Hck drives pulmonary inflammation via IL-6 and promotes alternative activation of macrophages and cancer progression

Abstract

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is the third leading cause of death in the world [1] and our current understanding of the biology underpinning this disease is poor. Polymorphisms and mutations in haematopoietic cell kinase (Hck) have been observed in patients with COPD and lung cancer while aberrant activation of Hck promotes inflammatory disease and airspace enlargement in the lungs of mice similar to COPD in humans [2]. To investigate the role of Hck in pulmonary inflammation and cancer in mice, we used genetic complementation to investigate the contribution of the immune systems to inflammation in Hck mutant mice that harbour a constitutive active kinase (HckUp/Up). Adult Hck..