Strandjord T P, Clark J G, Guralnick D E, Madtes D K
Department of Pediatrics, University of Washington, Seattle 98195, USA.
Pediatr Res. 1995 Dec;38(6):851-6. doi: 10.1203/00006450-199512000-00005.
The family of growth factors that includes epidermal growth factor (EGF) and transforming growth factor-alpha (TGF-alpha) are thought to play a role in the regulation of fetal lung development and epithelial repair after injury. To further elucidate the potential role of these growth factors and their receptor in normal human lung development and in response to injury, their distribution was determined by immunohistochemistry in normal fetal lung, as well as both normal and injured postnatal human lung. We studied 14 specimens of human lung tissue: from three fetuses, four normal infants, two preterm infants with hyaline membrane disease, and five infants with late bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD). EGF, TGF-alpha, and EGF receptor (EGF-R) colocalized in airway epithelium in normal fetal and in postnatal human lung. They were also colocalized in scattered alveolar epithelial cells in postnatal lung. Large numbers of alveolar macrophages immunostained for EGF, TGF-alpha, and EGF-R in lungs with late stages of BPD. The colocalization of these growth factors suggests parallel expression of EGF family members. Moreover, the colocalization of these growth factors with their receptor in developing lung suggests that they may act through an autocrine mechanism. The prominent expression of these growth factors in alveolar macrophages in BPD suggests they may be involved with the pathogenesis of this disease.
包括表皮生长因子（EGF）和转化生长因子-α（TGF-α）在内的生长因子家族，被认为在胎儿肺发育的调节以及损伤后的上皮修复中发挥作用。为了进一步阐明这些生长因子及其受体在正常人类肺发育以及对损伤反应中的潜在作用，通过免疫组织化学方法确定了它们在正常胎儿肺以及正常和损伤的产后人类肺中的分布。我们研究了14份人类肺组织标本：来自3例胎儿、4例正常婴儿、2例患有透明膜病的早产儿以及5例患有晚期支气管肺发育不良（BPD）的婴儿。EGF、TGF-α和EGF受体（EGF-R）在正常胎儿肺和产后人类肺的气道上皮中共定位。它们也在产后肺中散在的肺泡上皮细胞中共定位。在BPD晚期的肺中，大量肺泡巨噬细胞对EGF、TGF-α和EGF-R呈免疫染色阳性。这些生长因子的共定位提示EGF家族成员的平行表达。此外，这些生长因子与其受体在发育中的肺中的共定位表明它们可能通过自分泌机制发挥作用。这些生长因子在BPD肺泡巨噬细胞中的显著表达提示它们可能与该疾病的发病机制有关。
