TY - JOUR
T1 - Abnormal re-epithelialization and lung remodeling in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis
T2 - The role of ΔN-p63
AU - Chilosi, Marco
AU - Poletti, Venerino
AU - Murer, Bruno
AU - Lestani, Maurizio
AU - Cancellieri, Alessandra
AU - Montagna, Licia
AU - Piccoli, Paola
AU - Cangi, Giulia
AU - Semenzato, Gianpietro
AU - Doglioni, Claudio
PY - 2002/10
Y1 - 2002/10
N2 - Products of the p63 gene, a recently described member of the p53 family, are constitutively expressed in the basal cells of human bronchi and bronchioli. The truncated isoforms of the p63 gene (ΔN-p63 proteins) counteract the apoptotic and cell cycle inhibitory functions of p53 after DNA damage, and this property is likely to be central in the cell renewal strategy of stratified epithelial tissues. To investigate the dysfunctional repair processes that characterize idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis/usual interstitial pneumonia (IPF/UIP), we immunohistochemically analyzed the expression of the transactivating and dominant-negative isoforms of the p63 gene on 16 tissue samples obtained from patients suffering from this disorder. In most IPF cases herein investigated, epithelial cells expressing ΔN-p63 were observed at sites of abnormal proliferation at the bronchiolo-alveolar junctions, characterized by epithelial hyperplasia, squamous metaplasia, bronchiolization, and abnormal p53 nuclear accumulation. Similar features were not observed in normal lung and in samples taken from other pulmonary diseases used as controls, including acute interstitial pneumonia, idiopathic bronchiolitis obliterans organizing pneumonia, nonspecific interstitial pneumonia, and desquamative interstitial pneumonia. On the basis of these findings, we can hypothesize a new model for UIP pathogenesis, involving a deregulated development of mesenchymal-epithelial interactions and abnormal proliferation of epithelial cells at the bronchiolo-alveolar junction after cell injury. In our view, the progressive loss of alveolar tissue and lung remodeling after injury in IPF/UIP is concomitantly produced by pneumocyte loss and alveolar collapse on one hand and by progressive bronchiolar proliferation and architectural distortion on the other.
AB - Products of the p63 gene, a recently described member of the p53 family, are constitutively expressed in the basal cells of human bronchi and bronchioli. The truncated isoforms of the p63 gene (ΔN-p63 proteins) counteract the apoptotic and cell cycle inhibitory functions of p53 after DNA damage, and this property is likely to be central in the cell renewal strategy of stratified epithelial tissues. To investigate the dysfunctional repair processes that characterize idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis/usual interstitial pneumonia (IPF/UIP), we immunohistochemically analyzed the expression of the transactivating and dominant-negative isoforms of the p63 gene on 16 tissue samples obtained from patients suffering from this disorder. In most IPF cases herein investigated, epithelial cells expressing ΔN-p63 were observed at sites of abnormal proliferation at the bronchiolo-alveolar junctions, characterized by epithelial hyperplasia, squamous metaplasia, bronchiolization, and abnormal p53 nuclear accumulation. Similar features were not observed in normal lung and in samples taken from other pulmonary diseases used as controls, including acute interstitial pneumonia, idiopathic bronchiolitis obliterans organizing pneumonia, nonspecific interstitial pneumonia, and desquamative interstitial pneumonia. On the basis of these findings, we can hypothesize a new model for UIP pathogenesis, involving a deregulated development of mesenchymal-epithelial interactions and abnormal proliferation of epithelial cells at the bronchiolo-alveolar junction after cell injury. In our view, the progressive loss of alveolar tissue and lung remodeling after injury in IPF/UIP is concomitantly produced by pneumocyte loss and alveolar collapse on one hand and by progressive bronchiolar proliferation and architectural distortion on the other.
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M3 - Article
C2 - 12379768
AN - SCOPUS:0036798845
VL - 82
SP - 1335
EP - 1345
JO - Laboratory Investigation
JF - Laboratory Investigation
SN - 0023-6837
IS - 10
ER -