Lung self-assembly is modulated by tissue surface tensions.

ABSTRACT: To identify cell-intrinsic properties that facilitate interaction between epithelial endodermal and mesenchymal mesodermal cells during lung morphogenesis, we developed a model of lung self-assembly that mimics fetal lung formation in structure, polarity, vasculature, and extracellular matrix expression. Three-dimensional pulmonary bodies (PBs) spontaneously self-assemble from single-cell suspensions and exhibit liquid-like properties that allow measurements of compaction rate and cohesion, and that may help to specify cellular self-organization. We hypothesized that changes in one or more of these parameters could potentially explain the lung hypoplasia associated with abnormal lung development. We examined the impact of endothelial/monocyte-activating polypeptide (EMAP) II in PBs, becaus

SUBMITTER: Schwarz MA 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3095985 | biostudies-literature | 2011 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature