Epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) plays key roles during lung development and many lung diseases such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), lung cancer, and pulmonary fibrosis. Here, integrating morphological observations with underlying molecular mechanisms, we highlight the functional role of EMT in lung development and injury repair, and discuss how it can contribute to pathogenesis of chronic lung disease. We discuss the evidence of manifestation of EMT and its potential driving role in COPD, idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), bronchiolitis obliterans syndrome (BOS), and lung cancer, while noting that all cells need not display a full EMT in any of these contexts, i.e., often cells co-express epithelial and mesenchymal markers but do not fully convert to extracellular matrix (ECM) -producing fibroblasts. Finally, we discuss recent therapeutic attempts to restrict EMT in chronic lung disease.

Item Type:	Refereed Article
Keywords:	ICS, inflammation, chronic pulmonary obstructive disease (COPD), epithelial–mesenchymal transition (EMT), hybrid epithelial/mesenchymal, lung cancer, idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF)
Research Division:	Biomedical and Clinical Sciences
Research Group:	Cardiovascular medicine and haematology
Research Field:	Respiratory diseases
Objective Division:	Health
Objective Group:	Clinical health
Objective Field:	Clinical health not elsewhere classified
UTAS Author:	Eapen, MS (Dr Mathew Eapen)
UTAS Author:	Myers, S (Dr Stephen Myers)
UTAS Author:	Sohal, SS (Dr Sukhwinder Sohal)
ID Code:	120615
Year Published:	2018 (online first 2017)
Web of Science® Times Cited:	140
Deposited By:	Health Sciences
Deposited On:	2017-08-29
Last Modified:	2022-08-25
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