PLAU and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: To explore whether changes in AT2 cell uPA and PAI-1 contribute to epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT), AT2 cells from patients with IPF and COPD, and mice with bleomycin-, transforming growth factor β-, or passive cigarette smoke-induced lung injury all had reduced expression of E-cadherin and zona occludens-1, whereas collagen-I and α-smooth muscle actin (markers of EMT) were increased along with a parallel increase in PAI-1 and reduced uPA expression [110].