Browsing by Author "Tata, Aleksandra"

Now showing 1 - 12 of 12
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    An In Vitro Microfluidic Alveolus Model to Study Lung Biomechanics.
    (Frontiers in bioengineering and biotechnology, 2022-01) Kumar, Vardhman; Madhurakkat Perikamana, Sajeesh Kumar; Tata, Aleksandra; Hoque, Jiaul; Gilpin, Anna; Tata, Purushothama Rao; Varghese, Shyni
    The gas exchange units of the lung, the alveoli, are mechanically active and undergo cyclic deformation during breathing. The epithelial cells that line the alveoli contribute to lung function by reducing surface tension via surfactant secretion, which is highly influenced by the breathing-associated mechanical cues. These spatially heterogeneous mechanical cues have been linked to several physiological and pathophysiological states. Here, we describe the development of a microfluidically assisted lung cell culture model that incorporates heterogeneous cyclic stretching to mimic alveolar respiratory motions. Employing this device, we have examined the effects of respiratory biomechanics (associated with breathing-like movements) and strain heterogeneity on alveolar epithelial cell functions. Furthermore, we have assessed the potential application of this platform to model altered matrix compliance associated with lung pathogenesis and ventilator-induced lung injury. Lung microphysiological platforms incorporating human cells and dynamic biomechanics could serve as an important tool to delineate the role of alveolar micromechanics in physiological and pathological outcomes in the lung.
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    Defined conditions for long-term expansion of murine and human alveolar epithelial stem cells in three-dimensional cultures.
    (STAR protocols, 2022-06-10) Konishi, Satoshi; Tata, Aleksandra; Tata, Purushothama Rao
    Alveolar type 2 cells (AT2s) serve as stem cells of the alveoli and restore cell numbers after injury. Here, we describe a detailed protocol for the isolation, purification, and culture of murine and human AT2s. We have developed chemically defined and stroma-free culture conditions that enable expansion and maintenance of AT2s. The culture conditions are scalable and compatible with high-throughput chemical and genetic screenings and can potentially be used to generate large AT2 numbers for cell-based therapies. For complete details on the use and execution of this protocol, please refer to Katsura et al. (2020).
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    Epithelial cell plasticity: breaking boundaries and changing landscapes.
    (EMBO reports, 2021-07) Tata, Aleksandra; Chow, Ryan D; Tata, Purushothama Rao
    Epithelial tissues respond to a wide variety of environmental and genotoxic stresses. As an adaptive mechanism, cells can deviate from their natural paths to acquire new identities, both within and across lineages. Under extreme conditions, epithelial tissues can utilize "shape-shifting" mechanisms whereby they alter their form and function at a tissue-wide scale. Mounting evidence suggests that in order to acquire these alternate tissue identities, cells follow a core set of "tissue logic" principles based on developmental paradigms. Here, we review the terminology and the concepts that have been put forward to describe cell plasticity. We also provide insights into various cell intrinsic and extrinsic factors, including genetic mutations, inflammation, microbiota, and therapeutic agents that contribute to cell plasticity. Additionally, we discuss recent studies that have sought to decode the "syntax" of plasticity-i.e., the cellular and molecular principles through which cells acquire new identities in both homeostatic and malignant epithelial tissues-and how these processes can be manipulated for developing novel cancer therapeutics.
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    Ferroptotic stress promotes the accumulation of pro-inflammatory proximal tubular cells in maladaptive renal repair.
    (eLife, 2021-07-19) Ide, Shintaro; Kobayashi, Yoshihiko; Ide, Kana; Strausser, Sarah A; Abe, Koki; Herbek, Savannah; O'Brien, Lori L; Crowley, Steven D; Barisoni, Laura; Tata, Aleksandra; Tata, Purushothama Rao; Souma, Tomokazu
    Overwhelming lipid peroxidation induces ferroptotic stress and ferroptosis, a non-apoptotic form of regulated cell death that has been implicated in maladaptive renal repair in mice and humans. Using single-cell transcriptomic and mouse genetic approaches, we show that proximal tubular (PT) cells develop a molecularly distinct, pro-inflammatory state following injury. While these inflammatory PT cells transiently appear after mild injury and return to their original state without inducing fibrosis, after severe injury they accumulate and contribute to persistent inflammation. This transient inflammatory PT state significantly downregulates glutathione metabolism genes, making the cells vulnerable to ferroptotic stress. Genetic induction of high ferroptotic stress in these cells after mild injury leads to the accumulation of the inflammatory PT cells, enhancing inflammation and fibrosis. Our study broadens the roles of ferroptotic stress from being a trigger of regulated cell death to include the promotion and accumulation of proinflammatory cells that underlie maladaptive repair.
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    Host protein kinases required for SARS-CoV-2 nucleocapsid phosphorylation and viral replication.
    (Science signaling, 2022-10) Yaron, Tomer M; Heaton, Brook E; Levy, Tyler M; Johnson, Jared L; Jordan, Tristan X; Cohen, Benjamin M; Kerelsky, Alexander; Lin, Ting-Yu; Liberatore, Katarina M; Bulaon, Danielle K; Van Nest, Samantha J; Koundouros, Nikos; Kastenhuber, Edward R; Mercadante, Marisa N; Shobana-Ganesh, Kripa; He, Long; Schwartz, Robert E; Chen, Shuibing; Weinstein, Harel; Elemento, Olivier; Piskounova, Elena; Nilsson-Payant, Benjamin E; Lee, Gina; Trimarco, Joseph D; Burke, Kaitlyn N; Hamele, Cait E; Chaparian, Ryan R; Harding, Alfred T; Tata, Aleksandra; Zhu, Xinyu; Tata, Purushothama Rao; Smith, Clare M; Possemato, Anthony P; Tkachev, Sasha L; Hornbeck, Peter V; Beausoleil, Sean A; Anand, Shankara K; Aguet, François; Getz, Gad; Davidson, Andrew D; Heesom, Kate; Kavanagh-Williamson, Maia; Matthews, David A; tenOever, Benjamin R; Cantley, Lewis C; Blenis, John; Heaton, Nicholas S
    Multiple coronaviruses have emerged independently in the past 20 years that cause lethal human diseases. Although vaccine development targeting these viruses has been accelerated substantially, there remain patients requiring treatment who cannot be vaccinated or who experience breakthrough infections. Understanding the common host factors necessary for the life cycles of coronaviruses may reveal conserved therapeutic targets. Here, we used the known substrate specificities of mammalian protein kinases to deconvolute the sequence of phosphorylation events mediated by three host protein kinase families (SRPK, GSK-3, and CK1) that coordinately phosphorylate a cluster of serine and threonine residues in the viral N protein, which is required for viral replication. We also showed that loss or inhibition of SRPK1/2, which we propose initiates the N protein phosphorylation cascade, compromised the viral replication cycle. Because these phosphorylation sites are highly conserved across coronaviruses, inhibitors of these protein kinases not only may have therapeutic potential against COVID-19 but also may be broadly useful against coronavirus-mediated diseases.
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    Host range, transmissibility and antigenicity of a pangolin coronavirus.
    (Nature microbiology, 2023-10) Hou, Yixuan J; Chiba, Shiho; Leist, Sarah R; Meganck, Rita M; Martinez, David R; Schäfer, Alexandra; Catanzaro, Nicholas J; Sontake, Vishwaraj; West, Ande; Edwards, Catlin E; Yount, Boyd; Lee, Rhianna E; Gallant, Samuel C; Zost, Seth J; Powers, John; Adams, Lily; Kong, Edgar F; Mattocks, Melissa; Tata, Aleksandra; Randell, Scott H; Tata, Purushothama R; Halfmann, Peter; Crowe, James E; Kawaoka, Yoshihiro; Baric, Ralph S
    The pathogenic and cross-species transmission potential of SARS-CoV-2-related coronaviruses (CoVs) remain poorly characterized. Here we recovered a wild-type pangolin (Pg) CoV GD strain including derivatives encoding reporter genes using reverse genetics. In primary human cells, PgCoV replicated efficiently but with reduced fitness and showed less efficient transmission via airborne route compared with SARS-CoV-2 in hamsters. PgCoV was potently inhibited by US Food and Drug Administration approved drugs, and neutralized by COVID-19 patient sera and SARS-CoV-2 therapeutic antibodies in vitro. A pan-Sarbecovirus antibody and SARS-CoV-2 S2P recombinant protein vaccine protected BALB/c mice from PgCoV infection. In K18-hACE2 mice, PgCoV infection caused severe clinical disease, but mice were protected by a SARS-CoV-2 human antibody. Efficient PgCoV replication in primary human cells and hACE2 mice, coupled with a capacity for airborne spread, highlights an emergence potential. However, low competitive fitness, pre-immune humans and the benefit of COVID-19 countermeasures should impede its ability to spread globally in human populations.
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    Human distal lung maps and lineage hierarchies reveal a bipotent progenitor.
    (Nature, 2022-04) Kadur Lakshminarasimha Murthy, Preetish; Sontake, Vishwaraj; Tata, Aleksandra; Kobayashi, Yoshihiko; Macadlo, Lauren; Okuda, Kenichi; Conchola, Ansley S; Nakano, Satoko; Gregory, Simon; Miller, Lisa A; Spence, Jason R; Engelhardt, John F; Boucher, Richard C; Rock, Jason R; Randell, Scott H; Tata, Purushothama Rao
    Mapping the spatial distribution and molecular identity of constituent cells is essential for understanding tissue dynamics in health and disease. We lack a comprehensive map of human distal airways, including the terminal and respiratory bronchioles (TRBs), which are implicated in respiratory diseases1-4. Here, using spatial transcriptomics and single-cell profiling of microdissected distal airways, we identify molecularly distinct TRB cell types that have not-to our knowledge-been previously characterized. These include airway-associated LGR5+ fibroblasts and TRB-specific alveolar type-0 (AT0) cells and TRB secretory cells (TRB-SCs). Connectome maps and organoid-based co-cultures reveal that LGR5+ fibroblasts form a signalling hub in the airway niche. AT0 cells and TRB-SCs are conserved in primates and emerge dynamically during human lung development. Using a non-human primate model of lung injury, together with human organoids and tissue specimens, we show that alveolar type-2 cells in regenerating lungs transiently acquire an AT0 state from which they can differentiate into either alveolar type-1 cells or TRB-SCs. This differentiation programme is distinct from that identified in the mouse lung5-7. Our study also reveals mechanisms that drive the differentiation of the bipotent AT0 cell state into normal or pathological states. In sum, our findings revise human lung cell maps and lineage trajectories, and implicate an epithelial transitional state in primate lung regeneration and disease.
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    Human Lung Stem Cell-Based Alveolospheres Provide Insights into SARS-CoV-2-Mediated Interferon Responses and Pneumocyte Dysfunction.
    (Cell stem cell, 2020-10-21) Katsura, Hiroaki; Sontake, Vishwaraj; Tata, Aleksandra; Kobayashi, Yoshihiko; Edwards, Caitlin E; Heaton, Brook E; Konkimalla, Arvind; Asakura, Takanori; Mikami, Yu; Fritch, Ethan J; Lee, Patty J; Heaton, Nicholas S; Boucher, Richard C; Randell, Scott H; Baric, Ralph S; Tata, Purushothama Rao
    Coronavirus infection causes diffuse alveolar damage leading to acute respiratory distress syndrome. The absence of ex vivo models of human alveolar epithelium is hindering an understanding of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pathogenesis. Here, we report a feeder-free, scalable, chemically defined, and modular alveolosphere culture system for the propagation and differentiation of human alveolar type 2 cells/pneumocytes derived from primary lung tissue. Cultured pneumocytes express the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) receptor angiotensin-converting enzyme receptor type-2 (ACE2) and can be infected with virus. Transcriptome and histological analysis of infected alveolospheres mirror features of COVID-19 lungs, including emergence of interferon (IFN)-mediated inflammatory responses, loss of surfactant proteins, and apoptosis. Treatment of alveolospheres with IFNs recapitulates features of virus infection, including cell death. In contrast, alveolospheres pretreated with low-dose IFNs show a reduction in viral replication, suggesting the prophylactic effectiveness of IFNs against SARS-CoV-2. Human stem cell-based alveolospheres, thus, provide novel insights into COVID-19 pathogenesis and can serve as a model for understanding human respiratory diseases.
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    Lung Regeneration: Cells, Models, and Mechanisms.
    (Cold Spring Harbor perspectives in biology, 2022-10) Konkimalla, Arvind; Tata, Aleksandra; Tata, Purushothama Rao
    Lung epithelium, the lining that covers the inner surface of the respiratory tract, is directly exposed to the environment and thus susceptible to airborne toxins, irritants, and pathogen-induced damages. In adult mammalian lungs, epithelial cells are generally quiescent but can respond rapidly to repair of damaged tissues. Evidence from experimental injury models in rodents and human clinical samples has led to the identification of these regenerative cells, as well as pathological metaplastic states specifically associated with different forms of damages. Here, we provide a compendium of cells and cell states that exist during homeostasis in normal lungs and the lineage relationships between them. Additionally, we discuss various experimental injury models currently being used to probe the cellular sources-both resident and recruited-that contribute to repair, regeneration, and remodeling following acute and chronic injuries. Finally, we discuss certain maladaptive regeneration-associated cell states and their role in disease pathogenesis.
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    Meta-Analysis of COVID-19 BAL Single-Cell RNA Sequencing Reveals Alveolar Epithelial Transitions and Unique Alveolar Epithelial Cell Fates.
    (American journal of respiratory cell and molecular biology, 2023-12) Karmaus, Peer WF; Tata, Aleksandra; Meacham, Julie M; Day, Frank; Thrower, David; Tata, Purushothama Rao; Fessler, Michael B
    Single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) of BAL cells has provided insights into coronavirus disease (COVID-19). However, reports have been limited by small patient cohorts. We performed a meta-analysis of BAL scRNA-seq data from healthy control subjects (n = 13) and patients with COVID-19 (n = 20), sourced from six independent studies (167,280 high-quality cells in total). Consistent with the source reports, increases in infiltrating leukocyte subtypes were noted, several with type I IFN signatures and unique gene expression signatures associated with transcellular chemokine signaling. Noting dramatic reductions of inferred NKX2-1 and NR4A1 activity in alveolar epithelial type II (AT-II) cells, we modeled pseudotemporal AT-II-to-AT-I progression. This revealed changes in inferred AT-II cell metabolic activity, increased transitional cells, and a previously undescribed AT-I state. This cell state was conspicuously marked by the induction of genes of the epidermal differentiation complex, including the cornified envelope protein SPRR3 (small proline-rich protein 3), upregulation of multiple KRT (keratin) genes, inferred mitochondrial dysfunction, and cell death signatures including apoptosis and ferroptosis. Immunohistochemistry of lungs from patients with COVID-19 confirmed upregulation and colocalization of KRT13 and SPRR3 in the distal airspaces. Forced overexpression of SPRR3 in human alveolar epithelial cells ex vivo did not activate caspase-3 or upregulate KRT13, suggesting that SPRR3 marks an AT-I cornification program in COVID-19 but is not sufficient for phenotypic changes.
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    Multi-apical polarity of alveolar stem cells and their dynamics during lung development and regeneration.
    (iScience, 2022-10) Konkimalla, Arvind; Konishi, Satoshi; Kobayashi, Yoshihiko; Kadur Lakshminarasimha Murthy, Preetish; Macadlo, Lauren; Mukherjee, Ananya; Elmore, Zachary; Kim, So-Jin; Pendergast, Ann Marie; Lee, Patty J; Asokan, Aravind; Knudsen, Lars; Bravo-Cordero, Jose Javier; Tata, Aleksandra; Tata, Purushothama Rao
    Epithelial cells of diverse tissues are characterized by the presence of a single apical domain. In the lung, electron microscopy studies have suggested that alveolar type-2 epithelial cells (AT2s) en face multiple alveolar sacs. However, apical and basolateral organization of the AT2s and their establishment during development and remodeling after injury repair remain unknown. Thick tissue imaging and electron microscopy revealed that a single AT2 can have multiple apical domains that enface multiple alveoli. AT2s gradually establish multi-apical domains post-natally, and they are maintained throughout life. Lineage tracing, live imaging, and selective cell ablation revealed that AT2s dynamically reorganize multi-apical domains during injury repair. Single-cell transcriptome signatures of residual AT2s revealed changes in cytoskeleton and cell migration. Significantly, cigarette smoke and oncogene activation lead to dysregulation of multi-apical domains. We propose that the multi-apical domains of AT2s enable them to be poised to support the regeneration of a large array of alveolar sacs.
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    Sex differences in resilience to ferroptosis underlie sexual dimorphism in kidney injury and repair.
    (Cell reports, 2022-11) Ide, Shintaro; Ide, Kana; Abe, Koki; Kobayashi, Yoshihiko; Kitai, Hiroki; McKey, Jennifer; Strausser, Sarah A; O'Brien, Lori L; Tata, Aleksandra; Tata, Purushothama Rao; Souma, Tomokazu
    In both humans and mice, repair of acute kidney injury is worse in males than in females. Here, we provide evidence that this sexual dimorphism results from sex differences in ferroptosis, an iron-dependent, lipid-peroxidation-driven regulated cell death. Using genetic and single-cell transcriptomic approaches in mice, we report that female sex confers striking protection against ferroptosis, which was experimentally induced in proximal tubular (PT) cells by deleting glutathione peroxidase 4 (Gpx4). Single-cell transcriptomic analyses further identify the NFE2-related factor 2 (NRF2) antioxidant protective pathway as a female resilience mechanism against ferroptosis. Genetic inhibition and pharmacological activation studies show that NRF2 controls PT cell fate and plasticity by regulating ferroptosis. Importantly, pharmacological NRF2 activation protects male PT cells from ferroptosis and improves cellular plasticity as in females. Our data highlight NRF2 as a potential therapeutic target to prevent failed renal repair after acute kidney injury in both sexes by modulating cellular plasticity.