Hic-5 drives epithelial mechanotransduction promoting a feed-forward cycle of bronchoconstriction.

ABSTRACT: Mechanical forces are essential for organ function, but excessive or dysregulated forces can promote pathologic conditions. In asthma, bronchoconstriction narrows the airway, compressing the airway epithelium and activating mechanotransduction, yet key regulators of mechanotransduction remain unclear. Here we show that Hic-5, a focal adhesion adaptor, is a key regulator of epithelial mechanotransduction. In human airway epithelial cells at air-liquid interface exposed to mechanical compression that mimics bronchoconstriction, we find that compression induces Hic-5 expression in airway basal cells. We further validated these in vitro findings by reanalyzing single-cell RNA-seq data from patients with asthma undergoing bronchoconstriction after allergen challenge, which revealed increased Hi

SUBMITTER: Mwase C 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12804887 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature