Telomere shortening activates TGF-β/Smads signaling in lungs and enhances both lipopolysaccharide and bleomycin-induced pulmonary fibrosis.

ABSTRACT: Telomere shortening is associated with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), a high-morbidity and high-mortality lung disease of unknown etiology. However, the underlying mechanisms remain largely unclear. In this study, wild-type (WT) mice with normal telomeres and generation 3 (G3) or G2 telomerase RNA component (TERC) knockout Terc^-/- mice with short telomeres were treated with and without lipopolysaccharide (LPS) or bleomycin by intratracheal injection. We show that under LPS induction, G3 Terc^-/- mice develop aggravated pulmonary fibrosis as indicated by significantly increased α-SMA, collagen I and hydroxyproline content. Interestingly, TGF-β/Smads signaling is markedly activated in the lungs of G3 Terc^-/- mice, as indi

SUBMITTER: Liu YY 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6289325 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature