Polymeric Immunoglobulin Receptor Down-regulation in Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease. Persistence in the Cultured Epithelium and Role of Transforming Growth Factor-β

Abstract

pIgR down-regulation in COPD correlates with disease severity, and the bronchial epithelium reconstituted in vitro from these patients retains its aberrant imprinting for pIgR expression. This study also links pIgR down-regulation to TGF-β-driven reprogramming of the bronchial epithelium, which results in impaired lung IgA immunity in patients with COPD.