Please read Dr. Jude’s article in Respiratory Research titled, “FFAR1 activation attenuates histamine-induced myosin light chain phosphorylation and cortical tension development in human airway smooth muscle cells.“
Obesity contributes to asthma diathesis by enhancing airway hyperresponsiveness (AHR) and attenuating the response to standard asthma therapy. Human airway smooth muscle (HASM) cells play pivotal roles in asthma through its contractile, immunomodulatory and remodeling functions. We previously reported that HASM cells from obese lung donors show amplified cell shortening in response to contractile agonists. Contractile agonists elevate intracellular calcium ([Ca2+]i) levels, activate myosin light chain kinase (MLCK), and increase the phosphorylation of myosin light chain (MLC), promoting cross-bridge formation and ASM cell shortening. In a parallel mechanism, myosin light chain phosphatase (MLCP) is inhibited through RhoA-activated Rho-associated kinase (ROCK), maintaining increased MLC phosphorylation (pMLC) levels in HASM cells. To read the full article.
FFAR1 activation attenuates histamine-induced myosin light chain phosphorylation and cortical tension development in human airway smooth muscle cells. Xu S, Schwab A, Karmacharya N, Cao G, Woo J, Kim N, An SS, Panettieri RA Jr, Jude JA. Respir Res. 2020 Nov 30;21(1):317. PMID: 33256729 PMCID: PMC7708129 DOI: 1186/s12931-020-01584-w