Hyun-Taek Kim, Paolo Panza, Khrievono Kikhi, Yuko Nakamichi, Ann Atzberger, Stefan Guenther, Clemens Ruppert, Andreas Guenther, Didier Y R Stainier
A number of inflammatory lung diseases, including chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, and pneumonia, are modulated by WNT/β-catenin signaling. However, the underlying molecular mechanisms remain unclear. Here, starting with a forward genetic screen in mouse, we identify the WNT coreceptor Related to receptor tyrosine kinase (RYK) acting in mesenchymal tissues as a cell survival and antiinflammatory modulator. Ryk mutant mice exhibit lung hypoplasia and inflammation as well as alveolar simplification due to defective secondary septation, and deletion of Ryk specifically in mesenchymal cells also leads to these phenotypes...
June 14, 2022: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America