title: Establishment and characterization of an in vitro human small airway model (SmallAir™).
abstract: We report here the establishment and characterization of an in vitro human small airway model (SmallAir™). The epithelial cells were isolated from the distal lungs by enzymatic digestion. After amplification, the cells were seeded on the microporous membrane of Transwell inserts. Once confluent, the cultures were switched to air-liquid interface. After 3weeks of culture, the epithelium became fully differentiated, with morphology of columnar epithelium, and a thickness of 10-15μm. Most significantly, CC-10, a specific marker of Club cells, was highly expressed in SmallAir™. CC-10 was detected by both immune-cytochemistry and Western Blot. As expected, SmallAir™ contained few Muc5-Ac positive cells (goblet cells). In contrast, CC-10 was not detected in MucilAir™, an in vitro model of the human nasal and bronchial epithelial model. Instead, Muc5-Ac was highly expressed in MucilAir™. However, both MucilAir™ and SmallAir™ contain basal cells and ciliated cells, showing cilia beating and mucociliary clearance. Clearly, MucilAir™ and SmallAir™ are two distinct airway epithelial models.
authors.affiliation: Epithelix, 14 Chemin des Aulx, Plan-Les-Ouates, CH-1228 Geneva, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Song
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.affiliation: Epithelix, 14 Chemin des Aulx, Plan-Les-Ouates, CH-1228 Geneva, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Bernadett
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Boda
authors.affiliation: Epithelix, 14 Chemin des Aulx, Plan-Les-Ouates, CH-1228 Geneva, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Jimmy
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Vernaz
authors.affiliation: Epithelix, 14 Chemin des Aulx, Plan-Les-Ouates, CH-1228 Geneva, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Emilie
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Ferreira
authors.affiliation: Epithelix, 14 Chemin des Aulx, Plan-Les-Ouates, CH-1228 Geneva, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Ludovic
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Wiszniewski
authors.affiliation: Epithelix, 14 Chemin des Aulx, Plan-Les-Ouates, CH-1228 Geneva, Switzerland. Electronic address: samuel.constant@epithelix.com.
authors.forename: Samuel
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Constant
mesh_terms: D015153:Blotting, Western; D001980:Bronchi / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism*; D018929:Cell Culture Techniques / Q000379:methods*; D002454:Cell Differentiation; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D002923:Cilia / Q000378:metabolism; D004847:Epithelial Cells / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D008567:Membranes, Artificial; D055271:Mucin 5AC / Q000378:metabolism; D020545:Respiratory Mucosa / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism*; D014598:Uteroglobin / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: C524678:MUC5AC protein, human; D008567:Membranes, Artificial; D055271:Mucin 5AC; C556389:SCGB1A1 protein, human; D014598:Uteroglobin
keywords: Air-liquid interface; Club cell, organotypic culture; In vitro lung model; Small airways