AIM: To explore the effects of p38 mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPK) and phosphoinositide 3-kinases (PI3K)/Akt on interleukin (IL)-6, the endothelin (ET)-1-mediated process of airway fibroblast activation induced by injured human bronchial epithelial cells (HBE). METHODS: Human primary cultured airway fibroblasts were co-cultured with HBE pre-treated with or without poly-L-arginine (PLA). The procedure was also performed in the presence or absence of p38 MAPK selective inhibitor SB203580, PI3K selective inhibitor LY294002 or ETA receptor blocker BQ123, respectively. Immunostaining, Western blotting or ELISA were used for detecting α-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA) expression, the activities of p38 MAPK and Akt in fibroblasts or IL-6 levels in supernatants of fibroblasts. In addition, fibroblasts were mixed with soluble collagen and cultured with HBE treated as the same mentioned above, the gel contraction was measured by serial area measurements. RESULTS: ET-1 and IL-6 levels [(13.69±1.36) ng/L, (56.7±10.7) ng/L] in the supernatants of fibroblasts cultured with injured HBE were significantly higher than those in the supernatants of fibroblasts cultured with HBE [(3.79±0.64) ng/L, (15.5±3.2) ng/L]. BQ123, SB203580 or LY294002 decreased IL-6 levels [(27.2±3.1) ng/L, (31.5±3.6) ng/L, (41.3±3.2) ng/L] differently in the supernatants of fibroblasts induced by injured HBE. Activation of p38 MAPK preceded Akt in fibroblasts cultured with injured HBE. BQ123 reduced the phosphorylation levels of p38 MAPK and Akt. SB203580 concentration-dependently attenuated Akt phosphorylation, while LY294002 had little effect on p38 MAPK phosphorylation. Fibroblasts expressed more α-SMA after cultured with injured HBE and showed significant increase in the gel contraction compared to fibroblasts cultured with HBE [percentage of gel contraction: (61.2±2.7)% vs (15.4±7.3)%], all these effects were diminished or inhibited by BQ123, SB203580 or LY294002. Furthermore, the effects of BQ123 and SB203580 on decreased gel contraction were stronger than the effect of LY294002. CONCLUSION: ET-1 exerts a key role in the airway fibroblasts activation induced by injured HBE through activating p38 MAPK, PI3K/Akt signaling and promoting IL-6 expression.

AIM:To investigate the regulatory role of hypoxia mimic reagent cobalt chloride ( CoCl2 ) on cave-olin-1 (Cav-1) generation and the influence of Cav-1 on the abilities of migration and invasion of human lung adenocarcino-ma A549 cells.METHODS:The concentrations of Cav-1 and hypoxia-inducible factor ( HIF)-1αin pleural effusion of the patients with lung cancer ( MPE) or tuberculous pleurisy ( TBPE) were detected, and the correlation was also compared. A549 cells were treated with CoCl2 at different concentrations and time in the presence or absence of HIF-1αinhibitor YC-1.The concentrations of Cav-1 and HIF-1αin the cell supernatants were measured by ELISA.The effects of Cav-1 induced by CoCl2 on the migration and invasion of A549 cells were determined by scratch test and Transwell invasion trial, respec-tively.RESULTS:The levels of Cav-1 and HIF-1αin MPE were significantly higher than those in TBPE.There was a highly positive correlation between Cav-1 and HIF-1αlevels in the pleural effusion.CoCl2 induced the generation of Cav-1 and HIF-1αin A549 cells in a concentration-and time-dependent manner, the peak occurred at 200 μmol/L or 24 h, while the concentration over 200 μmol/L or after treated over 24 h, a concentration-or time-dependent inhibition was ob-served.HIF-1αinhibitor YC-1 concentration-dependently inhibited the generation of HIF-1αand Cav-1 induced by CoCl2 in A549 cells.CoCl2 enhanced A549 cells migration and invasion, with 200 μmol/L played the strongest role, which were down-regulated significantly in the presence of YC-1.CONCLUSION:The alteration of hypoxia-induced Cav-1 generation might be involved in the migration and invasion of A549 cells.A possible role for HIF-1αis indicated in Cav-1 generation.

Objective To compare the clinical characteristics of chronic bronchitis ( CB),emphysema (EM ), asthma - chronic obstructive pulmonary disease overlapping syndrome ( ACOS ) with frequent exacerbations ( FE ) or infrequent exacerbations ( iFE ) and induced sputum inflammatory cells and the heterogeneity of the transmitter. Methods Ninety-one cases of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease( COPD) with acute exacerbation were divided into CB,EM or ACOS phenotype,among which 44 were frequent,and 47 were non frequent. The clinical data,induced sputum inflammatory cells,interferon-γ(IFN-γ),tumor necrosis factor-α ( TNF-α ), interleukin ( IL )-4, IL-13 were analyzed. Results The FEV1% was ( 47 ± 13. 1 )%, significantly lower than that of non frequent episodes (( 56. 2 ± 10. 2)%),and the difference was statistically significant(P＝0.049).The FEV1/FVC% was (54.3±9.3)%,significantly lower than that of non frequent episodes (60. 1±7. 3)%,and there was a significant difference between them ( P＝0. 001) . The proportion of patients with GOLD III and IV,the percentage of neutrophils in induced sputum,tumor necrosis factor -α(TNF-α) and interferon-γin the patients with frequent episodes were significantly higher than those with non frequent episodes (P＜0. 05). Among them,FEV1/FVC% and TNF-αwere independent risk factors for COPD patients (P＝0. 032, 0. 021) . The FEV1% of patients with CB phenotypic frequent episodes were ( 47. 9 ± 14. 9 )%, significantly lower than that of non frequent episodes ((57. 2±10. 9)%)(P＝0. 000),and FEV1/FVC% was (53. 4± 9. 5)% in patients with CB frequent episodes,significantly lower than that of non frequent episodes ((60. 3±6. 9)%),and the difference was statistically significant (P＝0. 022),while the level of N%,TNF-α in induced sputum were significantly higher in CB phenotype subjects with FE than those in subjects with iFE(P＜0. 01). Patients with frequent episodes of emphysema had longer duration of disease (P＜0. 05),lower FEV1%and FEV1/FVC%(P＜0. 05),the proportion of GOLD III patients and the induced sputum TNF-αwere higher, but there was no significant difference in the number and proportion of phlegm inflammatory cells,interferon-γ, interleukin 4 and interleukin 3. The level of GOLD III and the IL-13 level of induced sputum in patients with frequent ACOS phenotype were significantly higher than those in patients with non frequent episodes (P＜0. 05) . Conclusion The lung function,the severity of the disease,the course of the disease,and the percentage of sputum neutrophils,tumor necrosis factor-α,or interleukin 13 are helpful in diagnosing patients with high risk of frequent episodes.

Objective To investigate the mechanism of RNF7 for regulating myeloid-derived suppressor cells(MDSCs)in non-small cell lung cancer(NSCLC).Methods TIMER2.0 database and immunohistochemistry were used to analyze RNF7 expression level and its correlation with immune cell infiltration in non-small cell lung cancer.The impact of RNF7 expression levels on prognosis of lung cancer patients was analyzed using Kaplan-Meier survival analysis.CMT-167 cells with RNF7 overexpression or knockdown were inoculated subcutaneously in C57BL/6 mice,and the mice in RNF7 knockdown group were treated with anti-PD-1 or IgG isotype control 7 days after the inoculation.The tumor tissues were harvested after 30 days for tumor volume measurement,detection of S100A8+A9 and Gr-1 expressions with immunohistochemistry,and analysis of MDSC infiltration.Gene set enrichment analysis(GSEA)was performed to identify the potential pathways regulated by RNF7 in NSCLC.Western blotting and luciferase assays were used to assess the impact of RNF7 on the NF-κB signaling pathway.ELISA and RT-qPCR were used to measure chemokine(C-X-C motif)ligand 1(CXCL1)expression.Results RNF7 expression was significantly upregulated in NSCLC,and high RNF7 expression levels were associated with poor prognosis of the patients(P<0.001).TIMER2.0 analysis revealed a positive correlation between RNF7 expression and MDSC infiltration(P<0.001).GSEA suggested that RNF7 was enriched in the NF-κB signaling pathway.In NSCLC cells,RNF7 knockdown significantly inhibited NF-κB activation and reduced CXCL1 expression.In the tumor-bearing mice,RNF7 overexpression significantly increased MDSC infiltration in the tumor tissue,and RNF7 knockdown obviously reduced MDSC infiltration and enhanced the efficacy of anti-PD-1 therapy.Conclusion High expression of RNF7 in NSCLC cells promotes CXCL1 expression by activating the NF-κB signaling pathway,thus leading to the chemotactic recruitment of MDSCs,which contributes to tumor resistance to anti-PD-1 therapy.

Objective To investigate the mechanism of RNF7 for regulating myeloid-derived suppressor cells(MDSCs)in non-small cell lung cancer(NSCLC).Methods TIMER2.0 database and immunohistochemistry were used to analyze RNF7 expression level and its correlation with immune cell infiltration in non-small cell lung cancer.The impact of RNF7 expression levels on prognosis of lung cancer patients was analyzed using Kaplan-Meier survival analysis.CMT-167 cells with RNF7 overexpression or knockdown were inoculated subcutaneously in C57BL/6 mice,and the mice in RNF7 knockdown group were treated with anti-PD-1 or IgG isotype control 7 days after the inoculation.The tumor tissues were harvested after 30 days for tumor volume measurement,detection of S100A8+A9 and Gr-1 expressions with immunohistochemistry,and analysis of MDSC infiltration.Gene set enrichment analysis(GSEA)was performed to identify the potential pathways regulated by RNF7 in NSCLC.Western blotting and luciferase assays were used to assess the impact of RNF7 on the NF-κB signaling pathway.ELISA and RT-qPCR were used to measure chemokine(C-X-C motif)ligand 1(CXCL1)expression.Results RNF7 expression was significantly upregulated in NSCLC,and high RNF7 expression levels were associated with poor prognosis of the patients(P<0.001).TIMER2.0 analysis revealed a positive correlation between RNF7 expression and MDSC infiltration(P<0.001).GSEA suggested that RNF7 was enriched in the NF-κB signaling pathway.In NSCLC cells,RNF7 knockdown significantly inhibited NF-κB activation and reduced CXCL1 expression.In the tumor-bearing mice,RNF7 overexpression significantly increased MDSC infiltration in the tumor tissue,and RNF7 knockdown obviously reduced MDSC infiltration and enhanced the efficacy of anti-PD-1 therapy.Conclusion High expression of RNF7 in NSCLC cells promotes CXCL1 expression by activating the NF-κB signaling pathway,thus leading to the chemotactic recruitment of MDSCs,which contributes to tumor resistance to anti-PD-1 therapy.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effects of expression levels of S100 calcium-binding protein A10 (S100A10) in lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) on patient prognosis and the regulatory role of S100A10 in lung cancer cell proliferation and metastasis. METHODS: Immunohistochemistry was used to detect the expression levels of S100A10 in LUAD and adjacent tissues, and the relationship between S100A10 expression and clinicopathological parameters and prognosis of the patients was statistically analyzed. The lung adenocarcinoma expression dataset in TCGA database was analyzed using gene enrichment analysis (GSEA) to predict the possible regulatory pathways of S100A10 in the development of lung adenocarcinoma. Lactate production and glucose consumption of lung cancer cells with S100A10 knockdown or overexpression were analyzed to assess the level of glycolysis. Western blotting, CCK-8 assay, EdU-594 assay, and Transwell assays were performed to determine the expression level of S100A10 protein, proliferation and invasion ability of lung cancer cells. A549 cells with S100A10 knockdown and H1299 cells with S100A10 overexpression were injected subcutaneously in nude mice, and tumor growth was observed. RESULTS: The expression level of S100A10 was significantly upregulated in LUAD tissues as compared with the adjacent tissues, and an elevated S100A10 expression level was associated with lymph node metastasis, advanced tumor stage and distant organ metastasis (P < 0.05), but not with tumor differentiation or the patients' age or gender (P > 0.05). Survival analysis showed that elevated S100A10 expressions in the tumor tissue was associated with a poor outcome of the patients (P < 0.001). In the lung cancer cells, S100A10 overexpression significantly promoted cell proliferation and invasion in vitro (P < 0.001). GSEA showed that the gene sets of glucose metabolism, glycolysis and mTOR signaling pathway were significantly enriched in high expressions of S100A10. In the tumor-bearing nude mice, S100A10 overexpression significantly promoted tumor growth, while S100A10 knockdown obviously suppressed tumor cell proliferation (P < 0.001). CONCLUSION S100A10 overexpression promotes glycolysis by activating the Akt-mTOR signaling pathway to promote proliferation and invasion of lung adenocarcinoma cells.
Animals ; Mice ; Adenocarcinoma of Lung/pathology* ; Cell Proliferation ; Lung Neoplasms/pathology* ; Mice, Nude ; Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-akt ; Signal Transduction ; TOR Serine-Threonine Kinases ; Humans ; S100 Proteins/genetics*

To investigate the effects of airway epithelial cells on macrophages chemotaxis and inflammatory cytokine expression under hypoxic conditions.
 Methods: Human bronchial epithelial cells (HBE) treated with different concentrations (0, 100, 200, 400, 800 μmol/L) of CoCl2 or transfected with HIF-1α siRNA were co-cultured with THP-1-derived M1 macrophages or M2 macrophages. The chemotactic effects on macrophages were analyzed by Transwell assay. The levels of TNF-α, IFN-γ, IL-4, IL-13 and IL-10 in the supernatants of macrophages were detected by ELISA, and HIF-1α or Cav-1 mRNA expression in HBE or macrophages was detected by RT-qPCR.
 Results: HBE cells promoted macrophages chemotaxis in a time- and concentration-dependent manner. Compared to un-transfected group, the chemotactic ability of HBE transfected with HIF-1α siRNA was significantly weakened (P<0.01). Under the same culture conditions, the chemotaxis of M2 macrophages was greater than that in THP1-derived M1 macrophages. The concentrations of TNF-α, IFN-γ, IL-4, IL-13 and IL-10 in the supernatants of macrophages were increased in a time-and concentration-dependent manner. The concentrations of TNF-α and IFN-γ were increased further after co-culturing for 8 and 12 h; while IL-4, IL-13 and IL-10 concentrations were increased further during 24 h of co-culture. The levels of cytokines in the supernatants of macrophages co-cultured with HBE and transfected with HIF-1α siRNA were significantly lower than those in un-transfected cells (P<0.05 or P<0.01). The reduction of TNF-α or IFN-γ was more obvious. The expression of HIF-1α or Cav-1 mRNA in HBE or macrophages was increased in a concentration-dependent manner after 8 or 12 h co-culture, which was significantly reduced when HBE was transfected with HIF-1α siRNA.
 Conclusion: Airway epithelial cells can enhance macrophages chemotaxis and pro-inflammatory cytokines expressions under hypoxic condition. HIF-1α and Cav-1 may be the important mediators in these processes.
Cell Hypoxia ; Chemotaxis ; Cytokines ; Epithelial Cells ; Humans ; Hypoxia-Inducible Factor 1, alpha Subunit ; Macrophages