AGER and silicosis: RAGE expression has been shown to be depleted in the fibrotic lung.[35, 36] In a bleomycin model of pulmonary fibrosis Ager-/- are protected.[37] In contrast, in a murine model of silicosis, mice deficient of Ager had a differing pattern of fibrosis but there was no effect on the severity of fibrosis after a single intratracheal instillation of silica.[38] In both house dust mite and ovalbumin models of asthma, Ager-/- were protected from airway hyperreactivity.