title: Inhibition of Pyk2 blocks lung inflammation and injury in a mouse model of acute lung injury.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Proline-rich tyrosine kinase 2 (Pyk2) is essential in neutrophil degranulation and chemotaxis in vitro. However, its effect on the process of lung inflammation and edema formation during LPS induced acute lung injury (ALI) remains unknown. The goal of the present study was to determine the effect of inhibiting Pyk2 on LPS-induced acute lung inflammation and injury in vivo.
  
  
  METHODS
  C57BL6 mice were given either 10 mg/kg LPS or saline intratracheally. Inhibition of Pyk2 was effected by intraperitoneal administration TAT-Pyk2-CT 1 h before challenge. Bronchoalveolar lavage analysis of cell counts, lung histology and protein concentration in BAL were analyzed at 18 h after LPS treatment. KC and MIP-2 concentrations in BAL were measured by a mouse cytokine multiplex kit. The static lung compliance was determined by pressure-volume curve using a computer-controlled small animal ventilator. The extravasated Evans blue concentration in lung homogenate was determined spectrophotometrically.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Intratracheal instillation of LPS induced significant neutrophil infiltration into the lung interstitium and alveolar space, which was attenuated by pre-treatment with TAT-Pyk2-CT. TAT-Pyk2-CT pretreatment also attenuated 1) myeloperoxidase content in lung tissues, 2) vascular leakage as measured by Evans blue dye extravasation in the lungs and the increase in protein concentration in bronchoalveolar lavage, and 3) the decrease in lung compliance. In each paradigm, treatment with control protein TAT-GFP had no blocking effect. By contrast, production of neutrophil chemokines MIP-2 and keratinocyte-derived chemokine in the bronchoalveolar lavage was not reduced by TAT-Pyk2-CT. Western blot analysis confirmed that tyrosine phosphorylation of Pyk2 in LPS-challenged lungs was reduced to control levels by TAT-Pyk2-CT pretreatment.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These results suggest that Pyk2 plays an important role in the development of acute lung injury in mice and that pharmacological inhibition of Pyk2 might provide a potential therapeutic strategy in the pretreatment for patients at imminent risk of developing acute lung injury.
authors.affiliation: Section of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Department of Medicine, The University of Chicago, Chicago, IL 60637, USA.
authors.forename: Yingli
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Duan
authors.forename: Jonathan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Learoyd
authors.forename: Angelo Y
authors.initials: AY
authors.lastname: Meliton
authors.forename: Alan R
authors.initials: AR
authors.lastname: Leff
authors.forename: Xiangdong
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Zhu
mesh_terms: D055371:Acute Lung Injury / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000188:drug therapy*; D000818:Animals; D001992:Bronchoalveolar Lavage Fluid / Q000737:chemistry; D054426:Chemokine CXCL2 / Q000032:analysis; D018925:Chemokines / Q000032:analysis; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D005260:Female; D051418:Focal Adhesion Kinase 2 / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors*; D008070:Lipopolysaccharides / Q000008:administration & dosage; D008168:Lung / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000201:enzymology / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D020556:Neutrophil Infiltration / Q000187:drug effects; D009195:Peroxidase / Q000032:analysis; D011014:Pneumonia / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000188:drug therapy*; D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins / Q000008:administration & dosage*
chemical_list: D054426:Chemokine CXCL2; D018925:Chemokines; C404915:Cxcl2 protein, mouse; D008070:Lipopolysaccharides; D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins; C074302:keratinocyte-derived chemokines; D009195:Peroxidase; D051418:Focal Adhesion Kinase 2; C496053:Ptk2b protein, mouse