Lysyl oxidase activity is dysregulated during impaired alveolarization of mouse and human lungs.
BACKGROUND
Disordered extracellular matrix production is a feature of bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD). The basis of this phenomenon is not understood.


OBJECTIVE
To assess lysyl oxidase expression and activity in the injured developing lungs of newborn mice and of prematurely born infants with BPD or at risk for BPD.


METHODS
Pulmonary lysyl oxidase and elastin gene and protein expression were assessed in newborn mice breathing 21 or 85% oxygen, in patients who died with BPD or were at risk for BPD, and in control patients. Signaling by transforming growth factor (TGF-beta) was preemptively blocked in mice exposed to hyperoxia using TGF-beta-neutralizing antibodies. Lysyl oxidase promoter activity was assessed using plasmids containing the lox or loxl1 promoters fused upstream of the firefly luciferase gene.


RESULTS
mRNA and protein levels and activity of lysyl oxidases (Lox, LoxL1, LoxL2) were elevated in the oxygen-injured lungs of newborn mice and infants with BPD or at risk for BPD. In oxygen-injured mouse lungs, increased TGF-beta signaling drove aberrant lox, but not loxl1 or loxl2, expression. Lox expression was also increased in oxygen-injured fibroblasts and pulmonary artery smooth muscle cells.


CONCLUSIONS
Lysyl oxidase expression and activity are dysregulated in BPD in injured developing mouse lungs and in prematurely born infants. In developing mouse lungs, aberrant TGF-beta signaling dysregulated lysyl oxidase expression. These data support the postulate that excessive stabilization of the extracellular matrix by excessive lysyl oxidase activity might impede the normal matrix remodeling that is required for pulmonary alveolarization and thereby contribute to the pathological pulmonary features of BPD.
Department of Internal Medicine, University of Giessen Lung Center, Justus Liebig University, Giessen, Germany.
Arun
A
Kumarasamy
Isabelle
I
Schmitt
Alexander H
AH
Nave
Irwin
I
Reiss
Irene
I
van der Horst
Eva
E
Dony
Jesse D
JD
Roberts
Ronald R
RR
de Krijger
Dick
D
Tibboel
Werner
W
Seeger
Ralph T
RT
Schermuly
Oliver
O
Eickelberg
Rory E
RE
Morty
D000818:Animals; D000831:Animals, Newborn; D001997:Bronchopulmonary Dysplasia / Q000201:enzymology* / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D018929:Cell Culture Techniques; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D005260:Female; D015870:Gene Expression; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation / Q000235:genetics*; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007234:Infant, Premature; D008168:Lung; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008249:Protein-Lysine 6-Oxidase / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D011650:Pulmonary Alveoli / Q000201:enzymology / Q000254:growth & development*; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; D016212:Transforming Growth Factor beta / Q000378:metabolism; D015854:Up-Regulation
D016212:Transforming Growth Factor beta; D008249:Protein-Lysine 6-Oxidase