Role of caveolae and the dystrophin glycoprotein complex in airway smooth muscle phenotype and lung function
Loading...
Date
2012-04-09
Authors
Sharma, Pawan
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Abstract
Smooth muscle is a primary determinant of physiology as its ability to contract affords dynamic control of diameter of the hollow organs it encircles including the airways. Mature airway smooth muscle (ASM) cells are phenotypically plastic, enabling them to subserve contractile, proliferative, migratory and secretory roles that relates to its function in health and disease. ASM cells can control airway diameter both acutely, via reversible contraction, and chronically, by driving fixed changes in structure and function properties of the airway wall. However, the scope of research on ASM biology and function has broadened greatly in the past two decades, embracing the now recognized dynamic and multifunctional behavior, but there is always a need to investigate the role of new proteins regulating ASM phenotype in vitro and lung function in vivo. The multimeric dystrophin-glycoprotein complex (DGC) links the extracellular matrix (ECM) and actin cytoskeleton while caveolae form membrane arrays on ASM cells. Using ASM cells and tissues from human and canine and intact mouse for lung physiology, we investigated the role of DGC in phenotype maturation. We also investigated the mechanism for the organization of DGC with caveolae and further tested whether this is functionally important in mobilizing intracellular calcium in ASM cells, contraction of ASM tissue and finally its role in airway physiology. Our data demonstrate that the expression of DGC is an integral feature and a key determinant for phenotype maturation of human ASM cells. Our new data reveals an interaction between caveolin-1 and DGC and indicate that this association, in concert with anchoring to the actin cytoskeleton, underpins the spatial organization of caveolae on the membrane and has a functional role in receptor-mediated calcium release in ASM in vitro, ASM contraction ex vivo and lung function in vivo. Collectively our study indicates that the organization of caveolae and DGC, and its link from ECM to the actin cytoskeleton with in caveolae are a determinant of phenotype and functional properties of ASM, which underpins its role in physiology and pathophysiology of chronic airway diseases such as asthma.
Description
Keywords
airway smooth muscle, asthma, Caveolins, calcium, cytoskeleton, extracellular matrix, phenotype plasticity, contraction, lung function