Lung Fibroblasts Share Mesenchymal Stem Cell Features Which Are Altered in Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease via the Overactivation of the Hedgehog Signaling Pathway

• DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0121579
• Publication Date: 2015-03-29T02:31:38Z
• Authors: Florence Figeac; Maylis Dagouassat; Meriem Mahrouf-Yo...; Sabine Le Gouvello; Céline Trébeau; Angeliqua Sayed; Jean-Baptiste Stern; Pierre Validire; Jean-Luc Dubois-R...; Jorge Boczkowski; Isabelle Mus-Veteau; Anne-Marie Rodriguez
• Keywords: Adult; Male; 0301 basic medicine; Lung Neoplasms; Science; Pulmonary Disease, Chronic Obstructive; 03 medical and health sciences; Humans; Hedgehog Proteins; Lung; Cells, Cultured; Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Q; Smoking; R; Cell Differentiation; Mesenchymal Stem Cells; Fibroblasts; Middle Aged; 3. Good health; Medicine; Female; Research Article; Signal Transduction

Background Alteration of functional regenerative properties parenchymal lung fibroblasts is widely proposed as a pathogenic mechanism for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). However, what these functions are and how they impaired in COPD remain poorly understood. Apart from the role producing extracellular matrix, recent studies organs different suggest that such cells might contribute to repair processes by acting like mesenchymal stem cells. In addition, several reports sustain Hedgehog pathway altered patients thus aggravating disease. Nevertheless, whether this dysregulated remains unknown. Objectives Methods We investigated cell features expression components human isolated histologically-normal tissue 25 patients—8 non-smokers/non-COPD, 8 smokers-non 9 smokers with COPD—who were undergoing surgery tumor resection. Results found resemble terms surface marker expression, differentiation ability immunosuppressive potential even more patients. Furthermore, we showed some phenotypic changes can be explained an over activation signaling smoker fibroblasts. Conclusions Our study reveals possess cell-features which via contribution abnormal signaling. These should constitute novel pathomechanism accounting occurrence progression.