Mir-155-5p targets TP53INP1 to promote proliferative phenotype in hypersensitivity pneumonitis lung fibroblasts

Hypersensitivity pneumonitis (HP) is an inflammatory disorder affecting lung parenchyma and often evolves into fibrosis (fHP). The altered regulation of genes involved in the pathogenesis of the disease is not well comprehended, while the role of microRNAs in lung fibroblasts remains unexplored.

Our findings suggest a distinctive signature of 53 DEGs in HP, including CLDN18, EEF2, CXCL9, PLA2G2D, and ZNF683, as potential targets for future studies. Likewise, 18 miRNAs, including miR-155-5p, could be helpful to establish differences between these two pathologies. The overexpression of miR-155-5p and downregulation of TP53INP1 in fHP lung fibroblasts may be involved in his proliferative and profibrotic phenotype. These findings may help differentiate and characterize their pathogenic features and understand their role in the disease.

We used integrated bulk RNA-Seq and enrichment pathway bioinformatic analyses to identify differentially expressed (DE)-miRNAs and genes (DEGs) associated with HP lungs. In vitro, we evaluated the expression and potential role of miR-155-5p in the phenotype of fHP lung fibroblasts. Loss and gain assays were used to demonstrate the impact of miR-155-5p on fibroblast functions. In addition, mir-155-5p and its target TP53INP1 were analyzed after treatment with TGF-β, IL-4, and IL-17A.

We found around 50 DEGs shared by several databases that differentiate HP from control and IPF lungs, constituting a unique HP lung transcriptional signature. Additionally, we reveal 18 DE-miRNAs that may regulate these DEGs. Among the candidates likely associated with HP pathogenesis was miR-155-5p. Our findings indicate that increased miR-155-5p in fHP fibroblasts coincides with reduced TP53INP1 expression, high proliferative capacity, and a lack of senescence markers compared to IPF fibroblasts. Induced overexpression of miR-155-5p in normal fibroblasts remarkably increases the proliferation rate and decreases TP53INP1 expression. Conversely, miR-155-5p inhibition reduces proliferation and increases senescence markers. TGF-β, IL-4, and IL-17A stimulated miR-155-5p overexpression in HP lung fibroblasts.