Pulmonary fibrosis (PF) is a type of chronic and progressive respiratory diseases characterized by excessive extracellular matrix (ECM) deposition, interstitial fibrotic lesions, and architectural distortion. Patients with PF suffer from pulmonary function decline and progressive worsening of dyspnea with poor prognosis (Wilson and Wynn, 2009). Although recent progress provides mechanistic insights into the pathogenesis of PF, no effective treatment against PF is available other than lung transplantation. Therefore, a better understanding of the molecular and cellular mechanisms of PF is crucial for the discovery of new therapeutic targets for safe and effective anti-PF drugs.
