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Heterozygous Vangl2Looptail mice reveal novel roles for the planar cell polarity pathway in adult lung homeostasis and repair

Poobalasingam, Thanushiyan ; Yates, Laura L. ; Walker, Simone A. ; Pereira, Miguel ; Gross, Nina Y. ; Ali, Akmol ; Kolatsi-Joannou, Maria ; Jarvelin, Marjo Riitta ; Pekkanen, Juha and Papakrivopoulou, Eugenia , et al. (2017) In DMM Disease Models and Mechanisms 10(4). p.409-423
Abstract

Lung diseases impose a huge economic and health burden worldwide. A key aspect of several adult lung diseases, such as idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), including emphysema, is aberrant tissue repair, which leads to an accumulation of damage and impaired respiratory function. Currently, there are few effective treatments available for these diseases and their incidence is rising. The planar cell polarity (PCP) pathway is critical for the embryonic development of many organs, including kidney and lung. We have previously shown that perturbation of the PCP pathway impairs tissue morphogenesis, which disrupts the number and shape of epithelial tubes formed within these organs during... (More)

Lung diseases impose a huge economic and health burden worldwide. A key aspect of several adult lung diseases, such as idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), including emphysema, is aberrant tissue repair, which leads to an accumulation of damage and impaired respiratory function. Currently, there are few effective treatments available for these diseases and their incidence is rising. The planar cell polarity (PCP) pathway is critical for the embryonic development of many organs, including kidney and lung. We have previously shown that perturbation of the PCP pathway impairs tissue morphogenesis, which disrupts the number and shape of epithelial tubes formed within these organs during embryogenesis. However, very little is known about the role of the PCP pathway beyond birth, partly because of the perinatal lethality of many PCP mouse mutant lines. Here, we investigate heterozygous Looptail (Lp) mice, in which a single copy of the core PCP gene, Vangl2, is disrupted. We show that these mice are viable but display severe airspace enlargement and impaired adult lung function. Underlying these defects, we find that Vangl2Lp/+ lungs exhibit altered distribution of actin microfilaments and abnormal regulation of the actin-modifying protein cofilin. In addition, we show that Vangl2Lp/+ lungs exhibit many of the hallmarks of tissue damage, including an altered macrophage population, abnormal elastin deposition and elevated levels of the elastin-modifying enzyme, Mmp12, all of which are observed in emphysema. In vitro, disruption of VANGL2 impairs directed cell migration and reduces the rate of repair following scratch wounding of human alveolar epithelial cells. Moreover, using population data from a birth cohort of young adults, all aged 31, we found evidence of an interactive effect between VANGL2 and smoking on lung function. Finally, we show that PCP genes VANGL2 and SCRIB are significantly downregulated in lung tissue from patients with emphysema. Our data reveal an important novel role for the PCP pathway in adult lung homeostasis and repair and shed new light on the genetic factors which may modify destructive lung diseases such as emphysema.

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publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
keywords
Cytoskeleton, Lung disease, Lung homeostasis, Planar cell polarity, Tissue repair, Vangl2
in
DMM Disease Models and Mechanisms
volume
10
issue
4
pages
409 - 423
publisher
The Company of Biologists Ltd
external identifiers
  • scopus:85017522960
  • pmid:28237967
ISSN
1754-8403
DOI
10.1242/dmm.028175
language
English
LU publication?
no
id
d2a0fc88-f028-4670-9ced-d123d9703d2a
date added to LUP
2017-08-15 14:32:13
date last changed
2024-03-31 14:41:50
@article{d2a0fc88-f028-4670-9ced-d123d9703d2a,
  abstract     = {{<p>Lung diseases impose a huge economic and health burden worldwide. A key aspect of several adult lung diseases, such as idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), including emphysema, is aberrant tissue repair, which leads to an accumulation of damage and impaired respiratory function. Currently, there are few effective treatments available for these diseases and their incidence is rising. The planar cell polarity (PCP) pathway is critical for the embryonic development of many organs, including kidney and lung. We have previously shown that perturbation of the PCP pathway impairs tissue morphogenesis, which disrupts the number and shape of epithelial tubes formed within these organs during embryogenesis. However, very little is known about the role of the PCP pathway beyond birth, partly because of the perinatal lethality of many PCP mouse mutant lines. Here, we investigate heterozygous Looptail (Lp) mice, in which a single copy of the core PCP gene, Vangl2, is disrupted. We show that these mice are viable but display severe airspace enlargement and impaired adult lung function. Underlying these defects, we find that Vangl2Lp/+ lungs exhibit altered distribution of actin microfilaments and abnormal regulation of the actin-modifying protein cofilin. In addition, we show that Vangl2Lp/+ lungs exhibit many of the hallmarks of tissue damage, including an altered macrophage population, abnormal elastin deposition and elevated levels of the elastin-modifying enzyme, Mmp12, all of which are observed in emphysema. In vitro, disruption of VANGL2 impairs directed cell migration and reduces the rate of repair following scratch wounding of human alveolar epithelial cells. Moreover, using population data from a birth cohort of young adults, all aged 31, we found evidence of an interactive effect between VANGL2 and smoking on lung function. Finally, we show that PCP genes VANGL2 and SCRIB are significantly downregulated in lung tissue from patients with emphysema. Our data reveal an important novel role for the PCP pathway in adult lung homeostasis and repair and shed new light on the genetic factors which may modify destructive lung diseases such as emphysema.</p>}},
  author       = {{Poobalasingam, Thanushiyan and Yates, Laura L. and Walker, Simone A. and Pereira, Miguel and Gross, Nina Y. and Ali, Akmol and Kolatsi-Joannou, Maria and Jarvelin, Marjo Riitta and Pekkanen, Juha and Papakrivopoulou, Eugenia and Long, David A. and Griffiths, Mark and Wagner, Darcy and Konigshoff, Melanie and Hind, Matthew and Minelli, Cosetta and Lloyd, Clare M. and Dean, Charlotte H.}},
  issn         = {{1754-8403}},
  keywords     = {{Cytoskeleton; Lung disease; Lung homeostasis; Planar cell polarity; Tissue repair; Vangl2}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  month        = {{04}},
  number       = {{4}},
  pages        = {{409--423}},
  publisher    = {{The Company of Biologists Ltd}},
  series       = {{DMM Disease Models and Mechanisms}},
  title        = {{Heterozygous Vangl2Looptail mice reveal novel roles for the planar cell polarity pathway in adult lung homeostasis and repair}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1242/dmm.028175}},
  doi          = {{10.1242/dmm.028175}},
  volume       = {{10}},
  year         = {{2017}},
}