Interlaboratory Evaluation of In Vitro Cytotoxicity and Inflammatory Responses to Engineered Nanomaterials: The NIEHS NanoGo Consortium Researchers conducted engineered nanomaterial (ENM) bioactivity evaluations on ZnO, three forms of TiO2, and three forms of multiwalled carbon nanotubes. In addition, they performed bioassays using three mammalian cell lines selected in order to cover two different species, two different lung epithelial cells, and two different cell types. The overall in vitro toxicity profiles of ENM were: ZnO was cytotoxic to all cell types at 50 μg/mL or higher, but did not induce IL-1β. [Environ Health Persp] Abstract | Full Article Endothelial Cell Adhesion Molecule CD146: Implications for Its Role in the Pathogenesis of COPD Investigators showed that CD146 expression was significantly decreased in the lung tissue of smokers with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and also from rats exposed to second hand smoke (SHS). Concurrently, levels of soluble form CD146 were increased in both the plasma and bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) of COPD patients as well as in BALF from rats exposed to SHS. [J Pathol] Abstract LKB1 Controls Human Bronchial Epithelial Morphogenesis through p114RhoGEF Dependent RhoA Activation Researchers report that LKB1 is required for the maturation of apical junctions in the human bronchial epithelial cell line, 16HBE. This activity is dependent on an interaction with the Rho guanine nucleotide exchange factor, p114RhoGEF, but is independent of LKB1 kinase activity. [Mol Cell Biol] Abstract Histone Modifications Are Responsible for Decreased Fas Expression and Apoptosis Resistance in Fibrotic Lung Fibroblasts Researchers employed a murine model of pulmonary fibrosis and cells from patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis to explore epigenetic mechanisms that may be responsible for the decreased expression of Fas, a cell surface death receptor whose expression has been observed to be decreased in pulmonary fibrosis. [Cell Death Dis] Full Article Rack1 Interacts with Filamin-A to Regulate Plasma Membrane Levels of the Cystic Fibrosis Transmembrane Conductance Regulator (CFTR) Scientists report that Receptor for Activated C Kinase (RACK1) interacts directly with filamin-A (FlnA) in vitro and in a Calu-3 airway epithelial cell line. They mapped the interaction between RACK1 and FlnA to the WD4 and WD6 repeats of RACK1 and to a segment of the large rod-domain of FlnA, consisting of immunoglobulin-like repeats 8-15. [Am J Physiol-Lung C] Abstract Ambient Vapor Samples Activate the Nrf2-ARE Pathway in Human Bronchial Epithelial BEAS-2B Cells Investigators described results of studies investigating the actions of the vapor phase of ambient air samples collected in the midtown area of Los Angeles on human bronchial epithelial BEAS-2B cells using DNA microarray analysis. Among 26 genes whose expression increased fourfold or more, four genes were associated with detoxifying genes regulated by the transcription factor Nrf2. [Environ Toxicol] Abstract LUNG CANCER TGF-β1 Exposure Induces Epithelial to Mesenchymal Transition Both in CSCs and Non-CSCs of the A549 Cell Line, Leading to an Increase of Migration Ability in the CD133+ A549 Cell Fraction Scientists demonstrated that transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1) induces epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition in both cancer stem cell (CSC) and non-CSC A549 sublines, upregulating the expression of mesenchymal markers such as vimentin and Slug, and downregulating levels of epithelial markers such as e-cadherin and cytokeratins. [Cell Death Dis] Full Article A1E Inhibits Proliferation and Induces Apoptosis in NCI-H460 Lung Cancer Cells via Extrinsic and Intrinsic Pathways Scientists examined the role of the cytotoxic and apoptotic pathways in the cancer chemopreventive activity in non-small-cell lung cancer cell lines NCI-H460 and NCI-H1299. A1E inhibited the proliferation of NCI-H460 more efficiently than NCI-H1299 cells. [Mol Biol Rep] Abstract Aerosol Delivery of Eukaryotic Translation Initiation Factor 4E-Binding Protein 1 Effectively Suppresses Lung Tumorigenesis in K-rasLA1 Mice The effect of delivered eukaryotic translation initiation factor 4E (eIF4E)-binding protein 1 (4E-BP1) on lung cancer progression was evaluated. Reduction of eIF4E by overexpression of 4E-BP1 resulted in suppression of cap-dependent protein expression of basic fibroblast growth factor and vascular endothelial growth factor. [Cancer Gene Ther] Abstract CCL19/CCR7 Upregulates Heparanase via Specificity Protein-1 (Sp1) to Promote Invasion of Cell in Lung Cancer Researchers demonstrated that human lung adenocarcinoma A549 cells treated with recombinant human CCL19 could obviously upregulate the expression of Sp1 and heparanase at both the mRNA and protein levels. After blockage of chemokine receptor 7 (CCR7), Sp1 and heparanase expressions were inhibited. [Tumor Biol] Abstract |