title: Glucocorticoid activity during lung maturation is essential in mesenchymal and less in alveolar epithelial cells.
abstract: Corticosteroid treatment is an established therapy for preterm infants, and germline inactivation of the glucocorticoid receptor (GR) gene in the mouse leads to respiratory failure and postnatal lethality. Although glucocorticoids have been thought to critically act in epithelial cells inducing the functional maturation of the lung, inactivation of the GR gene exclusively in the epithelium of the developing murine lung did not impair survival. In contrast, mice lacking GR specifically in mesenchyme-derived cells displayed a phenotype strongly reminiscent of GR knockout animals and died immediately after birth. Detailed analysis of gene expression allows the conclusion that GR acts in cells of the fibroblast lineage controlling their proliferation rate and the composition of the extracellular matrix.
authors.affiliation: Division Molecular Biology of the Cell I, German Cancer Research Center, Heidelberg, Germany.
authors.forename: Daniel
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Habermehl
authors.forename: Jan Rodriguez
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Parkitna
authors.forename: Sylvia
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kaden
authors.forename: Britta
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Brügger
authors.forename: Felix
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Wieland
authors.forename: Hermann-Josef
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Gröne
authors.forename: Günther
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Schütz
mesh_terms: D056809:Alveolar Epithelial Cells / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology / Q000648:ultrastructure; D000818:Animals; D049109:Cell Proliferation; D005347:Fibroblasts / Q000378:metabolism; D020869:Gene Expression Profiling; D018507:Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental; D005938:Glucocorticoids / Q000378:metabolism*; D008168:Lung / Q000196:embryology* / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D008648:Mesoderm / Q000196:embryology / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology / Q000648:ultrastructure; D051379:Mice; D009024:Morphogenesis; D009928:Organ Specificity / Q000235:genetics; D010641:Phenotype; D011965:Receptors, Glucocorticoid / Q000172:deficiency / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D005938:Glucocorticoids; D011965:Receptors, Glucocorticoid