Institute of Medical Biology, A-STAR, Singapore.
Cell Cycle. 2012 Mar 1;11(5):887-94. doi: 10.4161/cc.11.5.19328.
Despite the massive toll in human suffering imparted by degenerative lung disease, including COPD, idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis and ARDS, the scientific community has been surprisingly agnostic regarding the potential of lung tissue, and in particular the alveoli, to regenerate. However, there is circumstantial evidence in humans and direct evidence in mice that ARDS triggers robust regeneration of lung tissue rather than irreversible fibrosis. The stem cells responsible for this remarkable regenerative process has garnered tremendous attention, most recently yielding a defined set of cloned human airway stem cells marked by p63 expression but with distinct commitment to differentiated cell types typical of the upper or lower airways, the latter of which include alveoli-like structures in vitro and in vivo. These recent advances in lung regeneration and distal airway stem cells and the potential of associated soluble factors in regeneration must be harnessed for therapeutic options in chronic lung disease.
尽管退行性肺部疾病（包括 COPD、特发性肺纤维化和 ARDS）给人类带来了巨大的痛苦，但科学界对肺部组织（特别是肺泡）的再生潜力一直持怀疑态度。然而，人类有间接证据，老鼠有直接证据表明 ARDS 会引发肺部组织的强烈再生，而不是不可逆转的纤维化。负责这一显著再生过程的干细胞引起了极大的关注，最近的研究结果表明，一组明确的克隆人呼吸道干细胞通过 p63 表达标记，但对分化细胞类型有明显的定向，这些细胞类型与上呼吸道或下呼吸道典型的细胞类型一致，后者包括体外和体内的肺泡样结构。这些肺部再生和远端气道干细胞的最新进展以及相关可溶性因子在再生中的潜力，必须被用于慢性肺部疾病的治疗选择。
