Asthma, a pathological condition of reversible airway obstruction, is comprised of both inflammation of the lung and hyper-contractility of the bronchiolar smooth muscle. The major naturally occurring substances that induce bronchial smooth muscle contraction are ligands of G-protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs), such as allergen proteases, thrombin, and those contained in allergen-IgE activated mast cell granules (e.g. histamine, cysteinyl leukotrienes (LTD4), endothelin 1, adenosine, and bradykinin). In general, these agonists induce activation of the heterotrimeric G protein G-alpha q, which increases the concentration of intracellular calcium in smooth muscle cells, promoting actin-myosin interactions and muscle fiber shortening. In contrast, ligands acting on G-alpha-s-coupled receptors, such as albuterol, increase intracellular levels of cyclic AMP (cAMP), facilitating ASM relaxation. Although eosinophilic inflammation typifies allergic asthma, it is not a prerequisite for AHR, suggesting that underlying abnormalities in structural cells such as airway smooth muscle (ASM) contribute to the asthmatic diathesis. Dysregulation of procontractile, GPCR signaling in ASM could mediate enhanced contractility. A large family of Regulators of G protein signaling (RGS) proteins binds to the G protein alpha subunits Gi and Gq (but not Gs) through a conserved RGS domain and inactivates them by catalyzing their intrinsic GTPase activity and by blocking downstream effector interactions. Although they are generally considered to act as negative regulators of GPCR signaling pathways, the physiological function of RGS proteins in the lung is mostly unknown. We identified expression of several RGS proteins (particularly RGS4, RGS5) in bronchial smooth muscle. In FY14, we demonstrated that the mice genetically deficient in RGS5 developed spontaneous asthma due to abnormal GPCR-induced Ca2+ homeostasis in ASM. Precision-cut lung slices (PCLS) from nave Rgs5-/- mice contracted maximally at baseline, independent of allergen challenge. RGS5 deficiency had little effect on parameters of allergic inflammation including cell counts in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF), mucin production, ASM mass, and subepithelial collagen deposition. Unexpectedly, IL-13 levels were much lower in BALF from Rgs5-/- mice relative to WT. These studies showed that deficiency of RGS5 confers spontaneous AHR in mice in the absence of allergic inflammation. In severe asthma, bronchodilator- and steroid-insensitive airflow obstruction develops through unknown mechanisms characterized by increased lung ASM mass and stiffness. RGS4 expression was restricted to a subpopulation of ASM and was specifically upregulated by mitogens, which induced a hyperproliferative and hypocontractile ASM phenotype similar to that observed in recalcitrant asthma. We are currently examining the phenotype of with global and smooth muscle-specifi Rgs4 gene deletion, as well as mice that overexpress RGS4,in models of acute and chronic allergic airway inflammation. In collaboration with Dr. Neubig at the University of Michigan, we will examine the effect of an RGS4-specific inhibitor on the development of the asthma phenotype and ASM hyperplasia and contraction in animal models and cell culture. This is a first-generation RGS inhibitory compound.
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