Susceptibility of microtubule‐associated protein 1 light chain 3β (MAP1LC3B/LC3B) knockout mice to lung injury and fibrosis

Insufficient autophagy has been reported in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) lungs. Specific roles of autophagy-related proteins in lung fibrosis development remain largely unknown. Here, we investigated the role of autophagy marker protein microtubule-associated protein 1 light chain 3β (LC3B) in the development of lung fibrosis. LC3B-/- mice upon aging show smaller lamellar body profiles, increased cellularity, alveolar epithelial cell type...