Transcription profiling of mouse wild type or nmMLCK-/- animals treated with SB/VILI reveals non muscle myosin light chain kinase isoform is an attractive molecular target in acute inflammatory lung injury

Acute lung injury (ALI), a major cause of acute respiratory failure with high morbidity and mortality, isare characterized by significant pulmonary inflammation and both alveolar and vascular barriers dysfunction. In Pprior studies have highlighted the role of nonmuscle myosin light chain kinase (nmMLCK) as an essential element of inflammatory response with MYLK polymorphisms associated withwhich alters ALI susceptibility. In the present study we sought to further define nmMLCK in acute inflammatory syndromes and examined We examined nmMLCK as a molecular target involved in increase of lung epithelial and endothelial barrier permeability. We utilized in two muirine models of inflammatory lung injury: intratracheal administration of endotoxin/lipopolysaccharide (LPS, 2.5 mg/kg) and VILI (ventilator-induced lung injury, tidal volume 40ml/kg). Two complementary strategies were used to reduce nmMLCK activity or expression. We found that membrane permeant oligopeptide, PIK, inhibited MLC kinase activity in vitro in aand displayed dose-dependent mannerinhibition of MLC kinase activity.. Intravenous delivery of PIK significantly attenuated LPS-induced lung inflammation reflected by decreasing accumulation of bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) albumin (~ 50% reduction) as well as reduction in BAL cells, tissue MPO activity and tissue albumin in lung homogenates. A second regulatory approach explored targeting murine nmMLCK by administration of siRNA (5mg/kg) 3 days prior to LPS challenge. siRNA decreased of nmMLCK expression in lungs (~ 70% reduction) and resulted in significant attenuation LPS-induced lung inflammation (~ 40% reduction) as reflected by decreased BAL protein level and BAL cells. For targeting pulmonary vessels nmMLCK we used ACE antibody-conjugated liposomes with nmMLCK siRNA in murine ventilator-induced lung injury (VILI) model. Protein silencing of nmMLCK was evident by immunohistochemical analysis with a decrease in relative intensity of fluorescence in lung vessels compared with control animals. Furthermore, the inhibition of nmMLCK expression by siRNA in vessels significantly attenuated VILI lung injury as reflected by decreased BAL protein level (40% reduction). Finally, MLCK knockout mice were significantly protected (reduced BAL protein and albumin) when exposed to a model of severe VILI (4h, 40ml/kg tidal volume). Conclusion: the MLCK gene KO and chemical biology results indicate that the targeting of nmMLCK in vivo attenuate the severity of LPS-induced or VILI acute lung injury. We used microarrays to detail the global programme of gene expression induced by VILI in Wild type and nmMLCK-/- mouse. Experiment Overall Design: four group (n=3) of animals were treated by SB (Spontaneouse breathing) or VILI (4 hours, 30 ml/kg tidal volume) in Wild type or nmMLCK-/- animals;