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Yao L, Conforti F, Hill C, Bell J, Drawater L, Li J, Liu D, Xiong H, Alzetani A, Chee SJ, Marshall BG, Fletcher SV, Hancock D, Coldwell M, Yuan X, Ottensmeier CH, Downward J, Collins JE, Ewing RM, Richeldi L, Skipp P, Jones MG, Davies DE, Wang Y. Paracrine signalling during ZEB1-mediated epithelial-mesenchymal transition augments local myofibroblast differentiation in lung fibrosis. Cell Death Differ 2019; 26:943-957. [PMID: 30050057 PMCID: PMC6252080 DOI: 10.1038/s41418-018-0175-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 93] [Impact Index Per Article: 18.6] [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: 05/08/2018] [Revised: 07/03/2018] [Accepted: 07/09/2018] [Indexed: 01/06/2023] Open
Abstract
The contribution of epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) to human lung fibrogenesis is controversial. Here we provide evidence that ZEB1-mediated EMT in human alveolar epithelial type II (ATII) cells contributes to the development of lung fibrosis by paracrine signalling to underlying fibroblasts. Activation of EGFR-RAS-ERK signalling in ATII cells induced EMT via ZEB1. ATII cells had extremely low extracellular matrix gene expression even after induction of EMT, however conditioned media from ATII cells undergoing RAS-induced EMT augmented TGFβ-induced profibrogenic responses in lung fibroblasts. This epithelial-mesenchymal crosstalk was controlled by ZEB1 via the expression of tissue plasminogen activator (tPA). In human fibrotic lung tissue, nuclear ZEB1 expression was detected in alveolar epithelium adjacent to sites of extracellular matrix (ECM) deposition, suggesting that ZEB1-mediated paracrine signalling has the potential to contribute to early fibrotic changes in the lung interstitium. Targeting this novel ZEB1 regulatory axis may be a viable strategy for the treatment of pulmonary fibrosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Liudi Yao
- Biological Sciences, Faculty of Natural and Environmental Sciences, University of Southampton, Southampton, SO17 1BJ, UK
| | - Franco Conforti
- Clinical and Experimental Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, University of Southampton, Southampton, SO16 6YD, UK
- NIHR Southampton Biomedical Research Centre, University Hospital Southampton, Southampton, SO16 6YD, UK
| | - Charlotte Hill
- Biological Sciences, Faculty of Natural and Environmental Sciences, University of Southampton, Southampton, SO17 1BJ, UK
| | - Joseph Bell
- Clinical and Experimental Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, University of Southampton, Southampton, SO16 6YD, UK
| | - Leena Drawater
- Biological Sciences, Faculty of Natural and Environmental Sciences, University of Southampton, Southampton, SO17 1BJ, UK
| | - Juanjuan Li
- Biological Sciences, Faculty of Natural and Environmental Sciences, University of Southampton, Southampton, SO17 1BJ, UK
| | - Dian Liu
- Department of Oncology, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, 430030, China
| | - Hua Xiong
- Department of Oncology, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, 430030, China
| | - Aiman Alzetani
- Clinical and Experimental Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, University of Southampton, Southampton, SO16 6YD, UK
- Department of Thoracic Surgery, University Hospital Southampton, Southampton, SO16 6YD, UK
| | - Serena J Chee
- University Hospital Southampton, Southampton, SO16 6YD, UK
- Cancer Sciences & NIHR and CRUK Experimental Cancer Sciences Unit, University of Southampton, Southampton, SO16 6YD, UK
| | - Ben G Marshall
- NIHR Southampton Biomedical Research Centre, University Hospital Southampton, Southampton, SO16 6YD, UK
- University Hospital Southampton, Southampton, SO16 6YD, UK
| | - Sophie V Fletcher
- NIHR Southampton Biomedical Research Centre, University Hospital Southampton, Southampton, SO16 6YD, UK
- University Hospital Southampton, Southampton, SO16 6YD, UK
| | - David Hancock
- Oncogene Biology, The Francis Crick Institute, London, NW1 1AT, UK
| | - Mark Coldwell
- Biological Sciences, Faculty of Natural and Environmental Sciences, University of Southampton, Southampton, SO17 1BJ, UK
| | - Xianglin Yuan
- Department of Oncology, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, 430030, China
| | - Christian H Ottensmeier
- Cancer Sciences & NIHR and CRUK Experimental Cancer Sciences Unit, University of Southampton, Southampton, SO16 6YD, UK
| | - Julian Downward
- Oncogene Biology, The Francis Crick Institute, London, NW1 1AT, UK
| | - Jane E Collins
- Clinical and Experimental Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, University of Southampton, Southampton, SO16 6YD, UK
| | - Rob M Ewing
- Biological Sciences, Faculty of Natural and Environmental Sciences, University of Southampton, Southampton, SO17 1BJ, UK
| | - Luca Richeldi
- Clinical and Experimental Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, University of Southampton, Southampton, SO16 6YD, UK
- NIHR Southampton Biomedical Research Centre, University Hospital Southampton, Southampton, SO16 6YD, UK
- Unità Operativa Complessa di Pneumologia, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Fondazione Policlinico A. Gemelli, Rome, Italy
| | - Paul Skipp
- Biological Sciences, Faculty of Natural and Environmental Sciences, University of Southampton, Southampton, SO17 1BJ, UK
- Centre for Proteomic Research, Institute for Life Sciences University of Southampton, Southampton, SO17 1BJ, UK
| | - Mark G Jones
- Clinical and Experimental Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, University of Southampton, Southampton, SO16 6YD, UK
- NIHR Southampton Biomedical Research Centre, University Hospital Southampton, Southampton, SO16 6YD, UK
| | - Donna E Davies
- Clinical and Experimental Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, University of Southampton, Southampton, SO16 6YD, UK.
- NIHR Southampton Biomedical Research Centre, University Hospital Southampton, Southampton, SO16 6YD, UK.
- Institute for Life Sciences, University of Southampton, Southampton, SO17 1BJ, UK.
| | - Yihua Wang
- Biological Sciences, Faculty of Natural and Environmental Sciences, University of Southampton, Southampton, SO17 1BJ, UK.
- Department of Oncology, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, 430030, China.
- Institute for Life Sciences, University of Southampton, Southampton, SO17 1BJ, UK.
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