Mucus forms an essential barrier that protects the lungs from inhaled particles, pathogens, and chemicals. These toxicants are entrapped in mucus, then swept out of the lungs by ciliary action. Paradoxically however, mucus dysfunction contributes to the pathobiology of all of the common diseases of the airways, including asthma, cystic fibrosis, and COPD, as well as interstitial lung diseases. Mucin glycoproteins are the principal macromolecular component of mucus, responsible for its structure as a semi-solid gel by binding more than 100-fold their mass of water. Mucins are secreted both at a low basal rate and a high stimulated rate. A common feature of airway mucus dysfunction is the rapid secretion of overproduced mucins into the airway lumen, forming mucus that is excessively viscoelastic and cannot be cleared by ciliary action. This impedes airflow and provides a protected environment for microbial growth. While the control of mucin production and hydration have been studied intensively, the mechanism of secretion is incompletely understood. Exocytosis in all eukaryotes is mediated by the cooperative interactions of a SNARE complex and an SM scaffolding protein, which are the core exocytic machinery. Our studies show that for some components of this machinery, different isoforms function in basal versus stimulated mucin secretion. Our central hypothesis is that the differential roles of certain exocytic proteins in basal and stimulated mucin secretion allows their manipulation to augment basal secretion and inhibit stimulated secretion, attenuating the pathophysiology of mucus hypersecretion without impairing toxicant clearance.
Aim 1. Determine the identity and function of the SM protein that mediates basal mucin secretion (we have already determined the identity of the SM protein in stimulated mucin secretion).
Aim 2. Determine the identity and function of the Syntaxins (key components of SNARE complexes) that mediate basal and stimulated mucin secretion.
Aim 3. Augment basal and inhibit stimulated mucin secretion to improve lung pathophysiology in mouse models of asthma-like airway obstruction and microbial infection. Completion of these aims will provide fundamental understanding of the mucin secretory mechanism, and build on that knowledge to test translational strategies to mitigate mucus dysfunction while preserving protective benefits of the mucus barrier.

Public Health Relevance

Mucus is an essential barrier that protects the lungs from inhaled germs and particles. However, mucus can get stuck in the airways, causing difficulty in breathing and trapping germs within the lungs where they can grow and cause pneumonia. We are coming to understand the mechanism by which mucus is secreted into the airway in sufficient detail that we think we can prevent it from getting stuck.

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI)
Type
Research Project (R01)
Project #
5R01HL129795-03
Application #
9301635
Study Section
Special Emphasis Panel (ZRG1)
Program Officer
Punturieri, Antonello
Project Start
2015-09-01
Project End
2019-06-30
Budget Start
2017-07-01
Budget End
2018-06-30
Support Year
3
Fiscal Year
2017
Total Cost
Indirect Cost
Name
University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center
Department
Internal Medicine/Medicine
Type
Hospitals
DUNS #
800772139
City
Houston
State
TX
Country
United States
Zip Code
77030
Rodarte, Elsa M; Ramos, Marco A; Davalos, Alfredo J et al. (2018) Munc13 proteins control regulated exocytosis in mast cells. J Biol Chem 293:345-358
Gutierrez, Berenice A; Chavez, Miguel A; Rodarte, Alejandro I et al. (2018) Munc18-2, but not Munc18-1 or Munc18-3, controls compound and single-vesicle-regulated exocytosis in mast cells. J Biol Chem 293:7148-7159
Evans, Christopher M; Dickey, Burton F; Schwartz, David A (2018) E-Cigarettes: Mucus Measurements Make Marks. Am J Respir Crit Care Med 197:420-422
Zhang, C; Jones, J T; Chand, H S et al. (2018) Noxa/HSP27 complex delays degradation of ubiquitylated IkB? in airway epithelial cells to reduce pulmonary inflammation. Mucosal Immunol 11:741-751
Dickinson, John D; Sweeter, Jenea M; Staab, Elizabeth B et al. (2018) MyD88 controls airway epithelial Muc5ac expression during TLR activation conditions from agricultural organic dust exposure. Am J Physiol Lung Cell Mol Physiol :
Leiva-Juarez, Miguel M; Kirkpatrick, Carson T; Gilbert, Brian E et al. (2018) Combined aerosolized Toll-like receptor ligands are an effective therapeutic agent against influenza pneumonia when co-administered with oseltamivir. Eur J Pharmacol 818:191-197
Zhu, Yunxiang; Abdullah, Lubna H; Doyle, Sean P et al. (2015) Baseline Goblet Cell Mucin Secretion in the Airways Exceeds Stimulated Secretion over Extended Time Periods, and Is Sensitive to Shear Stress and Intracellular Mucin Stores. PLoS One 10:e0127267
Ren, Binhui; Azzegagh, Zoulikha; Jaramillo, Ana M et al. (2015) SNAP23 is selectively expressed in airway secretory cells and mediates baseline and stimulated mucin secretion. Biosci Rep 35:
Evans, Christopher M; Raclawska, Dorota S; Ttofali, Fani et al. (2015) The polymeric mucin Muc5ac is required for allergic airway hyperreactivity. Nat Commun 6:6281