Hyaluronan synthase 2 and CD44 are required for severe lung fibrosis in response to bleomycin.

Accumulation of hyaluronan has been demonstrated in the peritumoral breast cancer stroma and nests of tumor cells. In this study, we have quantified the production of hyaluronan and the expression of mRNAs encoding hyaluronan synthesizing (HAS) and hyaluronan degrading (HYAL) enzymes in a panel of breast cancer cell lines. The analysis revealed that highly invasive breast cancer cells produce high amounts of hyaluronan and express preferentially HAS2 mRNA, whereas less invasive breast cancer cells produce low amount of hyaluronan and express HAS1 and HYAL1 mRNAs. We explored the importance of HAS2 expression for breast cancer tumorigenicity, by specifically silencing the HAS2 gene using RNA interference (RNAi)-mediated suppression in the invasive breast cancer cell line Hs578T. This led to a less aggressive phenotype of the breast tumor cells, as assessed by cell growth, both in anchorage-dependent and anchorage-independent cultures. siRNA-mediated knock down of HAS2 in Hs578T breast tumor cells led to an up-regulation of HAS1, HAS3 and HYAL1 mRNAs, resulting in only a 50% decrease in the net hyaluronan production; however, the synthesized hyaluronan was of lower size and more polydisparse compared to control siRNA-treated cells. Interestingly, Hs578T cells deprived of HAS2 migrated only half as efficiently as HAS2 expressing cells through cell-free areas in a culture wounding assay and through Transwell polycarbonate membrane as well as invaded a Matrigel layer. These results imply that alterations in HAS2 expression and endogenously synthesized hyaluronan affect the malignant phenotype of Hs578T breast cancer cells. ' 2007 Wiley-Liss, Inc.Key words: migration; hyaluronidase; hyaluronan synthase; CD44; breast carcinomas; hyaluronan Breast cancer progression correlates with altered hyaluronan metabolism, including increased deposition of hyaluronan in the nests of carcinoma cells, and especially in the stromal tissue in the invading edges of breast carcinomas.1,2 Stromal fibroblasts activated by the breast cancer cells most likely contribute to the enrichment of hyaluronan in the immediate peritumoral stroma. 3In vitro studies revealed that the most aggressive breast carcinoma cell lines both synthesize high amounts of hyaluronan and express the cell surface hyaluronan receptors, CD44 and RHAMM, unlike the less aggressive cell lines. [4][5][6] Hyaluronan is synthesized by hyaluronan synthases, which exist in 3 isoforms (HAS1, HAS2 and HAS3), and is degraded by hyaluronidases (HYAL1, HYAL2 and HYAL3, and PH-20). 7,8 Although each of the HAS isoforms is capable of hyaluronan synthesis, they synthesize hyaluronan of different lengths. The HAS2 isoform synthesizes hyaluronan molecules larger than 3.9 3 10 6 , HAS3 synthesizes polydisperse hyaluronan (M w of 0.12-1 3 10 6 ) and HAS1 synthesizes much smaller chains (M w of 0.12 3 10 6 ). Moreover, the HAS isoforms exhibit different catalytic activities; HAS3 is catalytically more active than HAS2, which in turn is more active than HAS1.9 Disruption of the HAS2 gene ca...

Pulmonary fibrosis is a progressive, dysregulated response to injury culminating in compromised lung function due to excess extracellular matrix production. The heparan sulfate proteoglycan syndecan-4 is important in mediating fibroblast-matrix interactions, but its role in pulmonary fibrosis has not been explored. To investigate this issue, we used intratracheal instillation of bleomycin as a model of acute lung injury and fibrosis. We found that bleomycin treatment increased syndecan-4 expression. Moreover, we observed a marked decrease in neutrophil recruitment and an increase in both myofibroblast recruitment and interstitial fibrosis in bleomycin-treated syndecan-4-null (Sdc4 -/-) mice. Subsequently, we identified a direct interaction between CXCL10, an antifibrotic chemokine, and syndecan-4 that inhibited primary lung fibroblast migration during fibrosis; mutation of the heparin-binding domain, but not the CXCR3 domain, of CXCL10 diminished this effect. Similarly, migration of fibroblasts from patients with pulmonary fibrosis was inhibited in the presence of CXCL10 protein defective in CXCR3 binding. Furthermore, administration of recombinant CXCL10 protein inhibited fibrosis in WT mice, but not in Sdc4 -/-mice. Collectively, these data suggest that the direct interaction of syndecan-4 and CXCL10 in the lung interstitial compartment serves to inhibit fibroblast recruitment and subsequent fibrosis. Thus, administration of CXCL10 protein defective in CXCR3 binding may represent a novel therapy for pulmonary fibrosis.

Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a progressive disease causing unremitting extracellular matrix deposition with resultant distortion of pulmonary architecture and impaired gas exchange. β-arrestins regulate G-protein-coupled receptors through receptor desensitization while acting as signaling scaffolds that facilitate numerous effector pathways. Here we examine the role of β-arrestin1 and β-arrestin2 in the pathobiology of pulmonary fibrosis. In the bleomycin-induced mouse lung fibrosis model, loss of eitherβ-arrestin1 or β-arrestin2 results in protection from mortality, inhibition of matrix deposition, and protected lung function. Fibrosis is prevented despite preserved recruitment of inflammatory cells and fibroblast chemotaxis. However, isolated lung fibroblasts from bleomycin-treated β-arrestin null mice fail to invade extracellular matrix while displaying altered expression of genes involved in matrix production and degradation. Furthermore, knockdown of β-arrestin2 in fibroblasts from IPF patients attenuated the invasive phenotype. These data implicate β-arrestins as mediators of fibroblast invasion and development of pulmonary fibrosis, thus representing a potential target for therapeutic intervention for patients with IPF.