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Reduced Bik expression drives low-grade airway inflammation and increased risk for COPD in females
Irina Petrache, David W.H. Riches
Irina Petrache, David W.H. Riches
Published February 15, 2024
Citation Information: J Clin Invest. 2024;134(4):e177753. https://doi.org/10.1172/JCI177753.
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Commentary Article has an altmetric score of 2

Reduced Bik expression drives low-grade airway inflammation and increased risk for COPD in females

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Abstract

Chronic low-grade inflammation is increasingly recognized as a subtle yet potent risk factor for a multitude of age-related disorders, including respiratory diseases, cardiovascular conditions, metabolic syndromes, autoimmunity, and cancer. In this issue of the JCI, Mebratu, Jones, and colleagues shed new light on the mechanisms that promote low-grade airway inflammation and how this contributes to the development of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Their finding that Bik deficiency leads to spontaneous emphysema in female mice, but not in males, marks a notable advancement in our understanding of how inflammatory processes can diverge based on biological sex. This finding is of clinical relevance, given the vulnerability of women to developing COPD.

Authors

Irina Petrache, David W.H. Riches

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Figure 1

Reduced Bik expression in airway epithelial cells preferentially promotes COPD development in females.

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Reduced Bik expression in airway epithelial cells preferentially promote...
(A) A reduction in Bik expression in airway epithelial cells promotes chronic low-grade lung inflammation, leading to emphysema in female mice. Cigarette smoke has been shown to reduce Bik expression in airway epithelial cells. (B) Mechanistic pathway leading to increased proinflammatory gene expression in the context of reduced Bik expression involves the impaired recruitment of nuclear proteasomes, leading to increased nuclear p65 levels and NF-κB activation.

Copyright © 2025 American Society for Clinical Investigation
ISSN: 0021-9738 (print), 1558-8238 (online)

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