IPF (idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis) is a chronic progressive disease of unknown aetiology without effective treatment. IPF is characterized by excessive collagen deposition within the lung. Recent evidence suggests that the lung epithelium plays a key role in driving the fibrotic response. The current paradigm suggests that, after epithelial injury, there is impaired epithelial proliferation and enhanced epithelial apoptosis. This in turn promotes lung fibrosis through impaired basement membrane repair and increased epithelial–mesenchymal transition. Furthermore, fibroblasts are recruited to the wounded area and adopt a myofibroblast phenotype, with the up-regulation of matrix-synthesizing genes and down-regulation of matrix-degradation genes. There is compelling evidence that the cytokine TGFβ (transforming growth factor β) plays a central role in this process. In normal lung, TGFβ is maintained in an inactive state that is tightly regulated temporally and spatially. One of the major TGFβ-activation pathways involves integrins, and the role of the αvβ6 integrin has been particularly well described in the pathogenesis of IPF. Owing to the pleiotropic nature of TGFβ, strategies that inhibit activation of TGFβ in a cell- or disease-specific manner are attractive for the treatment of chronic fibrotic lung conditions. Therefore the molecular pathways that lead to integrin-mediated TGFβ activation must be precisely defined to identify and fully exploit novel therapeutic targets that might ultimately improve the prognosis for patients with IPF.
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Conference Article|
July 22 2009
Role of integrin-mediated TGFβ activation in the pathogenesis of pulmonary fibrosis
Amanda Goodwin;
Amanda Goodwin
1Centre for Respiratory Research, Nottingham Biomedical Research Unit, Clinical Sciences Building, City Campus, Hucknall Road, Nottingham NG5 1PB, U.K.
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Gisli Jenkins
Gisli Jenkins
1
1Centre for Respiratory Research, Nottingham Biomedical Research Unit, Clinical Sciences Building, City Campus, Hucknall Road, Nottingham NG5 1PB, U.K.
1To whom correspondence should be addressed (email gisli.jenkins@nottingham.ac.uk).
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Publisher: Portland Press Ltd
Received:
April 28 2009
Online ISSN: 1470-8752
Print ISSN: 0300-5127
© The Authors Journal compilation © 2009 Biochemical Society
2009
Biochem Soc Trans (2009) 37 (4): 849–854.
Article history
Received:
April 28 2009
Citation
Amanda Goodwin, Gisli Jenkins; Role of integrin-mediated TGFβ activation in the pathogenesis of pulmonary fibrosis. Biochem Soc Trans 1 August 2009; 37 (4): 849–854. doi: https://doi.org/10.1042/BST0370849
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