Nat Cell Biol: New paths help repair lung tissue.

Oct 1, 2020 /--- Researchers at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) and the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania recently discovered a cellular pathway that can be targeted by natural drugs to stimulate lung tissue regeneration, which is important for recovery from multiple lung injuries.
findings, published in the journal Nature Cell Biology, could provide better treatments for patients with lung disease, including acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) caused by COVID-19.
"Using techniques including genome-wide and single-cell analysis, we have identified specific cellular pathways involved in lung tissue regeneration and have identified drugs that target that pathway," said senior author G. Dr. Scott Worthen said.
findings provide a basis for finding precise targets and help develop therapeutic interventions for lung diseases caused by COVID-19 and other diseases.
(Photo: www.pixabay.com) Diseases such as pneumonia, influenza and ARDS (one of the known complications of COVID-19) can damage the inner layer of the alba bubble, preventing oxygen from entering the bloodstream from the lungs and causing critical illness.
, no drugs have been developed specifically for ARDS in patients with COVID-19.
to understand which genetic targets and pathways are involved in the regeneration of the skin tissue is critical to the development of effective therapies for ARDS and similar diseases.
previous studies have shown that type II follicle pulmonary cells (AT2) are important cells involved in lung repair through self-renewal and differentiation into type I follicle pulmonary cells (AT1), which promote gas exchange between the lung sac and nearby capillaries.
However, prior to this study, it was not clear what changes had taken place in gene accessability in AT2 cells after disease-related injuries to facilitate repair, and how regenerative AT2 cells affect interactions with nearby interstity-charged cells, which is also important in tissue repair.
whole genome analysis, the team assessed changes in AT2 after lung damage, which opens chromosomes in cells and allows specific genes to be used in cellular mechanisms.
then, the researchers performed a single-cell analysis of AT2 cells and interstate cells to better understand how the two cells interacted during the damage and which cell signaling path path paths were involved.
, the authors found that one of the transcription factors, called STAT3, increased the expression of brain-based neurotrophic factors (BDNFs), thereby promoting the regeneration of lung tissue.
Further, the researchers identified a naturally occurring compound, 7,8-dehydroflavone (7,8-DHF), that stimulates and accelerates lung tissue repair in a variety of mouse lung injury models by targeting specific subjects in the pathway.
(Bioon.com) Source: Researchers identify 'druggable' signaling pathway that the source: STAT3-BDNF-TrkB signalling promotes alveolar epithel regeneration after lunging, Nature Cell Biology (2020). DOI: 10.1038/s41556-020-0569-x , original link: