National Heart Research Institute Singapore, National Heart Centre Singapore, Singapore, Singapore.
Cardiovascular and Metabolic Disorders Program, Duke-National University of Singapore Medical School, Singapore, Singapore.
FASEB J. 2020 Sep;34(9):11802-11815. doi: 10.1096/fj.202001045RR. Epub 2020 Jul 12.
Repetitive pulmonary injury causes fibrosis and inflammation that underlies chronic lung diseases such as idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). Interleukin 11 (IL11) is important for pulmonary fibroblast activation but the contribution of fibroblast-specific IL11 activity to lung fibro-inflammation is not known. To address this gap in knowledge, we generated mice with loxP-flanked Il11ra1 and deleted the IL11 receptor in adult fibroblasts (CKO mice). In the bleomycin (BLM) model of lung fibrosis, CKO mice had reduced fibrosis, lesser fibroblast ERK activation, and diminished immune cell STAT3 phosphorylation. Following BLM injury, acute inflammation in CKO mice was similar to controls but chronic immune infiltrates and pro-inflammatory gene activation, including NF-kB phosphorylation, were notably reduced. Therapeutic prevention of IL11 activity with neutralizing antibodies mirrored the effects of genetic deletion of Il11ra1 in fibroblasts. These data reveal a new function for IL11 in pro-inflammatory lung fibroblasts and highlight the important contribution of the stroma to inflammation in pulmonary disease.
反复的肺部损伤会导致纤维化和炎症,这是特发性肺纤维化(IPF)等慢性肺部疾病的基础。白细胞介素 11(IL11)对于肺成纤维细胞的激活很重要,但成纤维细胞特异性的 IL11 活性对肺纤维化炎症的贡献尚不清楚。为了填补这一知识空白,我们生成了loxP 侧翼 Il11ra1 并在成年成纤维细胞中删除 IL11 受体的小鼠(CKO 小鼠)。在博来霉素(BLM)诱导的肺纤维化模型中,CKO 小鼠的纤维化程度降低,成纤维细胞 ERK 激活减少,免疫细胞 STAT3 磷酸化减少。BLM 损伤后,CKO 小鼠的急性炎症与对照组相似,但慢性免疫浸润和促炎基因激活,包括 NF-kB 磷酸化,明显减少。用中和抗体抑制 IL11 活性的治疗作用与成纤维细胞中 Il11ra1 的基因缺失的作用相似。这些数据揭示了 IL11 在促炎肺成纤维细胞中的新功能,并强调了基质对肺部疾病炎症的重要贡献。