Statements in which the resource exists as a subject.
PredicateObject
rdf:type
lifeskim:mentions
pubmed:issue
3
pubmed:dateCreated
2007-3-7
pubmed:abstractText
Cigarette smoking is the strongest risk factor for emphysema. However, sensitivity to cigarette smoke-induced emphysema is highly variable, and numerous genetic and environmental factors are thought to mitigate lung response to injury. We report that the quantity of functional elastin in the lung is an important modifier of both lung development and response to injury. In mice with low levels of elastin, lung development is adversely affected, and mice manifest with congenital emphysema. Animals with intermediate elastin levels exhibit normal alveolar structure but develop worse emphysema than normal mice following cigarette smoke exposure. Mechanical testing demonstrates that lungs with low levels of elastin experience greater tissue strains for any given tissue stress compared with wild-type lungs, implying that force-mediated propagation of lung injury through alveolar wall failure may worsen the emphysema after an initial enzymatic insult. Our findings suggest that quantitative deficiencies in elastin predispose to smoke-induce emphysema in animal models and suggest that humans with altered levels of functional elastin could have relatively normal lung function while being more susceptible to smoke-induced lung injury.
pubmed:grant
pubmed:language
eng
pubmed:journal
pubmed:citationSubset
IM
pubmed:chemical
pubmed:status
MEDLINE
pubmed:month
Mar
pubmed:issn
1040-0605
pubmed:author
pubmed:issnType
Print
pubmed:volume
292
pubmed:owner
NLM
pubmed:authorsComplete
Y
pubmed:pagination
L778-87
pubmed:dateRevised
2007-12-3
pubmed:meshHeading
pubmed:year
2007
pubmed:articleTitle
Elastin protein levels are a vital modifier affecting normal lung development and susceptibility to emphysema.
pubmed:affiliation
Department of Internal Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, 660 S. Euclid, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA.
pubmed:publicationType
Journal Article, Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't, Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural