Browsing by Author "Jiang, Dianhua"

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    Role of hyaluronan and hyaluronan-binding proteins in human asthma.
    (The Journal of allergy and clinical immunology, 2011-08) Liang, Jiurong; Jiang, Dianhua; Jung, Yoosun; Xie, Ting; Ingram, Jennifer; Church, Tony; Degan, Simone; Leonard, Maura; Kraft, Monica; Noble, Paul W

    Background

    The characteristics of human asthma are chronic inflammation and airway remodeling. Hyaluronan, a major extracellular matrix component, accumulates during inflammatory lung diseases, including asthma. Hyaluronan fragments stimulate macrophages to produce inflammatory cytokines. We hypothesized that hyaluronan and its receptors would play a role in human asthma.

    Objective

    To investigate the role of hyaluronan and hyaluronan-binding proteins in human asthma.

    Methods

    Twenty-one subjects with asthma and 25 healthy control subjects underwent bronchoscopy with endobronchial biopsy and bronchoalveolar lavage. Fibroblasts were cultured, and hyaluronan and hyaluronan synthase expression was determined at baseline and after exposure to several mediators relevant to asthma pathobiology. The expression of hyaluronan-binding proteins CD44, TLR (Toll-like receptor)-2, and TLR4 on bronchoalveolar lavage macrophages was determined by flow cytometry. IL-8 production by macrophages in response to hyaluronan fragment stimulation was compared.

    Results

    Airway fibroblasts from patients with asthma produced significantly increased concentrations of lower-molecular-weight hyaluronan compared with those of normal fibroblasts. Hyaluronan synthase 2 mRNA was markedly increased in asthmatic fibroblasts. Asthmatic macrophages showed a decrease in cell surface CD44 expression and an increase in TLR2 and TLR4 expression. Macrophages from subjects with asthma showed an increase in responsiveness to low-molecular-weight hyaluronan stimulation, as demonstrated by increased IL-8 production.

    Conclusion

    Hyaluronan homeostasis is deranged in asthma, with increased production by fibroblasts and decreased CD44 expression on alveolar macrophages. Upregulation of TLR2 and TLR4 on macrophages with increased sensitivity to hyaluronan fragments suggests a novel proinflammatory mechanism by which persistence of hyaluronan fragments could contribute to chronic inflammation and airway remodeling in asthma.
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    Targeted HAS2 Expression Lessens Airway Responsiveness in Chronic Murine Allergic Airway Disease.
    (American journal of respiratory cell and molecular biology, 2017-12) Walker, Julia KL; Theriot, Barbara S; Ghio, Michael; Trempus, Carol S; Wong, Jordan E; McQuade, Victoria L; Liang, Jiurong; Jiang, Dianhua; Noble, Paul W; Garantziotis, Stavros; Kraft, Monica; Ingram, Jennifer L
    Hyaluronan (HA), a major component of the extracellular matrix, is secreted by airway structural cells. Airway fibroblasts in allergic asthma secrete elevated levels of HA in association with increased HA synthase 2 (HAS2) expression. Thus, we hypothesized that HA accumulation in the airway wall may contribute to airway remodeling and hyperresponsiveness in allergic airways disease. To examine this hypothesis, transgenic mice in which the α-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA) promoter drives HAS2 expression were generated. Mixed male and female α-SMA-HAS2 mice (HAS2+ mice, n = 16; HAS2- mice, n = 13) were sensitized via intraperitoneal injection and then chronically challenged with aerosolized ovalbumin (OVA) for 6 weeks. To test airway responsiveness, increasing doses of methacholine were delivered intravenously and airway resistance was measured using the forced oscillation technique. HA, cytokines, and cell types were analyzed in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid, serum, and whole lung homogenates. Lung sections were stained using antibodies specific for HA-binding protein (HABP) and α-SMA, as well as Masson's trichrome stain. Staining of lung tissue demonstrated significantly increased peribronchial HA, α-SMA, and collagen deposition in OVA-challenged α-SMA-HAS2+ mice compared with α-SMA-HAS2- mice. Unexpectedly, OVA-challenged α-SMA-HAS2+ mice displayed significantly reduced airway responsiveness to methacholine compared with similarly treated α-SMA-HAS2- mice. The total numbers of inflammatory cell types in the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid did not differ significantly between OVA-challenged α-SMA-HAS2+ mice and α-SMA-HAS2- mice. We conclude that allergen-challenged mice that overexpress HAS2 in myofibroblasts and smooth muscle cells develop increased airway fibrosis, which lessens airway hyperresponsiveness to bronchoconstrictors.