WNT16 and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: No significant differences were observed in the basal expression of WNT-5A and WNT-5B in fibroblasts from individuals with COPD compared to individuals without COPD (controls), whilst WNT-16 expression was significantly higher in individuals with COPD stage II (figure 2A–C) In line with the MRC-5 fibroblasts, stimulation with TGF-β1 had no effect on mRNA expression of WNT-5A and WNT-16, but induced mRNA expression of WNT-5B.