There are several signalling pathways involved in lung organogenesis including Notch, TGFβ /BMP, Sonic hedgehog (Shh), FGF, EGF, and Wnt. Despite the widely acknowledged significance of Wnt signalling in embryonic lung development, the role of different Wnt pathways in lung pathologies has been slow to emerge.In this review, we will present a synopsis of current Wnt research with particular attention paid to the role of Wnt signals in lung development and in pulmonary diseases.

Neutrophils are short-lived leukocytes that die by apoptosis. Whereas stress-induced apoptosis is mediated by the p38 mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinase pathway (Frasch, S. C., Nick, J. A., Fadok, V. A., Bratton, D. L., Worthen, G. S., and Henson, P. M. (1998) J. Biol. Chem. 273, 8389-8397), signals regulating spontaneous neutrophil apoptosis have not been fully determined. In this study we found increased activation of protein kinase C (PKC)-beta and -delta in neutrophils undergoing spontaneous apoptosis, but we show that only activation of PKC-delta was directly involved in the induction of apoptosis. PKC-delta can be proteolytically activated by caspase 3. We detected the 40-kDa caspase-generated fragment of PKC-delta in apoptotic neutrophils and showed that the caspase 3 inhibitor Asp-Glu-Val-Asp-fluoromethylketone prevented generation of the 40-kDa PKC-delta fragment and delayed neutrophil apoptosis. In a cell-free system, removal of PKC-delta by immunoprecipitation reduced DNA fragmentation, whereas loss of PKC-alpha, -beta, or -zeta had no significant effect. Rottlerin and LY379196 inhibit PKC-delta and PKC-beta, respectively. Only Rottlerin was able to delay neutrophil apoptosis. Inhibitors of MAP-ERK kinase 1 (PD98059) or p38 MAP kinase (SB202190) had no effect on neutrophil apoptosis, and activation of p42/44 and p38 MAP kinase did not increase in apoptotic neutrophils. We conclude that spontaneous neutrophil apoptosis involves activation of PKC-delta but is MAP kinase-independent.

Since the initial discovery of the oncogenic activity of WNT ligands our understanding of the complex roles for WNT signaling pathways in lung cancers has increased substantially. In the current review, the various effects of activation and inhibition of the WNT signaling pathways are summarized in the context of lung carcinogenesis. Recent evidence regarding WNT ligand transport mechanisms, the role of WNT signaling in lung cancer angiogenesis and drug transporter regulation and the importance of microRNA and posttranscriptional regulation of WNT signaling are also reviewed.

Apoptosis of neutrophils at sites of inflammation in vivo is thought to lead to their recognition and safe elimination by macrophages. Little is known, however, about the regulation of apoptosis in myeloid cells. We report here that the human promonocytic leukemic cell line, U937, and mature human neutrophils can be induced to become apoptotic when cultured with interleukin-6. Apoptosis of U937 cells, assessed morphologically and by the presence of DNA fragmentation, was increased significantly in a dose-dependent fashion by concentrations of 0.5-100 ng/ml interleukin-6. Apoptosis of U937 cells was evident after 48 h of incubation with 20 ng/ml interleukin-6, and the effect was eliminated by adsorption of interleukin-6 with a specific monoclonal antibody. Apoptosis was not evident in the presence of the differentiating agent phorbol 12-myristate 13 acetate; the induction of apoptosis in U937 cells was not therefore a consequence of differentiation. Apoptosis of mature neutrophils was enhanced after 24 h in culture with interleukin-6. Interleukin-6 might be an important factor in the normal resolution of inflammation through the induction of apoptosis of neutrophils.