TY - JOUR T1 - BAMBI – A TGF-β pseudoreceptor with possible functional involvement in COPD and NTHI infection JF - European Respiratory Journal JO - Eur Respir J VL - 38 IS - Suppl 55 SP - p4752 AU - Sebastian Marwitz AU - Daniel Droemann AU - Jan Rupp AU - Kristina Rohmann AU - Sinia Osbahr AU - Arthur-Jochen Ulmer AU - Kristina Röschmann AU - Mahdi Abdullah AU - Holger Schultz AU - Ekkehard Vollmer AU - Peter Zabel AU - Klaus Dalhoff AU - Torsten Goldmann Y1 - 2011/09/01 UR - http://erj.ersjournals.com/content/38/Suppl_55/p4752.abstract N2 - TGF-β signaling in non-malignant pulmonary diseases to date is still controversially discussed. Nontypeable Haemophilus influenzae (NTHI) may play a role in the pathogenesis of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) as an infectious trigger. Comparably few data are available regarding the influence of acute and persistent infection on tissue remodeling and repair factors such as transforming growth factor (TGF)-β. Here we show that the TGF-β pseudoreceptor BAMBI is expressed in the human lung.NTHI infection was analyzed in lung tissues obtained from COPD patients and controls utilizing a human ex vivo and in vitro models. Detection of NTHI was achieved by in situ hybridization (ISH). For characterization of TGF-β] signaling molecules, transcriptome array analyses were conducted. Expression of the TGF-pseudoreceptor BMP and Activin Membrane-bound Inhibitor (BAMBI) was analyzed using immunohistochemistry (IHC), ISH and RT-PCR. CXC chemokine ligand (CXCL)-8, tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha and TGF-β expression were evaluated in lung tissue and cell culture using ELISA.An infection with NTHI was detected in vivo in 38% of the COPD patients in contrast to 0% of controls. Transcriptome arrays showed no significant changes of TGF-β receptors 1 and 2 and Smad-3 expression, whereas a strong expression of BAMBI with upregulation after in vitro infection of COPD lung tissue was demonstrated. BAMBI was expressed ubiquitously on alveolar macrophages (AM) and on alveolar epithelial cells (AEC).We show for the first time a considerable expression of the TGF pseudoreceptor BAMBI in the human lung. BAMBI is upregulated in response to NTHI infection in COPD lung tissue in vivo and in vitro. ER -