NIH R01 · 2024
INTEGRATION OF MECHANICAL AND MOLECULAR CUES DURING DISTAL LUNG DEVELOPMENT
Project Summary The developing alveolus is lined by two epithelial cell types: thin alveolar type 1 (AT1) cells that provide the gas- exchange surface, and cuboidal AT2 cells that secrete pulmonary surfactant. During embryonic development both AT1 and AT2 cells derive from a distal progenitor pool. Alveolar epithelial differentiation is influenced by multiple molecular signals –– especially FGF–– and recent work suggests that another key driver in late gestation is mechanical stretch. Questions remain as to how these signals are regulated to precisely time alveolar differentiation (as both are present at and critical for earlier stages of lung development), and to what extent are they…
From the public funding record at NIH RePORTER. Describes the funded project, not the reviews below.