Dasgupta, Debanjali

The impact of airway inflammation is mediated by pro-inflammatory cytokines such as tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNFα), which underlies several respiratory diseases, including COVID-19, asthma, chronic bronchitis, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). In human airway smooth muscle (hASM) cells, exposure to TNFα leads to an accumulation of unfolded proteins in the ER, which triggers a homeostatic ER stress response activating a signaling cascade to restore normal function. Previously, we showed that TNFα selectively activates the inositol-requiring enzyme 1α (IRE1α)/X-box binding protein 1 (XBP1) ER stress pathway in hASM cells. Most likely, the protein unfolding in hASM cells caused by TNFα results from an increase in reactive oxygen species (ROS) formation. We hypothesize that ER stress induced by TNFα is mitigated by the ROS scavenger TEMPOL. Primary hASM cells were isolated from bronchiolar tissue samples obtained from 5 patients (both sexes included) who had no history of respiratory diseases. hASM cells were serum deprived for 48 h before treatment with 1) TNFα (20 ng/ml) for 12 h; 2) TEMPOL (500 μM) for 30 min followed by TNFα (20 ng/ml) for 12 h; and 3) untreated control for 12 h. At the end of the treatment period, hASM cells were processed for determination of protein expression through Western blotting. Activation of the ER stress response was assessed by phosphorylation of IRE1α and splicing of XBP1. Confirming our previous results, we found that 12 h TNFα exposure induced an ER stress response in hASM cells, evidence by phosphorylation of IRE1α and XBP1 splicing. Treating hASM cells with TEMPOL before exposure to TNFα mitigated the ER stress response. These results support our hypothesis and indicate that ROS scavenging prevents TNFα induced protein unfolding and triggering of the IRE1α/XBP1 ER stress pathway. R01HL 157984 (GCS) This is the full abstract presented at the American Physiology Summit 2023 meeting and is only available in HTML format. There are no additional versions or additional content available for this abstract. Physiology was not involved in the peer review process.

Proinflammatory cytokines such as TNFα mediate airway inflammation. Previously, we showed that TNFα increases mitochondrial biogenesis in human ASM (hASM) cells, which is associated with increased PGC1α expression. We hypothesized that TNFα induces CREB and ATF1 phosphorylation (pCREBS133 and pATF1S63), which transcriptionally co-activate PGC1α expression. Primary hASM cells were dissociated from bronchiolar tissue obtained from patients undergoing lung resection, cultured (one–three passages), and then differentiated by serum deprivation (48 h). hASM cells from the same patient were divided into two groups: TNFα (20 ng/mL) treated for 6 h and untreated controls. Mitochondria were labeled using MitoTracker green and imaged using 3D confocal microscopy to determine mitochondrial volume density. Mitochondrial biogenesis was assessed based on relative mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) copy number determined by quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR). Gene and/or protein expression of pCREBS133, pATF1S63, PCG1α, and downstream signaling molecules (NRFs, TFAM) that regulate transcription and replication of the mitochondrial genome, were determined by qPCR and/or Western blot. TNFα increased mitochondrial volume density and mitochondrial biogenesis in hASM cells, which was associated with an increase in pCREBS133, pATF1S63 and PCG1α expression, with downstream transcriptional activation of NRF1, NRF2, and TFAM. We conclude that TNFα increases mitochondrial volume density in hASM cells via a pCREBS133/pATF1S63/PCG1α-mediated pathway.

Two weeks of diaphragm (DIAm) inactivity imposed by C2SH caused reduced mitochondrial volume density, mitochondrial fragmentation, and a concomitant reduction of SDH max in type I and IIa DIAm fibers on the lesioned side. Type I and IIa DIAm fibers were far more sensitive to inactivation than type IIx/IIb fibers, which exhibited little pathology. Our results indicate that mitochondria in DIAm fibers are plastic in response to varying levels of activity.

Type I and IIa diaphragm muscle (DIAm) fibers comprise fatigue resistant slow and fast motor units that are recruited to accomplish breathing. In contrast, type IIx/IIb fibers comprise more fatigable fast motor units that are infrequently recruited only during airway protective and straining behaviors. The activity and energetic demand for type I and IIa DIAm fibers is markedly increased compared to type IIx/IIb fibers. Cervical spinal cord hemisection at C 2 (C 2 SH) removes excitatory drive for inspiratory activity of the DIAm and thereby imposing prolonged inactivity of type I and IIa fibers. We hypothesize that mitochondrial structure and function in type I and IIa DIAm fibers adapt in response to imposed inactivity induced by spinal cord hemisection at C 2 (C 2 SH). After C 2 SH, inactivity was confirmed by the absence of DIAm EMG, and after 14 days, and the effect of inactivity on mitochondrial structure and function was assessed in type identified fibers. Mitochondria in DIAm fibers were labeled using MitoTracker Green and imaged in 3‐D by fluorescence confocal microscopy. Mitochondrial volume density and morphometry were analyzed using ImageJ. In alternate serial sections of the same DIAm fibers, the maximum velocity of the succinate dehydrogenase reaction (SDH max ) was determined using a quantitative histochemical technique. Overall, mitochondrial volume density was higher in type I and IIa DIAm fibers and mitochondria were more filamentous compared to type IIx/IIb fibers. Inactivity reduced mitochondrial volume density in type I and IIa DIAm fibers and induced mitochondrial fragmentation. The SDH max values normalized for fiber volume and for mitochondrial volume were both higher in type I and IIa DIAm fibers compared to type IIx/IIb fibers. After 14 days of inactivity induced by C 2 SH, SDH max (normalized for fiber volume and for mitochondrial volume) decreased in type I and IIa. These results are consistent with mitochondrial structural and functional adaptions to the marked reduction in the energetic demand of type I and IIa DIAm fibers imposed by C 2 SH.

Tumor necrosis factor α (TNFα) contributes to the pathophysiology of several inflammatory airway diseases such as asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), chronic bronchitis, and COVID‐19. Previously, we showed that acute (24‐h) exposure to TNFα promotes mitochondrial fragmentation in human airway smooth muscle (hASM) cells, which is associated with an increased level of cytosolic GTPase dynamin‐related protein 1 (DRP1), a major protein involved in mitochondrial fragmentation. Phosphorylation of DRP1 at Ser616 (S616) promotes its translocation and binding to the outer mitochondrial membrane and induces mitochondrial fragmentation; however, phosphorylation of DRP1 at the Ser637 (S637) residue reverses the total process and diminishes fragmentation. The balance between S616 and S637 phosphorylation of DRP1 regulates mitochondrial dynamics. In hASM cells, exposure to TNFα triggers protein unfolding and selectively activates the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress pathway involving the phosphorylation of inositol‐requiring enzyme 1α (pIRE1α) and subsequent splicing of X‐box binding protein 1 (XBP1s) that acts as a potent transcriptional activator for several downstream genes. We hypothesized that TNFα mediated activation of the pIRE1α/ XBP1 ER stress pathway transcriptionally activates genes that code for proteins involved in DRP1 phosphorylation at S616 leading to mitochondrial fragmentation. hASM cells were dissociated from bronchial biopsies from patients without a history of respiratory diseases and exposed to TNFα (20 ng/ ml for 6 h). Cells were also treated with Mdivi1 (50 μM for 6 h), a small‐molecule inhibitor of mitochondrial fragmentation that targets the GTPase activity of DRP1. Bioinformatic analysis revealed the presence of putative binding sites for XBP1 on the promoter region of genes that translate into kinases (cyclin dependent kinases CDK1 and CDK5, cyclin B1), which are reported to phosphorylate DRP1 at S616. Western blot and/or immunocytochemistry were employed to quantify the expression and phosphorylation status of IRE1α, DRP1, XBP1 splicing, CDKs and cyclin B1. Mitochondrial morphology was assessed by 3‐D confocal microscopy using MitoTracker green to label mitochondria. Chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) and quantitative real time PCR was done to validate XBP1 target genes. Spliced XBP1 transcriptionally activates expression of CDK1, CDK5 and cyclin B1 and subsequent phosphorylation at S616 of DRP1 without significant alteration in S637 phosphorylation. As a result, TNFα induces an increase in S616/S637 phosphorylation ratio that promotes the translocation of DRP1 from cytosol to mitochondria and mediates mitochondrial fragmentation. Inhibition of DRP1 GTPase activity by Mdivi1 ameliorates DRP1 phosphorylation at S616 and significantly reduces mitochondrial fragmentation. These results reveal the mechanisms that underlie TNFα induced ER stress and downstream mitochondrial fragmentation.

The effects of airway inflammation on airway smooth muscle (ASM) are mediated by pro-inflammatory cytokines such as tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNFα). In this review article, we will provide a unifying hypothesis for a homeostatic response to airway inflammation that mitigates oxidative stress and thereby provides resilience to ASM. Previous studies have shown that acute exposure to TNFα increases ASM force generation in response to muscarinic stimulation (hyper-reactivity) resulting in increased ATP consumption and increased tension cost. To meet this increased energetic demand, mitochondrial O2 consumption and oxidative phosphorylation increases but at the cost of increased reactive oxygen species (ROS) production (oxidative stress). TNFα-induced oxidative stress results in the accumulation of unfolded proteins in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) and mitochondria of ASM. In the ER, TNFα selectively phosphorylates inositol-requiring enzyme 1 alpha (pIRE1α) triggering downstream splicing of the transcription factor X-box binding protein 1 (XBP1s); thus, activating the pIRE1α/XBP1s ER stress pathway. Protein unfolding in mitochondria also triggers an unfolded protein response (mtUPR). In our conceptual framework, we hypothesize that activation of these pathways is homeostatically directed towards mitochondrial remodeling via an increase in peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-gamma coactivator 1 alpha (PGC1α) expression, which in turn triggers: (1) mitochondrial fragmentation (increased dynamin-related protein-1 (Drp1) and reduced mitofusin-2 (Mfn2) expression) and mitophagy (activation of the Phosphatase and tensin homolog (PTEN)-induced putative kinase 1 (PINK1)/Parkin mitophagy pathway) to improve mitochondrial quality; (2) reduced Mfn2 also results in a disruption of mitochondrial tethering to the ER and reduced mitochondrial Ca2+ influx; and (3) mitochondrial biogenesis and increased mitochondrial volume density. The homeostatic remodeling of mitochondria results in more efficient O2 consumption and oxidative phosphorylation and reduced ROS formation by individual mitochondrion, while still meeting the increased ATP demand. Thus, the energetic load of hyper-reactivity is shared across the mitochondrial pool within ASM cells.

Nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) is an advanced form of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), resulting from the complex interplay of genetic and environmental risk factors, e.g. diet. The development of novel therapies has been hampered by the lack of a preclinical animal model with high physiologic fidelity to the human condition. A single mutation (I148M) in the patatin‐like phospholipase domain‐containing 3 ( PNPLA3 ) gene is significantly associated with liver fat content and has been identified as the strongest genetic risk factor for NAFLD/NASH, cirrhosis, and hepatocellular carcinoma. We hypothesized that editing PNPLA3 I148M mutation into a genome of Ossabaw, a miniature pig that already has a natural propensity to develop metabolic syndrome, will develop phenotypes that hallmark NAFLD/NASH, and improve preclinical modeling over existing rodent models. PNPLA3 I148M/I148M founders were developed using TALEN‐stimulated homology directed repair in fibroblasts, followed by somatic cell nuclear transfer. Mutant pigs with age/gender‐matched wildtype controls, reared on standard (SD) and specialized western diet (WD), were clinically and histopathologically characterized. No significant differences in circulating triglyceride and liver enzyme levels was observed in our initial cohort on SD of a female mutant pig relative to the wildtype control. However, this mutant female exhibited increased ALP level and a more atherogenic lipoprotein profile with LDL particle concentration than the levels of the respective control. Histopathologically, the mutant female fed on the WD for 3 months exhibited augmented interlobular inflammation, ballooning, as well lipid and collagen buildup in the liver relative to the wildtype counterparts on the same WD or SD. Longitudinal studies in second larger cohort of barrows over six‐months period revealed significantly elevated liver enzymes (ALP, ALT, GGT), bile acids, and lipid profiles (cholesterol, triglyceride, triglyceride‐rich lipoprotein and vLDL) among the mutant versus wildtypes on western diet, substantiating liver pathology and the associated comorbidity of dyslipidemia. Liver histopathology from these barrows on WD over 6‐months did not reveal as significant difference as in the females of the initial cohort, implying gender differences and variances in western diet formulation in susceptibility to NAFLD/NASH that warrant future large‐scale studies. Levels of circulating extracellular vesicles (EVs) were significantly elevated in the sera of mutant pigs relative to wildtypes on the WD, validating this as an important biomarker in NAFLD/NASH pathology. Additionally, the mutant pigs on the WD had significantly greater coronary artery plaque burden than the control groups, in line with the predicted higher comorbidity level in mutants and reinforces the relevance to human clinical medicine. Support or Funding Information NIH (1R43OD023257‐01A1 to TM) and internal funds from Recombinetics Inc., Drs. Chalasani, Sturek, and Malhi.