Journal
AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PHYSIOLOGY-LUNG CELLULAR AND MOLECULAR PHYSIOLOGY
Volume 286, Issue 3, Pages L539-L545Publisher
AMER PHYSIOLOGICAL SOC
DOI: 10.1152/ajplung.00130.2003
Keywords
extracellular matrix; signal transduction; asthma; extracellular signal-related kinase; airway smooth muscle
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Funding
- NHLBI NIH HHS [HL-071106, HL-64042] Funding Source: Medline
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In severe asthma, cytokines and growth factors contribute to the proliferation of smooth muscle cells and blood vessels, and to the increased extracellular matrix deposition that constitutes the process of airway remodeling. Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), which regulates vascular permeability and angiogenesis, also modulates the function of nonendothelial cell types. In this study, we demonstrate that VEGF induces fibronectin secretion by human airway smooth muscle (ASM) cells. In addition, stimulation of ASM with VEGF activates ERK, but not p38MAPK, and fibronectin secretion is ERK dependent. Both ERK activation and fibronectin secretion appear to be mediated through the VEGF receptor flt-1, as evidenced by the effects of the flt-1-specific ligand placenta growth factor. Finally, we demonstrate that ASM cells constitutively secrete VEGF, which is increased in response to PDGF, transforming growth factor-beta, IL-1beta, and PGE(2). We conclude that ASM-derived VEGF, through modulation of the extracellular matrix, may play an important role in airway remodeling seen in asthma.
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