Elongation factor-2 kinase acts downstream of p38 MAPK to regulate proliferation, apoptosis and autophagy in human lung fibroblasts

• Published in: Experimental cell research 2018-02, Vol.363 (2), p.291-298
• Main Authors: Wang, Yanni, Huang, Guojin, Wang, Zhixia, Qin, Huiping, Mo, Biwen, Wang, Changming
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: 60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES; APOPTOSIS; Autophagy; CELL PROLIFERATION; eEF2; eEF2K; ELONGATION; FIBROBLASTS; FIBROSIS; HUMAN POPULATIONS; IN VITRO; Lung fibroblast; LUNGS; p38 MAPK; PHOSPHOTRANSFERASES
• ISSN: 0014-4827; 1090-2422
• DOI: 10.1016/j.yexcr.2018.01.019

Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a chronic, fatal and progressive fibro-proliferative lung disease, and fibroblast-to-myofibroblast differentiation is a crucial process in the development of IPF. Elongation factor-2 kinase (eEF2K) has been reported to play an important role in various disease types, but the role of eEF2K in IPF is unknown. In this study, we investigated the role of eEF2K in normal lung fibroblast (NHLF) proliferation, differentiation, apoptosis, and autophagy as well as the interaction between eEF2K and p38 MAPK signaling through in vitro experiments. We found that the inhibition of eEF2K markedly augmented cell proliferation and differentiation, suppressed apoptosis and autophagy, and reversed the anti-fibrotic effects of a p38 MAPK inhibitor. Together, our results indicate that eEF2K might inhibit TGF-β1-induced NHLF proliferation and differentiation and activate NHLF cell apoptosis and autophagy through p38 MAPK signaling, which might ameliorate lung fibroblast-to-myofibroblast differentiation. •eEF2K is activated in normal human lung fibroblasts (NHLFs).•eEF2K inhibition positively correlated with NHLFs proliferation, differentiation, apoptosis and autophagy.•eEF2K inhibition controls ECM deposition via p38 MAPK signaling pathway.