title: Involvement of hepatocyte growth factor in formation of bronchoalveolar structures in embryonic rat lung in primary culture.
abstract: To clarify the role of hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) in embryonic lung development, organoids from fetal rat lung were cultured in collagen gels with or without HGF antisense oligonucleotides. Cyst-like structures formed within 24 h in organoids isolated from fetuses after 14 days' gestation, but this was abolished by the oligonucleotide addition, apparently by interference with the endogenous expression of HGF. Electron microscopy revealed two types of structure: an alveolar type characterized by osmiophilic lamellar bodies in the cytoplasm and lumen, and a bronchial type consisting of epithelial cells bearing microvilli on their apical surfaces. HGF mRNA was detectable from day 14 in fetal lung by RT-PCR. Our results suggest that HGF plays, coordinately with its expression, a crucial role in the morphogenesis of both alveolar and bronchial epithelia in the rat fetal lung.
authors.affiliation: School of Medicine, Nagoya University, Nagoya, 466, Japan.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Itakura
authors.forename: O
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Kurauchi
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Morikawa
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Okamura
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Furugori
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Mizutani
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001980:Bronchi / Q000187:drug effects / Q000196:embryology* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D004627:Embryonic Induction / Q000187:drug effects*; D005333:Fetus; D018507:Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental; D017228:Hepatocyte Growth Factor / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000502:physiology*; D008168:Lung / Q000187:drug effects / Q000196:embryology* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D008854:Microscopy, Electron; D016376:Oligonucleotides, Antisense / Q000494:pharmacology*; D009924:Organ Culture Techniques; D011650:Pulmonary Alveoli / Q000187:drug effects / Q000196:embryology* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D014158:Transcription, Genetic
chemical_list: D016376:Oligonucleotides, Antisense; D017228:Hepatocyte Growth Factor