The Role of KCNMB1 and BK Channels in Myofibroblast Differentiation and Pulmonary Fibrosis.

ABSTRACT: The differentiation of fibroblasts into myofibroblasts is critical for the development of fibrotic disorders, including idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). Previously, we demonstrated that fibroblasts from patients with IPF exhibit changes in DNA methylation across the genome that contribute to a profibrotic phenotype. One of the top differentially methylated genes identified in our previous study was KCNMB1, which codes for the β subunit of the large-conductance potassium (BK, also known as MaxiK or K_Ca1.1) channel. Here, we examined how the expression of KCNMB1 differed between IPF fibroblasts and normal cells, and how BK channels affected myofibroblast differentiation. Fibroblasts from patients with IPF exhibited increased expression of KCNMB1, which cor

SUBMITTER: Scruggs AM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6993546 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature