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Lysophosphatidic acid-activated Cl- current activity in human systemic sclerosis skin fibroblasts
Zhaohong Yin1, Laura D Carbone, Mari Gotoh
1Department of Physiology, University of Tennessee Health Science Center, 894 Union Ave., Memphis, TN 38163, USA.
Objectives:
SSc (scleroderma) is an often fatal disease characterized by widespread tissue fibrosis. Fibroblasts play a key role in SSc-associated fibrosis. This study was designed to determine: (i) whether fibroblasts isolated from skin of patients with SSc have increased lysophosphatidic acid-activated Cl- current (IClLPA) activity vs healthy controls; (ii) whether myofibroblast differentiation is involved in SSc skin fibrosis; and (iii) whether SSc fibroblasts have different proliferation rates vs controls.
Methods:
Skin biopsies were taken from involved and uninvolved skin of SSc patients and controls. Whole-cell perforated patch-clamping was used to measure IClLPA activity in fibroblasts isolated and cultured from these biopsies. Western blotting was used to measure α-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA). Proliferation was measured using a colorimetric assay.
Results:
Fibroblasts cultured from SSc skin show significantly increased IClLPA activity following LPA exposure compared with control skin fibroblasts. α-SMA protein was significantly increased in cultured SSc skin fibroblasts vs controls. No significant differences in proliferation rates were found.
Conclusions:
Elevated IClLPA activity is a hallmark of SSc skin fibroblasts. Blocking IClLPA activation may be a new therapeutic approach for treating SSc-associated fibrosis.