Persistent activation of progenitor cells may lock the lungs of COPD patients in a pro-regenerative state and ultimately trigger the exhaustion of lung progenitor cells, leading to worsening of the disease, observed a recent research. According to the study, “Increased LGR6 Expression Sustains Long-Term Wnt Activation and Acquisition of Senescence in Epithelial Progenitors in Chronic Lung Diseases,” published in the journal Cells, high levels of the progenitor marker LGR6 in the lungs due to persistent activation of these progenitor cells can lead to their exhaustion and senescence, a cellular state characterised by a halt in cells’ proliferation, leading to a reduction in the tissue’s regenerative abilities. Involvement of LGR6 in the chronic activation of the Wnt/β-catenin pathway and mediating the impairment and exhaustion of epithelial progenitors in COPD, the study showed.