title: Evidence for human lung stem cells.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Although progenitor cells have been described in distinct anatomical regions of the lung, description of resident stem cells has remained elusive.
  
  
  METHODS
  Surgical lung-tissue specimens were studied in situ to identify and characterize human lung stem cells. We defined their phenotype and functional properties in vitro and in vivo.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Human lungs contain undifferentiated human lung stem cells nested in niches in the distal airways. These cells are self-renewing, clonogenic, and multipotent in vitro. After injection into damaged mouse lung in vivo, human lung stem cells form human bronchioles, alveoli, and pulmonary vessels integrated structurally and functionally with the damaged organ. The formation of a chimeric lung was confirmed by detection of human transcripts for epithelial and vascular genes. In addition, the self-renewal and long-term proliferation of human lung stem cells was shown in serial-transplantation assays.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Human lungs contain identifiable stem cells. In animal models, these cells participate in tissue homeostasis and regeneration. They have the undemonstrated potential to promote tissue restoration in patients with lung disease. (Funded by the National Institutes of Health.).
authors.affiliation: Department of Anesthesia, Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA.
authors.forename: Jan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Kajstura
authors.forename: Marcello
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Rota
authors.forename: Sean R
authors.initials: SR
authors.lastname: Hall
authors.forename: Toru
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Hosoda
authors.forename: Domenico
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: D'Amario
authors.forename: Fumihiro
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Sanada
authors.forename: Hanqiao
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Zheng
authors.forename: Barbara
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Ogórek
authors.forename: Carlos
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Rondon-Clavo
authors.forename: João
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Ferreira-Martins
authors.forename: Alex
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Matsuda
authors.forename: Christian
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Arranto
authors.forename: Polina
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Goichberg
authors.forename: Giovanna
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Giordano
authors.forename: Kathleen J
authors.initials: KJ
authors.lastname: Haley
authors.forename: Silvana
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Bardelli
authors.forename: Hussein
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Rayatzadeh
authors.forename: Xiaoli
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Federico
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Quaini
authors.forename: Ronglih
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Liao
authors.forename: Annarosa
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Leri
authors.forename: Mark A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Perrella
authors.forename: Joseph
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Loscalzo
authors.forename: Piero
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Anversa
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000818:Animals; D002999:Clone Cells; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008168:Lung / Q000166:cytology* / Q000196:embryology / Q000502:physiology; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D039904:Pluripotent Stem Cells; D019009:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-kit / Q000032:analysis; D012038:Regeneration; D033581:Stem Cell Transplantation; D013234:Stem Cells / Q000737:chemistry / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D019009:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-kit