Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42704712›Full record

ArticleCell reports2026

Apoptosis inhibition reprograms alveolar myofibroblasts toward ductal myofibroblasts.

Maria Jose Gacha-Garay, Hui Liu, Scott E Evans, Tingting W Mills, Jichao Chen

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Cell reports, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

5 authors.

Maria Jose Gacha-GarayDepartment of Pulmonary Medicine, the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX 77030, USA; Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, TX 77030, USA; The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center UTHealth Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Houston, TX 77030, USA.
Hui LiuDepartment of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, TX 77030, USA.
Scott E EvansDepartment of Pulmonary Medicine, the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX 77030, USA.
Tingting W MillsDepartment of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, TX 77030, USA. Electronic address: tingting.weng@uth.tmc.edu.
Jichao ChenDepartment of Pulmonary Medicine, the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX 77030, USA; Department of Pediatrics, Perinatal Institute Division of Pulmonary Biology, University of Cincinnati and Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH 45229, USA. Electronic address: jichao.chen@cchmc.org.

Funding

Role of AT1 cells in perinatal lung maturationR01HL130129 · NHLBI · UNIVERSITY OF TX MD ANDERSON CAN CTR · PI CHEN, JICHAO · 2016 to 2023
$4.1M
Transcriptional and epigenetic mechanisms of alveologenesis and re-alveologenesisR35HL171346 · NHLBI · CINCINNATI CHILDRENS HOSP MED CTR · PI Jichao Chen · 2024 to 2026
$3.3M
Transcriptional and epigenetic basis of lung epithelial cell fateR01HL153511 · NHLBI · UNIVERSITY OF TX MD ANDERSON CAN CTR · PI CHEN, JICHAO · 2020 to 2023
$2.5M
CFlm25 mediated alternative polyadenylation regulates fibrosis in systemic sclerosisR01AR073284 · NIAMS · UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS HLTH SCI CTR HOUSTON · PI ASSASSI, SHERVIN, MILLS, TINGTING WENG · 2019 to 2023
$1.7M
NHLBI NIH HHS R01 HL130129NHLBI NIH HHS R01 HL153511NHLBI NIH HHS R35 HL171346NIAMS NIH HHS R01 AR073284
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

The epithelial tree of the lung is shaped proximo-distally by airway smooth muscle cells (ASMCs), ductal myofibroblasts (DMFs), and, transiently, alveolar myofibroblasts (AMFs). Lineage tracing and snapshot imaging suggest the clearance of AMFs via apoptosis post-alveologenesis, although definitive evidence is lacking. Here, we generate an inducible BCL2 overexpression mouse allele to inhibit AMF apoptosis. Using three independent Cre drivers and single-cell RNA sequencing, we show that BCL2-rescued AMFs persist around distal alveolar ducts and alveoli and, unexpectedly, mature toward DMFs. Both normal DMFs and rescued DMF-like cells upregulate contractile proteins in a house dust mite-induced asthma model. Our findings demonstrate apoptosis as the chief mechanism of AMF clearance, as well as fate plasticity and pathophysiological convergence of lung mesenchymal cells of the epithelial axis.

Indexed as

ApoptosisCellular ReprogrammingMyofibroblastsPulmonary AlveoliAnimalsLungMiceProto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2alveolar myofibroblastalveologenesisapoptosiscell fate plasticity and reprogrammingCP: developmental biologylung development

Identifiers

PMID42704712
PMCPMC13652110

What OpenQuestion holds

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.