BRIEF RESEARCH REPORT article

Front. Cell Dev. Biol.

Sec. Molecular and Cellular Pathology

Volume 13 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fcell.2025.1566251

This article is part of the Research TopicCellular and Molecular Mechanisms of Lung Regeneration, Repair, and Fibrosis, Volume IIView all 4 articles

POU5F1 bridges Hedgehog signalling and epithelial remodelling in COPD

Provisionally accepted
Laure M G PetitLaure M G Petit1Randa BelgacemiRanda Belgacemi2Pauline MulettePauline Mulette3Audrey BrisebarreAudrey Brisebarre1Lynda SABER CHERIFLynda SABER CHERIF1Maëva A DevilliersMaëva A Devilliers1Sarah HatoumSarah Hatoum1Julien AncelJulien Ancel3Gonzague DelepineGonzague Delepine3ANNE DURLACHANNE DURLACH3Myriam POLETTEMyriam POLETTE1Gaetan DesleeGaetan Deslee3Jeanne-Marie PerotinJeanne-Marie Perotin3Valérian DormoyValérian Dormoy4*
  • 1Université de Reims Champagne-Ardenne, Reims, Champagne-Ardenne, France
  • 2Lundquist Institute for Biomedical Innovation, Torrance, California, United States
  • 3Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Reims, Reims, Champagne-Ardenne, France
  • 4Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale (INSERM), Paris, France

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Airway epithelium remodelling is a hallmark of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) pathogenesis. Hedgehog signalling is activated during airway epithelial repair to warrant proliferation and during cell differentiation to establish a fully functional epithelium with optimal mucociliary clearance. Consequently, it was found altered in COPD patients. Using transcriptomic analysis on air-liquid interface airway epithelial cells during differentiation upon Hedgehog pathway inhibition, we highlighted potential regulators of the COPDassociated epithelial remodelling. Furthermore, the alteration of POU5F1 (OCT3/4) was validated in COPD airway epithelial cells and lung tissues. Although further investigations are required, the findings uncovered essential clues tethering respiratory epithelial cell plasticity and Hedgehog signalling.

Keywords: Hedgehog, COPD, Airways, Epithelial Cells, Pou5f1

Received: 24 Jan 2025; Accepted: 28 May 2025.

Copyright: © 2025 Petit, Belgacemi, Mulette, Brisebarre, SABER CHERIF, Devilliers, Hatoum, Ancel, Delepine, DURLACH, POLETTE, Deslee, Perotin and Dormoy. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

* Correspondence: Valérian Dormoy, Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale (INSERM), Paris, France

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