Proteostasis-imbalance and pathogenesis of chronic obstructive lung diseases

The environmental, genetic or age-related changes in protein homeostasis or "proteostasis" can potentially induce chronic inflammatory signaling, oxidative stress and/or apoptosis in the airway. Although the functions of apoptosis, oxidative stress and inflammatory signaling in chronic obstructive lung diseases are well described, the critical role of the unfolded protein response (UPR)-proteostasis mechanisms mediating the initiation of chronic or fatal pathophysiology is just emerging. In this thematic issue, we focus on novel proteostasis mechanisms that initiate or exaggerate immunopathogenesis of chronic obstructive lung disease(s).