Cholesterol Regulates Airway Epithelial Cell Differentiation by Inhibiting p53 Nuclear Translocation.

ABSTRACT: Cholesterol is an essential plasma membrane component, and altered cholesterol metabolism has been linked to cholesterol accumulation in the airways of COPD and cystic fibrosis patients. However, its role in airway epithelial differentiation is not well understood. Tandem mass spectrometry-based proteomic analysis of differentiating primary human bronchial epithelial cells (phBECs) revealed an overall inhibition of the cholesterol biosynthesis pathway. We hypothesized that excess cholesterol impairs the differentiation of phBECs into a fully functional bronchial epithelium. PhBECs were differentiated in the presence of 80 µM cholesterol for 21 days, the main airway cell type populations monitored using qRT-PCR and immunofluorescent stainings, and epithelial barrier integrity was analyzed v

SUBMITTER: Chakraborty A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12428349 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature