Published ahead of print on August 17, 2006, doi:10.1164/rccm.200603-310OC Am. J. Respir. Crit. Care Med., Volume 174, Number 9, November 2006, 1018-1024 A more recent version of this article appeared on November 1, 2006
Submitted on March 1, 2006 Characterizing Mucous Cell Remodeling in Cystic Fibrosis: Relationship to NeutrophilsSteven R Hays1 and John V Fahy1*1 Department of Medicine, Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, the Cardiovascular Research Institute, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA * To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: john.fahy{at}ucsf.edu.
Rationale: Relatively few studies have characterized mucous cells or mucins in detail in cystic fibrosis, and the relationship between mucous cell abnormalities and neutrophilic inflammation is uncertain. Objectives: To characterize mucous cell phenotypes and mucin profiles in cystic fibrosis and to determine if neutrophils accumulate around goblet cells in the epithelium and gland acini in the submucosa. Methods: Bronchial biopsies were collected from 7 subjects with cystic fibrosis and 15 controls, and the morphology of mucous cells was measured. Immunostains for gel-forming mucins and neutrophil elastase were quantified. Measurements and Main Results: Goblet cell size was increased in cystic fibrosis (p=0.004), but the number of goblet cells was normal. The volume of submucosal glands was four-fold higher than normal (p=0.031), but the proportion of mucous and serous cells in CF glands was normal. The patterns of expression of gel-forming mucins in epithelial and submucosal compartments in CF were similar to normal. Although neutrophil elastase immunostaining was intense in the epithelium in CF, neutrophils were largely absent around gland acini in the submucosa. Conclusion: The most prominent pathologic feature in the CF airway is an increase in submucosal gland volume, but serous cell transdifferentiation to mucous cells does not occur, nor are gland acini inflamed with neutrophils. The mechanism for increased submucosal gland volume in CF deserves further study. Key words: Cystic Fibrosis, Goblet cells, Submucosal Glands, Stereology, MUC5AC, MUC5B, Neutrophil Elastase
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