Scientific Resources

Multiciliated cells (MCCs) promote fluid flow through coordinated ciliary beating,which requires properly organized basal bodies (BBs). Airway MCCs have large numbers of BBs,which are uniformly oriented and,as we show here,align linearly. The mechanism for BB alignment is unexplored. To study this mechanism,we developed a long-term and high-resolution live-imaging system and used it to observe green fluorescent protein"centrin2"labeled BBs in cultured mouse tracheal MCCs. During MCC differentiation,the BB array adopted four stereotypical patterns,from a clustering floret? pattern to the linear alignment.? This alignment process was correlated with BB orientations,revealed by double immunostaining for BBs and their asymmetrically associated basal feet (BF). The BB alignment was disrupted by disturbing apical microtubules with nocodazole and by a BF-depleting Odf2 mutation. We constructed a theoretical model,which indicated that the apical cytoskeleton,acting like a viscoelastic fluid,provides a self-organizing mechanism in tracheal MCCs to align BBs linearly for mucociliary transport. View Publication

BACKGROUND The Rhinovirus C (RV-C),first identified in 2006,produce high symptom burdens in children and asthmatics,however,their primary target host cell in the airways remains unknown. Our primary hypotheses were that RV-C target ciliated airway epithelial cells (AECs),and that cell specificity is determined by restricted and high expression of the only known RV-C cell-entry factor,cadherin related family member 3 (CDHR3). METHODS RV-C15 (C15) infection in differentiated human bronchial epithelial cell (HBEC) cultures was assessed using immunofluorescent and time-lapse epifluorescent imaging. Morphology of C15-infected differentiated AECs was assessed by immunohistochemistry. RESULTS C15 produced a scattered pattern of infection,and infected cells were shed from the epithelium. The percentage of cells infected with C15 varied from 1.4 to 14.7% depending on cell culture conditions. Infected cells had increased staining for markers of ciliated cells (acetylated-alpha-tubulin [aat],p < 0.001) but not markers of goblet cells (wheat germ agglutinin or Muc5AC,p = ns). CDHR3 expression was increased on ciliated epithelial cells,but not other epithelial cells (p < 0.01). C15 infection caused a 27.4% reduction of ciliated cells expressing CDHR3 (p < 0.01). During differentiation of AECs,CDHR3 expression progressively increased and correlated with both RV-C binding and replication. CONCLUSIONS The RV-C only replicate in ciliated AECs in vitro,leading to infected cell shedding. CDHR3 expression positively correlates with RV-C binding and replication,and is largely confined to ciliated AECs. Our data imply that factors regulating differentiation and CDHR3 production may be important determinants of RV-C illness severity. View Publication

Bio-engineered organs for transplantation may ultimately provide a personalized solution for end-stage organ failure,without the risk of rejection. Building upon the process of whole organ perfusion decellularization,we aimed to develop novel,translational methods for the recellularization and regeneration of transplantable lung constructs. We first isolated a proliferative KRT5+TP63+ basal epithelial stem cell population from human lung tissue and demonstrated expansion capacity in conventional 2D culture. We then repopulated acellular rat scaffolds in ex vivo whole organ culture and observed continued cell proliferation,in combination with primary pulmonary endothelial cells. To show clinical scalability,and to test the regenerative capacity of the basal cell population in a human context,we then recellularized and cultured isolated human lung scaffolds under biomimetic conditions. Analysis of the regenerated tissue constructs confirmed cell viability and sustained metabolic activity over 7 days of culture. Tissue analysis revealed extensive recellularization with organized tissue architecture and morphology,and preserved basal epithelial cell phenotype. The recellularized lung constructs displayed dynamic compliance and rudimentary gas exchange capacity. Our results underline the regenerative potential of patient-derived human airway stem cells in lung tissue engineering. We anticipate these advances to have clinically relevant implications for whole lung bioengineering and ex vivo organ repair. View Publication

Little is known about monocyte differentiation in the lung mucosal environment and about how the epithelium shapes monocyte function. We studied the role of the soluble component of bronchial epithelial cells (BECs) obtained under basal culture conditions in innate and adaptive monocyte responses. Monocytes cultured in bronchial epithelial cell-conditioned media (BEC-CM) specifically upregulate CD141,CD123,and DC-SIGN surface levels andFLT3expression,as well as the release of IL-1β,IL-6,and IL-10. BEC-conditioned monocytes stimulate naive T cells to produce IL-17 through IL-1β mechanism and also trigger IL-10 production by memory T cells. Furthermore,monocytes cultured in an inflammatory environment induced by the cytokines IL-6,IL-8,IL-1β,IL-15,TNF-α,and GM-CSF also upregulate CD123 and DC-SIGN expression. However,only inflammatory cytokines in the epithelial environment boost the expression of CD141. Interestingly,we identified a CD141/CD123/DC-SIGN triple positive population in the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) from patients with different inflammatory conditions,demonstrating that this monocyte population existsin vivo. The frequency of this monocyte population was significantly increased in patients with sarcoidosis,suggesting a role in inflammatory mechanisms. Overall,these data highlight the specific role that the epithelium plays in shaping monocyte responses. Therefore,the unraveling of these mechanisms contributes to the understanding of the function that the epithelium may playin vivo. View Publication

Human bocavirus 1 (HBoV1) is a human parvovirus that causes acute respiratory tract infections in young children. In this study,we confirmed that,when polarized/well-differentiated human airway epithelia are infected with HBoV1in vitro,they develop damage characterized by barrier function disruption and cell hypotrophy. Cell death mechanism analyses indicated that the infection induced pyroptotic cell death characterized by caspase-1 activation. Unlike infections with other parvoviruses,HBoV1 infection did not activate the apoptotic or necroptotic cell death pathway. When the NLRP3-ASC-caspase-1 inflammasome-induced pathway was inhibited by short hairpin RNA (shRNA),HBoV1-induced cell death dropped significantly; thus,NLRP3 mediated by ASC appears to be the pattern recognition receptor driving HBoV1 infection-induced pyroptosis. HBoV1 infection induced steady increases in the expression of interleukin 1α (IL-1α) and IL-18. HBoV1 infection was also associated with the marked expression of the antiapoptotic genesBIRC5andIFI6When the expression ofBIRC5and/orIFI6was inhibited by shRNA,the infected cells underwent apoptosis rather than pyroptosis,as indicated by increased cleaved caspase-3 levels and the absence of caspase-1.BIRC5and/orIFI6gene inhibition also significantly reduced HBoV1 replication. Thus,HBoV1 infection of human airway epithelial cells activates antiapoptotic proteins that suppress apoptosis and promote pyroptosis. This response may have evolved to confer a replicative advantage,thus allowing HBoV1 to establish a persistent airway epithelial infection. This is the first report of pyroptosis in airway epithelia infected by a respiratory virus.IMPORTANCEMicrobial infection of immune cells often induces pyroptosis,which is mediated by a cytosolic protein complex called the inflammasome that senses microbial pathogens and then activates the proinflammatory cytokines IL-1 and IL-18. While virus-infected airway epithelia often activate NLRP3 inflammasomes,studies to date suggest that these viruses kill the airway epithelial cells via the apoptotic or necrotic pathway; involvement of the pyroptosis pathway has not been reported previously. Here,we show for the first time that virus infection of human airway epithelia can also induce pyroptosis. Human bocavirus 1 (HBoV1),a human parvovirus,causes lower respiratory tract infections in young children. This study indicates that HBoV1 kills airway epithelial cells by activating genes that suppress apoptosis and thereby promote pyroptosis. This strategy appears to promote HBoV1 replication and may have evolved to allow HBoV1 to establish persistent infection of human airway epithelia. View Publication