Twist: A Regulator of Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition in Lung Fibrosis

摘要

BackgroundSeveral studies have implicated viral infection as an important factor in the pathogenesis of IPF and related fibrotic lung disorders. Viruses are thought to cause epithelial cell injury and promote epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT), a process whereby differentiated epithelial cells undergo transition to a mesenchymal phenotype, and considered a source of fibroblasts in the setting of lung injury. We have demonstrated an association between the epithelial injury caused by chronic herpes virus infection with the murine γ-herpes virus, MHV68, and lung fibrosis. We hypothesize that EMT in this model of virus-induced pulmonary fibrosis is driven by the expression of the transcription factor Twist.