Airway epithelial regulation of pulmonary immune homeostasis and inflammation

TS Hallstrand, TL Hackett, WA Altemeier… - Clinical …, 2014 - Elsevier
Recent genetic, structural and functional studies have identified the airway and lung
epithelium as a key orchestrator of the immune response. Further, there is now strong
evidence that epithelium dysfunction is involved in the development of inflammatory
disorders of the lung. Here we review the characteristic immune responses that are
orchestrated by the epithelium in response to diverse triggers such as pollutants, cigarette
smoke, bacterial peptides, and viruses. We focus in part on the role of epithelium-derived …