AJP - Lung Cellular and Molecular Physiology, Vol 268, Issue 3 347-L360, Copyright © 1995 by American Physiological Society
Culture and transformation of human airway epithelial cells
D. C. Gruenert, W. E. Finkbeiner and J. H. Widdicombe
Department of Laboratory Medicine, University of California, San Francisco 94143.
The culture of human airway epithelial cells has played an important role
in advancing our understanding of the metabolic and molecular mechanisms
underlying normal function and disease pathology of airway epithelial
cells. Recent advances in culturing primary epithelial cells and the
development of transformed airway epithelial cell lines have been
particularly important in enhancing our understanding of the pathology
associated with cystic fibrosis and lung cancer. The establishment of
conditions that enhance the proliferative capacity of airway epithelial
cells in primary culture was the first technical hurdle overcome in the
development of in vitro culture systems. Research is now being geared
toward the development of cell culture conditions that facilitate the
expression in culture of the differentiated characteristics found in the
native epithelium. Aside from the advances that have been made in defining
the growth media and extracellular matrixes that enhance the expression of
differentiated features, the use of an air-liquid interface has been a
significant advance in the culture of airway epithelial cells. The
implementation of the in vitro cell culture systems that have now been
established and the research into optimizing the conditions for the growth
of airway epithelial cells have been and will continue to be essential in
the development of therapies for airway disease.
