This Article Full Text Full Text (PDF) All Versions of this Article: 2006-0386OCv1 37/2/152    most recent Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Summer, R. Articles by Fine, A. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Summer, R. Articles by Fine, A.

Isolation of an Adult Mouse Lung Mesenchymal Progenitor Cell Population

The Pulmonary Center, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts

Correspondence and requests for reprints should be addressed to Ross Summer, The Pulmonary Center, R-304, Boston University School of Medicine, 80 East Concord St., Boston, MA 02118. E-mail: rsummer{at}bu.edu

Contained within the adult lung are differentiated mesenchymal cell types (cartilage, smooth muscle, and myofibrobasts) that provide structural support for airways and vessels. Alterations in the number and phenotype of these cells figure prominently in the pathogenesis of a variety of lung diseases. While these cells are thought to arise locally, progenitors have yet to be purified. In previous work, we developed a method for isolating progenitors from lung tissue: this technique takes advantage of the unique ability of cell populations enriched for somatic stem and progenitor activity to efflux the vital dye Hoechst 33342, a feature that permits isolation by flow cytometry-based procedures. Using this method, we determined that a rare population of mesenchymal progenitors resides within the CD45– CD31– Hoechst low fraction of the adult murine lung. Similar to other mesenchymal progenitors, these cells express Sca-1, CD106, and CD44; can be serially passaged; and can differentiate to smooth muscle, cartilage, bone, and fat. Overall, these findings demonstrate that a phenotypically distinct mesenchymal progenitor resides within the adult murine lung, and provide a scheme for their isolation and study.

Key Words: mesenchymal • progenitors • lung

CLINICAL RELEVANCE This article is the first to identify and characterize mesenchymal progenitors in the murine lung. These findings have broad implications for understanding lung development and diseases characterized by the accumulation of mesenchymal elements.

 

This article has been cited by other articles:

				D. Germano, P. Blyszczuk, A. Valaperti, G. Kania, S. Dirnhofer, U. Landmesser, T. F. Luscher, L. Hunziker, H. Zulewski, and U. Eriksson Prominin-1/CD133+ Lung Epithelial Progenitors Protect from Bleomycin-induced Pulmonary Fibrosis Am. J. Respir. Crit. Care Med., May 15, 2009; 179(10): 939 - 949. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				V. J. Thannickal and J. E. Loyd Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis: A Disorder of Lung Regeneration? Am. J. Respir. Crit. Care Med., October 1, 2008; 178(7): 663 - 665. [Full Text] [PDF]

				R. Summer and A. Fine Mesenchymal Progenitor Cell Research: Limitations and Recommendations Proceedings of the ATS, August 15, 2008; 5(6): 707 - 710. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				D. J. Weiss, J. K. Kolls, L. A. Ortiz, A. Panoskaltsis-Mortari, and D. J. Prockop Stem Cells and Cell Therapies in Lung Biology and Lung Diseases Proceedings of the ATS, July 15, 2008; 5(5): 637 - 667. [Full Text] [PDF]

				R. D. Nolen-Walston, C. F. Kim, M. R. Mazan, E. P. Ingenito, A. M. Gruntman, L. Tsai, R. Boston, A. E. Woolfenden, T. Jacks, and A. M. Hoffman Cellular kinetics and modeling of bronchioalveolar stem cell response during lung regeneration Am J Physiol Lung Cell Mol Physiol, June 1, 2008; 294(6): L1158 - L1165. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				J. Murphy, R. Summer, and A. Fine Stem Cells in Airway Smooth Muscle: State of the Art Proceedings of the ATS, January 1, 2008; 5(1): 11 - 14. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]