Abstract
Trans-differentiation of Alveolar Epithelial Type II Cells to Type I Cells Involves Autocrine Signaling by Transforming Growth Factor β1 through the Smad Pathway
Highlights
transforming growth factor 1 (TGF 1) and Smad4 Were Highly Expressed in Alveolar epithelial cells (AEC) II—To identify cellular localization of transforming growth factor  (TGF )1 and Smad4, double immunolabeling was performed on perfused normal rat lung
The results revealed a strong co-localization of both proteins with surfactant protein C (SP-C) in AEC II (Fig. 1)
TGF 1 has been reported to be expressed in alveolar epithelial cells under pathological conditions
Summary
AEC II cell proliferation and hyperplasia, followed by trans-differentiation into AEC I is a hallmark of alveolar epithelial injury. A member of this family, TGF 1, regulates cell proliferation, differentiation, and migration in many cell and tissue systems. TGF  can inhibit the transcription of genes needed for the cell cycle progression This includes c-Myc [15,16,17] and CDK activating phosphatase, cdc25A [18]. Through the addition of TGF 1 and its neutralizing antibody, RNA interference (RNAi)-mediated silencing of Smad and by showing differential expression of the components of TGF  pathway and cell cycle proteins during the trans-differentiation process, we have demonstrated a possible mechanism of controlling this process in the alveolar epithelium
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