The induction of cell differentiation and polarity of tracheal epithelium cultured on the amniotic membrane.
We have developed a culture system of guinea pig tracheal epithelial cells using the epithelium-denuded human amnion as a source of basement membrane. Culture medium fluid over the epithelial cells was replaced by air after 7-day immersion culture and thereafter maintained for 2 weeks. Electron microscopical observations revealed that the height of epithelial cells and the ratio of ciliated epithelial cells looked like that of normal guinea pigs epithelium growth in 2 weeks after the air interface, but that no goblet cells could be found. In order to study cell polarity, we measured endothelin-1 levels in the media of apical and basal sides of the epithelial cell monolayer by means of the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The endothelin-1 content of the submucosal side was over 30 times higher than that of the apical side. These findings suggest that ET-1 would be mainly released from airway epithelial cells toward the submucosal side.
Noguchi
Y
Y
Department of Pulmonary Medicine, University of Tsukuba, Ibaraki, Japan.
Uchida
Y
Y
Endo
T
T
Ninomiya
H
H
Nomura
A
A
Sakamoto
T
T
Goto
Y
Y
Haraoka
S
S
Shimokama
T
T
Watanabe
T
T
D000650:Amnion / Q000166:cytology* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D000818:Animals; D002454:Cell Differentiation; D002455:Cell Division; D016764:Cell Polarity; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D016232:Endothelins / Q000096:biosynthesis; D004847:Epithelial Cells; D004848:Epithelium / Q000378:metabolism / Q000648:ultrastructure; D006168:Guinea Pigs; D006801:Humans; D008854:Microscopy, Electron; D014132:Trachea / Q000166:cytology* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000648:ultrastructure
D016232:Endothelins