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Human distal airways contain a multipotent secretory cell that can regenerate alveoli
Journal article   Peer reviewed

Human distal airways contain a multipotent secretory cell that can regenerate alveoli

Maria C Basil, Fabian L Cardenas-Diaz, Jaymin J Kathiriya, Michael P Morley, Justine Carl, Alexis N Brumwell, Jeremy Katzen, Katherine J Slovik, Apoorva Babu, Su Zhou, …
Nature (London), Vol.604(7904), pp.120-126
04/2022
DOI: 10.1038/s41586-022-04552-0
PMCID: PMC9297319
PMID: 35355013
url
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/9297319View
Open Access

Abstract

The human lung differs substantially from its mouse counterpart, resulting in a distinct distal airway architecture affected by disease pathology in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. In humans, the distal branches of the airway interweave with the alveolar gas-exchange niche, forming an anatomical structure known as the respiratory bronchioles. Owing to the lack of a counterpart in mouse, the cellular and molecular mechanisms that govern respiratory bronchioles in the human lung remain uncharacterized. Here we show that human respiratory bronchioles contain a unique secretory cell population that is distinct from cells in larger proximal airways. Organoid modelling reveals that these respiratory airway secretory (RAS) cells act as unidirectional progenitors for alveolar type 2 cells, which are essential for maintaining and regenerating the alveolar niche. RAS cell lineage differentiation into alveolar type 2 cells is regulated by Notch and Wnt signalling. In chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, RAS cells are altered transcriptionally, corresponding to abnormal alveolar type 2 cell states, which are associated with smoking exposure in both humans and ferrets. These data identify a distinct progenitor in a region of the human lung that is not found in mouse that has a critical role in maintaining the gas-exchange compartment and is altered in chronic lung disease.
Animals Bronchioles - cytology Cell Lineage Ferrets Humans Lung - pathology Mice Multipotent Stem Cells - cytology Pulmonary Alveoli - cytology Pulmonary Disease, Chronic Obstructive

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