title: Smoking-Associated Disordering of the Airway Basal Stem/Progenitor Cell Metabotype.
abstract: The airway epithelium is a complex pseudostratified multicellular layer lining the tracheobronchial tree, functioning as the primary defense against inhaled environmental contaminants. The major cell types of the airway epithelium include basal, intermediate columnar, ciliated, and secretory. Basal cells (BCs) are the proliferating stem/progenitor population that differentiate into the other specialized cell types of the airway epithelium during normal turnover and repair. Given that cigarette smoke delivers thousands of xenobiotics and high levels of reactive molecules to the lung epithelial surface, we hypothesized that cigarette smoke broadly perturbs BC metabolism. To test this hypothesis, primary airway BCs were isolated from healthy nonsmokers (n = 11) and healthy smokers (n = 7) and assessed by global metabolic profiling by liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry. The analysis identified 52 significant metabolites in BCs differentially expressed between smokers and nonsmokers (P < 0.05). These changes included metabolites associated with redox pathways, energy production, and inflammatory processes. Notably, BCs from smokers exhibited altered levels of the key enzyme cofactors/substrates nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide, flavin adenine dinucleotide, acetyl coenzyme A, and membrane phospholipid levels. Consistent with the high burden of oxidants in cigarette smoke, glutathione levels were diminished, whereas 3-nitrotyrosine levels were increased, suggesting that protection of airway epithelial cells against oxidative and nitrosative stress is significantly compromised in smoker BCs. It is likely that this altered metabotype is a reflection of, and likely contributes to, the disordered biology of airway BCs consequent to the stress cigarette smoking puts on the airway epithelium.
authors.affiliation: Departments of 1 Genetic Medicine and.
authors.forename: Ruba S
authors.initials: RS
authors.lastname: Deeb
authors.affiliation: Departments of 1 Genetic Medicine and.
authors.forename: Matthew S
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Walters
authors.affiliation: Departments of 1 Genetic Medicine and.
authors.forename: Yael
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Strulovici-Barel
authors.affiliation: 2 Pharmacology, Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, New York.
authors.forename: Qiuying
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: 2 Pharmacology, Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, New York.
authors.forename: Steven S
authors.initials: SS
authors.lastname: Gross
authors.affiliation: Departments of 1 Genetic Medicine and.
authors.forename: Ronald G
authors.initials: RG
authors.lastname: Crystal
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000378:metabolism; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D002851:Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid; D004847:Epithelial Cells / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D055432:Metabolomics / Q000379:methods; D008875:Middle Aged; D010084:Oxidation-Reduction; D018384:Oxidative Stress / Q000187:drug effects; D020545:Respiratory Mucosa / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D012907:Smoking / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D021241:Spectrometry, Mass, Electrospray Ionization; D013234:Stem Cells / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers
keywords: airway basal cells; cigarette smoke; metabolic profiling; oxidative stress; progenitor cells