title: FIZZ1 promotes airway remodeling through the PI3K/Akt signaling pathway in asthma.
abstract: Found in inflammatory zone 1 (FIZZ1) plays a vital role in pulmonary inflammation and angiogenesis. In addition, FIZZ1 plays a role in the early stages of airway remodeling in asthma by increasing the expression of α smooth muscle actin (α-SMA) and type I collagen. However, the role of FIZZ1 in the airway remodeling of asthma remains unclear. In the present study, FIZZ1 was identified to be upregulated in ovalbumin (OVA)-induced asthmatic mice, along with phosphorylated protein kinase B (Akt). Following FIZZ1 recombinant protein co-culture in the murine lung epithelial-cell line, Akt phosphorylation was upregulated, however, following transfection with FIZZ1-small hairpin RNA, the phosphorylation levels were decreased. The variation in α-SMA and type I collagen expression levels was consistent with the Akt phosphorylation levels. Intratracheal administration of LY294002 and Akt inhibitor IV to the asthmatic mice was capable of reducing airway inflammation, downregulating the expression of α-SMA, type I collagen and fibronectin-1 and increasing the expression of E-cadherin. In conclusion, the present study demonstrated that FIZZ1 promoted airway remodeling in asthma via the phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K)/Akt signaling pathway. Blocking the PI3K/Akt signaling pathway may attenuate the early stages of airway remodeling induced by OVA by regulating the abnormal process of epithelial-mesenchymal transition.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pulmonary Medicine, Qilu Hospital of Shandong University, Jinan, Shandong 250012, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Junfei
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Department of Pulmonary Medicine, Qilu Hospital of Shandong University, Jinan, Shandong 250012, P.R. China ; Department of Pulmonary Medicine, People's Hospital of Rizhao, Rizhao, Shandong 276800, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Fei
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Department of Pulmonary Medicine, Qilu Hospital of Shandong University, Jinan, Shandong 250012, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Mengmeng
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.affiliation: Department of Pulmonary Medicine, Qilu Hospital of Shandong University, Jinan, Shandong 250012, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Jinxiang
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.affiliation: Department of Pulmonary Medicine, Qilu Hospital of Shandong University, Jinan, Shandong 250012, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Jiping
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Zhao
authors.affiliation: Department of Pulmonary Medicine, Qilu Hospital of Shandong University, Jinan, Shandong 250012, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Wenbin
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Gong
authors.affiliation: Department of Pulmonary Medicine, The Second Hospital of Shandong University, Jinan, Shandong 250100, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Wen
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: Institute of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, School of Medicine, Shandong University, Jinan, Shandong 250012, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Wenxiang
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Bi
authors.affiliation: Department of Pulmonary Medicine, Qilu Hospital of Shandong University, Jinan, Shandong 250012, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Liang
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Dong
keywords: airway remodeling; asthma; epithelial-mesenchymal transition; found in inflammatory zone 1; phosphoinositide 3-kinase/protein kinase B signaling pathway