Endoplasmic Reticulum Stress Is a Danger Signal Boosting Inflammatory Responses in Bronchial Epithelial Cells

Introduction: Endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress has been associated with proinflammatory signaling and is implicated in several pulmonary pathologies, including cystic fibrosis and other chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases. ER stress activates the unfolded protein response (UPR) in order to restore cell homeostasis. As UPR cascades seem to intersect with immune functions, we hypothesized that UPR signalling might increase inflammatory reactions of Toll-like receptors (TLR) upon microbial stimulation within airway epithelial cells. Methods: Airway epithelial cells were treated with thapsigargin to induce UPR a…