Epithelial Plasticity in COPD Results in Cellular Unjamming Due to an Increase in Polymerized Actin

Both cigarette smoke-exposed and COPD-patient derived epithelia displayed quantitative evidence of cellular plasticity, with loss of specialized apical features and a transcriptional profile suggestive of partial epithelial to mesenchymal transition, albeit with distinct cell motion indicative of cellular unjamming.