Integrin α6β4 identifies human distal lung epithelial progenitor cells with potential as a cell-based therapy for cystic fibrosis lung disease.

ABSTRACT: To develop stem/progenitor cell-based therapy for cystic fibrosis (CF) lung disease, it is first necessary to identify markers of human lung epithelial progenitor/stem cells and to better understand the potential for differentiation into distinct lineages. Here we investigated integrin α6β4 as an epithelial progenitor cell marker in the human distal lung. We identified a subpopulation of α6β4(+) cells that localized in distal small airways and alveolar walls and were devoid of pro-surfactant protein C expression. The α6β4(+) epithelial cells demonstrated key properties of stem cells ex vivo as compared to α6β4(-) epithelial cells, including higher colony forming efficiency, expression of stem cell-specific transcription factor Nanog, and the potential to differentiate into multiple distinc

SUBMITTER: Li X 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3861522 | biostudies-literature | 2013

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature