J Respir Crit Care Med 2021; 203:1410-1418. [PMID: 33326355 PMCID: PMC8456541 DOI: 10.1164/rccm.202006-2576oc] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Rationale CC16 (club cell secretory protein) is a pneumoprotein produced predominantly by pulmonary club cells. Circulating CC16 is associated with protection from the inception and progression of the two most common obstructive lung diseases (asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease). Objectives Although exact mechanisms remain elusive, studies consistently suggest a causal role of CC16 in mediating antiinflammatory and antioxidant functions in the lung. We sought to determine any novel receptor systems that could participate in CC16's role in obstructive lung diseases. Methods Protein alignment of CC16 across species led to the discovery of a highly conserved sequence of amino acids, leucine-valine-aspartic acid (LVD), a known integrin-binding motif. Recombinant CC16 was generated with and without the putative integrin-binding site. A Mycoplasma pneumoniae mouse model and a fluorescent cellular adhesion assay were used to determine the impact of the LVD site regarding CC16 function during live infection and on cellular adhesion during inflammatory conditions. Measurements and Main Results CC16 bound to integrin α4β1), also known as the adhesion molecule VLA-4 (very late antigen 4), dependent on the presence of the LVD integrin-binding motif. During infection, recombinant CC16 rescued lung function parameters both when administered to the lung and intravenously but only when the LVD integrin-binding site was intact; likewise, neutrophil recruitment during infection and leukocyte adhesion were both impacted by the loss of the LVD site. Conclusions We discovered a novel receptor for CC16, VLA-4, which has important mechanistic implications for the role of CC16 in circulation as well as in the lung compartment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael D L Johnson
- Department of Immunobiology.,Asthma and Airway Disease Research Center, Tucson, Arizona.,BIO5.,Valley Fever Center for Excellence
| | - Usir S Younis
- Asthma and Airway Disease Research Center, Tucson, Arizona
| | | | | | - Michael Whalen
- Asthma and Airway Disease Research Center, Tucson, Arizona
| | | | - Anne E Cress
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, and
| | - Francesca Polverino
- Asthma and Airway Disease Research Center, Tucson, Arizona.,Department of Medicine, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona; and
| | - Casey E Romanoski
- Asthma and Airway Disease Research Center, Tucson, Arizona.,BIO5.,Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, and
| | - Monica Kraft
- Asthma and Airway Disease Research Center, Tucson, Arizona.,BIO5.,Department of Medicine, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona; and
| | | | - Stefano Guerra
- Asthma and Airway Disease Research Center, Tucson, Arizona.,Department of Medicine, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona; and.,ISGlobal, Barcelona Institute for Global Health, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Julie G Ledford
- Department of Immunobiology.,Asthma and Airway Disease Research Center, Tucson, Arizona.,BIO5.,Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, and
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6
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Francisco D, Wang Y, Conway M, Hurbon AN, Dy ABC, Addison KJ, Chu HW, Voelker DR, Ledford JG, Kraft M. Surfactant Protein-A Protects against IL-13-Induced Inflammation in Asthma. J Immunol 2020; 204:2829-2839. [PMID: 32245819 PMCID: PMC7304346 DOI: 10.4049/jimmunol.1901227] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/10/2019] [Accepted: 03/09/2020] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
The lung surfactant proteins are recognized as critical not only for their role in lowering lung surface tension but also in innate host defense. Reports have shown that some asthmatic patients have decreased levels of one member of this protein family in particular, surfactant protein-A (SP-A). Our studies set out to determine the contribution of SP-A to the response of a key effector cytokine in asthma, IL-13. Our studies employ both animal models sufficient and deficient in SP-A challenged with IL-13 and primary epithelial cells from participants with asthma that are exogenously treated with SP-A in the context of IL-13 challenge. The inflammatory response and mucin production were assessed in both model systems. As compared with WT mice, we show that the activity of IL-13 is dramatically augmented in SP-A-/- mice, which have significantly increased neutrophil and eosinophil recruitment, mucin production and asthma-associated cytokines in the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid. In parallel, we show asthma-associated factors are attenuated in human cells from asthma subjects when exogenous SP-A is added during IL-13 challenge. Although many of these phenotypes have previously been associated with STAT6 signaling, SP-A inhibited IL-13-induced STAT3 phosphorylation in mice and in human epithelial cells while having little effect on STAT6 phosphorylation. In addition, when either STAT3 or IL-6 were inhibited in mice, the phenotypes observed in SP-A-/- mice were significantly attenuated. These studies suggest a novel mechanism for SP-A in asthma as a modulator of IL-13-induced inflammation via mediating downstream IL-6/STAT3 signaling.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dave Francisco
- Department of Medicine, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85719
- Asthma and Airway Disease Research Center, Tucson, AZ 85724
- Department of Medicine, Duke University, Durham, NC 27707
| | - Ying Wang
- Department of Medicine, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85719
- Asthma and Airway Disease Research Center, Tucson, AZ 85724
- Department of Medicine, Duke University, Durham, NC 27707
| | - Michelle Conway
- Department of Medicine, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85719
| | | | - Alane B C Dy
- Asthma and Airway Disease Research Center, Tucson, AZ 85724
| | - Kenneth J Addison
- Asthma and Airway Disease Research Center, Tucson, AZ 85724
- Department of Medicine, Duke University, Durham, NC 27707
| | - Hong W Chu
- Department of Medicine, National Jewish Health, Denver, CO 80206; and
| | - Dennis R Voelker
- Department of Medicine, National Jewish Health, Denver, CO 80206; and
| | - Julie G Ledford
- Asthma and Airway Disease Research Center, Tucson, AZ 85724;
- Department of Medicine, Duke University, Durham, NC 27707
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85719
| | - Monica Kraft
- Department of Medicine, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85719;
- Asthma and Airway Disease Research Center, Tucson, AZ 85724
- Department of Medicine, Duke University, Durham, NC 27707
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7
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Dy ABC, Arif MZ, Addison KJ, Que LG, Boitano S, Kraft M, Ledford JG. Genetic Variation in Surfactant Protein-A2 Delays Resolution of Eosinophilia in Asthma. J Immunol 2019; 203:1122-1130. [PMID: 31350355 DOI: 10.4049/jimmunol.1900546] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/10/2019] [Accepted: 07/01/2019] [Indexed: 01/21/2023]
Abstract
Surfactant protein-A (SP-A) is an important mediator of pulmonary immunity. A specific genetic variation in SP-A2, corresponding to a glutamine (Q) to lysine (K) amino acid substitution at position 223 of the lectin domain, was shown to alter the ability of SP-A to inhibit eosinophil degranulation. Because a large subgroup of asthmatics have associated eosinophilia, often accompanied by inflammation associated with delayed clearance, our goal was to define how SP-A mediates eosinophil resolution in allergic airways and whether genetic variation affects this activity. Wild-type, SP-A knockout (SP-A KO) and humanized (SP-A2 223Q/Q, SP-A2 223K/K) C57BL/6 mice were challenged in an allergic OVA model, and parameters of inflammation were examined. Peripheral blood eosinophils were isolated to assess the effect of SP-A genetic variation on apoptosis and chemotaxis. Five days postchallenge, SP-A KO and humanized SP-A2 223K/K mice had persistent eosinophilia in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid compared with wild-type and SP-A2 223Q/Q mice, suggesting an impairment in eosinophil resolution. In vitro, human SP-A containing either the 223Q or the 223K allele was chemoattractant for eosinophils whereas only 223Q resulted in decreased eosinophil viability. Our results suggest that SP-A aids in the resolution of allergic airway inflammation by promoting eosinophil clearance from lung tissue through chemotaxis, independent of SP-A2 Q223K, and by inducing apoptosis of eosinophils, which is altered by the polymorphism.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alane Blythe C Dy
- Clinical Translational Sciences, University of Arizona Health Sciences, Tucson, AZ 85721.,Asthma and Airway Disease Research Center, Tucson, AZ 85724
| | - Muhammad Z Arif
- Department of Medicine, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85724
| | - Kenneth J Addison
- Asthma and Airway Disease Research Center, Tucson, AZ 85724.,Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85724
| | - Loretta G Que
- Department of Medicine, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC 27710; and
| | - Scott Boitano
- Asthma and Airway Disease Research Center, Tucson, AZ 85724.,Department of Physiology, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85724
| | - Monica Kraft
- Asthma and Airway Disease Research Center, Tucson, AZ 85724.,Department of Medicine, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85724
| | - Julie G Ledford
- Asthma and Airway Disease Research Center, Tucson, AZ 85724; .,Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85724
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Younis US, Vallorz E, Addison KJ, Ledford JG, Myrdal PB. Preformulation and Evaluation of Tofacitinib as a Therapeutic Treatment for Asthma. AAPS PharmSciTech 2019; 20:167. [PMID: 30993508 DOI: 10.1208/s12249-019-1377-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/28/2018] [Accepted: 03/25/2019] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Preformulation studies on tofacitinib citrate, a small molecule JAK3 specific inhibitor, have not been previously reported in literature. We therefore conducted several preformulation studies on tofacitinib citrate, and its free base, to better understand factors that affect its solubility, stability, and solid-state characteristics. Further, the results of the preformulation studies helped facilitate the development of a nebulized formulation of tofacitinib citrate for inhalational delivery to house dust mite allergen-challenged, BALB/c mice as a potential treatment for eosinophilic asthma. The preformulation results indicated tofacitinib having a basic pKa of 5.2, with its stability dependent on pH, ionic strength, and temperature. Degradation of tofacitinib follows apparent first-order kinetics. In order to maximize stability of the drug, ionic strength and temperature should be minimized, with an optimal range pH between 2.0 and 5.0. Additionally, our findings demonstrate that tofacitinib citrate can successfully be nebulized at a suitable droplet size for inhalation (1.2 ± 0.2 μm MMAD) through a nose-only chamber. Animals dosed with tofacitinib citrate demonstrated marked reductions in BAL eosinophils and total protein concentrations following HDM challenge. These data suggest that tofacitinib citrate represents the potential to be an effective therapy for eosinophilic asthma.
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Zhai J, Insel M, Addison KJ, Stern DA, Pederson W, Dy A, Rojas-Quintero J, Owen CA, Sherrill DL, Morgan W, Wright AL, Halonen M, Martinez FD, Kraft M, Guerra S, Ledford JG. Club Cell Secretory Protein Deficiency Leads to Altered Lung Function. Am J Respir Crit Care Med 2019; 199:302-312. [PMID: 30543455 PMCID: PMC6363971 DOI: 10.1164/rccm.201807-1345oc] [Citation(s) in RCA: 49] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/20/2018] [Accepted: 12/07/2018] [Indexed: 01/27/2023] Open
Abstract
RATIONALE CC16 (club cell secretory protein-16), a member of the secretoglobin family, is one of the most abundant proteins in normal airway secretions and has been described as a serum biomarker for obstructive lung diseases. OBJECTIVES To determine whether low CC16 is a marker for airway pathology or is implicated in the pathophysiology of progressive airway damage in these conditions. METHODS Using human data from the birth cohort of the Tucson Children's Respiratory Study, we examined the relation of circulating CC16 levels with pulmonary function and responses to bronchial methacholine challenge from childhood up to age 32 years. In wild-type and CC16-/- mice, we set out to comprehensively examine pulmonary physiology, inflammation, and remodeling in the naive airway. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS We observed that Tucson Children's Respiratory Study participants in the lowest tertile of serum CC16 had significant deficits in their lung function and enhanced airway hyperresponsiveness to methacholine challenge from 11 years throughout young adult life. Similarly, CC16-/- mice had significant deficits in lung function and enhanced airway hyperresponsiveness to methacholine as compared with wild-type mice, which were independent of inflammation and mucin production. As compared with wild-type mice, CC16-/- mice had significantly elevated gene expression of procollagen type I, procollagen type III, and α-smooth muscle actin, areas of pronounced collagen deposition and significantly enhanced smooth muscle thickness. CONCLUSIONS Our findings support clinical observations by providing evidence that lack of CC16 in the lung results in dramatically altered pulmonary function and structural alterations consistent with enhanced remodeling.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jing Zhai
- Asthma and Airway Disease Research Center
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | - Caroline A. Owen
- Brigham and Women’s Hospital/Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
| | | | | | | | | | | | - Monica Kraft
- Asthma and Airway Disease Research Center
- Department of Medicine, and
| | - Stefano Guerra
- Asthma and Airway Disease Research Center
- Department of Medicine, and
- ISGlobal, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Julie G. Ledford
- Asthma and Airway Disease Research Center
- Department of Medicine, and
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona
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Lugogo N, Francisco D, Addison KJ, Manne A, Pederson W, Ingram JL, Green CL, Suratt BT, Lee JJ, Sunday ME, Kraft M, Ledford JG. Obese asthmatic patients have decreased surfactant protein A levels: Mechanisms and implications. J Allergy Clin Immunol 2017. [PMID: 28624607 DOI: 10.1016/j.jaci.2017.05.028] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Eosinophils are prominent in some patients with asthma and are increased in the submucosa in a subgroup of obese patients with asthma (OAs). Surfactant protein A (SP-A) modulates host responses to infectious and environmental insults. OBJECTIVE We sought to determine whether SP-A levels are altered in OAs compared with a control group and to determine the implications of these alterations in SP-A levels in asthmatic patients. METHODS Bronchoalveolar lavage fluid from 23 lean, 12 overweight, and 20 obese subjects were examined for SP-A. Mouse tracheal epithelial cells grown at an air-liquid interface were used for mechanistic studies. SP-A-/- mice were challenged in allergen models, and exogenous SP-A therapy was given after the last challenge. Eosinophils were visualized and quantitated in lung parenchyma by means of immunostaining. RESULTS Significantly less SP-A (P = .002) was detected in samples from OAs compared with those from control subjects. A univariable regression model found SP-A levels were significantly negatively correlated with body mass index (r = -0.33, P = .014), whereas multivariable modeling demonstrated that the correlation depended both on asthma status (P = .017) and the interaction of asthma and body mass index (P = .008). Addition of exogenous TNF-α to mouse tracheal epithelial cells was sufficient to attenuate SP-A and eotaxin secretion. Allergen-challenged SP-A-/- mice that received SP-A therapy had significantly less tissue eosinophilia compared with mice receiving vehicle. CONCLUSIONS SP-A functions as an important mediator in resolving tissue and lavage fluid eosinophilia in allergic mouse models. Decreased levels of SP-A in OAs, which could be due to increased local TNF-α levels, might lead to impaired eosinophil resolution and could contribute to the eosinophilic asthma phenotype.
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Affiliation(s)
- Njira Lugogo
- Department of Medicine, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC
| | - Dave Francisco
- Department of Medicine, University of Arizona, Tucson, Ariz
| | | | - Akarsh Manne
- Department of Medicine, University of Arizona, Tucson, Ariz
| | | | | | - Cynthia L Green
- Department of Biostatistics and Bioinformatics, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC
| | | | - James J Lee
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Mayo Clinic Arizona, Scottsdale, Ariz
| | - Mary E Sunday
- Department of Pathology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC
| | - Monica Kraft
- Department of Medicine, University of Arizona, Tucson, Ariz
| | - Julie G Ledford
- Department of Medicine, University of Arizona, Tucson, Ariz; Department of Immunobiology, University of Arizona, Tucson, Ariz.
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Abstract
The incidence and severity of asthma continue to rise worldwide. β-agonists are the most commonly prescribed therapeutic for asthma management but have less efficacy for some subsets of asthmatic patients and there are concerns surrounding the side effects from their long-term persistent use. The demand to develop novel asthma therapeutics highlights the need for a standardized approach to effectively screen and test potential bronchoprotective compounds using relevant in vivo animal models. Here we describe a validated method of testing potential therapeutic compounds for their fast-acting efficacy during the midst of an induced bronchoconstriction in a house dust mite challenged animal model.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | - Julie G Ledford
- Department of Medicine, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona, USA; Immunobiology, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona, USA
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Ledford JG, Voelker DR, Addison KJ, Wang Y, Nikam VS, Degan S, Kandasamy P, Tanyaratsrisakul S, Fischer BM, Kraft M, Hollingsworth JW. Genetic variation in SP-A2 leads to differential binding to Mycoplasma pneumoniae membranes and regulation of host responses. J Immunol 2015; 194:6123-32. [PMID: 25957169 DOI: 10.4049/jimmunol.1500104] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/15/2015] [Accepted: 04/19/2015] [Indexed: 01/14/2023]
Abstract
Mycoplasma pneumoniae is an extracellular pathogen that colonizes mucosal surfaces of the respiratory tract and is associated with asthma exacerbations. Previous reports demonstrate that surfactant protein-A (SP-A) binds live M. pneumoniae and mycoplasma membrane fractions (MMF) with high affinity. Humans express a repertoire of single-amino acid genetic variants of SP-A that may be associated with lung disease, and our findings demonstrate that allelic differences in SP-A2 (Gln223Lys) affect the binding to MMF. We show that SP-A(-/-) mice are more susceptible to MMF exposure and have significant increases in mucin production and neutrophil recruitment. Novel humanized SP-A2-transgenic mice harboring the hSP-A2 223K allele exhibit reduced neutrophil influx and mucin production in the lungs when challenged with MMF compared with SP-A(-/-) mice. Conversely, mice expressing hSP-A2 223Q have increased neutrophil influx and mucin production that are similar to SP-A(-/-) mice. Using tracheal epithelial cell cultures, we show that enhanced mucin production to MMF occurs in the absence of SP-A and is not dependent upon neutrophil recruitment. Increased phosphorylation of the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) was evident in the lungs of MMF-challenged mice when SP-A was absent. Pharmacologic inhibition of EGFR prior to MMF challenge dramatically reduced mucin production in SP-A(-/-) mice. These findings suggest a protective role for SP-A in limiting MMF-stimulated mucin production that occurs through interference with EGFR-mediated signaling. SP-A interaction with the EGFR signaling pathway appears to occur in an allele-specific manner that may have important implications for SP-A polymorphisms in human diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julie G Ledford
- Department of Medicine, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC 27710; Department of Cell Biology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC 27710; Department of Medicine, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721;
| | - Dennis R Voelker
- Department of Medicine, National Jewish Health, Denver, CO 80206
| | - Kenneth J Addison
- Department of Medicine, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC 27710; Department of Medicine, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721
| | - Ying Wang
- Department of Medicine, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC 27710; Department of Medicine, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721
| | - Vinayak S Nikam
- Department of Cell Biology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC 27710
| | - Simone Degan
- Department of Radiology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC 27710
| | | | | | - Bernard M Fischer
- Department of Pediatrics, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC 27710; and
| | - Monica Kraft
- Department of Medicine, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC 27710; Department of Medicine, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721
| | - John W Hollingsworth
- Department of Medicine, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC 27710; Dorothy M. Davis Heart and Lung Research Institute, Wexner Medical Center, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210
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Ledford JG, Addison KJ, Foster MW, Que LG. Eosinophil-associated lung diseases. A cry for surfactant proteins A and D help? Am J Respir Cell Mol Biol 2015; 51:604-14. [PMID: 24960334 DOI: 10.1165/rcmb.2014-0095tr] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/21/2023] Open
Abstract
Surfactant proteins (SP)-A and SP-D (SP-A/-D) play important roles in numerous eosinophil-dominated diseases, including asthma, allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis, and allergic rhinitis. In these settings, SP-A/-D have been shown to modulate eosinophil chemotaxis, inhibit eosinophil mediator release, and mediate macrophage clearance of apoptotic eosinophils. Dysregulation of SP-A/-D function in eosinophil-dominated diseases is also not uncommon. Alterations in serum SP-A/-D levels are associated with disease severity in allergic rhinitis and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Furthermore, oligimerization of SP-A/-D, necessary for their proper function, can be perturbed by reactive nitrogen species, which are increased in eosinophilic disease. In this review, we highlight the associations of eosinophilic lung diseases with SP-A and SP-D levels and functions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julie G Ledford
- 1 Department of Medicine, Division of Pulmonary, Allergy and Critical Care, and
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