Isoform-Specific Roles of NTRK2 in Pulmonary Vascular Regeneration

Abstract

Bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) is a chronic lung disease in premature infants with no curative therapy, characterized by impaired alveologenesis and capillary formation. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying endothelial dysfunction, a key driver of BPD pathogenesis in human, remain poorly understood. Here, through multiomic profiling of vascular endothelial cells isolated from control and BPD patient lungs, we uncovered an expansion of general capillary endothelial cells (gCap) with aberrant expression of the neurotrophic receptor tyrosine kinase 2 (NTRK2) in BPD. Importantly, we identified a pathological NTRK2 isoform switch that dictates the regenerative capacity of gCap cells. Full-length NTRK2 (NTRK2-FL) promoted gCap regeneration in response to hyperoxic injury, whereas RBFOX2-mediated splicing of NTRK2-FL into a truncated isoform (NTRK2-T1) contributed to maladaptive responses and irreversible alveolar simplification in severe BPD cases. Restoring NTRK2-FL using lipid nanoparticle-delivered mRNA promoted angiogenesis and reversed alveolar simplification in vessel organoids and BPD-like mice. These findings identified NTRK2 isoform imbalance as a key driver of endothelial dysfunction and support isoform-specific RNA therapy as a promising strategy for vascular regeneration and repair. HIGHLIGHTS* Multiomic and spatial profiling reveal abnormal gCap subtype in human BPD lungs * NTRK2 isoform switch dictates endothelial regeneration in response to hyperoxic injury * RBFOX2 mediates splicing from NTRK2-FL to NTRK2-T1, driving irreversible alveolar damage * NTRK2-FL mRNA therapy restores vascular regeneration after injury