When lentiviruses were used to silence HO-1 expression in lung endothelial cells in a model of hyperoxia-induced acute lung injury (HALI), increases in inflammatory cytokines (IL-1β, IL-6 and TNF-α), apoptosis (caspase 3-mediated) and a decrease in autophagy were observed (Zhang et al., 2013). This evidence concerns the gene HMOX1 and acute lung injury.