COPD basal cells are primed towards secretory to multi-ciliated cell imbalance driving increased resilience to environmental stressors

ABSTRACT: Introduction: Environmental pollutants irritate and injure the bronchial elevator, thereby provoking disease progression in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Epithelial resilience mechanisms to environmental nanoparticles in health and disease are poorly characterized. Methods: We delineated the impact of prevalent pollutants such as carbon and zinc oxide nanoparticles, on cellular function and progeny in primary human bronchial epithelial cells (pHBEC) from end-stage COPD, early disease and pulmonary healthy individuals. After nanoparticle exposure of pHBECs at the air liquid interface, cell cultures were characterized by functional assays as well as transcriptome and protein analysis, complemented by single cell analysis in serial samples of pHBEC culture focussing on basal cell differentiation. Results: In end-stage COPD, environmentally abundant doses of zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO) aggravated a pro-secretory phenotype at the expense of the multi-ciliated epithelium alongside a reduction of barrier integrity and increased resilience towards cell damage. Similar effects on cellular composition and function were induced by co-treatment of early stage COPD pHEBC cultures with cigarette smoke extract. Time-resolved single cell transcriptomics revealed a unique end stage COPD associated basal cell state characterized by altered Wnt and Notch pathway activation. A conserved set of COPD specific genes persisted from this disease associated basal cell state into its differentiated progeny. Conclusion: We identified COPD stage specific gene program alterations in basal stem cells that affect the cellular composition of the bronchial elevator and may control epithelial resilience mechanisms in response to environmental nanoparticles. The identified phenomena likely inform treatment or prevention strategies.

ORGANISM(S): Homo sapiens

PROVIDER: GSE208662 | GEO | 2024/01/06

REPOSITORIES: GEO