It has long been appreciated that the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) and mitochondria, organelles important for regular cell function and survival, also play key roles in pathogenesis of various lung diseases, including asthma, fibrosis, and infections. Alterations in processes regulated within these organelles, including but not limited to protein folding in the ER and oxidative phosphorylation in the mitochondria, are important in disease pathogenesis. In recent years it has also become increasingly apparent that organelle structure dictates function. It is now clear that organelles must maintain precise organization and localization for proper function. Newer microscopy capabilities have allowed the scientific community to reveal, via 3D imaging, that the structure of these organelles and their interactions with each other are a main component of regulating function and, therefore, effects on the disease state. In this review, we will examine how 3D imaging through techniques could allow advancements in knowledge of how the ER and mitochondria function and the roles they may play in lung epithelia in progression of lung disease.

人们早就认识到，内质网 (ER) 和线粒体是对正常细胞功能和存活很重要的细胞器，在包括哮喘、纤维化和感染在内的各种肺部疾病的发病机制中也起着关键作用。这些细胞器内调节过程的改变，包括但不限于 ER 中的蛋白质折叠和线粒体中的氧化磷酸化，在疾病发病机制中很重要。近年来，细胞器结构决定功能也变得越来越明显。现在很清楚，细胞器必须保持精确的组织和定位才能正常发挥作用。较新的显微镜功能使科学界能够通过 3D 成像揭示 这些细胞器的结构及其相互作用是调节功能的主要成分，因此对疾病状态有影响。在这篇综述中，我们将研究如何通过技术进行 3D 成像，从而提高对 ER 和线粒体功能以及它们在肺上皮细胞在肺疾病进展中可能发挥的作用的认识。