Division of Pulmonary, Critical Care and Sleep Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA.
Division of Pulmonary, Critical Care, Allergy and Sleep Medicine, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, USA.
Adv Exp Med Biol. 2019;1122:41-58. doi: 10.1007/978-3-030-11093-2_3.
The lung has numerous roles, including gas exchange, immune surveillance, and barrier function. Being a highly vascularized organ, the lung receives dual blood supply from both the pulmonary and bronchial circulation. Therefore, pericytes likely play a prominent role in lung physiology given their localization in the perivascular niche. New genetic approaches have increased our understanding of the origin and the diverse functions of lung pericytes. Lung pericytes are myofibroblast progenitors, contributing to development of fibrosis in mouse models. Lung pericytes are also capable of responding to danger signals and amplify the inflammatory response through elaboration of cytokines and adhesion molecules. In this chapter, we describe the molecular, anatomical, and phenotypical characterization of lung pericytes. We further highlight their potential roles in the pathogenesis of lung diseases including pulmonary fibrosis, asthma, and pulmonary hypertension. Finally, current gaps in knowledge and areas of ongoing investigation in lung pericyte biology are also discussed.
肺具有多种功能，包括气体交换、免疫监视和屏障功能。作为一个高度血管化的器官，肺接受来自肺循环和支气管循环的双重血液供应。因此，周细胞可能在肺生理学中发挥重要作用，因为它们位于血管周围龛位。新的遗传方法增加了我们对肺周细胞起源和多种功能的理解。肺周细胞是肌成纤维细胞的前体，在小鼠模型中有助于纤维化的发展。肺周细胞还能够对危险信号做出反应，并通过细胞因子和粘附分子的表达来放大炎症反应。在本章中，我们描述了肺周细胞的分子、解剖和表型特征。我们进一步强调了它们在肺部疾病发病机制中的潜在作用，包括肺纤维化、哮喘和肺动脉高压。最后，还讨论了肺周细胞生物学中当前存在的知识空白和正在进行的研究领域。
