Project description:Contractile and highly synthetic myofibroblasts are the key effector cells involved in excessive extracellular matrix (ECM) deposition in multiple fibrotic conditions, including idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). In order to define the key drivers of the fibrotic response, we used laser capture microdissection to isolate RNA from myofibroblasts within fibroblastic foci and performed microarray analysis in combination with a novel eigengene approach to identify functional clusters of genes which associate with collagen gene expression.
Project description:TLR5 is a pathogen recognition receptor against flagellin that is expressed in various epithelial and immune cells. Mice pretreated with TLR5-agonist are protected against bleomycin-induced pulmonary fibrosis. However, the mechanisms by which TLR5-agonism protects against pulmonary fibrosis remains to be determined. Here, we found innate host defense gene sets to be selectively elevated in sorted type 2 alveolar epithelial.
