Pericytes of CDH lungs showed reduced proliferation and an increased ACTA2 expression, which indicates that these pericytes are more contractile than in control lung pericytes.
Collectively, these pilot data in a model of CDH lung hypoplasia suggest a primary aberration in response to mechanical stress within the nitrofen lung, characterized by an upregulation of ACTA2 and a downregulation in SPFTC and POSTN.