Courtney JM, Spafford PL. The Role of Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition in Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease.
Cells Tissues Organs 2017;
203:99-104. [PMID:
28214877 DOI:
10.1159/000450919]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 09/19/2016] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a major cause of mortality worldwide, and there is currently no treatment that can halt the progression of the disease. Over the last decade there has been increasing interest in the idea that epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) may be active in COPD. Here we review the evidence for EMT in COPD as well as the current progress being made on understanding the drivers and mechanisms involved. Finally, we discuss the potential benefits that understanding EMT may bring to the field of chronic respiratory disease.
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