D1398G Variant of MET Is Associated with Impaired Signaling of Hepatocyte Growth Factor in Alveolar Epithelial Cells and Lung Fibroblasts

Pulmonary fibrosis represents the terminal stage of a diverse group of lung diseases including scleroderma associated interstitial lung disease. The molecular mechanisms underlying the pathogenesis of lung fibrosis are not well understood and there is a great need for more effective treatment for this lethal disease. We recently discovered a small fragment of hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) receptor MET as a peptide designated "M10," with strong antifibrotic properties. Furthermore, we showed that aspartic acid at position 1398 of MET is essential for M10 generation. The current study was undertaken to investigate the D1398G variant of MET in which aspartic acid at position 1398 was mutated to glycine resulting in loss of M10. We demonstrate that lung fibroblasts, A549, and primary alveolar epithelial cells (AEC) expressing D1398G MET exhibit reduced auto-phosphorylation on tyrosine residues and reduced activation of Ras and MAPK. HGF treatment of scleroderma lung fibroblasts as well as HGF treatment of TGFβ-treated normal lung fibroblasts transfected with wild type MET is associated with decreased collagen, connective tissue growth factor (CTGF, CCN2) and smooth muscle α-actin (SMA). However, HGF has no such effects in cells transfected with MET D1398G. Cisplatin- and FasL-induced apoptosis is significantly reduced in AEC transfected with MET wild type, but not in AEC transfected with MET D1398G. We conclude that the D1398G variant of MET is associated with compromised phosphorylation and impaired HGF signaling in lung fibroblasts and AEC, two cell types implicated in the pathogenesis of pulmonary fibrosis associated with scleroderma. Ongoing studies will explore the frequency of this variant and its relationship to pulmonary outcomes in scleroderma patients.