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Biomedical subjects

Ernest Cutz

Publications and source records attributed to Ernest Cutz.

31 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

Apparent normal lung architecture in protein tyrosine phosphatase-sigma-deficient mice.

Protein tyrosine phosphatase-sigma (PTP-sigma) is a member of the mammalian LAR family of phosphatases, which is characterized by a cell adhesion-like ectodomain, a single transmembrane segment, and two tandemly repeated intracellular catalytic domains. The expression of PTP-sigma is developmentally regulated in epithelial, neuronal, and neuroendocrine tissues. We previously showed that PTP-sigma is strongly expressed within the fetal, but not adult, rat lung and is localized to the Clara cells and type II pneumocytes. In view of the developmentally regulated pulmonary expression of PTP-sigma, we performed a detailed histological and ultrastructural study of the lungs of PTP-sigma knockout mice we have generated. Our findings indicate no apparent structural abnormalities in the lungs of PTP-sigma-/- mice, including airway and alveolar epithelium. In addition, pulmonary neuroendocrine cells also appear normal, in contrast to pituitary, pancreatic, and gastrointestinal endocrine cells, in the knockout mice, suggesting different developmental regulation of these neuroendocrine cells. These observations suggest compensation for the absence of PTP-sigma during development by related family member phosphatases, such as LAR.

Aging↗

Adenovirus enterocolitis in pediatric patients following bone marrow transplantation: report of 2 cases and review of the literature.

We report 2 cases of adenovirus enterocolitis in pediatric patients who underwent bone marrow transplantation. The first case involved a 17-year-old adolescent boy with combined immunodeficiency and non-Hodgkin lymphoma who developed chronic graft versus host disease and persistent adenovirus duodenitis. Case 2 involved a 3-year-old boy who received a mismatched unrelated bone marrow transplant for metachromatic leukodystrophy; the boy developed severe graft versus host disease and died of multiorgan failure. At autopsy, diffuse hemorrhagic enterocolitis with changes of severe graft versus host disease and extensive mucosal invasion by adenovirus was found. Awareness and early recognition of this uncommon complication of concomitant graft versus host disease and adenovirus infection could impact therapy and outcome of patients with bone marrow transplant.

Adenoviridae Infections↗

Developmental regulation of O(2) sensing in neonatal adrenal chromaffin cells from wild-type and NADPH-oxidase-deficient mice.

In mammals, adrenomedullary chromaffin cells (AMC) express a neutrophil-like NADPH oxidase and secrete catecholamines, which play a vital role in the ability of the neonate to survive hypoxic stress. To test whether NADPH oxidase functions as an O(2) sensor, and whether mouse AMC express a developmentally regulated O(2)-sensing mechanism similar to rats, we compared the effects of hypoxia on cultured AMC from wild-type (WT) and transgenic oxidase-deficient (OD) mice, lacking the gp91(phox) subunit of NADPH oxidase. Hypoxia ( pO(2) congruent with5 mmHg) caused a reversible inhibition of outward K(+) current by congruent with27% ( n=6) in WT and congruent with29% ( n=9) in OD neonatal (P1-P5) chromaffin cells. O(2)-sensitive K(+) currents included both Ca(2+)-dependent ( I(BK)) and a delayed rectifier-like K(+) current ( I(KV)). Additionally, hypoxia depolarized WT and OD chromaffin cells and caused reversible broadening of the action potential. Exposure of both WT and OD neonatal AMC cultures to hypoxia (5% O(2)) for congruent with1 h caused four- to sixfold stimulation of catecholamine (CA) secretion as determined by HPLC. In contrast, hypoxia had no significant effect on K(+) currents or CA secretion in juvenile (P14-P15) AMC. Thus, mouse AMC possess a developmentally regulated O(2)-sensing mechanism, but NADPH oxidase does not function as the primary O(2)sensor in these cells.

Action Potentials↗

Pulmonary interstitial glycogenosis: a new variant of neonatal interstitial lung disease.

We present the clinical, radiologic, and pathologic findings in lung biopsies from seven infants with atypical neonatal lung disease. All seven infants presented with tachypnea, hypoxemia, and diffuse interstitial infiltrates with overinflated lungs on chest radiographs in the first month of life. Lung biopsies from all cases showed similar pathology, with expansion of the interstitium by spindle-shaped cells containing periodic acid-Schiff positive diastase labile material consistent with glycogen. Immunohistochemical staining showed these cells to be vimentin positive but negative for leucocyte common antigen, lysozyme, and other macrophage markers. Electron microscopy revealed primitive interstitial mesenchymal cells with few cytoplasmic organelles and abundant monoparticulate glycogen. Minimal or no glycogen was seen in the alveolar lining cells. Five cases were treated with pulse corticosteroids; hydroxychloroquine was added in one case. Six of seven infants have shown a favorable clinical outcome. One infant died from complications of extreme prematurity and bronchopulmonary dysplasia. Three cases that have been followed for at least 6 years have shown clinical resolution and radiographic improvement. We propose the term "pulmonary interstitial glycogenosis" of the neonate for this new entity to be differentiated from other forms of interstitial lung disease. Because abundant glycogen is not normally found in pulmonary interstitial cells, we postulate an abnormality in lung cytodifferentiation involving interstitial mesenchymal cells.

Adrenal Cortex Hormones↗

Cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator modulates neurosecretory function in pulmonary neuroendocrine cell-related tumor cell line models.

The pulmonary neuroendocrine cell (PNEC) system consists of solitary cells and distinctive cell clusters termed neuroepithelial bodies (NEB) localized in the airway epithelium. PNEC/NEB express a variety of bioactive substances, including amine (serotonin, 5HT) and neuropeptides. We have previously shown that NEB cells are O(2) sensors expressing nicotinamide adenine diphosphate oxidase complex and O(2) sensitive K(+) channel. Recently, we demonstrated expression of functional cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) and Cl(-) conductances in NEB cells of rabbit neonatal lung. Because PNEC/NEB are sparsely distributed and difficult to study in native lung, we investigated small-cell lung carcinoma (SCLC) and carcinoid tumor cell lines (tumor counterparts of normal PNEC/NEB) as models for PNEC/NEB. SCLC (H146, H345) and carcinoid (H727) cell lines express neuroendocrine cell markers, including chromogranin A, neural cell adhesion molecule (N-CAM), 5HT, and tryptophan hydroxylase. We report that H146, H345, and H727 express CFTR messenger RNA (reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction) and protein (immunoblotting) and possess functional CFTR Cl(-) conductance, demonstrated by an iodide efflux assay inhibitable by transfection with antisense CFTR. Using an immunoassay to quantitate 5HT secretion, we also show that downregulation of CFTR abolishes hypoxia-induced 5HT release, and reduces secretory response to high potassium. Our findings suggest that CFTR may modulate neurosecretory activity of PNEC/NEB possessing O(2) sensor function. We propose that these tumor cell lines may be useful models for investigating the role of CFTR in PNEC/NEB functions in health and disease.

Biomarkers↗

Neuronal developmental marker FORSE-1 identifies a putative progenitor of the pulmonary neuroendocrine cell lineage during lung development.

The FORSE-1 (forebrain-surface-embryonic) monoclonal antibody (MAb) recognizes a carbohydrate cell surface epitope related to the Lewis-X (LeX) and stage-specific embryonic antigens (SSEAs). In the developing CNS, the FORSE-1 epitope is believed to serve as a marker of progenitor cells. We studied the expression of the FORSE-1 epitope in pulmonary neuroendocrine cells (PNECs) and related neuroepithelial bodies (NEBs), cell types implicated in paracrine regulation of lung development. We used dual immunolabeling to identify PNECs/NEBs in tissue sections from developing rabbit fetal lungs and corresponding primary lung cell cultures. During the early stage (E16), the FORSE-1 MAb labeled primitive airway epithelium, whereas serotonin (5HT) immunoreactivity, a marker of PNEC/NEB differentiation, was negative. After E18, FORSE-1 labeling became restricted to PNECs and NEBs, identified by co-expression with 5HT, then decreased coincident with an increase in 5HT. Expression of the FORSE-1 epitope correlated inversely with 5HT expression in PNEC/NEB cells. FORSE-1 immunoreactivity correlated with cell proliferation assessed by BrdU labeling. Downregulation of the FORSE-1 epitope correlated with maturation of PNECs/NEBs. The presence of few FORSE-1/5HT-positive cells in postnatal lung suggests retention of progenitors. The FORSE-1 epitope was associated with a high molecular weight (286 kD) glycoprotein that decreased with increasing gestational age, as demonstrated by immunoblotting. Overall expression of SSEA-1, -3, and -4 antigens was similar to FORSE-1/5HT, although the former was preferentially localized to neurite-like processes. Because the role of the FORSE-1 epitope in the CNS probably involves cell adhesion and differentiation, we propose a similar function in developing lung. The demonstration of LeX/SSEA antigen expression in the PNEC/NEB cell lineage underscores the importance of these cells in developing lung. Furthermore, the FORSE-1 antigen may identify committed progenitors of the PNEC/NEB cell system.

Animals↗

Immunolocalisation of Burkholderia cepacia in the lungs of cystic fibrosis patients.

Infection by Burkholderia cepacia is sometimes fatal in patients with cystic fibrosis (CF), as the organism can cause necrotising pneumonia and septicaemia (the cepacia syndrome), and is resistant to antibiotics. To increase knowledge of the pathogenesis of lung infection, the present study investigated the distribution of B. cepacia in lung explants from nine CF recipients of double lung transplants, of which six were colonised with both B. cepacia and Pseudomonas aeruginosa and the other three with P. aeruginosa only. In one case, explants of the donor lung (allograft) became available after the patient succumbed post-operatively to the cepacia syndrome. Further autopsy sections were examined from two patients who had chronic and then acute infection with B. cepacia. A specific antibody reactive with all five genomovars of the B. cepacia complex and another antibody specific for the 22-kDa adhesin of cable pili, were used to localise bacteria in situ. In chronic infection, the organisms were diffusely distributed, but most concentrated in hyperplastic bronchiolar epithelium, inflamed peribronchial and perivascular areas, between adjacent airway epithelial cells and in pathologically thickened alveolar septae and luminal macrophages. In acute infections the distribution was more focal, with B. cepacia on injured airway surfaces and in sites of pneumonia and abscess formation. In autopsy sections from one of the patients with chronic, then acute infection, B. cepacia was also observed in the lumen of blood capillaries. These results suggest that B. cepacia has the capacity to be highly invasive, migrating from the airways across the epithelial barrier to invade the lung parenchyma and capillaries, thereby initiating septicaemia.

Acute Disease↗

Injurious mechanical ventilation and end-organ epithelial cell apoptosis and organ dysfunction in an experimental model of acute respiratory distress syndrome.

CONTEXT: Recent clinical trials have demonstrated a decrease in multiple organ dysfunction syndrome (MODS) and mortality in patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) treated with a protective ventilatory strategy. OBJECTIVE: To examine the hypothesis that an injurious ventilatory strategy may lead to end-organ epithelial cell apoptosis and organ dysfunction. DESIGN AND SETTING: In vivo animals: 24 rabbits with acid-aspiration lung injury were ventilated with injurious or noninjurious ventilatory strategies. In vitro: rabbit epithelial cells were exposed to plasma from in vivo rabbit studies. In vivo human: plasma samples from patients included in a previous randomized controlled trial examining a lung protective strategy were analyzed (lung protection group, n = 9 and controls, n = 11). MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: In vivo animals: biochemical markers of liver and renal dysfunction; apoptosis in end organs. In vitro: induction of apoptosis in LLC-RK1 renal tubular epithelial cells. In vivo human: correlation of plasma creatinine and soluble Fas ligand. RESULTS: The injurious ventilatory strategy led to increased rates of epithelial cell apoptosis in the kidney (mean [SE]: injurious, 10.9% [0.88%]; noninjurious, 1.86% [0.17%]; P<.001) and small intestine villi (injurious, 6.7% [0.66%]; noninjurious, 0.97% [0.14%]; P<.001), and led to the elevation of biochemical markers indicating renal dysfunction in vivo. Induction of apoptosis was increased in LLC-RK1 cells incubated with plasma from rabbits ventilated with injurious ventilatory strategy at 4 hours (P =.03) and 8 hours (P =.002). The Fas:Ig, a fusion protein that blocks soluble Fas ligand, attenuated induction of apoptosis in vitro. There was a significant correlation between changes in soluble Fas ligand and changes in creatinine in patients with ARDS (R = 0.64, P =.002). CONCLUSIONS: Mechanical ventilation can lead to epithelial cell apoptosis in the kidney and small intestine, accompanied by biochemical evidence of organ dysfunction. This may partially explain the high rate of MODS observed in patients with ARDS and the decrease in morbidity and mortality in patients treated with a lung protective strategy.

Animals↗

Expression of functional purinergic receptors in pulmonary neuroepithelial bodies and their role in hypoxia chemotransmission.

Adenine nucleotides act through specific cell surface receptors to invoke a variety of biological responses. Here we show that cells of neuroepithelial bodies (NEB), presumed O2 airway sensors in neonatal hamster lung, express functional P2X receptors (P2X-R). Positive immunostaining was detected in NEB cells using double-label immunohistochemistry with antibodies against P2X2 and P2X3 receptor subunits, which co-localized with serotonin (5-HT), a marker of NEB cells. For electrophysiological characterization of P2X2-R in NEB cells, fresh neonatal hamster lung slice preparation was used. Under whole-cell patch clamp, perfusion with ATP induced a concentration-dependent, non-desensitizing inward current (EC50=12 microM). Perfusion with alpha,beta-methylene ATP also induced a slow-desensitizing inward current (EC50=8.2 microM). Suramin (IC50 ca. 43 microM) and TNP-ATP (IC50 ca. 8 microM) blocked the currents evoked by both ATP and alpha,beta-methylene ATP. Using carbon fiber amperometry we observed that hypoxia and ATP induced 5-HT release from NEB cells and that this release was blocked by suramin. These data suggest that functional P2X2/3 heteromeric receptors are expressed in NEB cells. The possible function of these purinoreceptors in NEB cells could include modulation of hypoxia chemotransmission.

Adenosine Triphosphate↗

A protocol for the handling of tissue obtained by operative lung biopsy: recommendations of the chILD pathology co-operative group.

This is the first of a series on pediatric pulmonary disease that will appear as Perspectives in Pediatric Pathology over the coming months. The series will include practical issues, such as this protocol for handling lung biopsies and another on bronchoalveolar lavage in childhood, as well as reviews of advances in various areas in pediatric pulmonary pathology. It has been 11 years since the last Perspectives on pulmonary disease. Much has happened since then in this area, and this collection will highlight some emerging and rapidly advancing areas in pediatric lung disease. These will include a review of molecular mechanisms of lung development, and another of mechanisms of pulmonary vascular development. The surfactant system and its disorders, as well as recent advances in the biology of the pulmonary neuroendocrine system and mechanisms of respiratory viral disease, will be addressed. Articles on pulmonary hypertension, pulmonary neoplasia, and pediatric lung transplantation, with their implications for the pediatric pathologist, are also planned. The contributors to this series are a diverse group with special interests and expertise in these areas. As Dr. William Thurlbeck noted in his foreword to the previous volume, Pulmonary Disease, volume 18 of Perspectives in Pediatric Pathology, pediatric pathology had been largely concerned with phenomenology, rather than with mechanisms, model systems, and experimental investigation. I think he would have been pleased to see the changes that have occurred over the past 10 years in pediatric lung biology and pathology in particular, because these were particularly favored interests of his later years.

Child↗