Open AccessNeuregulin‐ErbB4 signaling in the developing lung alveolus: a brief review
Author(s) -
Fiaturi Najla,
Castellot John J.,
Nielsen Heber C.
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
journal of cell communication and signaling
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.329
H-Index - 44
eISSN - 1873-961X
pISSN - 1873-9601
DOI - 10.1007/s12079-014-0233-y
Subject(s) - lung , pulmonary surfactant , erbb4 , respiratory distress , neuregulin 1 , neuregulin , medicine , receptor , alveolar cells , pathology , immunology , bioinformatics , biology , surgery , biochemistry , receptor tyrosine kinase
Lung immaturity is the major cause of morbidity and mortality in premature infants, especially those born <28 weeks gestation. Proper lung development from 23–28 weeks requires coordinated cell proliferation and differentiation. Infants born at this age are at high risk for respiratory distress syndrome (RDS), a lung disease characterized by insufficient surfactant production due to immaturity of the alveoli and its constituent cells in the lung. The ErbB4 receptor and its stimulation by neuregulin (NRG) plays a critical role in surfactant synthesis by alveolar type II epithelial cells. In this review, we first provide an introduction to normal human alveolar development, followed by a discussion of the neuregulin and ErbB4‐mediated mechanisms regulating alveolar development and surfactant production.