NF-κB drives epithelial-mesenchymal mechanisms of lung fibrosis in a translational lung cell model.

ABSTRACT: In the progression phase of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), the normal alveolar structure of the lung is lost and replaced by remodeled fibrotic tissue and by bronchiolized cystic airspaces. Although these are characteristic features of IPF, knowledge of specific interactions between these pathological processes is limited. Here, the interaction of lung epithelial and lung mesenchymal cells was investigated in a coculture model of human primary airway epithelial cells (EC) and lung fibroblasts (FB). Single-cell RNA sequencing revealed that the starting EC population was heterogenous and enriched for cells with a basal cell signature. Furthermore, fractions of the initial EC and FB populations adopted distinct pro-fibrotic cell differentiation states upon cocultivation, resembling spec

SUBMITTER: Sieber P 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9977429 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature