MPoMA protects against lung epithelial cell injury via p65 degradation.

Numerous cases of lung injury caused by viral infection were reported during the coronavirus disease-19 pandemic. While there have been significant efforts to develop drugs that block viral infection and spread, the development of drugs to reduce or reverse lung injury has been a lower priority. This study aimed to identify compounds from a library of compounds that prevent viral infection that could reduce and prevent lung epithelial cell damage. We investigated the cytotoxicity of the compounds, their activity in inhibiting viral spike protein binding to cells, and their activity in reducing IL-8 production in lung epithelial cells damaged by amodiaquine (AQ). We identified N-(4-(4-methoxyphenoxy)-3-methylphenyl)-N-methylacetamide (MPoMA) as a non-cytotoxic inhibitor against viral infection and AQ-induced cell damage. MPoMA inhibited the expression of IL-8, IL-6, IL-1ß, and fibronectin induced by AQ and protected against AQ-induced morphological changes. However, MPoMA did not affect basal IL-8 expression in lung epithelial cells in the absence of AQ. Further mechanistic analysis confirmed that MPoMA selectively promoted the proteasomal degradation of inflammatory mediator p65, thereby reducing intracellular p65 expression and p65-mediated inflammatory responses. MPoMA exerted potent anti-inflammatory and protective functions in epithelial cells against LPS-induced acute lung injury in vivo. These findings suggest that MPoMA may have beneficial effects in suppressing viral infection and preventing lung epithelial cell damage through the degradation of p65 and inhibition of the production of inflammatory cytokines.

TAZ deficiency exacerbates psoriatic pathogenesis by increasing the histamine-releasing factor.

BACKGROUND: Transcriptional coactivator with PDZ-biding motif (TAZ) is widely expressed in most tissues and interacts with several transcription factors to regulate cell proliferation, differentiation, and death, thereby influencing organ development and size control. However, very little is known about the function of TAZ in the immune system and its association with inflammatory skin diseases, so we investigated the role of TAZ in the pathogenesis of psoriasis. RESULTS: Interestingly, TAZ was expressed in mast cells associated, particularly in lysosomes, and co-localized with histamine-releasing factor (HRF). TAZ deficiency promoted mast cell maturation and increased HRF expression and secretion by mast cells. The upregulation of HRF in TAZ deficiency was not due to increased transcription but to protein stabilization, and TAZ restoration into TAZ-deficient cells reduced HRF protein. Interestingly, imiquimod (IMQ)-induced psoriasis, in which HRF serves as a major pro-inflammatory factor, was more severe in TAZ KO mice than in WT control. HRF expression and secretion were increased by IMQ treatment and were more pronounced in TAZ KO mice treated with IMQ. CONCLUSIONS: Thus, as HRF expression was stabilized in TAZ KO mice, psoriatic pathogenesis progressed more rapidly, indicating that TAZ plays an important role in preventing psoriasis by regulating HRF protein stability.