Browsing by Author "Izuhara, Kenji"

Now showing 1 - 7 of 7
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    Constitutive overexpression of periostin delays wound healing in mouse skin
    (Wiley, 2018) Nunomura, Satoshi; Nanri, Yasuhiro; Ogawa, Masahiro; Arima, Kazuhiko; Mitamura, Yasutaka; Yoshihara, Tomohito; Hasuwa, Hidetoshi; Conway, Simon J.; Izuhara, Kenji; Pediatrics, School of Medicine
    Periostin is a matricellular protein involved in development, maintenance and regulation of tissues and organs via by binding to cell surface integrin receptors. Pathologically, periostin plays an important role in the process of wound healing: as a deficiency of the Postn gene delays wound closure and periostin is consistently upregulated in response to injury and skin diseases. However, the functional role of elevated periostin in the process of wound healing has not been tested. In this study, we generated Postn-transgenic mice under the control of the CAG promoter/enhancer to investigate the effects of constitutive overexpression of full length periostin during its pathophysiological roles. Transgenic mice showed significant overexpression of periostin in skin, lung, and heart, but no morphological changes were observed. However, when these transgenic mice were injured, periostin overexpression delayed the closure of excisional wounds. Expression of IL-1β and TNFα, pro-inflammatory cytokines important for wound healing, was significantly decreased in the transgenic mice, prior to delayed healing. Infiltration of neutrophils and macrophages, the main sources of IL-1β and TNFα, was also downregulated in the transgenic wound sites. From these data, we conclude that enforced expression of periostin delays wound closure due to reduced infiltration of neutrophils and macrophages followed by downregulation of IL-1β and TNFα expression. This suggests that regulated spatiotemporal expression of periostin is important for efficient wound healing and that constitutive periostin overexpression interrupts the normal process of wound closure.
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    Cross-Talk between Transforming Growth Factor-β and Periostin Can Be Targeted for Pulmonary Fibrosis
    (American Thoracic Society, 2020-02) Nanri, Yasuhiro; Nunomura, Satoshi; Terasaki, Yasuhiro; Yoshihara, Tomohito; Hirano, Yusuke; Yokosaki, Yasuyuki; Yamaguchi, Yukie; Feghali-Bostwick, Carol; Ajito, Keiichi; Murakami, Shoichi; Conway, Simon J.; Izuhara, Kenji; Pediatrics, School of Medicine
    Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a devastating disease characterized as progressive and irreversible fibrosis in the interstitium of lung tissues. There is still an unmet need to develop a novel therapeutic drug for IPF. We have previously demonstrated that periostin, a matricellular protein, plays an important role in the pathogenesis of pulmonary fibrosis. However, the underlying mechanism of how periostin causes pulmonary fibrosis remains unclear. In this study, we sought to learn whether the cross-talk between TGF-β (transforming growth factor-β), a central mediator in pulmonary fibrosis, and periostin in lung fibroblasts leads to generation of pulmonary fibrosis and whether inhibitors for integrin αVβ3, a periostin receptor, can block pulmonary fibrosis in model mice and the TGF-β signals in fibroblasts from patients with IPF. We found that cross-talk exists between TGF-β and periostin signals via αVβ3/β5 converging into Smad3. This cross-talk is necessary for the expression of TGF-β downstream effector molecules important for pulmonary fibrosis. Moreover, we identified several potent integrin low-molecular-weight inhibitors capable of blocking cross-talk with TGF-β signaling. One of the compounds, CP4715, attenuated bleomycin-induced pulmonary fibrosis in vivo in mice and the TGF-β signals in vitro in fibroblasts from patients with IPF. These results suggest that the cross-talk between TGF-β and periostin can be targeted for pulmonary fibrosis and that CP4715 can be a potential therapeutic agent to block this cross-talk.
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    Periostin activates distinct modules of inflammation and itching downstream of the type 2 inflammation pathway
    (Elsevier, 2023) Nunomura, Satoshi; Uta, Daisuke; Kitajima, Isao; Nanri, Yasuhiro; Matsuda, Kosuke; Ejiri, Naoko; Kitajima, Midori; Ikemitsu, Hitoshi; Koga, Misaki; Yamamoto, Sayaka; Honda, Yuko; Takedomi, Hironobu; Andoh, Tsugunobu; Conway, Simon J.; Izuhara, Kenji; Pediatrics, School of Medicine
    Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a chronic relapsing skin disease accompanied by recurrent itching. Although type 2 inflammation is dominant in allergic skin inflammation, it is not fully understood how non-type 2 inflammation co-exists with type 2 inflammation or how type 2 inflammation causes itching. We have recently established the FADS mouse, a mouse model of AD. In FADS mice, either genetic disruption or pharmacological inhibition of periostin, a downstream molecule of type 2 inflammation, inhibits NF-κB activation in keratinocytes, leading to downregulating eczema, epidermal hyperplasia, and infiltration of neutrophils, without regulating the enhanced type 2 inflammation. Moreover, inhibition of periostin blocks spontaneous firing of superficial dorsal horn neurons followed by a decrease in scratching behaviors due to itching. Taken together, periostin links NF-κB-mediated inflammation with type 2 inflammation and promotes itching in allergic skin inflammation, suggesting that periostin is a promising therapeutic target for AD.
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    Periostin, a matricellular protein, plays a role in the induction of chemokines in pulmonary fibrosis
    (American Thoracic Society, 2012-05) Uchida, Masaru; Shiraishi, Hiroshi; Ohta, Shoichiro; Arima, Kazuhiko; Taniguchi, Kazuto; Suzuki, Shoichi; Okamoto, Masaki; Ahlfeld, Shawn K.; Ohshima, Koichi; Kato, Seiya; Toda, Shuji; Sagara, Hironori; Aizawa, Hisamichi; Hoshino, Tomoaki; Conway, Simon J.; Hayashi, Shinichiro; Izuhara, Kenji; Department of Pediatrics, IU School of Medicine
    Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a chronic, progressive, and usually fatal form of interstitial lung disease (ILD). The precise molecular mechanisms of IPF remain poorly understood. However, analyses of mice receiving bleomycin (BLM) as a model of IPF established the importance of preceding inflammation for the formation of fibrosis. Periostin is a recently characterized matricellular protein involved in modulating cell functions. We recently found that periostin is highly expressed in the lung tissue of patients with IPF, suggesting that it may play a role in the process of pulmonary fibrosis. To explore this possibility, we administered BLM to periostin-deficient mice, and they subsequently showed a reduction of pulmonary fibrosis. We next determined whether this result was caused by a decrease in the preceding recruitment of neutrophils and macrophages in the lungs because of the lower production of chemokines and proinflammatory cytokines. We performed an in vitro analysis of chemokine production in lung fibroblasts, which indicated that periostin-deficient fibroblasts produced few or no chemokines in response to TNF-α compared with control samples, at least partly explaining the lack of inflammatory response and, therefore, fibrosis after BLM administration to periostin-deficient mice. In addition, we confirmed that periostin is highly expressed in the lung tissue of chemotherapeutic-agent-induced ILD as well as of patients with IPF. Taking these results together, we conclude that periostin plays a unique role as an inducer of chemokines to recruit neutrophils and macrophages important in the process of pulmonary fibrosis in BLM-administered model mice. Our results suggest a therapeutic potential for periostin in IPF and drug-induced ILD.
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    Periostin-related progression of different types of experimental pulmonary hypertension: A role for M2 macrophage and FGF-2 signalling
    (Wiley, 2022) Yoshida, Takashi; Nagaoka, Tetsutaro; Nagata, Yuichi; Suzuki, Yoshifumi; Tsutsumi, Takeo; Kuriyama, Sachiko; Watanabe, Junko; Togo, Shinsaku; Takahashi, Fumiyuki; Matsushita, Masakazu; Joki, Yusuke; Konishi, Hakuoh; Nunomura, Satoshi; Izuhara, Kenji; Conway, Simon J.; Takahashi, Kazuhisa; Pediatrics, School of Medicine
    Background and objective: Remodelling of pulmonary arteries (PA) contributes to the progression of pulmonary hypertension (PH). Periostin, a matricellular protein, has been reported to be involved in the development of PH. We examined the role of periostin in the pathogenesis of PH using different types of experimental PH. Methods: PH was induced by vascular endothelial growth factor receptor antagonist (Sugen5416) plus hypoxic exposure (SuHx) and venous injection of monocrotaline-pyrrole (MCT-P) in wild-type (WT) and periostin-/- mice. Pulmonary haemodynamics, PA remodelling, expression of chemokines and fibroblast growth factor (FGF)-2, accumulation of macrophages to small PA and the right ventricle (RV) were examined in PH-induced WT and periostin-/- mice. Additionally, the role of periostin in the migration of macrophages, human PA smooth muscle (HPASMCs) and endothelial cells (HPMVECs) was investigated. Results: In PH induced by SuHx and MCT-P, PH and accumulation of M2 macrophage to small PA were attenuated in periostin-/- mice. PA remodelling post-SuHx treatment was also mild in periostin-/- mice compared to WT mice. Expression of macrophage-associated chemokines and FGF-2 in lung tissue, and accumulation of CD68-positive cells in the RV were less in SuHx periostin-/- than in SuHx WT mice. Periostin secretion in HPASMCs and HPMVECs was enhanced by transforming growth factor-β. Periostin also augmented macrophage, HPASMCs and HPMVECs migration. Separately, serum periostin levels were significantly elevated in patients with PH compared to healthy controls. Conclusion: Periostin is involved in the development of different types of experimental PH, and may also contribute to the pathogenesis of human PH.
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    Roles of Periostin in Respiratory Disorders
    (American Thoracic Society, 2016-05) Izuhara, Kenji; Conway, Simon J.; Moore, Bethany B.; Matsumoto, Hisako; Holweg, Cecile T. J.; Matthews, John G.; Arron, Joseph R.; Medicine, School of Medicine
    Periostin is a matricellular protein that has been implicated in many disease states. It interacts with multiple signaling cascades to modulate the expression of downstream genes that regulate cellular interactions within the extracellular matrix. This review focuses on the role of periostin in respiratory diseases, including asthma and idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, and its potential to help guide treatment or assess prognosis. Epithelial injury is a common feature of many respiratory diseases, resulting in the secretion, among others, of periostin, which is subsequently involved in airway remodeling and other aspects of pulmonary pathophysiology. In asthma, periostin is recognized as a biomarker of type 2 inflammation; POSTN gene expression is up-regulated in bronchial epithelial cells by IL-13 and IL-4. Serum periostin has been evaluated for the identification of patients with increased clinical benefit from treatment with anti-IL-13 (lebrikizumab, tralokinumab) and anti-IgE (omalizumab) therapy and may be prognostic for increased risk of asthma exacerbations and progressive lung function decline. Furthermore, in asthma, periostin may regulate subepithelial fibrosis and mucus production and may serve as a systemic biomarker of eosinophilic airway inflammation. Periostin is also highly expressed in the lungs of patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, and its serum levels may predict clinical progression. Overall, periostin contributes to multiple pathogenic processes across respiratory diseases, and peripheral blood levels of periostin may have utility as a biomarker of treatment response and disease progression.
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    The role of periostin in tissue remodeling across health and disease
    (Springer, 2014) Conway, Simon J.; Izuhara, Kenji; Kudo, Yasusei; Litvin, Judith; Markwald, Roger; Ouyang, Gaoliang; Arron, Joseph R.; Holweg, Cecile T. J.; Kudo, Akira; Pediatrics, School of Medicine
    Periostin, also termed osteoblast-specific factor 2, is a matricellular protein with known functions in osteology, tissue repair, oncology, cardiovascular and respiratory systems, and in various inflammatory settings. However, most of the research to date has been conducted in divergent and circumscribed areas meaning that the overall understanding of this intriguing molecule remains fragmented. Here, we integrate the available evidence on periostin expression, its normal role in development, and whether it plays a similar function during pathologic repair, regeneration, and disease in order to bring together the different research fields in which periostin investigations are ongoing. In spite of the seemingly disparate roles of periostin in health and disease, tissue remodeling as a response to insult/injury is emerging as a common functional denominator of this matricellular molecule. Periostin is transiently upregulated during cell fate changes, either physiologic or pathologic. Combining observations from various conditions, a common pattern of events can be suggested, including periostin localization during development, insult and injury, epithelial-mesenchymal transition, extracellular matrix restructuring, and remodeling. We propose mesenchymal remodeling as an overarching role for the matricellular protein periostin, across physiology and disease. Periostin may be seen as an important structural mediator, balancing appropriate versus inappropriate tissue adaption in response to insult/injury.