Exploration of the genes responsible for unlimited proliferation of immortalized lung fibroblasts.

Regulation mechanism of lung fibroblast proliferation remains unknown. To elucidate the key molecules in it, the authors here established mortal and immortal nontransformed lung fibroblast cell line/strains with elongated life span by telomerase reverse transcriptase gene transfection. Comparing the expression profiles of them, 51 genes were explored to be the candidates responsible for regulation of cellular proliferation of lung fibroblasts.