| First Author | Kang HR | Year | 2007 |
| Journal | J Exp Med | Volume | 204 |
| Issue | 5 | Pages | 1083-93 |
| PubMed ID | 17485510 | Mgi Jnum | J:125730 |
| Mgi Id | MGI:3759731 | Doi | 10.1084/jem.20061273 |
| Citation | Kang HR, et al. (2007) Semaphorin 7A plays a critical role in TGF-beta1-induced pulmonary fibrosis. J Exp Med 204(5):1083-93 |
| abstractText | Semaphorin (SEMA) 7A regulates neuronal and immune function. In these studies, we tested the hypothesis that SEMA 7A is also a critical regulator of tissue remodeling. These studies demonstrate that SEMA 7A and its receptors, plexin C1 and beta1 integrins, are stimulated by transforming growth factor (TGF)-beta(1) in the murine lung. They also demonstrate that SEMA 7A plays a critical role in TGF-beta(1)-induced fibrosis, myofibroblast hyperplasia, alveolar remodeling, and apoptosis. TGF-beta(1) stimulated SEMA 7A via a largely Smad 3-independent mechanism and stimulated SEMA 7A receptors, matrix proteins, CCN proteins, fibroblast growth factor 2, interleukin 13 receptor components, proteases, antiprotease, and apoptosis regulators via Smad 2/3-independent and SEMA 7A-dependent mechanisms. SEMA 7A also played an important role in the pathogenesis of bleomycin-induced pulmonary fibrosis. TGF-beta(1) and bleomycin also activated phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K) and protein kinase B (PKB)/AKT via SEMA 7A-dependent mechanisms, and PKB/AKT inhibition diminished TGF-beta(1)-induced fibrosis. These observations demonstrate that SEMA 7A and its receptors are induced by TGF-beta(1) and that SEMA 7A plays a central role in a PI3K/PKB/AKT-dependent pathway that contributes to TGF-beta(1)-induced fibrosis and remodeling. They also demonstrate that the effects of SEMA 7A are not specific for transgenic TGF-beta(1), highlighting the importance of these findings for other fibrotic stimuli. |
