Lysyl oxidase regulation and protein aldehydes in the injured newborn lung

During newborn lung injury, excessive activity of lysyl oxidases (LOXs) disrupts extracellular matrix (ECM) formation. Previous studies indicate that TGFI3 activation in the O2-injured mouse pup lung increases lysyl oxidase (LOX) expression. But how TGFI3 regulates this, and whether the LOXs generate excess pulmonary aldehydes are unknown. First, we determined that O2-mediated lung injury increases LOX protein expression in TGFI3-stimulated pup lung interstitial fibroblasts. This regulation appeared to be direct; this is because TGFI3 treatment also increased LOX protein expression in isolated pup lung fibroblasts. Then using a fibroblast cell line, we determined that TGFI3 stimulates LOX expression at a transcriptional level via Smad2/3-dependent signaling. LOX is translated as a pro-protein that requires secretion and extracellular cleavage before assuming amine oxidase activity and, in some cells, reuptake with nuclear localization. We found that pro-LOX is processed in the newborn mouse pup lung. Also, O2-mediated injury was determined to increase pro-LOX secretion and nuclear LOX immunoreactivity particularly in areas populated with interstitial fibroblasts and exhibiting malformed ECM. Then, using molecular probes, we detected increased aldehyde levels in vivo in O2-injured pup lungs, which mapped to areas of increased pro-LOX secretion in lung sections. Increased activity of LOXs plays a critical role in the aldehyde generation; an inhibitor of LOXs prevented the elevation of aldehydes in the O2-injured pup lung. These results reveal new mechanisms of TGFI3 and LOX in newborn lung disease and suggest that aldehyde-reactive probes might have utility in sensing the activation of LOXs in vivo during lung injury.