Beta-1 integrin, a critical component of epithelial extracellular matrix receptors, is essential for normal lung function in adulthood, researchers at Vanderbilt University Medical Center have discovered. In a mouse model, deleting the gene for beta-1 integrin from the epithelial cells lining the alveoli of the adult lung, where the exchange of oxygen and carbon dioxide takes place, results in accelerated inflammation and severe emphysema resembling chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in humans, the researchers reported.
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