An essential function for autocrine hedgehog signaling in epithelial proliferation and differentiation in the trachea.

ABSTRACT: The tracheal epithelium is a primary target for pulmonary diseases as it provides a conduit for air flow between the environment and the lung lobes. The cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying airway epithelial cell proliferation and differentiation remain poorly understood. Hedgehog (HH) signaling orchestrates communication between epithelial and mesenchymal cells in the lung, where it modulates stromal cell proliferation, differentiation and signaling back to the epithelium. Here, we reveal a previously unreported autocrine function of HH signaling in airway epithelial cells. Epithelial cell depletion of the ligand sonic hedgehog (SHH) or its effector smoothened (SMO) causes defects in both epithelial cell proliferation and differentiation. In cultured primary human airway epithelia

SUBMITTER: Yin W 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8918789 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature