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Comment
. 2013 Nov 6;14(1):120.
doi: 10.1186/1465-9921-14-120.

Role of epithelial mesenchymal transition (EMT) in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)

Sukhwinder Singh Sohal, Eugene Haydn Walters  1
Affiliations
Comment

Role of epithelial mesenchymal transition (EMT) in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)

Sukhwinder Singh Sohal et al. Respir Res. .

Abstract

Small airway fibrosis is the main contributor to physiological airway dysfunction in COPD. One potential mechanism contributing to small airway fibrosis is epithelial mesenchymal transition (EMT). When associated with angiogenesis (so called EMT-Type-3) it may well also be the link with the development of cancer, which is closely associated with COPD and predominantly in large airways. In a recent study published in Respiratory Research, Qin Wang and colleagues investigated the role of urokinase plasminogen activator receptor (uPAR) in EMT in small airway epithelium of COPD patients. However, there are some issues with the paper which we wish to comment on.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Airway tissue stained for type-IV collagen to highlight blood vessels. (A) Small airway section, black arrows indicating vessels in the lamina propria with no vessels in the Rbm or epithelium, typical of EMT Type-2; (B) bronchial biopsy section from a matched large airway, with black arrows indicating vessels with in Rbm and also penetrating into the epithelium, typical of EMT Type-3.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Comment on

References

    1. Wang Q, Wang Y, Zhang Y, Xiao W. The role of uPAR in epithelial-mesenchymal transition in small airway epithelium of patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Respir Res. 2013;14:67. doi: 10.1186/1465-9921-14-67. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Sohal SS, Walters EH. Epithelial mesenchymal transition (EMT) in small airways of COPD patients. Thorax. 2013;68(8):783–784. doi: 10.1136/thoraxjnl-2013-203373. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Sohal SS, Ward C, Danial W, Wood-Baker R, Walters EH. Recent advances in understanding inflammation and remodeling in the airways in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Expert Rev Respir Med. 2013;7(3):275–288. doi: 10.1586/ers.13.26. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Sohal SS, Soltani A, Weston S, Wood-Baker R, Walters EH. In: Vimentin Concepts and Molecular Mechanisms. de Mello RA, editor. New York: Nova Publishers; 2013. Intermediate filament vimentin and potential role in epithelial mesenchymal transition (EMT) pp. 37–62.
    1. Sohal SS, Reid D, Soltani A, Ward C, Weston S, Muller HK, Wood-Baker R, Walters EH. Reticular basement membrane fragmentation and potential epithelial mesenchymal transition is exaggerated in the airways of smokers with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Respirology. 2010;15(6):930–938. doi: 10.1111/j.1440-1843.2010.01808.x. - DOI - PubMed

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