Dynamic reporters for probing real-time activation of human fibroblasts from single cells to populations

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Author(s)Cassel, Samantha E.
Author(s)Huntington, Breanna M.
Author(s)Chen, Wilfred
Author(s)Lei, Pedro
Author(s)Andreadis, Stelios T.
Author(s)Kloxin, April M.
Date Accessioned2024-07-11T20:14:57Z
Date Available2024-07-11T20:14:57Z
Publication Date2024-06-24
DescriptionThis article was originally published in APL Bioengineering. The version of record is available at: https://doi.org/10.1063/5.0166152 © 2024 Author(s). All article content, except where otherwise noted, is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). https://doi.org/10.1063/5.0166152
AbstractActivation of fibroblasts is pivotal for wound healing; however, persistent activation leads to maladaptive processes and is a hallmark of fibrosis, where disease mechanisms are only partially understood. Human in vitro model systems complement in vivo animal models for both hypothesis testing and drug evaluation to improve the identification of therapeutics relevant to human disease. Despite advances, a challenge remains in understanding the dynamics of human fibroblast responses to complex microenvironment stimuli, motivating the need for more advanced tools to investigate fibrotic mechanisms. This work established approaches for assessing the temporal dynamics of these responses using genetically encoded fluorescent reporters of alpha smooth muscle actin expression, an indicator of fibroblast activation. Specifically, we created a toolset of human lung fibroblast reporter cell lines from different origins (male, female; healthy, idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis) and used three different versions of the reporter with the fluorescent protein modified to exhibit different temporal stabilities, providing temporal resolution of protein expression processes over a range of timescales. Using this toolset, we demonstrated that reporters provide insight into population shifts in response to both mechanical and biochemical cues that are not detectable by traditional end point assessments with differential responses based on cell origin. Furthermore, individual cells can also be tracked over time, with opportunities for comparison to complementary end point measurements. The establishment of this reporter toolset enables dynamic cell investigations that can be translated into more complex synthetic culture environments for elucidating disease mechanisms and evaluating therapeutics for lung fibrosis and other complex biological processes more broadly.
SponsorThis work was supported by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) (No. DP2HL152424) and the National Science Foundation (NSF) through the University of Delaware Materials Research Science and Engineering Center (No. DMR-2011824). The authors acknowledge the use of facilities and instrumentation supported by the NSF through the University of Delaware Materials Research Science and Engineering Center (No. DMR-2011824) and the Delaware COBRE programs, supported by grants from the National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS) (Nos. P20GM104316 and 5 P30 GM110758-02) from the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Microscopy access was supported by grants from the NIH-NIGMS (No. P20 GM103446), the NIGMS (No. P20 GM139760), and the State of Delaware. The authors acknowledge the Delaware Biotechnology Institute (DBI) Bio-Imaging Center for access and support to fluorescence microscopy and analysis software, especially Dr. Chandran Sabanayagam, and flow cytometry, especially the late Mr. Richard West. The authors would like to thank Dr. Barry Bodt and the University of Delaware Biostatistics Core for guidance in data processing and analysis, and finally, Hopen Yang for his training and assistance with plasmid protocols.
CitationSamantha E. Cassel, Breanna M. Huntington, Wilfred Chen, Pedro Lei, Stelios T. Andreadis, April M. Kloxin; Dynamic reporters for probing real-time activation of human fibroblasts from single cells to populations. APL Bioeng. 1 June 2024; 8 (2): 026127. https://doi.org/10.1063/5.0166152
ISSN2473-2877
URLhttps://udspace.udel.edu/handle/19716/34571
Languageen_US
PublisherAPL Bioengineering
dc.rightsAttribution 4.0 Internationalen
dc.rights.urihttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Keywordsbiological processes and phenomena
Keywordsflow cytometry
Keywordsmusculoskeletal system
Keywordsproteins
Keywordsstress fibers
Keywordstherapeutics
Keywordscell lines
Keywordsstatistical analysis
TitleDynamic reporters for probing real-time activation of human fibroblasts from single cells to populations
TypeArticle
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