Wnt signaling regulates trans-differentiation of stem cell like type 2 alveolar epithelial cells to type 1 epithelial cells

• DOI: 10.1186/s12931-019-1176-x
• Publication Date: 2019-09-06T13:05:24Z
• Authors: Elhusseiny Mohame...; Judit Rapp; Diana Feller; Veronika Csongei; Szilard Pal; Domokos Bartis; David R. Thickett; Judit Erzsebet Po...
• Keywords: 0301 basic medicine; Transdifferentiation; RC705-779; Research; Stem Cells; Cell Differentiation; Alveolar epithelial cell; Wnt signaling; Pulmonary Alveoli; Wnt Proteins; Diseases of the respiratory system; 03 medical and health sciences; Alveolar Epithelial Cells; Humans; Wnt Signaling Pathway; Cells, Cultured

Type 2 alveolar epithelial cells (AT2s) behave as stem and show clonal proliferation upon injury followed by trans-differentiation (TD) into 1 (AT1s). In the present study we identified signaling pathways involved in physiological AT2-to-AT1 TD process. AT2 can be isolated from human lungs cultured vitro where they undergo AT1s. process using Affymetrix microarray, qRT-PCR, fluorescence microscopy, an lung aggregate culture. microarray revealed Wnt to play a crucial role Wnt7a was ligand regulating AT1 marker, Aquaporin 5 (AQP5). Artificial Neural Network (ANN) analysis of data exposed ITGAV: Integrin alpha V (ITGAV), thrombospondin (THBS1) membrane protein (EMP2) targets. targets that serve potential repair future therapies gas exchange surface after injury. As ITGAV is significantly increases during regulated signaling, might target speed up healing