Gan Zhao, Lulu Xue, Aaron I Weiner, Ningqiang Gong, Stephanie Adams-Tzivelekidis, Joanna Wong, Maria E Gentile, Ana N Nottingham, Maria C Basil, Susan M Lin, Terren K Niethamer, Joshua M Diamond, Christian A Bermudez, Edward Cantu, Xuexiang Han, Yaqi Cao, Mohamad-Gabriel Alameh, Drew Weissman, Edward E Morrisey, Michael J Mitchell, Andrew E Vaughan
Disruption of pulmonary vascular homeostasis is a central feature of viral pneumonia, wherein endothelial cell (EC) death and subsequent angiogenic responses are critical determinants of the outcome of severe lung injury. A more granular understanding of the fundamental mechanisms driving reconstitution of lung endothelium is necessary to facilitate therapeutic vascular repair. Here, we demonstrated that TGF-β signaling through TGF-βR2 (transforming growth factor-β receptor 2) is activated in pulmonary ECs upon influenza infection, and mice deficient in endothelial Tgfbr2 exhibited prolonged injury and diminished vascular repair...
January 31, 2024: Science Translational Medicine