58 Chapter 3 ABSTRACT Abnormal deposition of extracellular matrix (ECM) in lung tissue is a characteristic of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). Increased collagen deposition in lung ECM is accompanied by altered collagen organization. Collagen type XIV, a fibril-associated collagen, supports collagen fibril organization. Its status in IPF has not been described at the protein level yet. In this study, we utilized publicly available datasets for singlecell RNA-sequencing for characterizing collagen type XIV expression at the gene level. For protein level comparison, we applied immunohistochemical staining for collagen type XIV on lung tissue sections from IPF patients and compared it to lung tissue sections from never smoking and ex-smoking donors. Analyzing the relative amounts of collagen type XIV at the whole tissue level as well as in parenchyma, airway wall and bronchial epithelium, we found consistently lower proportions of collagen type XIV in all compartments across IPF samples. Our study suggests proportionally lower collagen type XIV in IPF lung tissues may have implications for the assembly of the ECM fibers which may contribute to progression of fibrosis.
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