Biomedical subjects

Steven D Shapiro

Publications and source records attributed to Steven D Shapiro.

60 records · Page 4Linked to original sources

PubMed2002

Expression profiling of the developing mouse lung: insights into the establishment of the extracellular matrix.

We have undertaken a comprehensive gene expression profiling of the entire process of murine lung development using oligonucleotide-based microarrays. Our data reveals the expression pattern of approximately 11,000 genes throughout the morphologic stages of lung development. This includes known genes with unappreciated pulmonary expression and novel genes with undefined functions. Traditional gene expression analysis techniques verify a high degree of confidence in the microarray data. Examination of the data confirms previously known patterns of expression for extracellular matrix genes and provides new information regarding relationships in temporal expression among groups of these genes. Large-scale cluster analysis reveals associations in the expression profile of specific genes with defined developmental processes. For instance, we identify groups of genes, which are coordinately expressed with extracellular matrix genes during lung development. These data should serve as a resource for the pulmonary research community and assist in deciphering the molecular mechanisms governing normal lung development as well as those involved in aberrant developmental pathology.

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PubMed2002

Acute cigarette smoke-induced connective tissue breakdown requires both neutrophils and macrophage metalloelastase in mice.

The cells/proteases responsible for the development of smoke-induced emphysema is an area of intense investigation. Mice with knockout of macrophage metalloelastase genes (MME(-/-)) do not develop emphysema after smoke exposure, but we also observed that neutrophils (PMN) in lavage appeared to be a requirement for acute connective tissue breakdown. In this study we exposed mice to cigarette smoke and examined lavage PMN, macrophages (MAC), desmosine (DES, a measure of elastin breakdown) and hydroxyproline (HP, a measure of collagen breakdown) 24 h afterwards. MME(+/+) mice exposed to smoke showed elevations in PMN, DES, and HP, but no elevations were seen in MME-deficient mice. Both PMN influx and increased levels of DES/HP could be restored by administering MAC from MME(+/+) mice to MME-deficient mice and then exposing them to smoke. RS113456, a metalloprotease inhibitor, also prevented PMN influx and connective tissue breakdown. Western blots against mouse alpha(1)-antitrypsin (alpha(1)AT) showed that alpha(1)AT was not protected in MME-deficient mice, nor by administration of RS113456. We conclude that, in mice, acute smoke-induced connective tissue breakdown, the precursor to emphysema, requires both PMN and MME, that PMN influx appears to be secondary to MAC activation, and that this process initially does not involve protection of alpha(1)AT from metalloprotease attack.

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PubMed2002

Regulation of lutropin circulatory half-life by the mannose/N-acetylgalactosamine-4-SO4 receptor is critical for implantation in vivo.

Lutropin (LH) directs ovulation and implantation by regulating the production of estrogen and progesterone. We have shown that the circulatory half-life of LH is controlled by the Man/GalNAc-4-SO4 receptor, which binds GalNAc-4-SO4 on LH oligosaccharides. The short half-life in conjunction with episodic release of LH from the pituitary accounts for the pulsatile rise and fall in circulating LH. Complete genetic ablation of the Man/GalNAc-4-SO4 receptor results in death in utero. Heterozygous female mice clear LH from the circulation more slowly and have smaller litters due to a reduction in the rate of implantation. This reduction is fully correctable by exogenous progesterone and estrogen, indicating that the rate of LH clearance is critical for the production of sufficient progesterone and estrogen for implantation. Thus, the Man/GalNAc-4-SO4 receptor regulates the endocrinological status of the female and is essential for an early event in embryonic development.

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PubMed2002

Overlapping and enzyme-specific contributions of matrix metalloproteinases-9 and -12 in IL-13-induced inflammation and remodeling.

IL-13 potently stimulates eosinophilic and lymphocytic inflammation and alveolar remodeling in the lung, effects that depend on the induction of various matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs). Here, we compared the remodeling and inflammatory effects of an IL-13 transgene in lungs of wild-type, MMP-9-deficient, or MMP-12-deficient mice. IL-13-induced alveolar enlargement, lung enlargement, compliance alterations, and respiratory failure and death were markedly decreased in the absence of MMP-9 or MMP-12. Moreover, IL-13 potently induced MMPs-2, -12, -13, and -14 in the absence of MMP-9, while induction of MMPs-2, -9, -13, and -14 by IL-13 was diminished in the absence of MMP-12. A deficiency in MMP-9 did not alter eosinophil, macrophage, or lymphocyte recovery, but increased the recovery of total leukocytes and neutrophils in bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) fluids from IL-13 transgenic mice. In contrast, a deficiency in MMP-12 decreased the recovery of leukocytes, eosinophils, and macrophages, but not lymphocytes or neutrophils. These studies demonstrate that IL-13 acts via MMPs-9 and -12 to induce alveolar remodeling, respiratory failure, and death and that IL-13 induction of MMPs-2, -9, -13, and -14 is mediated at least partially by an MMP-12-dependent pathway. The also demonstrate that MMPs-9 and -12 play different roles in the generation of IL-13-induced inflammation, with MMP-9 inhibiting neutrophil accumulation and MMP-12 contributing to the accumulation of eosinophils and macrophages.

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PubMed2002

Thomas A. Neff lecture. Application of expression profiling to the developing lung: identification of putative regulatory networks controlling matrix production.

If we hope to repair damaged lung tissue associated with a variety of acquired and developmental diseases, we must first gain a full appreciation of normal lung development. As an approach, we have utilized Affymetrix (Santa Clara, CA) high-density, oligonucleotide-based microarrays to generate an expression profile of the entire process of rodent lung development, which will be made publicly available. Our initial results were internally consistent and correlated closely with those generated with standard expression techniques such as Northern hybridization. We have verified known expression of genes, found other genes with previously unsuspected expression during lung development, as well as uncovered many expressed sequence tags whose role in lung development awaits further study. Data mining reveals close relationships of expression profiles between specific genes, suggesting novel regulatory relationships. In the future, application of these methods to the study of gene-targeted mice with abnormal lung development should uncover pathways of airway and alveolar development. Ultimately, expression profiling of diseased lungs might allow us to understand why the lung fails to repair, and strategies to influence repair might become apparent.

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PubMed2002

Neutrophils from MMP-9- or neutrophil elastase-deficient mice show no defect in transendothelial migration under flow in vitro.

Recent evidence has suggested a role for neutrophil proteases during certain inflammatory responses. We demonstrated previously that neutrophil proteases can degrade components of the adherens junctions during neutrophil-endothelial adhesion. We tested the hypothesis that degradation of VE-cadherin at lateral junctions by elastase or MMP-9 facilitates neutrophil transendothelial migration. Neutrophils from MMP-9 or elastase null mice and strain-matched control mice expressed high levels of LFA-1, Mac-1, and L-selectin on their cell surface. Under flow conditions, wild-type and deficient neutrophils rolled, arrested, and transmigrated activated murine endothelium. There was no difference in the total numbers of interacting neutrophils or in the percentage of transmigrated cells. In addition, deficient neutrophils remained capable of degrading murine endothelial VE-cadherin. These results indicate that although neutrophil proteases may play a role in the acute inflammatory response, neutrophil elastase or MMP-9 is not essential for neutrophil transendothelial migration in this murine system.

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