Centre for Respiratory Research, Translational Medical Sciences, School of Medicine, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, NG7 2RD, UK.
Respiratory Medicine, Nottingham NIHR Biomedical Research Centre, Nottingham, NG7 2RD, UK.
Development. 2023 May 1;150(9). doi: 10.1242/dev.201046. Epub 2023 May 12.
Alveolar development and repair require tight spatiotemporal regulation of numerous signalling pathways that are influenced by chemical and mechanical stimuli. Mesenchymal cells play key roles in numerous developmental processes. Transforming growth factor-β (TGFβ) is essential for alveologenesis and lung repair, and the G protein α subunits Gαq and Gα11 (Gαq/11) transmit mechanical and chemical signals to activate TGFβ in epithelial cells. To understand the role of mesenchymal Gαq/11 in lung development, we generated constitutive (Pdgfrb-Cre+/-;Gnaqfl/fl;Gna11-/-) and inducible (Pdgfrb-Cre/ERT2+/-;Gnaqfl/fl;Gna11-/-) mesenchymal Gαq/11 deleted mice. Mice with constitutive Gαq/11 gene deletion exhibited abnormal alveolar development, with suppressed myofibroblast differentiation, altered mesenchymal cell synthetic function, and reduced lung TGFβ2 deposition, as well as kidney abnormalities. Tamoxifen-induced mesenchymal Gαq/11 gene deletion in adult mice resulted in emphysema associated with reduced TGFβ2 and elastin deposition. Cyclical mechanical stretch-induced TGFβ activation required Gαq/11 signalling and serine protease activity, but was independent of integrins, suggesting an isoform-specific role for TGFβ2 in this model. These data highlight a previously undescribed mechanism of cyclical stretch-induced Gαq/11-dependent TGFβ2 signalling in mesenchymal cells, which is imperative for normal alveologenesis and maintenance of lung homeostasis.
肺泡的发育和修复需要众多信号通路的严格时空调节,这些信号通路受到化学和机械刺激的影响。间充质细胞在许多发育过程中发挥关键作用。转化生长因子-β(TGFβ)对于肺泡发生和肺修复是必不可少的,G 蛋白α亚基 Gαq 和 Gα11(Gαq/11)将机械和化学信号传递到上皮细胞以激活 TGFβ。为了了解间充质 Gαq/11 在肺发育中的作用,我们生成了组成型(Pdgfrb-Cre+/-; Gnaqfl/fl; Gna11-/-)和诱导型(Pdgfrb-Cre/ERT2+/-; Gnaqfl/fl; Gna11-/-)间充质 Gαq/11 缺失小鼠。组成型 Gαq/11 基因缺失的小鼠表现出异常的肺泡发育,肌成纤维细胞分化受到抑制,间充质细胞合成功能改变,肺 TGFβ2 沉积减少,以及肾脏异常。成年小鼠中诱导型间充质 Gαq/11 基因缺失导致与 TGFβ2 和弹性蛋白沉积减少相关的肺气肿。周期性机械拉伸诱导的 TGFβ 激活需要 Gαq/11 信号和丝氨酸蛋白酶活性,但不依赖整合素,表明 TGFβ2 在该模型中具有特定的同工型作用。这些数据突出了以前未描述的周期性拉伸诱导的间充质细胞中 Gαq/11 依赖性 TGFβ2 信号的机制,对于正常的肺泡发生和肺内稳态的维持至关重要。