Immune-epithelial cell interactions in lung development, homeostasis and disease.

The importance of the crosstalk between lung epithelial and immune cells, which emerges from early development and lasts throughout life, is corroborated by a growing body of scientific evidence. This communication not only has a role in driving lung morphogenesis during development, but it is also required in adulthood for the maintenance of homeostasis and repair following infection or injury. Disruption of the intricate immune-epithelial crosstalk can lead to diseases such as COPD and IPF. In this review we summarise the current knowledge regarding the communication between various immune and epithelial cells in development, homeostasis, regeneration and disease, while identifying the current gaps in our knowledge required to facilitate the development of more effective therapies.