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. 2008 Mar 4;5(3):e62.
doi: 10.1371/journal.pmed.0050062.

Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis: aberrant recapitulation of developmental programs?

Moisés Selman  1 , Annie Pardo, Naftali Kaminski
Affiliations

Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis: aberrant recapitulation of developmental programs?

Moisés Selman et al. PLoS Med. .

Abstract

The authors discuss evidence suggesting that embryonic signaling pathways involved in epithelium/mesenchymal communication and epithelial cell plasticity may be aberrantly switched on in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis.

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Conflict of interest statement

Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1. Schematic Overview of the Epithelial–Mesenchymal Transition as Modulated by TGF-β and BMPs
In IPF lungs, TGF-β3, gremlin, and LEF-1 are up-regulated, while BMP-2 is down-regulated. Dysregulation of TGF-β/BMP pathway induces a fibrotic phenotype. EMT, so important in development, is likely to represent one possible response of the alveolar epithelial cell facing sustained injury. Increased expression of BMPs may not only antagonize TGF-β-induced EMT, enhancing re-epithelialization, but also may cause the opposite process, mesenchymal-to-epithelial transition (MET).
Figure 2
Figure 2. Changes in the Expression of Genes Known to be Involved in the Canonical Wnt Pathway
The figure was generated using Ingenuity Pathways Analysis (Ingenuity Systems, http://www.ingenuity.com/). Increased genes are in increasing shades of red, decreased are in increasing shades of green. Combined red and green is when different members are changed in different directions.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

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