| Literature DB >> 34146379 |
Alen Faiz1,2,3,4,5,6,7, Louise M Harkness1,5,6, Gavin Tjin1,6,7, Victor Bernal8,9, Peter Horvatovich9, Alan James10,11, John G Elliot10, Janette K Burgess1,4,5,6,7,12, Anthony W Ashton13.
Abstract
The extracellular matrix (ECM) is the tissue microenvironment that regulates the characteristics of stromal and systemic cells to control processes such as inflammation and angiogenesis. Despite ongoing anti-inflammatory treatment, low levels of inflammation exist in the airways in asthma, which alters ECM deposition by airway smooth muscle (ASM) cells. The altered ECM causes aberrant behaviour of cells, such as endothelial cells, in the airway tissue. We therefore sought to characterize the composition and angiogenic potential of the ECM deposited by asthmatic and non-asthmatic ASM. After 72 hours under non-stimulated conditions, the ECM deposited by primary human asthmatic ASM cells was equal in total protein, collagen I, III and fibronectin content to that from non-asthmatic ASM cells. Further, the matrices of non-asthmatic and asthmatic ASM cells were equivalent in regulating the growth, activity, attachment and migration of primary human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs). Under basal conditions, asthmatic and non-asthmatic ASM cells intrinsically deposit an ECM of equivalent composition and angiogenic potential. Previous findings indicate that dysregulation of the airway ECM is driven even by low levels of inflammatory provocation. This study suggests the need for more effective anti-inflammatory therapies in asthma to maintain the airway ECM and regulate ECM-mediated aberrant angiogenesis.Entities:
Keywords: airway smooth muscle; angiogenesis; asthma; extracellular matrix; inflammation
Year: 2021 PMID: 34146379 PMCID: PMC8256353 DOI: 10.1111/jcmm.16648
Source DB: PubMed Journal: J Cell Mol Med ISSN: 1582-1838 Impact factor: 5.310
FIGURE 1Gene expression of unstimulated non‐asthmatic and asthmatic ASM cells in vitro. A, Max difference plot of data from RT‐PCR arrays conducted on non‐asthmatic and asthmatic ASM cells in vitro, red dots 17 up‐regulated genes, blue dots 6 down‐regulated genes. B, Top 50 enriched GOs from the increased genes, C, enriched GOs from the decreased in asthmatic ASM cells. In (B) and (C), the red dots show the –log10 P‐value of the enriched terms retrieved for the 17 increased and for the six decreased gene sets, respectively. The blue dots show the average –log10 P‐value of the same terms obtained from 100 random samples of genes (of the same size (ie 17 and 2 genes, respectively). The error bars of the blue dots show standard errors of the mean –log10 P‐value. Abbreviations: A, asthmatic; ASM, airway smooth muscle; Ct, cycle threshold; FDR, false discovery rate; GO, gene ontology; NA, non‐asthmatic; NCBI, National Center for Biotechnology Information
FIGURE 2The ECM deposited by unstimulated non‐asthmatic and asthmatic ASM cells in vitro is similar in protein mass and composition. A, Total amount of protein deposited into the ECM by unstimulated non‐asthmatic (● ;N = 3) and asthmatic ASM cells (⬛;N = 4) without stimulation was measured using a BCA assay. B, Fibronectin content in the non‐asthmatic and asthmatic ASM‐ECM was determined using a solid‐phase ELISA (N = 3 for both). C, Collagen I and III in the decellularized ASM‐ECM was measured by picosirius red staining (N = 5 for both). Data are presented as either protein concentration (µg/mL) or mean ± SEM % total ECM protein. Groups were compared using a Mann‐Whitney test. Grubb’s test was used to identify outliers which were sequentially excluded. Abbreviations: A, asthmatic; BCA, bicinchoninic acid; NA, non‐asthmatic; ns, non‐significant, P, probability, SEM, standard error of the mean
FIGURE 3The organization of collagen I fibres within the ASM bundles in the airways of non‐asthmatic or asthmatic individuals ex vivo. The arrangement of collagen I in the ASM bundles in the (A) non‐asthmatic (N = 4) and (B) asthmatic (N = 4) airways was assessed by SHG. C, The SHG signal was quantified. Differences between the groups were determined with a Mann‐Whitney test. Abbreviations: ASM, airway smooth muscle; SHG, second harmonic generation E, epithelium; L, lumen; P, probability
FIGURE 4No difference in HUVEC behaviour was seen on non‐asthmatic or asthmatic ASM‐ECM. A, HUVEC proliferation after 72 hours on a decellularized non‐asthmatic ASM‐ECM (●) or asthmatic ASM‐ECM (⬛; N = 5 for both) was quantified with a CyQUANT assay. B, HUVEC metabolic activity after 72 hours on the non‐asthmatic ASM‐ECM (N = 7) and asthma ASM‐ECM (N = 6) was quantified using an MTT assay. C, HUVEC attachment to the non‐asthmatic (N = 9) and asthmatic (N = 8) ASM‐ECM after 30 minutes was quantified with toluidine blue staining. D, HUVEC chemotaxis to 10ng/mL VEGF‐A through membrane coated with the non‐asthmatic (N = 4) and asthmatic (N = 3) ASM‐ECM was assessed with toluidine blue staining and manual cell counts. HUVEC function was quantified as % “no ASM cell” or cells per FOV and presented as mean ± SEM. Differences between the groups were determined with Mann‐Whitney tests. Grubb's test was used to identify outliers which were sequentially excluded. Abbreviations: A, asthmatic; FOV, field of view; MTT, thaizolyl blue tetrazolium bromide; NA, non‐asthmatic; ns, non‐significant; P, probability; SEM, standard error of the mean; VEGF‐A, vascular endothelial growth factor‐A