FASEB journal : official publication of the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology
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Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a fatal lung disease with limited therapeutic options and unknown etiology. IPF is characterized by epithelial cell injury, impaired cellular crosstalk between epithelial cells and fibroblasts, and the formation of fibroblast foci with increased extracellular matrix deposition (ECM). We investigated the role of runt-related transcription factor 2 (RUNX2), a master regulator of bone development that has been linked to profibrotic signaling. ⋯ This study reveals that RUNX2 is differentially expressed in ATII cells vs. fibroblasts in lung fibrosis, which contributes to profibrotic cell function. Cell-specific targeting of RUNX2 pathways may represent a therapeutic approach for IPF.-Mümmler, C., Burgy, O., Hermann, S., Mutze, K., Günther, A., Königshoff, M. Cell-specific expression of runt-related transcription factor 2 contributes to pulmonary fibrosis.