Lethal eosinophilic crystalline pneumonia in mice expressing a stabilized Csf2 mRNA.

Granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF) is a cytokine that stimulates the proliferation and differentiation of granulocyte and macrophage precursors. The mouse gene-encoding GM-CSF, Csf2, is regulated at both transcriptional and post-transcriptional levels. An adenine-uridine-rich element (ARE) within the 3'-untranslated region of Csf2 mRNA was shown in cell transfection studies to confer instability on this transcript. To explore the physiological importance of this element in an intact animal, we generated mice with a knock-in deletion of the 75-nucleotide ARE. Mice heterozygous for this ARE deletion developed severe respiratory distress and death within about 12 weeks of age. There was dense infiltration of lung alveolar spaces by crystal-containing macrophages. Increased stability of Csf2 mRNA was confirmed in bone marrow-derived macrophages, and elevated GM-CSF levels were observed in serum and lung. These mice did not exhibit notable abnormalities in blood or bone marrow, and transplantation of bone marrow from mutant mice into lethally irradiated WT mice did not confer the pulmonary phenotype. Mice with a conditional deletion of the ARE restricted to lung type II alveolar cells exhibited an essentially identical lethal lung phenotype at the same ages as the mice with the whole-body deletion. In contrast, mice with the same conditional ARE deletion in myeloid cells, including macrophages, exhibited lesser degrees of macrophage infiltration into alveolar spaces much later in life, at approximately 9 months of age. Post-transcriptional Csf2 mRNA stability regulation in pulmonary alveolar epithelial cells appears to be essential for normal physiological GM-CSF secretion and pulmonary macrophage homeostasis.

Single-Cell Analysis Reveals Distinct Immune and Smooth Muscle Cell Populations that Contribute to Chronic Thromboembolic Pulmonary Hypertension.

Rationale: Chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH) is a sequela of acute pulmonary embolism (PE) in which the PE remodels into a chronic scar in the pulmonary arteries. This results in vascular obstruction, pulmonary microvasculopathy, and pulmonary hypertension. Objectives: Our current understanding of CTEPH pathobiology is primarily derived from cell-based studies limited by the use of specific cell markers or phenotypic modulation in cell culture. Therefore, our main objective was to identify the multiple cell types that constitute CTEPH thrombusy and to study their dysfunction. Methods: Here we used single-cell RNA sequencing of tissue removed at the time of pulmonary endarterectomy surgery from five patients to identify the multiple cell types. Using in vitro assays, we analyzed differences in phenotype between CTEPH thrombus and healthy pulmonary vascular cells. We studied potential therapeutic targets in cells isolated from CTEPH thrombus. Measurements and Main Results: Single-cell RNA sequencing identified multiple cell types, including macrophages, T cells, and smooth muscle cells (SMCs), that constitute CTEPH thrombus. Notably, multiple macrophage subclusters were identified but broadly split into two categories, with the larger group characterized by an upregulation of inflammatory signaling predicted to promote pulmonary vascular remodeling. CD4+ and CD8+ T cells were identified and likely contribute to chronic inflammation in CTEPH. SMCs were a heterogeneous population, with a cluster of myofibroblasts that express markers of fibrosis and are predicted to arise from other SMC clusters based on pseudotime analysis. Additionally, cultured endothelial, smooth muscle, and myofibroblast cells isolated from CTEPH fibrothrombotic material have distinct phenotypes from control cells with regard to angiogenic potential and rates of proliferation and apoptosis. Last, our analysis identified PAR1 (protease-activated receptor 1) as a potential therapeutic target that links thrombosis to chronic PE in CTEPH, with PAR1 inhibition decreasing SMC and myofibroblast proliferation and migration. Conclusions: These findings suggest a model for CTEPH similar to atherosclerosis, with chronic inflammation promoted by macrophages and T cells driving vascular remodeling through SMC modulation, and suggest new approaches for pharmacologically targeting this disease.

Nonclassical Monocytes Sense Hypoxia, Regulate Pulmonary Vascular Remodeling, and Promote Pulmonary Hypertension.

An increasing body of evidence suggests that bone marrow-derived myeloid cells play a critical role in the pathophysiology of pulmonary hypertension (PH). However, the true requirement for myeloid cells in PH development has not been demonstrated, and a specific disease-promoting myeloid cell population has not been identified. Using bone marrow chimeras, lineage labeling, and proliferation studies, we determined that, in murine hypoxia-induced PH, Ly6Clo nonclassical monocytes are recruited to small pulmonary arteries and differentiate into pulmonary interstitial macrophages. Accumulation of these nonclassical monocyte-derived pulmonary interstitial macrophages around pulmonary vasculature is associated with increased muscularization of small pulmonary arteries and disease severity. To determine if the sensing of hypoxia by nonclassical monocytes contributes to the development of PH, mice lacking expression of hypoxia-inducible factor-1α in the Ly6Clo monocyte lineage were exposed to hypoxia. In these mice, vascular remodeling and PH severity were significantly reduced. Transcriptome analyses suggest that the Ly6Clo monocyte lineage regulates PH through complement, phagocytosis, Ag presentation, and chemokine/cytokine pathways. Consistent with these murine findings, relative to controls, lungs from pulmonary arterial hypertension patients displayed a significant increase in the frequency of nonclassical monocytes. Taken together, these findings show that, in response to hypoxia, nonclassical monocytes in the lung sense hypoxia, infiltrate small pulmonary arteries, and promote vascular remodeling and development of PH. Our results demonstrate that myeloid cells, specifically cells of the nonclassical monocyte lineage, play a direct role in the pathogenesis of PH.

NEDD9 Is a Novel and Modifiable Mediator of Platelet-Endothelial Adhesion in the Pulmonary Circulation.

Rationale: Data on the molecular mechanisms that regulate platelet-pulmonary endothelial adhesion under conditions of hypoxia are lacking, but may have important therapeutic implications. Objectives: To identify a hypoxia-sensitive, modifiable mediator of platelet-pulmonary artery endothelial cell adhesion and thrombotic remodeling. Methods: Network medicine was used to profile protein-protein interactions in hypoxia-treated human pulmonary artery endothelial cells. Data from liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry and microscale thermophoresis informed the development of a novel antibody (Ab) to inhibit platelet-endothelial adhesion, which was tested in cells from patients with chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH) and three animal models in vivo. Measurements and Main Results: The protein NEDD9 was identified in the hypoxia thrombosome network in silico. Compared with normoxia, hypoxia (0.2% O2) for 24 hours increased HIF-1α (hypoxia-inducible factor-1α)-dependent NEDD9 upregulation in vitro. Increased NEDD9 was localized to the plasma-membrane surface of cells from control donors and patients with CTEPH. In endarterectomy specimens, NEDD9 colocalized with the platelet surface adhesion molecule P-selectin. Our custom-made anti-NEDD9 Ab targeted the NEDD9-P-selectin interaction and inhibited the adhesion of activated platelets to pulmonary artery endothelial cells from control donors in vitro and from patients with CTEPH ex vivo. Compared with control mice, platelet-pulmonary endothelial aggregates and pulmonary hypertension induced by ADP were decreased in NEDD9-/- mice or wild-type mice treated with the anti-NEDD9 Ab, which also decreased chronic pulmonary thromboembolic remodeling in vivo. Conclusions: The NEDD9-P-selectin protein-protein interaction is a modifiable target with which to inhibit platelet-pulmonary endothelial adhesion and thromboembolic vascular remodeling, with potential therapeutic implications for patients with disorders of increased hypoxia signaling pathways, including CTEPH.

Chronic Thromboembolic Pulmonary Hypertension: the Bedside.

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH), included in group 4 PH, is an uncommon complication of acute pulmonary embolism (PE), in which emboli in the pulmonary vasculature do not resolve but rather form into an organized scar-like obstruction which can result in right ventricular (RV) failure. Here we provide an overview of current diagnosis and management of CTEPH. RECENT FINDINGS: CTEPH management is complex with treatments that range from surgery, percutaneous interventions, to medical therapies. Current CTEPH medical therapies have largely been repurposed from pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH). The diagnosis of CTEPH can be challenging, requiring a multimodality approach to differentiate from disease mimics. While these treatments improve symptoms, they may not reverse the underlying pathology of CTEPH.

Chronic Thromboembolic Pulmonary Hypertension: the Bench.

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH) is an uncommon complication of acute pulmonary embolism (PE), in which the red, platelet-rich thrombus does not resolve but forms into an organized yellow, fibrotic scar-like obstruction in the pulmonary vasculature. Here we review the pathobiology of CTEPH. RECENT FINDINGS: Our current knowledge has predominantly been informed by studies of human samples and animal models that are inherently limited in their ability to recapitulate all aspects of the disease. These studies have identified alterations in platelet biology and inflammation in the formation of a scar-like thrombus that comprised endothelial cells, myofibroblasts, and immune cells, along with a small vessel pulmonary arterial hypertension-like vasculopathy. The development of CTEPH-specific therapies is currently hindered by a limited knowledge of its pathobiology. The development of new CTEPH medical therapies will require new insights into its pathobiology that bridge the gap from bench to bedside.

Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor Receptor 3 Regulates Endothelial Function Through ß-Arrestin 1.

BACKGROUND: Receptor signaling is central to vascular endothelial function and is dysregulated in vascular diseases such as atherosclerosis and pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH). Signaling pathways involved in endothelial function include vascular endothelial growth factor receptors (VEGFRs) and G protein-coupled receptors, which classically activate distinct intracellular signaling pathways and responses. The mechanisms that regulate these signaling pathways have not been fully elucidated and it is unclear what nodes for cross talk exist between these diverse signaling pathways. For example, multifunctional ß-arrestin (ARRB) adapter proteins are best known as regulators of G protein-coupled receptor signaling, but their role at other receptors and their physiological importance in the setting of vascular disease are unclear. METHODS: We used a combination of human samples from PAH, human microvascular endothelial cells from lung, and Arrb knockout mice to determine the role of ARRB1 in endothelial VEGFR3 signaling. In addition, a number of biochemical analyses were performed to determine the interaction between ARRB1 and VEGFR3, signaling mediators downstream of VEGFR3, and the internalization of VEGFR3. RESULTS: Expression of ARRB1 and VEGFR3 was reduced in human PAH, and the deletion of Arrb1 in mice exposed to hypoxia led to worse PAH with a loss of VEGFR3 signaling. Knockdown of ARRB1 inhibited VEGF-C-induced endothelial cell proliferation, migration, and tube formation, along with reduced VEGFR3, Akt, and endothelial nitric oxide synthase phosphorylation. This regulation was mediated by direct ARRB1 binding to the VEGFR3 kinase domain and resulted in decreased VEGFR3 internalization. CONCLUSIONS: Our results demonstrate a novel role for ARRB1 in VEGFR regulation and suggest a mechanism for cross talk between G protein-coupled receptors and VEGFRs in PAH. These findings also suggest that strategies to promote ARRB1-mediated VEGFR3 signaling could be useful in the treatment of pulmonary hypertension and other vascular disease.

Improving the Quality and Reproducibility of Flow Cytometry in the Lung. An Official American Thoracic Society Workshop Report.

Defining responses of the structural and immune cells in biologic systems is critically important to understanding disease states and responses to injury. This requires accurate and sensitive methods to define cell types in organ systems. The principal method to delineate the cell populations involved in these processes is flow cytometry. Although researchers increasingly use flow cytometry, technical challenges can affect its accuracy and reproducibility, thus significantly limiting scientific advancements. This challenge is particularly critical to lung immunology, as the lung is readily accessible and therefore used in preclinical and clinical studies to define potential therapeutics. Given the importance of flow cytometry in pulmonary research, the American Thoracic Society convened a working group to highlight issues and technical challenges to the performance of high-quality pulmonary flow cytometry, with a goal of improving its quality and reproducibility.

Interleukin 1 receptor (IL-1R1) activation exacerbates toxin-induced acute kidney injury.

Acute kidney injury (AKI) is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality. Drug-induced/toxic AKI can be caused by a number of therapeutic agents. Cisplatin is an effective chemotherapeutic agent whose administration is limited by significant nephrotoxicity. Therapies to prevent cisplatin-induced AKI are lacking. Although tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF) plays a key role in the pathogenesis of cisplatin nephrotoxicity, the innate immune signaling pathways that trigger TNF generation in this context require elucidation. In this regard, sterile injury triggers the release and activation of both isoforms of interleukin(IL)-1, IL-1α and IL-1ß. In turn, stimulation of the interleukin-1 receptor (IL-1R1) by these ligands engages a proinflammatory signaling cascade that induces TNF induction. We therefore hypothesized that IL-1R1 activation exacerbates cisplatin-induced AKI by inducing TNF production, thereby augmenting inflammatory signals between kidney parenchymal cells and infiltrating myeloid cells. IL-1R1+/+ (WT) and IL-1R1-/- (KO) mice were subjected to cisplatin-induced AKI. Compared with WT mice, IL-1R1 KO mice had attenuated AKI as measured by serum creatinine and BUN, renal NGAL mRNA levels, and blinded histological analysis of kidney pathology. In the cisplatin-injured kidney, IL-1R1 KO mice had diminished levels of whole kidney TNF, and fewer Ly6G-expressing neutrophils. In addition, an unbiased machine learning analysis of intrarenal immune cells revealed a diminished number of CD11bint/CD11cint myeloid cells in IL-1R1 KO injured kidneys compared with IL-1R1 WT kidneys. Following cisplatin, IL-1R1 KO kidneys, compared with WTs, had fewer TNF-producing: macrophages, CD11bint/CD11cint cells, and neutrophils, consistent with an effect of IL-1R1 to polarize intrarenal myeloid cells toward a proinflammatory phenotype. Interruption of IL-1-dependent signaling pathways warrants further evaluation to decrease nephrotoxicity during cisplatin therapy.

A novel role for primary cilia in airway remodeling.

Primary cilia (PC) are solitary cellular organelles that play critical roles in development, homeostasis, and disease pathogenesis by modulating key signaling pathways such as Sonic Hedgehog and calcium flux. The antenna-like shape of PC enables them also to facilitate sensing of extracellular and mechanical stimuli into the cell, and a critical role for PC has been described for mesenchymal cells such as chondrocytes. However, nothing is known about the role of PC in airway smooth muscle cells (ASMCs) in the context of airway remodeling. We hypothesized that PC on ASMCs mediate cell contraction and are thus integral in the remodeling process. We found that PC are expressed on ASMCs in asthmatic lungs. Using pharmacological and genetic methods, we demonstrated that PC are necessary for ASMC contraction in a collagen gel three-dimensional model both in the absence of external stimulus and in response to the extracellular component hyaluronan. Mechanistically, we demonstrate that the effect of PC on ASMC contraction is, to a small extent, due to their effect on Sonic Hedgehog signaling and, to a larger extent, due to their effect on calcium influx and membrane depolarization. In conclusion, PC are necessary for the development of airway remodeling by mediating calcium flux and Sonic Hedgehog signaling.

Flow Cytometric Analysis of Myeloid Cells in Human Blood, Bronchoalveolar Lavage, and Lung Tissues.

Clear identification of specific cell populations by flow cytometry is important to understand functional roles. A well-defined flow cytometry panel for myeloid cells in human bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) and lung tissue is currently lacking. The objective of this study was to develop a flow cytometry-based panel for human BAL and lung tissue. We obtained and performed flow cytometry/sorting on human BAL cells and lung tissue. Confocal images were obtained from lung tissue using antibodies for cluster of differentiation (CD)206, CD169, and E cadherin. We defined a multicolor flow panel for human BAL and lung tissue that identifies major leukocyte populations. These include macrophage (CD206(+)) subsets and other CD206(-) leukocytes. The CD206(-) cells include: (1) three monocyte (CD14(+)) subsets, (2) CD11c(+) dendritic cells (CD14(-), CD11c(+), HLA-DR(+)), (3) plasmacytoid dendritic cells (CD14(-), CD11c(-), HLA-DR(+), CD123(+)), and (4) other granulocytes (neutrophils, mast cells, eosinophils, and basophils). Using this panel on human lung tissue, we defined two populations of pulmonary macrophages: CD169(+) and CD169(-) macrophages. In lung tissue, CD169(-) macrophages were a prominent cell type. Using confocal microscopy, CD169(+) macrophages were located in the alveolar space/airway, defining them as alveolar macrophages. In contrast, CD169(-) macrophages were associated with airway/alveolar epithelium, consistent with interstitial-associated macrophages. We defined a flow cytometry panel in human BAL and lung tissue that allows identification of multiple immune cell types and delineates alveolar from interstitial-associated macrophages. This study has important implications for defining myeloid cells in human lung samples.

Characterization of pulmonary arterial stiffness using cardiac MRI.

Pulmonary arterial stiffness (PAS) is a pathologic hallmark of all types of pulmonary hypertension (PH). Cardiac MRI (CMR), a gold-standard imaging modality for the evaluation of pulmonary flow, biventricular morphology and function has been historically reserved for the longitudinal clinical follow-up, PH phenotyping purposes, right ventricular evaluation, and research purposes. Over the last two decades, numerous indices combining invasive catheterization and non-invasive CMR have been utilized to phenotype the character and severity of PAS in different types of PH and to assess its clinically prognostic potential with encouraging results. Many recent studies have demonstrated a strong role of CMR derived PAS markers in predicting long-term clinical outcomes and improving currently gold standard risk assessment provided by the REVEAL calculator. With the utilization of a machine learning strategies, strong diagnostic and prognostic performance of CMR reported in multicenter studies, and ability to detect PH at early stages, the non-invasive assessment of PAS is on verge of routine clinical utilization. In this review, we focus on appraising important CMR studies interrogating PAS over the last 20 years, describing the benefits and limitations of different PAS indices, and their pathophysiologic relevance to pulmonary vascular remodeling. We also discuss the role of CMR and PAS in clinical surveillance and phenotyping of PH, and the long-term future goal to utilize PAS as a biomarker to aid with more targeted therapeutic management.

Single cell transcriptomic analyses reveal diverse and dynamic changes of distinct populations of lung interstitial macrophages in hypoxia-induced pulmonary hypertension.

Introduction: Hypoxia is a common pathological driver contributing to various forms of pulmonary vascular diseases leading to pulmonary hypertension (PH). Pulmonary interstitial macrophages (IMs) play pivotal roles in immune and vascular dysfunction, leading to inflammation, abnormal remodeling, and fibrosis in PH. However, IMs' response to hypoxia and their role in PH progression remain largely unknown. We utilized a murine model of hypoxia-induced PH to investigate the repertoire and functional profiles of IMs in response to acute and prolonged hypoxia, aiming to elucidate their contributions to PH development. Methods: We conducted single-cell transcriptomic analyses to characterize the repertoire and functional profiles of murine pulmonary IMs following exposure to hypobaric hypoxia for varying durations (0, 1, 3, 7, and 21 days). Hallmark pathways from the mouse Molecular Signatures Database were utilized to characterize the molecular function of the IM subpopulation in response to hypoxia. Results: Our analysis revealed an early acute inflammatory phase during acute hypoxia exposure (Days 1-3), which was resolved by Day 7, followed by a pro-remodeling phase during prolonged hypoxia (Days 7-21). These phases were marked by distinct subpopulations of IMs: MHCIIhiCCR2+EAR2+ cells characterized the acute inflammatory phase, while TLF+VCAM1hi cells dominated the pro-remodeling phase. The acute inflammatory phase exhibited enrichment in interferon-gamma, IL-2, and IL-6 pathways, while the pro-remodeling phase showed dysregulated chemokine production, hemoglobin clearance, and tissue repair profiles, along with activation of distinct complement pathways. Discussion: Our findings demonstrate the existence of distinct populations of pulmonary interstitial macrophages corresponding to acute and prolonged hypoxia exposure, pivotal in regulating the inflammatory and remodeling phases of PH pathogenesis. This understanding offers potential avenues for targeted interventions, tailored to specific populations and distinct phases of the disease. Moreover, further identification of triggers for pro-remodeling IMs holds promise in unveiling novel therapeutic strategies for pulmonary hypertension.

CCR2 deficiency, dysregulation of Notch signaling, and spontaneous pulmonary arterial hypertension.

In pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH), there is overexpression of the chemokine, C-C chemokine ligand type 2 (CCL2), and infiltration of myeloid cells into the pulmonary vasculature. Inhibition of CCL2 in animals decreases PAH, suggesting that the CCL2 receptor (CCR2) plays a role in PAH development. To test this hypothesis, we exposed wild-type (WT) and CCR2-deficient (Ccr2(-/-)) mice to chronic hypobaric hypoxia to induce PAH. After hypoxic stress, Ccr2(-/-) mice displayed a more severe PAH phenotype, as demonstrated by increased right ventricular (RV) systolic pressures, RV hypertrophy, and tachycardia relative to WT mice. However, these mice also exhibited increased RV systolic pressures and increased pulmonary artery muscularization under normoxic conditions. Moreover, Ccr2(-/-) mice displayed decreased pulmonary vascular branching at 3 weeks of age and increased vascular muscularization at birth, suggesting that an abnormality in pulmonary vascular development leads to spontaneous PAH in these animals. No significant differences in cytokine responses were observed between WT and Ccr2(-/-) mice during either normoxia or hypoxia. However, Ccr2(-/-) mice displayed increased Notch-3 signaling and dysregulated Notch ligand expression, suggesting a possible cause for their abnormal pulmonary vascular development. Our findings imply that CCR2 does not directly contribute to the development of PAH, but does play a previously unrecognized role in pulmonary vasculature development and remodeling wherein the absence of CCR2 results in spontaneous PAH, most likely via dysregulation of Notch signaling. Our results demonstrate that CCR2 has impacts beyond leukocyte recruitment, and is required for the proper expression of Notch signaling molecules.

Tensions in Taxonomies: Current Understanding and Future Directions in the Pathobiologic Basis and Treatment of Group 1 and Group 3 Pulmonary Hypertension.

In the over 100 years since the recognition of pulmonary hypertension (PH), immense progress and significant achievements have been made with regard to understanding the pathophysiology of the disease and its treatment. These advances have been mostly in idiopathic pulmonary arterial hypertension (IPAH), which was classified as Group 1 Pulmonary Hypertension (PH) at the Second World Symposia on PH in 1998. However, the pathobiology of PH due to chronic lung disease, classified as Group 3 PH, remains poorly understood and its treatments thus remain limited. We review the history of the classification of the five groups of PH and aim to provide a state-of-the-art review of the understanding of the pathogenesis of Group 1 PH and Group 3 PH including insights gained from novel high-throughput omics technologies that have revealed heterogeneities within these categories as well as similarities between them. Leveraging the substantial gains made in understanding the genomics, epigenomics, proteomics, and metabolomics of PAH to understand the full spectrum of the complex, heterogeneous disease of PH is needed. Multimodal omics data as well as supervised and unbiased machine learning approaches after careful consideration of the powerful advantages as well as of the limitations and pitfalls of these technologies could lead to earlier diagnosis, more precise risk stratification, better predictions of disease response, new sub-phenotype groupings within types of PH, and identification of shared pathways between PAH and other types of PH that could lead to new treatment targets. © 2023 American Physiological Society. Compr Physiol 13:4295-4319, 2023.

Macrophage Xanthine Oxidoreductase Links LPS Induced Lung Inflammatory Injury to NLRP3 Inflammasome Expression and Mitochondrial Respiration.

Acute lung injury (ALI) and the acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) remain poorly treated inflammatory lung disorders. Both reactive oxygen species (ROS) and macrophages are involved in the pathogenesis of ALI/ARDS. Xanthine oxidoreductase (XOR) is an ROS generator that plays a central role in the inflammation that contributes to ALI. To elucidate the role of macrophage-specific XOR in endotoxin induced ALI, we developed a conditional myeloid specific XOR knockout in mice. Myeloid specific ablation of XOR in LPS insufflated mice markedly attenuated lung injury demonstrating the essential role of XOR in this response. Macrophages from myeloid specific XOR knockout exhibited loss of inflammatory activation and increased expression of anti-inflammatory genes/proteins. Transcriptional profiling of whole lung tissue of LPS insufflated XOR fl/fl//LysM-Cre mice demonstrated an important role for XOR in expression and activation of the NLRP3 inflammasome and acquisition of a glycolytic phenotype by inflammatory macrophages. These results identify XOR as an unexpected link between macrophage redox status, mitochondrial respiration and inflammatory activation.

Allergic Asthma Responses Are Dependent on Macrophage Ontogeny.

The ontogenetic composition of tissue-resident macrophages following injury, environmental exposure, or experimental depletion can be altered upon re-establishment of homeostasis. However, the impact of altered resident macrophage ontogenetic milieu on subsequent immune responses is poorly understood. Hence, we assessed the effect of macrophage ontogeny alteration following return to homeostasis on subsequent allergic airway responses to house dust mites (HDM). Using lineage tracing, we confirmed alveolar and interstitial macrophage ontogeny and their replacement by bone marrow-derived macrophages following LPS exposure. This alteration in macrophage ontogenetic milieu reduced allergic airway responses to HDM challenge. In addition, we defined a distinct population of resident-derived interstitial macrophages expressing allergic airway disease genes, located adjacent to terminal bronchi, and reduced by prior LPS exposure. These findings support that the ontogenetic milieu of pulmonary macrophages is a central factor in allergic airway responses and has implications for how prior environmental exposures impact subsequent immune responses and the development of allergy.

Immunotoxin-αCD40 therapy activates innate and adaptive immunity and generates a durable antitumor response in glioblastoma models.

D2C7-immunotoxin (IT), a dual-specific IT targeting wild-type epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) and mutant EGFR variant III (EGFRvIII) proteins, demonstrates encouraging survival outcomes in a subset of patients with glioblastoma. We hypothesized that immunosuppression in glioblastoma limits D2C7-IT efficacy. To improve the response rate and reverse immunosuppression, we combined D2C7-IT tumor cell killing with αCD40 costimulation of antigen-presenting cells. In murine glioma models, a single intratumoral injection of D2C7-IT+αCD40 treatment activated a proinflammatory phenotype in microglia and macrophages, promoted long-term tumor-specific CD8+ T cell immunity, and generated cures. D2C7-IT+αCD40 treatment increased intratumoral Slamf6+CD8+ T cells with a progenitor phenotype and decreased terminally exhausted CD8+ T cells. D2C7-IT+αCD40 treatment stimulated intratumoral CD8+ T cell proliferation and generated cures in glioma-bearing mice despite FTY720-induced peripheral T cell sequestration. Tumor transcriptome profiling established CD40 up-regulation, pattern recognition receptor, cell senescence, and immune response pathway activation as the drivers of D2C7-IT+αCD40 antitumor responses. To determine potential translation, immunohistochemistry staining confirmed CD40 expression in human GBM tissue sections. These promising preclinical data allowed us to initiate a phase 1 study with D2C7-IT+αhCD40 in patients with malignant glioma (NCT04547777) to further evaluate this treatment in humans.