Role of epithelial mesenchymal transition (EMT) in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)

Respiratory Research

Eugene Haydn Walters¹  Sukhwinder Singh Sohal² 

[1] NHMRC Centre for Research Excellence in Chronic Respiratory Disease, School of Medicine, University of Tasmania, MS1, 17 Liverpool Street, Private Bag 23, Hobart, Tasmania 7000, Australia;NHMRC Centre of Research Excellence for Chronic Respiratory Disease, School of Medicine, University of Tasmania, Hobart 7000, Australia

关键词: Vimentin;    Lung cancer;    COPD;    Large airways;    Small airways;    Epithelial mesenchymal transition;   

Others  :  792392
DOI  :  10.1186/1465-9921-14-120

 received in 2013-10-16, accepted in 2013-11-05,  发布年份 2013

【 摘 要 】

Small airway fibrosis is the main contributor to physiological airway dysfunction in COPD. One potential mechanism contributing to small airway fibrosis is epithelial mesenchymal transition (EMT). When associated with angiogenesis (so called EMT-Type-3) it may well also be the link with the development of cancer, which is closely associated with COPD and predominantly in large airways. In a recent study published in Respiratory Research, Qin Wang and colleagues investigated the role of urokinase plasminogen activator receptor (uPAR) in EMT in small airway epithelium of COPD patients. However, there are some issues with the paper which we wish to comment on.

【 授权许可】

   
2013 Sohal and Walters; licensee BioMed Central Ltd.

【 图 表 】

Figure 1.

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