Article
Cell Biology
Katharine Goodwin, Bezia Lemma, Pengfei Zhang, Adam Boukind, Celeste M. Nelson
Summary: It has been discovered that smooth muscle differentiation plays a role in shaping the branches of airway epithelial in mammalian lungs. Serum response factor (SRF) and its co-factor myocardin activate the expression of contractile smooth muscle markers. However, in adults, smooth muscle exhibits different phenotypes beyond contractile, which are not influenced by SRF/myocardin-induced transcription. To investigate if similar plasticity is observed during development, Srf was deleted from the mouse embryonic pulmonary mesenchyme. The study found that the mutant lungs without Srf branched normally, and the mesenchyme showed mechanical properties similar to controls. Single-cell RNA sequencing( scRNA-seq) identified an Srf-null smooth muscle cluster in the mutant lungs, which lacked contractile smooth muscle markers but still retained many characteristics of control smooth muscle. The findings suggest that embryonic airway smooth muscle exhibits a synthetic phenotype, which promotes airway branching morphogenesis.
DEVELOPMENTAL CELL
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Kuan Zhang, Erica Yao, Ethan Chuang, Biao Chen, Evelyn Y. Chuang, Pao-Tien Chuang
Summary: Lung branching requires coordination between the differentiation of progenitor cells and morphogenetic events, with mTORC1 signaling playing a crucial role. Loss of mTORC1 signaling in lung progenitors disrupts the formation of the conducting airways without affecting gas exchange unit development. Additionally, compromised mitochondrial capacity also leads to lung developmental defects. These findings highlight the selective utilization of energy and regulatory programs during stem cell differentiation to produce distinct structures of the mammalian lungs.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2022)
Article
Biochemical Research Methods
Min Shi, Ping Fu, Joseph V. Bonventre, Kyle W. McCracken
Summary: Developing in vitro models of human kidney tissue using human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs) is challenging but essential for regenerative nephrology research. This article describes a step-by-step protocol for differentiating hPSCs into three-dimensional ureteric bud (UB) organoids, which exhibit complex morphological development and can differentiate into functional collecting duct tissues. This approach provides a robust and reproducible method for generating UB tissues that can be used to study kidney development, model disease processes, and aid in the engineering of functional kidney tissue.
Article
Cell Biology
David Warburton
Summary: Branching of the upper airway and alveolarization in the lower airway rely on the fundamental physical process of epithelial extrusion through an orifice. The orientation and stiffness of the orifice boundary determine the stereotypy of upper airway branching and orientation of alveolar components. Alveoli do not arise by erection of interalveolar septae, but through ring or purse string structures containing elastin and collagen.
FRONTIERS IN CELL AND DEVELOPMENTAL BIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Andrea B. Alber, Hector A. Marquez, Liang Ma, George Kwong, Bibek R. Thapa, Carlos Villacorta-Martin, Jonathan Lindstrom-Vautrin, Pushpinder Bawa, Feiya Wang, Yongfeng Luo, Laertis Ikonomou, Wei Shi, Darrell N. Kotton
Summary: This study successfully generated a mouse induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) line carrying a lung-specific mesenchymal reporter/lineage tracer, and identified the signaling pathways necessary for specifying lung mesenchyme. Through co-culture with lung epithelial cells, three-dimensional organoids with juxtaposed layers of epithelium and mesenchyme were formed, and functional crosstalk between the two cell types was observed.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2023)
Editorial Material
Cell & Tissue Engineering
Rohan Bhattacharya, Makenzie G. Bonner, Samira Musah
Summary: In this study, Howden et al. identified transcriptionally distinct cell populations in human induced pluripotent stem cell-derived distal nephron epithelia that could be induced to ureteric epithelium phenotype.
Article
Developmental Biology
Rachel M. Gilbert, Laurel E. Schappell, Jason P. Gleghorn
Summary: Research has shown that in the Wt1 knockout mouse model, loss of the WT1 gene leads to abnormal lung growth and redistribution of pleural space may be related to the CDH lung phenotype.
Review
Medicine, Research & Experimental
Elie El Agha, Victor J. Thannickal
Summary: Mesenchymal cells located at the interface between the epithelial lining and the stroma play crucial roles in lung development, repair, and disease progression. They instruct the formation and maturation of lung structures during embryonic and postnatal stages, and can either promote or contribute to pathological remodeling and fibrosis in adulthood. This review focuses on the involvement of lung mesenchyme, particularly fibroblast and smooth muscle cell subsets, in various aspects of lung biology and health, including intercellular communication and intrinsic mechanisms throughout development, homeostasis, injury repair, regeneration, and aging.
JOURNAL OF CLINICAL INVESTIGATION
(2023)
Review
Cell Biology
Katharine Goodwin, Celeste M. Nelson
Summary: Mechanical forces play a crucial role in development, with both intrinsic and extrinsic signals affecting morphogenesis. Recent studies have highlighted the diversity and importance of mechanical influences during development. There are promising avenues for future research in this rapidly expanding field.
DEVELOPMENTAL CELL
(2021)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Qiuling Li, Yulong Qiao, Feifei Wang, Jian Zhao, Lijun Wu, Honghua Ge, Shengmin Xu
Summary: Triclosan (TCS), commonly found in personal care and household products, has been recently associated with children's health and gestational TCS exposure. However, its effects on embryonic lung development remain unclear. This study found that prenatal TCS exposure resulted in impaired lung development and altered airway patterning. The dysplasias were accompanied by reduced proliferation and increased apoptosis, mediated by activated Bmp4 signaling. Inhibiting Bmp4 signaling partially rescued the defects. In vivo evidence showed that administering TCS during gestation compromised branching formation and enlarged airspace in the offspring's lungs. This study provides novel toxicological insights into TCS and suggests a strong/possible association between TCS exposure during pregnancy and lung dysplasia in offspring.
ECOTOXICOLOGY AND ENVIRONMENTAL SAFETY
(2023)
Article
Cell Biology
Renee F. C. Hein, Joshua H. Wu, Emily M. Holloway, Tristan Frum, Ansley S. Conchola, Yu-Hwai Tsai, Angeline Wu, Alexis S. Fine, Alyssa J. Miller, Emmanuelle Szenker-Ravi, Kelley S. Yan, Calvin J. Kuo, Ian Glass, Tristan Frum, Ian Glass, Bruno Reversade, Jason R. Spence
Summary: During human lung development, there is a population of mesenchymal cells highly enriched for the RSPO2 gene expression, which plays a critical role in supporting the maintenance and multipotency of the nearby bud tip progenitor cells through enhancing WNT signaling.
DEVELOPMENTAL CELL
(2022)
Article
Developmental Biology
Adam Packard, William H. Klein, Frank Costantini
Summary: Research has shown that Ret signaling in kidney development is crucial for maintaining tip cells in the ureteric bud. Cells genetically forced to maintain Ret expression exhibit a tip-seeking behavior and self-organize into dense clusters in organoids. This suggests that Ret-dependent cell behaviors play a significant role in normal branching morphogenesis.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Michael A. Palmer, Bryan A. Nerger, Katharine Goodwin, Anvitha Sudhakar, Sandra B. Lemke, Pavithran T. Ravindran, Jared E. Toettcher, Andrej Kosmrlj, Celeste M. Nelson
Summary: The function of the lizard lung is closely related to its distinct structural anatomy, with a complex pattern of airflow achieved through a cavernous central lumen and honeycomb-shaped wall. Research shows that the lizard lung's wall is generated from a smooth epithelial sheet pushed through holes in a hexagonal smooth muscle meshwork due to fluid pressure forces. Computational models are able to predict pressure-driven changes in epithelial topology, which may be utilized in tissue engineering.
Article
Toxicology
Tiago Silva-Ribeiro, Eduardo Coelho, Zlatina Genisheva, Jorge Correia-Pinto, Paula Sampaio, Rute S. Moura
Summary: This study demonstrates that electronic cigarette aerosol impairs early lung growth and promotes lung inflammation, although its effects are less detrimental than those of conventional cigarette smoke. These findings provide significant data on the impact of e-cigarette aerosol on embryo development and may lead to new tobacco control recommendations for pregnant women.
TOXICOLOGY LETTERS
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Mir Ali, Ryan LaCanna, Zhaorui Lian, Jian Huang, Yinfei Tan, Wenna Shao, Xiang Yu, Ying Tian
Summary: The proliferation of alveolar epithelial type 2 (AT2) cells is crucial for lung epithelial homeostasis and regeneration after injury. Through single-cell RNA sequencing and genetic lineage labeling, the study identifies all proliferative AT2 cells in healthy and injured lungs. These cells exhibit a unique transcriptional program regulated by activating transcription factor 3 (ATF3) and thyroid hormone receptor alpha (THRA) transcription factors. Overexpression of these factors in AT2 cells promotes their proliferation and improves lung function after injury.
Article
Urology & Nephrology
Alexander N. Combes, Sean Wilson, Belinda Phipson, Brandon B. Binnie, Adler Ju, Kynan T. Lawlor, Cristina Cebrian, Sarah L. Walton, Ian M. Smyth, Karen M. Moritz, Raphael Kopan, Alicia Oshlack, Melissa H. Little
KIDNEY INTERNATIONAL
(2018)
Article
Cell Biology
Stephanie Grabow, Andrew J. Kueh, Francine Ke, Hannah K. Vanyai, Bilal N. Sheikh, Michael A. Dengler, William Chiang, Samantha Eccles, Ian M. Smyth, Lynelle K. Jones, Frederic J. de Sauvage, Mark Scott, Lachlan Whitehead, Anne K. Voss, Andreas Strasser
Editorial Material
Cell Biology
Ian M. Smyth, John F. Bertram
SEMINARS IN CELL & DEVELOPMENTAL BIOLOGY
(2019)
Article
Developmental Biology
Ming S. Tham, Ian M. Smyth
WILEY INTERDISCIPLINARY REVIEWS-DEVELOPMENTAL BIOLOGY
(2019)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Ashleigh King, Nicolas C. Hoch, Narelle E. McGregor, Natalie A. Sims, Ian M. Smyth, Jorg Heierhorst
HUMAN MOLECULAR GENETICS
(2019)
Article
Developmental Biology
Elisabeth A. Rutledge, Riana K. Parvez, Kieran M. Short, Ian M. Smyth, Andrew P. McMahon
DEVELOPMENTAL BIOLOGY
(2019)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Sarah E. Conduit, Elizabeth M. Davies, Lisa M. Ooms, Rajendra Gurung, Meagan J. McGrath, Sandra Hakim, Denny L. Cottle, Ian M. Smyth, Jennifer M. Dyson, Christina A. Mitchell
HUMAN MOLECULAR GENETICS
(2020)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Nataliya Gorinski, Monika Bijata, Sonal Prasad, Alexander Wirth, Dalia Abdel Galil, Andre Zeug, Darla Bazovkina, Elena Kondaurova, Elizabeth Kulikova, Tatiana Ilchibaeva, Monika Zareba-Koziol, Francesco Papaleo, Diego Scheggia, Gaga Kochlamazashvili, Alexander Dityatev, Ian Smyth, Adam Krzystyniak, Jakub Wlodarczyk, Diethelm W. Richter, Tatyana Strekalova, Stephan Sigrist, Claudia Bang, Lisa Hobuss, Jan Fiedler, Thomas Thum, Vladimir S. Naumenko, Ghanshyam Pandey, Evgeni Ponimaskin
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2019)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Gloria M. Ursino, Ying Fu, Denny L. Cottle, Nigora Mukhamedova, Lynelle K. Jones, Hann Low, Ming Shen Tham, Wan Jun Gan, Natalie A. Mellett, Partha P. Das, Jacquelyn M. Weir, Michael Ditiatkovski, Stacey Fynch, Peter Thorn, Helen E. Thomas, Peter J. Meikle, Helena C. Parkington, Ian M. Smyth, Dmitri Sviridov
Article
Developmental Biology
Lynelle K. Jones, Rachel Lam, Karen K. McKee, Maya Aleksandrova, John Dowling, Stephen Alexander, Amali Mallawaarachchi, Denny L. Cottle, Kieran M. Short, Lynn Pais, Jeffery H. Miner, Andrew J. Mallett, Cas Simons, Hugh McCarthy, Peter D. Yurchenco, Ian M. Smyth
Article
Anatomy & Morphology
Kieran M. Short, Ian M. Smyth
ANATOMICAL RECORD-ADVANCES IN INTEGRATIVE ANATOMY AND EVOLUTIONARY BIOLOGY
(2020)
Article
Endocrinology & Metabolism
Christiane Pleuger, Mari S. Lehti, Madeleine Cooper, Anne E. O'Connor, D. Jo Merriner, Ian M. Smyth, Denny L. Cottle, Daniela Fietz, Martin Bergmann, Moira K. O'Bryan