A new approach for the study of lung smooth muscle phenotypes and its application in a murine model of allergic airway inflammation.

ABSTRACT: Phenotypes of lung smooth muscle cells in health and disease are poorly characterized. This is due, in part, to a lack of methodologies that allow for the independent and direct isolation of bronchial smooth muscle cells (BSMCs) and vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) from the lung. In this paper, we describe the development of a bi-fluorescent mouse that permits purification of these two cell populations by cell sorting. By subjecting this mouse to an acute allergen based-model of airway inflammation that exhibits many features of asthma, we utilized this tool to characterize the phenotype of so-called asthmatic BSMCs. First, we examined the biophysical properties of single BSMCs from allergen sensitized mice and found increases in basal tone and cell size that were sustained ex vivo. We

SUBMITTER: Paez-Cortez J 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3767675 | biostudies-literature | 2013

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature