ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Public Health
Sec. Radiation and Health
Volume 13 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2025.1582860
This article is part of the Research TopicAdvances in Radiation Research and Applications: Biology, Environment and MedicineView all 8 articles
TRAF2 regulates the progression of pulmonary fibrosis through βcatenin-snail signaling pathway
Provisionally accepted
Zhijie WanJingwen GuWanli Duan
Chen YuanyuanShuya SongJingyu LuoXide Zhang
Yanyong Yang*Fu Gao*
Ying Xu*- Second Military Medical University, Shanghai, China
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Pulmonary fibrosis (PF) is a devastating lung disease characterised by excessive extracellular matrix deposition and impaired pulmonary function, with limited therapeutic options. The pathogenesis of PF involves a complex network of molecular events, including epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT), activation of fibroblasts, and dysregulated tissue remodeling. Recent studies have identified TRAF2 (TNF receptor-associated factor 2) as a potential modulator of fibrosis, while its precise mechanism remains unclear. We demonstrate that TRAF2 translocates to the nucleus after fibrosis induction and is positively correlated with disease severity. TRAF2 knockdown significantly reduced collagen deposition and myofibroblast activation, thereby alleviating fibrosis. Furthermore, we investigate the molecular mechanisms by which TRAF2 regulates pulmonary fibrosis, specifically its interaction with β-catenin and Snail, which promotes β-catenin-mediated transcriptional activation and facilitates EMT. These findings offer novel insights into the role of TRAF2 in pulmonary fibrosis, suggesting that TRAF2 may provide a promising therapeutic strategy for this debilitating disease.
Keywords: TRAF2, Pulmonary Fibrosis, EMT, β-catenin, Snail
Received: 25 Feb 2025; Accepted: 23 Apr 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Wan, Gu, Duan, Yuanyuan, Song, Luo, Zhang, Yang, Gao and Xu. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence:
Yanyong Yang, Second Military Medical University, Shanghai, China
Fu Gao, Second Military Medical University, Shanghai, China
Ying Xu, Second Military Medical University, Shanghai, China
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