Nettesheim P, Koo J S, Gray T
Laboratory of Pulmonary Pathobiology, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, Research Triangle Park, North Carolina 27709, USA.
J Aerosol Med. 2000 Fall;13(3):207-18. doi: 10.1089/jam.2000.13.207.
The study of differentiation has been the domain of embryologists and developmental biologists and, in the pulmonary field, the concern of neonatologists. Why should those of us who are neither be interested in differentiation of the epithelium lining the conducting airways? The reason is that injury to the airway epithelium and disruption of its steady state and its normal differentiation are common occurrences in both acute episodes of infection and during chronic diseases such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and asthma. Thus, it is important to know how injury is repaired and which are the critical mechanisms that control and regulate differentiation.
分化的研究一直是胚胎学家和发育生物学家的领域，在肺部领域，则是新生儿科医生关注的问题。为什么我们这些非相关领域的人会对传导气道内衬上皮的分化感兴趣呢？原因在于，气道上皮损伤及其稳态和正常分化的破坏，在急性感染发作以及慢性疾病（如慢性阻塞性肺疾病和哮喘）过程中都很常见。因此，了解损伤如何修复以及哪些是控制和调节分化的关键机制非常重要。
