1. |
- da Bandeira, Diana Sa, et al.
(author)
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PDGFR beta(+) cells play a dual role as hematopoietic precursors and niche cells during mouse ontogeny
- 2022
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In: Cell Reports. - : CELL PRESS. - 2211-1247. ; 40:3
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Hematopoietic stem cell (HSC) generation in the aorta-gonad-mesonephros region requires HSC specification signals from the surrounding microenvironment. In zebrafish, PDGF-B/PDGFR beta signaling controls hematopoietic stem/progenitor cell (HSPC) generation and is required in the HSC specification niche. Little is known about murine HSPC specification in vivo and whether PDGF-B/PDGFR beta is involved. Here, we show that PDGFR beta is expressed in distinct perivascular stromal cell layers surrounding the mid-gestation dorsal aorta, and its deletion impairs hematopoiesis. We demonstrate that PDGFR beta(+) cells play a dual role in murine hematopoiesis. They act in the aortic niche to support HSPCs, and in addition, PDGFR beta(+) embryonic precursors give rise to a subset of HSPCs that persist into adulthood. These findings provide crucial information for the controlled production of HSPCs in vitro.
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2. |
- MacKinnon, Alison C., et al.
(author)
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Regulation of Transforming Growth Factor-beta 1-driven Lung Fibrosis by Galectin-3
- 2012
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In: American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine. - 1535-4970. ; 185:5, s. 537-546
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Rationale: Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a chronic dysregulated response to alveolar epithelial injury with differentiation of epithelial cells and fibroblasts into matrix-secreting myofibroblasts resulting in lung scaring. The prognosis is poor and there are no effective therapies or reliable biomarkers. Galectin-3 is a beta-galactoside binding lectin that is highly expressed in fibrotic tissue of diverse etiologies. Objectives: To examine the role of galectin-3 in pulmonary fibrosis. Methods: We used genetic deletion and pharmacologic inhibition in well-characterized murine models of lung fibrosis. Further mechanistic studies were performed in vitro and on samples from patients with IPF. Measurements and Main Results: Transforming growth factor (TGF)-beta and bleomycin-induced lung fibrosis was dramatically reduced in mice deficient in galectin-3, manifest by reduced TGF-beta 1 induced EMT and myofibroblast activation and collagen production. Galectin-3 reduced phosphorylation and nuclear translocation of beta-catenin but had no effect on Smad2/3 phosphorylation. A novel inhibitor of galectin -3, TD139, blocked TGF-beta-induced beta-catenin activation in vitro and in vivo and attenuated the late-stage progression of lung fibrosis after bleomycin. There was increased expression of galectin-3 in the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid and serum from patients with stable IPF compared with nonspecific interstitial pneumonitis and controls, which rose sharply during an acute exacerbation suggesting that. galectin-3 may be a marker of active fibrosis in IPF and that strategies that block galectin-3 may be effective in treating acute fibrotic exacerbations of IPF. Conclusions: This study identifies galectin-3 as an important regulator of lung fibrosis and provides a proof of principle for galectin-3 inhibition as a potential novel therapeutic strategy for IPF.
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