Cell plasticity in lung injury and repair: Report from an NHLBI Workshop, April 19-20, 2010

Zea Borok, Jeffrey A. Whitsett, Peter B. Bitterman, Victor J. Thannickal, Darrell N. Kotton, Susan D. Reynolds, Mark A. Krasnow, Diana W. Bianchi, Edward E. Morrisey, Brigid L. Hogan, Jonathan M. Kurie, David C. Walker, Derek C. Radisky, Steve L. Nishimura, Shelia M. Violette, Paul W. Noble, Steve D. Shapiro, Carol J. Blaisdell, Harold A. Chapman, James KileyDorothy Gail, Deborah Hoshizaki

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

28 Scopus citations

Abstract

In April 2010, a NIH workshop was convened to discuss the current state of understanding of lung cell plasticity, including the responses of epithelial cells to injury, with the objectives of summarizing what is known, what the field needs to know, and how to get there. The proximal stimulus for this workshop is the body of recent evidence suggesting that plasticity is a prominent but incompletely characterized property of lung epithelial cells, and that a focus on understanding this aspect of epithelial cell biology in particular,maybe an important window into disease pathobiology and pathogenesis. In addition to their many vital functions in maintaining tissue homeostasis, epithelial cells have emerged as both a central target of disease initiation andan active contributor todisease progression, making a workshop to investigate the role of cell plasticity in lung injury and repair timely. The workshop was organized around four major themes: lung epithelial cell plasticity, signaling control of plasticity, fibroblast plasticity and crosstalk, and translation to human disease. Although this breakdown was recognized to be somewhat artificial, it was felt that this approach would promote cross-fertilization among groups that ordinarily do not communicate and lend itself to the generation of new approaches. The summary reports of individual group discussions below are followed by consensus priorities and recommendations of the workshop participants.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)215-222
Number of pages8
JournalProceedings of the American Thoracic Society
Volume8
Issue number3
DOIs
StatePublished - Jun 1 2011

Keywords

  • Cell lineage
  • Epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT)
  • Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Pulmonary and Respiratory Medicine

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