Haruko Watanabe-Takano, Katsuhiro Kato, Eri Oguri-Nakamura, Tomohiro Ishii, Koji Kobayashi, Takahisa Murata, Koichiro Tsujikawa, Takaki Miyata, Yoshiaki Kubota, Yasuyuki Hanada, Koichi Nishiyama, Tetsuro Watabe, Reinhard Fässler, Hirotaka Ishii, Naoki Mochizuki, Shigetomo Fukuhara
Alveologenesis is a spatially coordinated morphogenetic event, during which alveolar myofibroblasts surround the terminal sacs constructed by epithelial cells and endothelial cells (ECs), then contract to form secondary septa to generate alveoli in the lungs. Recent studies have demonstrated the important role of alveolar ECs in this morphogenetic event. However, the mechanisms underlying EC-mediated alveologenesis remain unknown. Herein, we show that ECs regulate alveologenesis by constructing basement membranes (BMs) acting as a scaffold for myofibroblasts to induce septa formation through activating mechanical signaling...
March 4, 2024: Nature Communications