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Enhanced glycolysis-mediated energy production in alveolar stem cells is required for alveolar regeneration.

Zheng WangDongdong WeiEnnan BinJiao LiKewu JiangTingting LvXiaoxu MaoFengchao WangHuaping DaiNan Tang
Published in: Cell stem cell (2023)
Impaired differentiation of alveolar stem cells has been identified in a variety of acute and chronic lung diseases. In this study, we investigate the mechanisms that modulate alveolar regeneration and understand how aging impacts this process. We have discovered that the process of alveolar type II (AT2) cells differentiating into AT1 cells is an energetically costly process. During alveolar regeneration, activated AMPK-PFKFB2 signaling upregulates glycolysis, which is essential to support the intracellular energy expenditure that is required for cytoskeletal remodeling during AT2 cell differentiation. AT2 cells in aged lungs exhibit reduced AMPK-PFKFB2 signaling and ATP production, resulting in impaired alveolar regeneration. Activating AMPK-PFKFB2 signaling in aged AT2 cells can rescue defective alveolar regeneration in aged mice. Thus, beyond demonstrating that cellular energy metabolism orchestrates with stem cell differentiation during alveolar regeneration, our study suggests that modulating AMPK-PFKFB2 signaling promotes alveolar repair in aged lungs.
Keyphrases
  • stem cells
  • induced apoptosis
  • cell cycle arrest
  • signaling pathway
  • type diabetes
  • cell death
  • liver failure
  • magnetic resonance
  • hepatitis b virus
  • extracorporeal membrane oxygenation
  • high fat diet induced