Reprogramming of cancer-associated fibroblasts by apoptotic cancer cells inhibits lung metastasis via Notch1-WISP-1 signaling.

The interplay between apoptotic cancer cells and the tumor microenvironment modulates cancer progression and metastasis. Cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) play a crucial role in promoting these events through paracrine communication. Here, we demonstrate that conditioned medium (CM) from lung CAFs exposed to apoptotic cancer cells suppresses TGF-ß1-induced migration and invasion of cancer cells and CAFs. Direct exposure of CAFs to apoptotic 344SQ cells (ApoSQ) inhibited CAF migration and invasion and the expression of CAF activation markers. Enhanced secretion of Wnt-induced signaling protein 1 (WISP-1) by CAFs exposed to ApoSQ was required for these antimigratory and anti-invasive effects. Pharmacological inhibition of Notch1 activation or siRNA-mediated Notch1 silencing prevented WISP-1 production by CAFs and reversed the antimigratory and anti-invasive effects. Enhanced expression of the Notch ligand delta-like protein 1 on the surface of ultraviolet-irradiated apoptotic lung cancer cells triggered Notch1-WISP-1 signaling. Phosphatidylserine receptor brain-specific angiogenesis inhibitor 1 (BAI1)-Rac1 signaling, which facilitated efferocytosis by CAFs, participated in crosstalk with Notch1 signaling for optimal production of WISP-1. In addition, a single injection of ApoSQ enhanced WISP-1 production, suppressed the expression of CAF activation markers in isolated Thy1+ CAFs, and inhibited lung metastasis in syngeneic immunocompetent mice via Notch1 signaling. Treatment with CM from CAFs exposed to ApoSQ suppressed tumor growth and lung metastasis, whereas treatment with WISP-1-immunodepleted CM from CAFs exposed to ApoSQ reversed the antitumorigenic and antimetastatic effects. Therefore, treatment with CM from CAFs exposed to apoptotic lung cancer cells could be therapeutically applied to suppress CAF activation, thereby preventing cancer progression and metastasis.

Apoptosis inhibitor of macrophage (AIM) contributes to IL-10-induced anti-inflammatory response through inhibition of inflammasome activation.

Apoptosis inhibitor of macrophage (AIM) modulates the signaling in inflammatory responses, including infection, cancer, or other immune diseases. Recent studies suggest that like interleukin-10 (IL-10), AIM is involved in alternatively activated (M2) macrophage polarization. We aimed to understand whether and how AIM is involved in IL-10-induced inhibition of inflammasome activation and resolution of inflammation. First, we demonstrated that IL-10 induced increases in mRNA and protein expression of AIM in murine bone marrow-derived macrophages (BMDM). In addition, genetic and pharmacologic inhibition of STAT3 (signal transducer and activator of transcription 3) reduced IL-10-induced AIM expression. We also found that IL-10-induced STAT3 activity enhanced the AIM promoter activity by directly binding the promoter of the AIM gene. Additionally, reduction of LPS/adenosine triphosphate (ATP)-induced IL-1ß production and caspase-1 activation by IL-10 was reversed in BMDM from AIM-/- mice. Treatment of BMDM from both wild type (WT) and IL-10-/- mice with recombinant AIM showed the inhibitory effects on IL-1ß and IL-18 production and caspase-1 activation. Endogenous and exogenous AIM inhibited apoptosis-associated speck-like protein containing a caspase activation and recruitment domain (ASC) speck formation. In LPS-induced acute peritonitis, inhibition of IL-1ß and IL-18 production in peritoneal lavage fluid (PLF) and serum, reduction of caspase-1 activation in peritoneal macrophages, and reduction of numbers of neutrophils and peritoneal macrophages in PLF by administration of IL-10 were not evident in AIM-/- mice. Our in vitro and in vivo data reveal a novel role of AIM in the inhibition of inflammasome-mediated caspase-1 activation and IL-1ß and IL-18 production.

RhoA-Dependent HGF and c-Met Mediate Gas6-Induced Inhibition of Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition, Migration, and Invasion of Lung Alveolar Epithelial Cells.

Previously, we demonstrated that growth arrest-specific protein 6 (Gas6)/Axl or Mer signaling inhibited the transforming growth factor (TGF)-ß1-induced epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) in lung epithelial cells. Hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) has also been shown to inhibit TGF-ß1-induced changes in EMT markers. Here, we examined whether Gas6 signaling can induce the production of HGF and c-Met in lung alveolar epithelial cells to mediate the inhibition of EMT and to inhibit the migration and invasion of epithelial cells. The inhibition of the RhoA/Rho kinase pathway, using either a RhoA-targeted small interfering RNA (siRNA) or the Rho kinase pharmacologic inhibitor Y27362, prevented the inhibition of TGF-ß1-induced EMT in LA-4 cells and primary alveolar type II (AT II) epithelial cells. The c-Met antagonist PHA-665752 also blocked the anti-EMT effects associated with Gas6. Moreover, treatment with Y27362 or PHA-665752 prevented the Gas6-mediated inhibition of TGF-ß1-induced migration and invasion. Our data provided evidence that the RhoA-dependent production of HGF and c-Met mediated the Gas6-induced inhibition of EMT, migration and invasion in lung alveolar epithelial cells. Thus, Gas6/Axl and Mer/RhoA signaling may be necessary for the maintenance of homeostasis in the alveolar epithelium, via HGF and c-Met.

New time-scale criteria for model simplification of bio-reaction systems.

BACKGROUND: Quasi-steady state approximation (QSSA) based on time-scale analysis is known to be an effective method for simplifying metabolic reaction system, but the conventional analysis becomes time-consuming and tedious when the system is large. Although there are automatic methods, they are based on eigenvalue calculations of the Jacobian matrix and on linear transformations, which have a high computation cost. A more efficient estimation approach is necessary for complex systems. RESULTS: This work derived new time-scale factor by focusing on the problem structure. By mathematically reasoning the balancing behavior of fast species, new time-scale criteria were derived with a simple expression that uses the Jacobian matrix directly. The algorithm requires no linear transformation or decomposition of the Jacobian matrix, which has been an essential part for previous automatic time-scaling methods. Furthermore, the proposed scale factor is estimated locally. Therefore, an iterative procedure was also developed to find the possible multiple boundary layers and to derive an appropriate reduced model. CONCLUSION: By successive calculation of the newly derived time-scale criteria, it was possible to detect multiple boundary layers of full ordinary differential equation (ODE) models. Besides, the iterative procedure could derive the appropriate reduced differential algebraic equation (DAE) model with consistent initial values, which was tested with simple examples and a practical example.