RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 Tissue remodelling in chronic bronchial diseases: from the epithelial to mesenchymal phenotype
JF European Respiratory Review
JO EUROPEAN RESPIRATORY REVIEW
FD European Respiratory Society
SP 118
OP 130
DO 10.1183/09059180.00004413
VO 23
IS 131
A1 Mallory Pain
A1 Olga Bermudez
A1 Philippe Lacoste
A1 Pierre-Joseph Royer
A1 Karine Botturi
A1 Adrien Tissot
A1 Sophie Brouard
A1 Oliver Eickelberg
A1 Antoine Magnan
YR 2014
UL http://err.ersjournals.com/content/23/131/118.abstract
AB Airway remodelling is a critical feature of chronic bronchial diseases, characterised by aberrant repair of the epithelium and accumulation of fibroblasts, which contribute to extracellular matrix (ECM) deposition resulting in fixed bronchial obstruction. Recently, epithelial–mesenchymal transition (EMT) has been identified as a new source of fibroblasts that could contribute to the remodelling of the airways. This phenomenon consists of the loss of the epithelial phenotype by bronchial epithelial cells and the acquisition of a mesenchymal phenotype. These cells are then able to migrate and secrete ECM molecules. Herein, we review the different types of EMT. We will then focus on the signalling pathways that are involved, such as transforming growth factor-β and Wnt, as well as the more recently described Sonic Hedgehog pathway. Finally, we will highlight the implication of EMT in airway remodelling in specific chronic bronchial pathologies, such as asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and bronchiolitis obliterans following lung transplantation. Despite the limitations of in vitro models, future studies of EMT in vivo are warranted to shed new light on the pathomechanisms of bronchial obstruction.