Interventional Targeting of the IRE1alpha-TGFbeta signaling loop in pulmonary fibrosis

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PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT In this MPI RO1 application, we show that high endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress and dysregulated unfolded protein response (UPR) signaling in lungs precedes development of fibrosis in murine models of pulmonary fibrosis (PF)—similar changes have been reported in lungs of human patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). We find that the pathognomonic features of these changes are due to hyperactive signaling by IRE1α, an ER transmembrane protein containing bifunctional kinase/endoribonuclease (RNase) catalytic activities. We have found that novel, small molecule UPR kinase inhibitors of IRE1α, called KIRAs (an acronym for kinase-inhibiting RNase attenuators) reduce IRE1α's destructive UPR signaling and show potent anti- fibrotic effects in ER-stressed lungs of mice. Thus, even as IRE1α emerges as a potential therapeutic target for treating human patients suffering from IPF, the underlying mechanistic basis for the cytoprotective, anti-fibrotic, efficacy of the KIRA compounds needs to be understood. Through this application, we propose to understand the basis of the KIRA-mediated salutary effects on reducing lung epithelial injury, dysregulation, and death, and also on reducing collagen overproduction by activated fibroblasts. The project is enabled by the complementary skill sets of two labs (Papa and Sheppard) that together have found the UPR is wired through a signaling loop that leads to classical TGF-β-induced, pro-fibrotic signaling in lungs. Thus, the mechanistic understanding to be gained from the successful completion of the proposed studies promises to reveal new nodes and targets for rational disease modification in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, a currently incurable disease.