Lysyl oxidase-like 2 is increased in asthma and contributes to asthmatic airway remodelling
File(s)2004361.full.pdf (1.27 MB)
Published version
Author(s)
Type
Journal Article
Abstract
Airway smooth muscle cells (ASM) are fundamental to asthma pathogenesis, influencing bronchoconstriction, airway hyper-responsiveness, and airway remodelling. Extracellular matrix (ECM) can influence tissue remodelling pathways, however, to date no study has investigated the effect of ASM ECM stiffness and crosslinking on the development of asthmatic airway remodelling. We hypothesised that TGFβ activation by ASM is influenced by ECM in asthma and sought to investigate the mechanisms involved. This study combines in vitro and in vivo approaches: human ASM cells were used in vitro to investigate basal TGFβ activation and expression of ECM crosslinking enzymes. Human bronchial biopsies from asthmatic and non-asthmatic donors were used to confirm LOXL2 expression ASM. A chronic ovalbumin model of asthma was used to study the effect of LOXL2 inhibition on airway remodelling. We found that ASM cells from asthmatics activated more TGFβ basally than non-asthmatic controls and that diseased cell-derived ECM influences levels of TGFβ activated. Our data demonstrate that the ECM crosslinking enzyme LOXL2 is increased in asthmatic ASM cells and in bronchial biopsies. Crucially, we show that LOXL2 inhibition reduces ECM stiffness and TGFβ activation in vitro, and can reduce subepithelial collagen deposition and ASM thickness, two features of airway remodelling, in an ovalbumin mouse model of asthma. These data are the first to highlight a role for LOXL2 in the development of asthmatic airway remodelling and suggest that LOXL2 inhibition warrants further investigation as a potential therapy to reduce remodelling of the airways in severe asthma.
Date Issued
2022-01-07
Date Acceptance
2021-11-08
Citation
European Respiratory Journal, 2022, 60 (1), pp.1-13
ISSN
0903-1936
Publisher
European Respiratory Society
Start Page
1
End Page
13
Journal / Book Title
European Respiratory Journal
Volume
60
Issue
1
Copyright Statement
©The authors 2022. This version is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Licence 4.0.
License URL
Identifier
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/34996828
PII: 13993003.04361-2020
Subjects
Muscle, Smooth
Animals
Mice
Asthma
Protein-Lysine 6-Oxidase
Transforming Growth Factor beta
Airway Remodeling
Respiratory System
11 Medical and Health Sciences
Publication Status
Published
Coverage Spatial
England
Date Publish Online
2022-01-07