COL1A1 and pulmonary fibrosis: Lung mRNA levels of connective tissue growth factor (CTGF), Col1a1, alpha-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA), transforming growth factor beta (TGF-β), TNF-α, and IL-6, as well as protein levels of all important markers of pulmonary fibrosis, such as TGF-β, Smad2/3, αSMA, and Col1a1 were shown to drop when mice were exposed to the spores [165].