[HTML][HTML] Sphingosine kinase 1/S1P signaling contributes to pulmonary fibrosis by activating Hippo/YAP pathway and mitochondrial reactive oxygen species in lung …

LS Huang, T Sudhadevi, P Fu… - International journal of …, 2020 - mdpi.com
LS Huang, T Sudhadevi, P Fu, PK Punathil-Kannan, DL Ebenezer, R Ramchandran
International journal of molecular sciences, 2020mdpi.com
The sphingosine kinase 1 (SPHK1)/sphingosine–1–phosphate (S1P) signaling axis is
emerging as a key player in the development of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) and
bleomycin (BLM)-induced lung fibrosis in mice. Recent evidence implicates the involvement
of the Hippo/Yes-associated protein (YAP) 1 pathway in lung diseases, including IPF, but its
plausible link to the SPHK1/S1P signaling pathway is unclear. Herein, we demonstrate the
increased co-localization of YAP1 with the fibroblast marker FSP1 in the lung fibroblasts of …
The sphingosine kinase 1 (SPHK1)/sphingosine–1–phosphate (S1P) signaling axis is emerging as a key player in the development of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) and bleomycin (BLM)-induced lung fibrosis in mice. Recent evidence implicates the involvement of the Hippo/Yes-associated protein (YAP) 1 pathway in lung diseases, including IPF, but its plausible link to the SPHK1/S1P signaling pathway is unclear. Herein, we demonstrate the increased co-localization of YAP1 with the fibroblast marker FSP1 in the lung fibroblasts of BLM-challenged mice, and the genetic deletion of Sphk1 in mouse lung fibroblasts (MLFs) reduced YAP1 localization in fibrotic foci. The PF543 inhibition of SPHK1 activity in mice attenuated YAP1 co-localization with FSP1 in lung fibroblasts. In vitro, TGF-β stimulated YAP1 translocation to the nucleus in primary MLFs, and the deletion of Sphk1 or inhibition with PF543 attenuated TGF-β-mediated YAP1 nuclear localization. Moreover, the PF543 inhibition of SPHK1, or the verteporfin inhibition of YAP1, decreased the TGF-β- or BLM-induced mitochondrial reactive oxygen species (mtROS) in human lung fibroblasts (HLFs) and the expression of fibronectin (FN) and alpha-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA). Furthermore, scavenging mtROS with MitoTEMPO attenuated the TGF-β-induced expression of FN and α-SMA. The addition of the S1P antibody to HLFs reduced TGF-β- or S1P-mediated YAP1 activation, mtROS, and the expression of FN and α-SMA. These results suggest a role for SPHK1/S1P signaling in TGF-β-induced YAP1 activation and mtROS generation, resulting in fibroblast activation, a critical driver of pulmonary fibrosis.
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