Year: 2009
Type: article
Abstract: Pulmonary hypertension is a life-threatening disease characterized by progressive vascular dysfunction and remodeling.Pulmonary hypertension can be a primary disorder, or it can be secondary to an underlying condition.There is currently no cure for pulmonary hypertension and available therapies remain essentially supportive (52).The hallmark of pulmonary hypertension is vascular remodeling, which has recently been postulated to represent a type of malignant transformation (54).Epidermal growth factor receptor tyrosine kinase (EGFR) is critical for promoting growth, survival, and differentiation of many types of cells.EGFR is activated by phosphorylation, which initiates signal transduction cascades leading to a variety of cellular responses including proliferation.EGFR tyrosine kinase has been recognized as a potential therapeutic target to prevent tumor cell proliferation in various types of cancer associated with local hypoxia.Pulmonary hypertension is seen in lung diseases characterized by hypoxia such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and interstitial lung disease (ILD).We hypothesized that hypoxia causes EGFR activation leading to greater arginase expression and thereby to greater cellular proliferation in human pulmonary microvascular endothelial cells (hPMVEC).Arginase metabolizes L-arginine to urea and L-ornithine (L-orn).The L-orn produced by arginase can be further metabolized by ornithine decarboxylase and/or through his mentorship and it has made me a better scientist.He has truly been a blessing to me at all times.I would also like to thank my mum for encouraging me to pursue my dreams.To my partner, Ayo, for time spent cheering me on to complete my dissertation and whose advice is always solid.God bless you all and indeed he makes all things perfect in his time.Thanks to my dissertation committee members for their support in countless ways throughout these years.Last but certainly not least, to the IBGP for providing a strong foundation on which I am well prepared to join the medical scientific community in the quest for solutions to complex diseases.vi
Author: Inimary T. Toby
Institution: The Ohio State University
Language: English
Subfield: Pulmonary and Respiratory Medicine
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W2530617729