# Molecular mechanisms of alveolar development and regeneration

> **NIH NIH R01** · UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SAN FRANCISCO · 2021 · $516,800

## Abstract

Project Summary/Abstract
This application aims to elucidate the molecular mechanisms of alveolar formation during development and in
response to lung injury. We anticipate that our study will provide new insight into the pathogenesis of human
lung diseases caused by the failure of alveolar development or regeneration, notably bronchopulmonary
dysplasia (BPD) and chronic obstructive lung disease (COPD), respectively. In preliminary studies, we have
discovered a critical role of planar cell polarity (PCP) in controlling alveolar formation. In this proposal, we aim
to test how PCP signaling mediates cell-cell interactions between alveolar cells and mesenchymal
myofibroblasts, leading to PDGF signaling, cell shape changes and alveolar formation. Our specific aims are:
(1) To test the hypothesis that Vangl2-mediated planar cell polarity is required for PDGF signaling and cell
shape changes during alveolar formation in development; (2) To test the hypothesis that a Wnt5a-Vangl2 axis
controls alveolar formation; and (3) To molecularly characterize realveolarization following lung injury in adults.
Taken together, these studies will increase our mechanistic understanding of alveolar formation during
development and following lung injury and facilitate future diagnosis and treatment of lung diseases caused
by loss of alveoli.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10201731
- **Project number:** 5R01HL142876-04
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SAN FRANCISCO
- **Principal Investigator:** PAO-TIEN CHUANG
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $516,800
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2018-07-01 → 2022-06-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10201731

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10201731, Molecular mechanisms of alveolar development and regeneration (5R01HL142876-04). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-22 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10201731. Licensed CC0.

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