| First Author | Wang Y | Year | 2019 |
| Journal | Am J Respir Cell Mol Biol | Volume | 61 |
| Issue | 6 | Pages | 727-736 |
| PubMed ID | 31162951 | Mgi Jnum | J:298336 |
| Mgi Id | MGI:6477079 | Doi | 10.1165/rcmb.2019-0070OC |
| Citation | Wang Y, et al. (2019) Overexpression of TIM-3 in Macrophages Aggravates Pathogenesis of Pulmonary Fibrosis in Mice. Am J Respir Cell Mol Biol 61(6):727-736 |
| abstractText | Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a chronic, progressive lung disorder and lacks effective treatments because of unclear mechanisms. Aberrant function of alveolar macrophages is directly linked to pulmonary fibrosis. Here, we show TIM-3 (T-cell immunoglobulin domain and mucin domain-3), a key regulator of macrophage function, aggravates pulmonary fibrosis. TIM-3 mRNA of patients with IPF was analyzed based on the Gene Expression Omnibus and Array Express databases. Lung pathology and profibrotic molecules were assessed in a bleomycin (BLM)-induced pulmonary fibrosis model using wild-type (WT) and TIM-3 transgenic (TIM-3-TG) mice. Macrophage cells, RAW264.7, were then applied to investigate the effect of macrophage TIM-3 under BLM exposure in vitro. Macrophage depletion and adoptive-transfer experiments were finally performed to examine lung morphology and profibrotic molecules. TIM-3 expression was increased both in patients with IPF and in our BLM-induced mouse model. TIM-3-TG mice developed more serious pathological changes in lung tissue and higher expressions of TGF-beta1 (transforming growth factor-beta1) and IL-10 than WT mice. After BLM treatment, TGF-beta1 and IL-10 expression was significantly decreased in RAW264.7 cells after TIM-3 knock-out, whereas it was increased in TIM-3-TG peritoneal macrophages. The scores of pulmonary fibrosis in WT and TIM-3-TG mice were significantly reduced, and there was no difference between them after macrophage depletion. Furthermore, WT mice receiving adoptive macrophages from TIM-3-TG mice also had more serious lung fibrosis and increased expression of TGF-beta1 and IL-10 than those receiving macrophages from WT mice. Our findings revealed that overexpressed TIM-3 in alveolar macrophages aggravated pulmonary fibrosis. |
