Hypercapnia increases ACE2 expression and pseudo-SARS-CoV-2 entry in bronchial epithelial cells by augmenting cellular cholesterol

Patients with chronic lung disease, obesity, and other co-morbid conditions are at increased risk of severe illness and death when infected with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). Hypercapnia, the elevation of CO2 in blood and tissue, commonly occurs in patients with severe acute and chronic lung disease, including those with pulmonary infections, and is also associated with high mortality risk. We previously reported that hypercapnia increases viral replication and mortality of influenza A virus infection in mice. We have also shown that culture in elevated CO2 upregulates expression of cholesterol synthesis genes in primary human bronchial epithelial cells. Interestingly, factors that increase the cholesterol content of lipid rafts and lipid droplets, platforms for viral entry and assembly, enhance SARS-CoV-2 infection. In the current study, we investigated the effects of hypercapnia on ACE2 expression and entry of SARS-CoV-2 pseudovirus (p-SARS-CoV-2) into airway epithelial cells. We found that hypercapnia increased ACE2 expression and p-SARS-CoV-2 uptake by airway epithelium in mice, and in cultured VERO and human bronchial epithelial cells. Hypercapnia also increased total cellular and lipid raft-associated cholesterol in epithelial cells. Moreover, reducing cholesterol synthesis with inhibitors of sterol regulatory element binding protein 2 (SREBP2) or statins, and depletion of cellular cholesterol, each blocked the hypercapnia-induced increases in ACE2 expression and p-SARS-CoV-2 entry into epithelial cells. Cigarette smoke extract (CSE) also increased ACE2 expression, p-SARS-CoV-2 entry and cholesterol accumulation in epithelial cells, an effect not additive to that of hypercapnia, but also inhibited by statins. These findings reveal a mechanism that may account, in part, for poor clinical outcomes of SARS-CoV-2 infection in patients with advanced lung disease and hypercapnia, and in those who smoke cigarettes. Further, our results suggest the possibility that cholesterol-lowering therapies may be of particular benefit in patients with hypercapnia when exposed to or infected with SARS-CoV-2

CSF1R inhibitor JNJ-40346527 attenuates microglial proliferation and neurodegeneration in P301S mice

Neuroinflammation and microglial activation are significant processes in Alzheimer’s disease pathology. Recent genome-wide association studies have highlighted multiple immune-related genes in association with Alzheimer’s disease, and experimental data have demonstrated microglial proliferation as a significant component of the neuropathology. In this study, we tested the efficacy of the selective CSF1R inhibitor JNJ-40346527 (JNJ-527) in the P301S mouse tauopathy model. We first demonstrated the anti-proliferative effects of JNJ-527 on microglia in the ME7 prion model, and its impact on the inflammatory profile, and provided potential CNS biomarkers for clinical investigation with the compound, including pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamics and efficacy assessment by TSPO autoradiography and CSF proteomics. Then, we showed for the first time that blockade of microglial proliferation and modification of microglial phenotype leads to an attenuation of tau-induced neurodegeneration and results in functional improvement in P301S mice. Overall, this work strongly supports the potential for inhibition of CSF1R as a target for the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease and other tau-mediated neurodegenerative diseases

Extracellular Matrix Remodeling by Dynamic Strain in a Three-Dimensional Tissue-Engineered Human Airway Wall Model

Airway wall remodeling is a hallmark of asthma, characterized by subepithelial thickening and extracellular matrix (ECM) remodeling. Mechanical stress due to hyperresponsive smooth muscle cells may contribute to this remodeling, but its relevance in a three-dimensional environment (where the ECM plays an important role in modulating stresses felt by cells) is unclear. To characterize the effects of dynamic compression in ECM remodeling in a physiologically relevant three-dimensional environment, a tissue-engineered human airway wall model with differentiated bronchial epithelial cells atop a collagen gel containing lung fibroblasts was used. Lateral compressive strain of 10 or 30% at 1 or 60 cycles per hour was applied using a novel straining device. ECM remodeling was assessed by immunohistochemistry and zymography. Dynamic strain, particularly at the lower magnitude, induced airway wall remodeling, as indicated by increased deposition of types III and IV collagen and increased secretion of matrix metalloproteinase-2 and -9. These changes paralleled increased myofibroblast differentiation and were fibroblast-dependent. Furthermore, the spatial pattern of type III collagen deposition correlated with that of myofibroblasts; both were concentrated near the epithelium and decreased diffusely away from the surface, indicating some epithelial control of the remodeling response. Thus, in a physiologically relevant three-dimensional model of the bronchial wall, dynamic compressive strain induced tissue remodeling that mimics many features of remodeling seen in asthma, in the absence of inflammation and dependent on epithelial–fibroblast signaling

Differential dependence on protein kinase C of arachidonic acid metabolism stimulated by hydrogen peroxide and by zymosan in the alveolar macrophage

The dependence on protein kinase C (PKC) of arachidonic acid (AA) metabolism stimulated by the biologically important oxidant H2O2 as compared to zymosan particles, was investigated in the rat alveolar macrophage. The PKC inhibitor staurosporine markedly reduced AA release and eicosanoid synthesis stimulated by zymosan, but only slightly inhibited AA release and metabolism induced by H2O2. Furthermore, in macrophages depleted of PKC by extended exposure to phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate, AA release in response to zymosan was greatly inhibited, whereas that stimulated by H2O2 was attenuated to a significantly lesser degree. Thus, zymosan-stimulated AA metabolism requires active PKC, whereas H2O2-induced metabolism is largely PKC-independent. This provides direct evidence for the existence of two pathways of agonist-stimulated AA metabolism, which differ in their dependence on PKC, in the alveolar macrophage.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/28312/1/0000068.pd

Myosin light chain kinase mediates transcellular intravasation of breast cancer cells through the underlying endothelial cells: a three-dimensional FRET study

The transient and localized signaling events between invasive breast cancer cells and the underlying endothelial cells have remained poorly characterized. We report a novel approach integrating vascular engineering with three-dimensional time-lapse fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) imaging to dissect how endothelial myosin light chain kinase (MLCK) is modulated during tumor intravasation. We show that tumor transendothelial migration occurs via both paracellular (i.e. through cell-cell junctions) and transcellular (i.e. through individual endothelial cells) routes. Endothelial MLCK is activated at the invasion site, leading to regional diphosphorylation of myosin-II regulatory light chain (RLC) and myosin contraction. Blocking endothelial RLC diphosphorylation blunts tumor transcellular, but not paracellular, invasion. Our results implicate an important role for endothelial myosin-II function in tumor intravasation

DataSheet_1_Hypercapnia increases ACE2 expression and pseudo-SARS-CoV-2 entry in bronchial epithelial cells by augmenting cellular cholesterol.pdf

Patients with chronic lung disease, obesity, and other co-morbid conditions are at increased risk of severe illness and death when infected with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). Hypercapnia, the elevation of CO2 in blood and tissue, commonly occurs in patients with severe acute and chronic lung disease, including those with pulmonary infections, and is also associated with high mortality risk. We previously reported that hypercapnia increases viral replication and mortality of influenza A virus infection in mice. We have also shown that culture in elevated CO2 upregulates expression of cholesterol synthesis genes in primary human bronchial epithelial cells. Interestingly, factors that increase the cholesterol content of lipid rafts and lipid droplets, platforms for viral entry and assembly, enhance SARS-CoV-2 infection. In the current study, we investigated the effects of hypercapnia on ACE2 expression and entry of SARS-CoV-2 pseudovirus (p-SARS-CoV-2) into airway epithelial cells. We found that hypercapnia increased ACE2 expression and p-SARS-CoV-2 uptake by airway epithelium in mice, and in cultured VERO and human bronchial epithelial cells. Hypercapnia also increased total cellular and lipid raft-associated cholesterol in epithelial cells. Moreover, reducing cholesterol synthesis with inhibitors of sterol regulatory element binding protein 2 (SREBP2) or statins, and depletion of cellular cholesterol, each blocked the hypercapnia-induced increases in ACE2 expression and p-SARS-CoV-2 entry into epithelial cells. Cigarette smoke extract (CSE) also increased ACE2 expression, p-SARS-CoV-2 entry and cholesterol accumulation in epithelial cells, an effect not additive to that of hypercapnia, but also inhibited by statins. These findings reveal a mechanism that may account, in part, for poor clinical outcomes of SARS-CoV-2 infection in patients with advanced lung disease and hypercapnia, and in those who smoke cigarettes. Further, our results suggest the possibility that cholesterol-lowering therapies may be of particular benefit in patients with hypercapnia when exposed to or infected with SARS-CoV-2.</p